Eagle watching

Essex season preview at Third Umpire. Have some of that.

Crash, Bang, Wallop, What a Series!

No, I still haven't got around to writing about this yet. But it's a good title for a post, isn't it?

The English disease

Yesterday morning, I had succumbed to it. Hubris, that is - not necessarily a historically English affliction but one that right now seems dangerously seductive to those of this isle concerned with the fate of the Ashes. Or at least it did until the events of last night, triggered by a weakness that is as English as train delays and tea cups swimming in custard: the batting collapse.

The possibility had lurked like a hell beast in a storm drain, despite England scoring 517-1 and 620-5 in consecutive innings. I wasn't prepared to believe we could wrap up the series without suffering at least one nightmare out in the middle - previous tours Down Under have marked out their territory in the darkened corners of my subconscious. But even as that redoubt remained standing I was steadily beguiled. The ordure heaped on Australia in recent weeks had firmly tipped the scales; England were in the ascendancy and, perish the thought, I had even mused openly on the possibility, however remote, of 4-0.

Such were the heights to which my expectations had soared that as Australia's tail ski-jumped their side to a respectable 268 I was already thinking, 'That's 70 runs too many'. Not, 'That's a decent effort against any Australian side on their own patch'. No, having reduced the hosts to 69-5, I wanted more; a brutal land grab, a beer hall putsch. The English boot was on the Australian throat and the prospect of resurrection was a non-runner, not with this bunch, this rabble of Raggy Greens, incompetents and half-blokes.

And then the dawn broke, with the news that we'd been Waca-ed by Mitchell Johnson. A glimmer of hope remains, but we have been been forced to reassess our opponent's capabilities. This should serve as a wake-up call, a reminder that we cannot slumber easily until the job is done and the Ashes are retained. The Boogie man still resides under the bed, at least for now.

Ashes ahoy!

The sleep function on my clock-radio kicked in at around 1am this morning, moments before Shane Watson bowled Jonathan Trott to leave England on 41-2. Watson's first two balls had been hit for four and called a wide respectively, so I felt reasonably content as TMS and Michael Slater's voice abruptly cut out.

As I slept, I dreamed of serene progress past the 400-mark, confident that there would be nothing to discombobulate Smyth and Bull on the guardian OBO ... then I awoke to drowsily check the score on my phone some seven hours later. A Siddle hat-trick? Bleurgh, there was nothing about that in my reverie. Still, it wasn't quite as horrific as four years ago.

Not too much can be read into England's score of 260 (though it looks a little short at first glance) until the Aussies have batted. Come tomorrow morning, we'll have a much clearer idea of how the first Test is balanced. Anyway, ahead of the resumption of hostilities, some recommended reading: Sam Collins' Ashes blog. It's a ripper.

Essex 2010 season review

Gravity had its way in the end. In answer to the question of whether Essex could maintain their heady Division One status for the first time, Paul Grayson's side eventually responded with a fairly emphatic 'no'. The magnetic pull of the second tier has now claimed Essex three times out of three in seasons following successful promotion campaigns.

Ultimately we finished bottom, some 30 points from safety, after losing four of our last five Championship matches - a quite disastrous run that included twin defeats to Warwickshire, who dragged themselves off the foot of the table to finish sixth. In one of those odd little sequences that cricket sometimes throws up, Warks scored 155 in all four innings against Essex, twice to win by seven wickets in the second dig. Swap those results around and it would most likely have been the Bears, rather than the Eagles, who went down.

Having gutsed it through the first half-and-a-bit of the season (with 78 points from nine games), a thumping victory over the eventual champions, Notts, and a creditable draw against Yorks left Essex with 107 points and eyeing survival. Then came that sequence of defeats - four in a row that sealed relegation - and a final-round draw with Durham (where probable victory was eschewed in favour of preparation for the CB40 semi-finals). Five matches, 19 points. It was a miserable way to go.

The most obvious problem, apart from unsuccessful tilts at two one-day trophies (last-four exits came against Hampshire on T20 finals day and Somerset in the aforementioned CB40), was an extra-crumbly batting line-up. From those last seven County Championship fixtures, half of the 14 innings ended with Essex all out for less than 200; their highest total was 399 (so no maximum batting points, then) but 300 was only passed three times.

