Firstly, welcome to Surrey Tom Maynard, Glamorgan's loss is Surrey's considerable gain and I am sure he's got a big future at the Oval. I saw him bat three times last year, once in the TV game at Cardiff when he scored a very impressive 64 at more or less a run a ball, then at the Oval when he went for 19 in the pursuit of Surrey's world record score. But the third innings was the pick, in a particularly galling defeat at the Oval Maynard's 78 from 43 balls was the difference between the sides, he was calculating yet powerful, more of the same please Tom.
I can't really see that any more new faces will come in, except perhaps an overseas player for the non-Twenty20 games (Shakib al-Hasan please). We have a squad which is undoubtedly short of experience, especially with Ramprakash missing for the start of the season, but at the same time it is long on promise, which is cause for genuine optimism. 2011 will be another year of ups and downs, but I can see the makings of a very talented unit, particularly in the limited overs games.
A Championship batting order comprising Brown, Hamilton-Brown, Maynard, Roy, De Bruyn, Davies and Wilson looks good on paper, but I'm not entirely sure where everyone fits. In Hamilton-Brown, De Bruyn, Davies, Wilson and Maynard we appear to have five number fives, and no number threes while Ramps remains on the sidelines. I would go for Roy and Brown as an opening pair but the former is probably more comfortable in the middle order for now. Lancefield, Spriegel and Harinath lurk in the background should anyone fall short. Oh and there's Pietersen on the payroll as well.
Someone will have to step up and occupy that number three slot, and I'd like that someone to be the captain. OK, his defensive game only appeared very occasionally (to put it mildly - did it appear at all?) in 2010, but it was the one place in the order he didn't bat last season and I would like to see him take on that responsibility.
The bowling unit has been boosted by the return of Chris Jordan, who gives the side batting depth as well. Equally though it will likely be weakened by the departure of Tremlett for large chunks of the season. Meaker, Dernbach and Jordan will be expected to make early inroads but the persistent absence of a frontline spinner leaves us exposed, unless of course Simon King can make a sudden breakthrough after a poor 2010. And what of Andre Nel amongst all this? Who knows. Matt Dunn and Tim Linley will provide able backup in the seam bowling department.
The likes of Tom Jewell, Chris Schofield and Zafar Ansari will make occasional appearances but I am interested in particular in the progress of Ansari who will be a key player for us in a few years I think.
So Surrey County Cricket Club's 2011 vintage could well be a story of flashes of genius ultimately ending in another middling season, or if three or four players (ideally Roy, Hamilton-Brown, Maynard and Meaker) can make 2011 a breakthrough year, and the rest continue to steadily develop we could spring some real surprises. I for one hope it is the latter!
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Surrey sign Shaun Tait for Twenty20s
News emerges that Surrey have pulled off something of a coup in signing the man labelled as the 'World's Fastest Bowler', Shaun Tait, for this year's Twenty20 Cup. Its no secret that the fast bowling ranks were looking a bit thin with the prospect of Chris Tremlett being unavailable for large chunks of the season and the remainder of our quicks a little light on experience, so it is to my mind a very good and undeniably very exciting signing.
He can be wayward, and his injury record does not make for pretty reading but when he gets it on the money he is a fearsome prospect. Should he and Tremlett ever take the field together it would make a formidable opening pair, extreme pace from a slingy action from one end and awkward bounce from the other. Even if they don't, Dernbach is a fine bowler, Jordan is finally coming back from injury and if Meaker can kick on that gives us plenty of options in the pace department.
Adams' record in overseas signings isn't great, none of Rao Iftikhar, Grant Elliott, Younus Khan or Andrew Symonds performed anywhere near their best and while Ryan Harris was good his stay was all too brief. That's not to say any of that is Adams' fault, the logic behind Younus and Symonds was simple, and at the time I thought both Rao and Elliott might prove canny signings, but neither did. Shaun Tait at the Oval has all the ingredients for success, with the single injury question mark hanging over him.
Signing big name players for the sake of it is daft, signing Shaun Tait is not. I don't doubt there will be a couple of games where a batsman gets a hold of him, but I am sure he'll take plenty of wickets.
The limited overs side is looking potent if still a touch on the raw side, Davies (when available), Hamilton-Brown, Roy and De Bruyn carry plenty of firepower and now the bowling looks stronger. We are still missing a spinner and that should be sought as the second overseas option, throw a quality spinner into that mix and we'll be right on the money.