In the T20 era, seeing out the overs in which batting bonus points are scored (the first 110) seems tough enough for most teams, let alone getting near the 400 required for a maximum of 5 points. While most Division One counties averaged between 2.5 and 3 bonus points from their bowling (Warks, the best in 2010, took 47 from a possible 48; Durham's 39 was the least) only one side regularly took 3 batting points from their matches - Somerset, who play at batsman-friendly Taunton, scored 53 from a maximum of 80. The decline in ability to amass consistently high first-innings totals is worthy of further investigation (it's a project I hope to get round to) but even in a weakened market, Essex were under-powered.

As was the case at around the year's halfway mark, James Foster was the team's standout batsman but his performances dipped slightly after taking on the captaincy from Mark Pettini. Foster's 839 runs at 32, whilst leading the side and keeping wicket, put him level with Jaik Mickleburgh (839 @ 29.96), whose season should be viewed as a success despite a similar tailing off. Matt Walker, who I suggested was key to Essex's survival hopes, ended with 782 at 39, though his one ton came in the dead game against Durham. Tom Westley (440 @ 25.88), who I also had high hopes for, managed a meagre 100 runs from five appearances during the run-in.

Pettini, meanwhile, had his worst season since being handed the captaincy in early 2007, after Ronnie Irani's sudden retirement, totalling just 599 runs at a shade under 25, with two fifties and no hundreds. Injury restricted Ryan ten Doeschate to 11 appearances, meaning the Dutch Saffer could only muster 577 at 34. Billy Godleman (532 @ 26.60) was too inconsistent; Ravi Bopara (550 @ 42.30) and Alastair Cook (474 @ 39.50) too often on international duty to sufficiently bolster Essex's totals.

Mediocre performances and a constantly changing top order fed into one another to further undermine the batting. Only Foster played in every match, with Pettini and Mickleburgh making 15 starts (out of 16); six other batsmen, not including the allrounder Ten Doeschate, made between six and 11 appearances. There were six different opening partnerships used over the course of the season (Goldeman-Maunders, Godleman-Cook, Godleman-Mickleburgh, Westley-Mickleburgh, Mickleburgh-Cook and Pettini-Mickleburgh); and while seven batsmen scored hundreds, only Bopara managed more than one (two, to be precise). Failing to find a settled line-up made for a disjointed and often messy showing.

Essex's bowlers, by contrast, faired pretty well against higher-calibre opponents. Since David Masters arrived to lead the attack three years ago, our bowling unit has improved to the point where it is a real wicket-taking force ... though I guess skittish batting throughout the game, as mentioned above, could also be a factor. What used to be a weakness is now a strength (we certainly held our own in the top division), but it's a shame that the renaissance has coincided with a gradual hollowing out of the side's batting.

Masters was almost an ever-present, and his 53 wickets at 23 from 14 matches represented a career-best season's return. At 32, he's developing into just the sort of knowledgable, canny opening bowler that Essex have needed since Darren Gough ended his three-year stint down south in 2006 - or even since the days of Ashley Cowan and Mark Ilott.

Masters was the only man to meet bowling coach Chris Silverwood's target of 50 Championship wickets, but there were still decent returns for Maurice Chambers (32 @ 25.81) and Chris Wright (31 @ 37.29) - though Wright, like Walker with the bat, achieved his best innings analysis (5-70) in the final game of the season. Chambers in particular is capable of devastating spells these days and his workload has been increasing encouragingly year-on-year. Tony Palladino (18 @ 27.72) chipped in with his usual end-of-season cameo - when will the boy be available for a whole summer?! - while Ten Doeschate's medium pace (27 @ 26.51) was as effective as ever before his injury.

In the spin department, Danish Kaneria was disappointing - though with all the match-fixing rumours swirling around both him personally and the Pakistan team in general, it is understandable that he was affected. Nevertheless, his 23 wickets at nearly 33 runs apiece represented his worst Essex return in six seasons. Tim Phillips (20 @ 37.60) was useful, while Westley (6 @ 29) also turned his arm over on occasion. In a season that featured several middling overseas signings (think Dwayne Bravo's costly T20 finals appearance or Chris Martin's 1-84 after visa trouble delayed his arrival) Bryce McGain was a colourful two-match presence, taking 10 wickets at 26, including an eventful 5-151 from 30-odd overs against Kent.

All of which is to say: things could have gone better. Disappointingly, I failed to make a single day's play on our return to Division One of the Championship, my County Ground attendance record limited to a Pro40 win over Middlesex. Still, the place should look largely the same next season as the development of the stadium is unlikely to start this winter, despite planning permission finally being secured.