Thursday, 6 January 2011
2010/11 - The Sweetest Win
Alright beating a team sprinkled with genius in 2005 was pretty special, and 2009 was a rewarding exercise in doggedly keeping at it, but the 2010/11 Ashes is my favourite England series win (I was only two when we won it in 1986/7).
To win a series down under is impressive, South Africa were impressive in doing so a couple of years back, beating an Aussie side containing broadly similar personnel, but to deliver the most comprehensive of batterings, as England are about to complete, is more than impressive.
3-1 (which it presumably will be by about 1.30am tomorrow morning), remarkably, won't quite do England justice in my book. Perth, looking back on it, seems a bizarre aberration. How did our batting lineup fold for 187 and 123 while in the other five innings they batted they averaged 510? How did the Australian bowlers take 20 wickets for 310 runs when in the other four games they managed 36 wickets for 2,554 runs? I have no idea.
The whole series has been a blast, you'd struggle to pick your best moment, but there's one that really sticks in the mind for me. It was on that epic first day at the MCG, Strauss took a calculated gamble in putting the Aussies in to bat on a juicy looking pitch and boy oh boy did his bowlers reward him. My defining memory of this series will be the celebration of James Anderson as he took Mike Hussey's wicket. Hussey had defied England's bowlers resolutely to that point and his wicket became the most prized of all. Anderson's celebrations are rarely as effusive as that one, but you sensed that was the moment he realised we would retain the Ashes, just sheer, unadulterated joy and wild arm-waving. Take a look at it here, about 1m54s into this video. Oh and I also really like Matt Prior's Ashes beard.
You get the sense that it could just be the beginning for England too, this side are young enough and talented enough to duke it out with the very best in the world and on the strength of four our of five Ashes performances, I think they'd probably beat India and South Africa at the moment.
Three of England's current top six, Cook, Bell and Pietersen could become England's three leading run-scorers of all time and they may all end their careers occupying the top three slots as the leading hundred-makers for England too. Cook especially is a tanatlising prospect, at just 26 he could have 10 good years left in him and he's already got 5,100 runs under his belt. Not to forget Strauss who with 19 hundreds and 6,084 runs is also heading for the upper echelons of those tables, though he has less time on his side as he approaches 34.
I'm sad to see Collingwood go, but its good to see him choose to go rather than be pushed. For a man who seemed to spend his entire career directly under the selectors axe, its fitting that he should choose his time to depart. He will be more tricky to replace than seems immediately obvious.
Next up (after yet another England-Australia one day series) is the World Cup, the treble of World Twenty20, Ashes in Australia and 50 over World Cup inside one 12 month period is very definitely on the cards. Then for the number one slot. I for one cannot wait.
To win a series down under is impressive, South Africa were impressive in doing so a couple of years back, beating an Aussie side containing broadly similar personnel, but to deliver the most comprehensive of batterings, as England are about to complete, is more than impressive.
3-1 (which it presumably will be by about 1.30am tomorrow morning), remarkably, won't quite do England justice in my book. Perth, looking back on it, seems a bizarre aberration. How did our batting lineup fold for 187 and 123 while in the other five innings they batted they averaged 510? How did the Australian bowlers take 20 wickets for 310 runs when in the other four games they managed 36 wickets for 2,554 runs? I have no idea.
The whole series has been a blast, you'd struggle to pick your best moment, but there's one that really sticks in the mind for me. It was on that epic first day at the MCG, Strauss took a calculated gamble in putting the Aussies in to bat on a juicy looking pitch and boy oh boy did his bowlers reward him. My defining memory of this series will be the celebration of James Anderson as he took Mike Hussey's wicket. Hussey had defied England's bowlers resolutely to that point and his wicket became the most prized of all. Anderson's celebrations are rarely as effusive as that one, but you sensed that was the moment he realised we would retain the Ashes, just sheer, unadulterated joy and wild arm-waving. Take a look at it here, about 1m54s into this video. Oh and I also really like Matt Prior's Ashes beard.
You get the sense that it could just be the beginning for England too, this side are young enough and talented enough to duke it out with the very best in the world and on the strength of four our of five Ashes performances, I think they'd probably beat India and South Africa at the moment.