So, it's back to the comfy sofa of the second tier. It may be beer stained and poorly upholstered but there's always the possibility of finding a couple of quid down the back. See you there ...

Farewell to all that ...

So, the big man has taken his final bow - though not without a flourish. In a way, victory at The Oval neatly summed up Andrew Flintoff's contribution to English cricket over the last decade: statistically unremarkable (29 runs from two innings; one wicket for 77 runs), but sprinkled with moments of irresistible genius (that Ponting run out).

I was hoping that whilst on a quest to win his second Ashes single-handed, Flintoff would manage to get his bowling average down below his batting average ... Alas, that wasn't to be (and perhaps inevitable, given the patched-up state of the man) and Statsguru at least will always remember him as an allrounder slightly outside the Botham-Khan-Dev bracket.

But Flintoff, certainly in the eyes of fans and team-mates, always seemed to transcend such workaday measurements of greatness; he was a man of 'moments', of enthusiasm, brio and showmanship. The crop bore a number of choice career cherries, and everyone has their Freddie favourites. From a blistering 84 from 60 balls against Pakistan as England chased 300 plus in an ODI for the first time in their history; to his maiden Ashes ton, adding 177 with Geraint Jones in 40 overs at Trent Bridge; to that down-on-one-knee stuff at Lord's. And who could forget 'Mind the windows, Tino'?

But that's the stuff of whistful reminiscence and grainy HD footage in years to come. Using the raw data of this statistical, chronological retrospective, I propose we do the Flintoff 'math' instead ...

• After 20 Test innings, spread over almost four years, Beefy's latest much-heralded successor was still to pass 50. Then something finally clicked, as Flintoff blasted 137 in an extraordinary Test against New Zealand in 2002 - following a run of three ducks in four innings, as well. The lad clearly didn't do things by halves.
• The following summer, Flintoff averaged above 50 in a series for the first time. His 423 runs at 52.87 against South Africa helped Michael Vaughan to elude a home defeat in his first series in charge. Even better, under Vaughan (Nasser Hussain resigned after the first Test), Flintoff averaged 54.71.
  
• Between March 2002 and August 2005, Fred scored five Test tons. The roughly four-year spells either side, contained none. Purple Freddie was exhilarating while he lasted, though.
• Flintoff took the new ball for the first time in India in 2001, claiming then best figures of four for 50 in the second Test. It was an early sign of his bowling proficiency outside of England (due to his back-of-a-length style); he averaged 29.69 on tour as opposed to 36.11 at home.
• Despite only taking three five-wicket hauls in his career, Flintoff was at his champion best bowling to the Aussies. Two of his five-fors came against the old enemy, and in total he claimed 50 Australian victims, more than against any other nation. His other five-for? West indies at Bridgetown.
  
• From 2002 onwards, when Andrew Flintoff really started to become England's Fred, his bowling was almost metronomically reliable, if not always devastating. Between then and his retirement, Flintoff only went wicketless in a match three times: twice at Edgebaston (against South Africa and Australia, in his penultimate Test) and at Perth in 2006.
  
• During those years as the attack's go-to bowler, between August 2004 and March 2006 Flintoff took a wicket every time he bowled - a run stretching across 37 innings.
• Flintoff achieved the allrounder's holy grail of a better batting than bowling average against three opponents: the relatively weak West Indians and New Zealand; and Australia. Again indicative of the man's capacity to seize the moments that mattered, Fred's 33.55 with the bat and 33.20 with the ball against the world's No1 side are indicative of how good his career stats could actually have been.

Anyway, that's enough numbers for now. The geek in me has been sated. But here's looking forward to the Stuart Broad version in a decade or so.

Fredheads

One man will be more important than any other to England's hopes of winning the decisive Oval Test, which starts tomorrow, and thereby regaining the Ashes - but it won't be the six foot four Lancastrian near-legend we call Fred.

Andrew Strauss has gone about his Ashes 2009 business with quiet efficiency, much as he has done since returning to the side against New Zealand in 2008 after being dropped due to poor form. He is England's highest run-getter by a clear hundred (344 @ 49) - as he was during the fight to save the series in the Caribbean (541 @ 68) over the winter - and he currently averages at least 10 more than any of his top six colleagues do against the Aussie attack.