Three of England's current top six, Cook, Bell and Pietersen could become England's three leading run-scorers of all time and they may all end their careers occupying the top three slots as the leading hundred-makers for England too. Cook especially is a tanatlising prospect, at just 26 he could have 10 good years left in him and he's already got 5,100 runs under his belt. Not to forget Strauss who with 19 hundreds and 6,084 runs is also heading for the upper echelons of those tables, though he has less time on his side as he approaches 34.
I'm sad to see Collingwood go, but its good to see him choose to go rather than be pushed. For a man who seemed to spend his entire career directly under the selectors axe, its fitting that he should choose his time to depart. He will be more tricky to replace than seems immediately obvious.
Next up (after yet another England-Australia one day series) is the World Cup, the treble of World Twenty20, Ashes in Australia and 50 over World Cup inside one 12 month period is very definitely on the cards. Then for the number one slot. I for one cannot wait.
Sunday, 26 December 2010
So long Chris, it was a blast!
In my post-Christmas lunch haze I settled in to watch the start of Ashes Test number four last night, the Boxing Day Test at the enormous Melbourne Cricket Ground, and what a treat I was in store for.
Australia blasted out for 98, their lowest total at The G in Ashes history, a sub-100 innings total is a rare thing indeed in the annals of England in Australia history. England's seamers put on a real show for their supporters, those at the ground and those recovering at home . Anderson returned figures of 4-44, Bresnan 2-25 and the pick of the attack - statistically at least, Chris Tremlett with 4-26 taking him to 12 wickets in just two Ashes tests at an average of under 15. The reality struck then and there, Perth was no fluke, Tremlett is there for keeps.
Steven Finn can count himself unlucky to have been dropped, or 'rested' for this game, but his time will come, it is clear to all who have seen him that he'll go on to take hundreds of wickets for England. Finn is still raw though, he has areas to improve on, Tremlett is the finished article now.
Chris Tremlett is what a good friend of mine likes to call a "sh*t you up" bowler, like Harmison was in his pomp, he worries batsmen because of his sheer size and presence. It was a joy to watch him bowl at the Oval in 2010, which brings me to my main point - in 2011 Tremlett at the Oval, and in fact in a Surrey shirt anywhere, might not happen very much.
England know now that in Tremlett, if he stays fit, they have a world class bowler who is at the peak of his physical prowess, and they should take advantage of that. I think Steve Finn will have a hell of a fight on his hands to get into this side once Broad returns, what a delicious prospect for England, and there's Onions to come back too!
So Surrey will likely be a seamer for large chunks of the 2011 county season, the fitness of Jade Dernbach, Stuart Meaker, Tim Linley and the fragile Chris Jordan is all the more important suddenly. Dernbach, Meaker and Linley took 88 wickets between them in the Championship last season, averaging 30 collectively, striking on average once every 54 balls and going at 3.3 runs an over. Respectable figures no doubt - but Tremlett was a cut above, averaging 20, strike rate of 45 and going at just 2.6 an over. He leaves a gaping chasm in our bowling attack, make no mistake.
Matthew Dunn might find himself called upon more regularly than he might've thought a few weeks ago but it'd be unfair to expect too much of such a young (though undoubtedly talented) player.
I am delighted for Tremlett, and England (country before county after all!), but he added a real cutting edge to our attack that will be sorely missed. Dernbach and Meaker need to make a step up, which I think they are both certainly capable of, maybe the extra responsibility will be the making of them?
Australia blasted out for 98, their lowest total at The G in Ashes history, a sub-100 innings total is a rare thing indeed in the annals of England in Australia history. England's seamers put on a real show for their supporters, those at the ground and those recovering at home . Anderson returned figures of 4-44, Bresnan 2-25 and the pick of the attack - statistically at least, Chris Tremlett with 4-26 taking him to 12 wickets in just two Ashes tests at an average of under 15. The reality struck then and there, Perth was no fluke, Tremlett is there for keeps.
Steven Finn can count himself unlucky to have been dropped, or 'rested' for this game, but his time will come, it is clear to all who have seen him that he'll go on to take hundreds of wickets for England. Finn is still raw though, he has areas to improve on, Tremlett is the finished article now.
Chris Tremlett is what a good friend of mine likes to call a "sh*t you up" bowler, like Harmison was in his pomp, he worries batsmen because of his sheer size and presence. It was a joy to watch him bowl at the Oval in 2010, which brings me to my main point - in 2011 Tremlett at the Oval, and in fact in a Surrey shirt anywhere, might not happen very much.