That, coupled with a direct, pragmatic approach to the captaincy, means Strauss has emerged as the team's MVP - a status conferred as much by his approach and ability as the absence of a certain KP. He has also succeeded in defying the traditional affliction of batting like an England captain, ie. poorly - as this comparison of his averages with and without the extra responsbility shows (a handy link that will either add weight to or disprove the contention as time passes).

Strauss has thrived under pressure, leading by example and tackling the Australian menace head-on, albeit in his trademark undemonstrative manner. Contrast and compare with England's supposed titan, Andrew Flintoff, for a moment. Fred took the plaudits for his five-for at Lord's (when Australia made 400 in their second innings) ... but shouldn't, as Lawrence Booth points out in his Spin column, the MoM award really have gone to Strauss for his first-dig 161?

Not to say that Flintoff's presence in England's fifth-Test line up is insignificant. He appears as some kind of bogeyman in the tourists' psyche and his no-nonsense batting bolsters the lower-middle order a sight more than Steve Harmison's. But he bowls as part of an ensemble cast - with seven wickets at 49 he is fourth in the England standings - while Strauss is the team's standout batsman.

Australia must be bowled out twice on what is likely to be a batter's wicket, and Flintoff's fire will be as important as the hoped-for contributions from Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad et al. But England have also to score 'big runs' (and winning the toss wouldn't do any harm either). This is Strauss's department - and if he hits his straps again, he might just drag the rest of the team with him.

No pressure, Andrew ...

By any means necessary

It may seem superfluous to say it, but England needed to save the first Test in Cardiff. Psychologically it was important; in terms of remaining in the series, it was imperative. Australia's funk at perceived English time-wasting may well become a significant corollary - and Ricky Ponting did well to play the incident down.

Can England take 20 wickets in a match from here? The signs certainly weren't encouraging. And if you examine the form of England's bowlers against Australian opposition in the last seven years (encompassing three Ashes series), the question appears to echo that bit more ominously. What would you give for Simon Jones (19 wickets @ 21, strike rate of 34) to be fit right now?

Still, it is thanks to two bowlers, Jimmy and Monty, that we endure. To Lord's, lads, and let's make a fight of this one.

Here comes the sun (which is often not a bad thing in a sporting context)

The warm murmurings of spring; the smell of cut grass on the breeze ... things that remind me of youthful trips to the fields over the back to play cricket on the concrete strip, or headers-and-volleys with rugby posts for a goal.

Normally I favour more pluvial conditions, the type that change the tenor of a late-autumn football match, or which make for muddled and muddied rugby. Such a preference is probably also influenced by a pallor more Ronald (McDonald) than Ronaldo, but there is one unequivocal bonus to seeing the sun parked high in the sky: cricket.

It has to be pleasure-in-chief of the summer months and, with the World Twenty20 and the Ashes among the few major sporting events on the 2009 calendar, there will be plenty of bat'n'ball to be enjoyed. There may be some scuffling along cricket's boundary rope - such as the continued debate about the respective merits of the Test and Twenty20 games - but that shouldn't overshadow another season of domestic and international contest; provided the weather holds, of course.

Yes, it's certainly one thing the sun is good for. Hat on, can/glass/hip flask in hand, some bins shielding the eyes as the players shimmer out in the heat. I have, of course, done my time sitting under cover while rain conquers the outfield - but a sport can't be blamed for the inconsistencies of the native seasons, can it?

There is, simply, an ineluctable beauty to a day spent watching two teams - or more precisely, two men - jousting out in the middle. And this is where I think the county game, and the championship in particular, holds its own. Away from the circus of England matches (which are of course fun, but for other reasons), and the inescapable marketing and consumerism that swamps so much of professional sport, the county championship hums along, a faithful and trustworthy friend. Like the libraries of academe, or meadows filled with nothing but cows and buttercups, there is something of the English idyll at play here, I think.

This is cricket, for me, pared down, perhaps not even that popular - but pure. With time to read the paper, or go for a wander in search of a pint, then to return to the duel at hand. Because that's what we're after, isn't it? Two fellows (along with sundry supporting players) taking to the wicket to try and get the better of each other with just a bat and a ball.

So I'll be taking advantage of the sunshine, whensoever it happens to grace this isle, to add to my list of county grounds visited and while away a few more hours taking idle pleasure from the summer game. Making sure to apply the sunscreen to myself, of course ... almost as often as applying myself to the ale.

Fin de regime(?)