England know now that in Tremlett, if he stays fit, they have a world class bowler who is at the peak of his physical prowess, and they should take advantage of that. I think Steve Finn will have a hell of a fight on his hands to get into this side once Broad returns, what a delicious prospect for England, and there's Onions to come back too!
So Surrey will likely be a seamer for large chunks of the 2011 county season, the fitness of Jade Dernbach, Stuart Meaker, Tim Linley and the fragile Chris Jordan is all the more important suddenly. Dernbach, Meaker and Linley took 88 wickets between them in the Championship last season, averaging 30 collectively, striking on average once every 54 balls and going at 3.3 runs an over. Respectable figures no doubt - but Tremlett was a cut above, averaging 20, strike rate of 45 and going at just 2.6 an over. He leaves a gaping chasm in our bowling attack, make no mistake.
Matthew Dunn might find himself called upon more regularly than he might've thought a few weeks ago but it'd be unfair to expect too much of such a young (though undoubtedly talented) player.
I am delighted for Tremlett, and England (country before county after all!), but he added a real cutting edge to our attack that will be sorely missed. Dernbach and Meaker need to make a step up, which I think they are both certainly capable of, maybe the extra responsibility will be the making of them?
Saturday, 11 December 2010
Stewart Walters leaves Surrey
Veteran of six seasons at Surrey Stewart Walters has departed the club by mutual consent. He has one year remaining on his deal but he won't see that out, choosing instead to go into cricket clothing retail.
I am always reluctant to be too critical of a player who is released, it must be tough for the player to give up like that. Having said that I was never really convinced that Walters was ever going to be a regular contributor at the level we needed him to be. He was always lively in the field and despite dropping a couple of horror catches when I saw him this season he was reliable in the field.
Walters always scored heavily in the Second XI but the step up to first class cricket was maybe a bridge too far. His average of 25 after 34 matches with only 2 hundreds, was nowhere near good enough and I'm sure he'll be disappointed with that return as well. His uber-purple patch of June 2009 where he scored those two hundreds was never repeated.
It does however leave us another batsman short and with Michael Brown sounding not all that confident about making the new season in his injury diary, unless Chris Adams has another signing up his sleeve (Tom Maynard?) we are going to be really susceptible to an injury or two - not a great position to be in. The next few weeks are going to be very interesting.
I am always reluctant to be too critical of a player who is released, it must be tough for the player to give up like that. Having said that I was never really convinced that Walters was ever going to be a regular contributor at the level we needed him to be. He was always lively in the field and despite dropping a couple of horror catches when I saw him this season he was reliable in the field.
Walters always scored heavily in the Second XI but the step up to first class cricket was maybe a bridge too far. His average of 25 after 34 matches with only 2 hundreds, was nowhere near good enough and I'm sure he'll be disappointed with that return as well. His uber-purple patch of June 2009 where he scored those two hundreds was never repeated.
It does however leave us another batsman short and with Michael Brown sounding not all that confident about making the new season in his injury diary, unless Chris Adams has another signing up his sleeve (Tom Maynard?) we are going to be really susceptible to an injury or two - not a great position to be in. The next few weeks are going to be very interesting.
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Tremlett would be pitch Perth-fect for the Waca
The morning after the night before, and what a night! The hour and a quarter or so of play last night was one of the most enjoyable I've ever had the pleasure to experience - I hope there's more where that came from.
The one cloud on the horizon is Stuart Broad's injury, an abdominal tear ruling him out of the entire Ashes series. Broad has bowled well on the tour so far without taking many wickets, and has barely had a bat, but his absence will nonetheless be keenly felt.
It will surprise none of you to hear that I think Chris Tremlett is the man for the job of replacing Broad. The pitch at the Waca might not be the terrifying prospect it once was, but there is word that its getting back to some of its former glory - and surely Australia's only hope is to prepare a pitch with a bit of green and try and blast England out. This would play nicely in to Tremlett's ample hands.
His height and high 80s pace will make him a real handful on a pitch with any sort of bounce. We've seen in this test the trouble that bounce can cause (for both sides!), and the addition of Phil Hughes at the top of the order (who Tremlett dismissed in the Hobart warm up game by the way) will only magnify that. To have Finn and Tremlett operating in tandem, with Anderson making use of the Freemantle Doctor and Swann twirling away as well would be a frightening prospect for the Aussies.