Rupert Murdoch! Bob Hawke! John Howard! Ricky Ponting! Madge Bishop! Kevin Rudd - can you hear me Kevin Rudd? Your boys took one hell of a beating! Your boys took one hell of a beating! Excuse me... just releasing some pent up emotion. Now, where was I?

Ah yes. Perhaps we should hold back from proclaiming a new world order, but, after victory as sweet as South Africa's was (adding 180 for the ninth wicket; JP Duminy's breathtaking 166; 10 wickets for Dale Steyn), it's tempting to get all flustered, if only for a bit.

To recap, the notion that Australia's cricketing empire is contracting - just as the West Indies' did almost 15 years ago - has already be tossed around; but a first home series defeat since the early nineties looks to have provided further evidence for the prosecution. An Aussie side with passengers? Game-winning opportunities declined with increasing regularity? Internecine bitching? All sounds familiar to this Pom...

Australia's case of subsidence may give KP and the gang heart ahead of the summer's Ashes dust-up, but it doesn't preclude England making a pig's ear of what looks right now a golden opportunity. Last time, it took a leonine effort to wrest back the Ashes. This year, maybe just calculated competency will be enough. For now, lads, keep Lance-Corporal Jones' advice in mind... Don't panic!

Straya on the ropes(?)

Before the 2006-07 Ashes series down under - The Ashes II, for cricket fans who think things all began with Fred Flintoff - Gideon Haigh wrote:

Not so long ago, the Ashes looked a spent force as a cricket attraction, a monocultural, irrepublican irrelevance amid our modern sporting cosmopolitanism. Then, with a single delivery, the one grazing Michael Kasprowicz's glove en route to Geraint Jones at Edgebaston last year, the world turned topsy-turvy: the sacred soot was up for grabs, and finally changed hands after an Ashes series to die for.

Haigh went on to predict the 5-0 whitewash that ultimately ensued, as Australia firmly shut the lid on the can of whup-ass opened by Michael Vaughan's team in 2005. But, were one to engage in such a 'long-range forecast' now, looking ahead to next summer's baggy-green tour of England, what odds would be given for another truly 'sooty' contest?

Looking at England's patchy form, and even given KP's ascent to the captaincy, they would possibly be long. But then, whilst England circa 2008 couldn't buckle on the pads of the 2004-5 vintage, Australia's progress has been far from serene itself in the past twelve months or so. From Monkeygate to Punter's over-rate ordeal, the Aussies have slip-slided from a record-equalling 16 Test victories in a row (20 from 21, including the ICC super Test, post Ashes) to three wins in the last ten, including three defeats. The last time Australia lost three times in the space of ten Tests was 2000-01, which included two defeats in India during VVS Laxman's series mirabilis, and the traditional dead-rubber Ashes turn-around the following summer; but, interestingly, it also was immediately preceded by that initial bar-raising 16 Test run.

These things happen, eh? Throw another Pom on the barbie... But, as Australia struggled to victory over New Zealand at the weekend, the extent of their diminished stock became a little clearer. The two best performers in a brittle Aussie batting display were Michael Clarke and Simon Katich. Clarke will likely be his side's middle-order cynosure next summer, and has added maturity to his undoubted technique - yet he only averaged 37.22 during the 2005 Ashes. Katich, whose 131* effectively stuffed a Kiwi side that, as England gleefully discovered during their own summer, offer generous slip practice, seems established in Justin Langer's boots - but his average against England is a frankly un-Australian 26.30. Without Langer, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, Straya's record reads: P14, W7, D4, L3. Less Wallabies, this side are closer to Wallabeens.

Whether England and their man-o-war captain Pietersen can make capital from Australia's devalued line-up is the [insert sufficiently inflationary figure] dollar question, but it seems nailed on that the 2009 series will once again be far removed from the "monocultural, irrepublican irrelevance" that was the mark of Australia's 16-year dominance. Our antipodean cousins have consistently set the mark for others to strive for; however, this time it looks like they might finally be brought down to our level.

Ambrose selection is a fig leaf

Following on from the sentiments expressed below, the Wisden Cricketer have kindly allowed me to expound the point a little further, here; with less of an overt Essex bias, obviously.

Fostering discontent

James Foster's omission from the England touring party to India was to be expected. Peter Moores has been inking the names of Matt Prior and Tim Ambrose onto his team sheets for too long now just to abandon the habit at the click of a ball-point pen. But the question of why Foster continues to be overlooked for the role of wicketkeeper certainly bears some examination; and may yet prove pivotal for an England coach still to entirely win over his observers.