I have long been of the school of thought that you back your batters to get you the runs, and in two out of three innings so far this tour England's top six have delivered in spades. Swann might not be the ideal number 8 but he can do a job and Tremlett can fling the bat at number 9 to decent effect. Bresnan might, might, get you a few more runs but I just don't think he brings enough of a threat with the ball and I'm not sure Shahzad is suited to the Waca surface. Tremlett is the man for the job in Perth - he won't let England down.
The one cloud on the horizon is Stuart Broad's injury, an abdominal tear ruling him out of the entire Ashes series. Broad has bowled well on the tour so far without taking many wickets, and has barely had a bat, but his absence will nonetheless be keenly felt.
It will surprise none of you to hear that I think Chris Tremlett is the man for the job of replacing Broad. The pitch at the Waca might not be the terrifying prospect it once was, but there is word that its getting back to some of its former glory - and surely Australia's only hope is to prepare a pitch with a bit of green and try and blast England out. This would play nicely in to Tremlett's ample hands.
His height and high 80s pace will make him a real handful on a pitch with any sort of bounce. We've seen in this test the trouble that bounce can cause (for both sides!), and the addition of Phil Hughes at the top of the order (who Tremlett dismissed in the Hobart warm up game by the way) will only magnify that. To have Finn and Tremlett operating in tandem, with Anderson making use of the Freemantle Doctor and Swann twirling away as well would be a frightening prospect for the Aussies.
I have long been of the school of thought that you back your batters to get you the runs, and in two out of three innings so far this tour England's top six have delivered in spades. Swann might not be the ideal number 8 but he can do a job and Tremlett can fling the bat at number 9 to decent effect. Bresnan might, might, get you a few more runs but I just don't think he brings enough of a threat with the ball and I'm not sure Shahzad is suited to the Waca surface. Tremlett is the man for the job in Perth - he won't let England down.
Saturday, 4 December 2010
De Bruyns and De Brawn
Alright, its not a very good effort, but headlines aren't my speciality. Zander de Bruyn, formerly of South Africa, Somerset and Worcestershire, and possessor of one of the most freakishly long necks in all of county cricket has signed a one year contract with Surrey as a kolpak player - he qualifies as a British citizen in 2012.
On the face of it he's not the most obvious of signings, but for a couple of reasons I think its quite a canny pick by Chris Adams and Co. Firstly he does have a solid, if unspectacular, track record in first class cricket - 10,000 runs at an average of 40 and a healthy List A average to go along with it. 800 division one runs, 550 CB40 runs and 300 Twenty20 runs in 2010 speaks of a reliable middle order performer. He can also turn his arm over to decent effect when required.
Secondly he will slot into a batting order shorn of the vast experience of Mark Ramprakash, his 170+ first class games will count double among such an inexperienced - albeit very promising - lineup. Finally we missed a middle order hitter in the limited overs games last season, particularly the CB40, Hamilton-Brown and Davies often gave us rapid starts but once we got into number 4, 5, 6 and 7 there was a distinct lack of power - hopefully de Bruyn will address that.
I think de Bruyn can be a real success at the Oval, but my track record in predicting the quality of signings is distinctly average, so we shall see. What is not in question though is the fact that our batting is well short of experience - too many times last season we collapsed and lacked application, hopefully the instalment of an experienced and quality player will help turn the tide.
On the face of it he's not the most obvious of signings, but for a couple of reasons I think its quite a canny pick by Chris Adams and Co. Firstly he does have a solid, if unspectacular, track record in first class cricket - 10,000 runs at an average of 40 and a healthy List A average to go along with it. 800 division one runs, 550 CB40 runs and 300 Twenty20 runs in 2010 speaks of a reliable middle order performer. He can also turn his arm over to decent effect when required.
Secondly he will slot into a batting order shorn of the vast experience of Mark Ramprakash, his 170+ first class games will count double among such an inexperienced - albeit very promising - lineup. Finally we missed a middle order hitter in the limited overs games last season, particularly the CB40, Hamilton-Brown and Davies often gave us rapid starts but once we got into number 4, 5, 6 and 7 there was a distinct lack of power - hopefully de Bruyn will address that.
I think de Bruyn can be a real success at the Oval, but my track record in predicting the quality of signings is distinctly average, so we shall see. What is not in question though is the fact that our batting is well short of experience - too many times last season we collapsed and lacked application, hopefully the instalment of an experienced and quality player will help turn the tide.
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