It can't be that his glovework isn't up to spit: last week Jack Russell described Foster as the best keeper in the world. And it ought not be his batting, which this season averaged a more-than-healthy 50.66 in the Championship; and comes in at a non-too-shabby 35.34 over the course of his career. He's performed in Tests before, so we know a bit about his temperament on the international stage. And he isn't a loose cannon or a rogue factor, prone to outbursts and boughts of ill temper - he appears a fairly genial, down to earth fellow, who is currently Essex's vice captain.

What, then, is the barrier to his inclusion? After being anointed Alec Stewart's heir apparent as long ago as 2001, Foster's handful of Test appearances stalled with a single Ashes cap on the winter tour of 2002/03. At this juncture, there were still evident weaknesses in his game - as a batsman he was green, and his ability behind the stumps was considered functionary rather than spectacular. However, six English summers of phlegmatic self-improvement have elevated Foster - in terms of professional aptitude - far beyond the promising 21-year-old handed Stewart's now-mythical gauntlet.

As Foster learnt to stand up to the wicket to Essex's battery of medium pacers, and perfected his stumping technique, Chris Read returned to the national frame - some time after a less than successful debut of his own. Geraint Jones, his buccaneering batting style another weapon that Foster was carefully crafting, then became the man in possession, until handling errors and a mental fragility finally let him down. And now, as Moores toys with his former Sussex wickies, Ambrose and Prior, Foster continues to be overlooked.

Maybe Foster has failed to produce the consistently eye-catching feats required to prick the selectors into action. Certainly, a more impressive knock in this season's Friends Provident Trophy final wouldn't have done his chances any harm - his scratchy 18 was no sparkler, despite it coming in the biggest partnership of Essex's innings: 68 with match-winner Grant Flower. Then again, a double century last summer against Notts went by largely unnoticed - as did Read's in the same game. Two wicketkeepers scoring 200 in a match, and still the selectors plough their south coast furrow?

We are told that there are seasoned eyes and ears amongst Geoff Miller's scouting network, who scour the county circuit, separating out raw talent from the rest of the dreck. If so, how can Foster have been missed again? The recalled Prior looks to have at least brought his gloves with him this time, but Ambrose had a woeful summer, in front of and behind the timbers. Dropped catches and missed stumpings will cost England against Australia next summer, if not before, but the national hierarchy's prevarication over their wicketkeeping requirements appears to have given bat the whip hand over glove once again. That said, there can surely no longer be any doubt over Foster's competency with the blade...

Essex coach Paul Grayson has voiced his disappointment, yet the facts remain: Foster should be in the England set-up, but he isn't. The longer that aberration is allowed to stand, the worse things may get for Moores.

Graham 'Napalm Death' Napier

Two weeks ago it was Ravi Bopara - this time it was Essex's lesser-known allrounder Graham Napier out in the middle, detonating the ball to all parts of the ground. His 152 from just 58 balls may well have been touched by the kind of fortune that only comes to those who truly 'give' themselves to the slog (as well as blessed by the short boundaries at Chelmsford), but it certainly served notice of the often-elusive potential that Essex-goers have been aware of for some time.

In my preview of Essex's 2008 fortunes, I suggested that this could be a watershed year for Napier, after the period he spent in New Zealand over the winter. There, whilst playing club cricket for Upper Valley, he was called into Wellington's side for the State Twenty20 and State Shield (50 over) competitions, at one point sharing the batting with former Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming. The hard yards of wintering abroad were described on Napier's Essex blog, and it's a good indication of how seriously he's perhaps beginning to view his cricketing career. In Kiwi, he picked up a first ever hat-trick, on his was to 7-34 for Upper Valley; back on the county scene, and after a slowish start, he's managed to claim a world record for the number of sixes in an innings.

Whilst the carnage was being wreaked against Sussex, Sky's David 'Bumble' Lloyd mused that Napier had got himself fit, and was beginning to show the application required of a cricketer who wants to step his game up a level. He also suggested that England may well like to find a place for the Colchester-born 28-year-old at some point. As with Bopara, such predictions are generated as much by the heat of the crucible as the cold, hard facts. But then again, stranger things have happened (Paul Grayson in the Champions Trophy, for instance)...

Ravi runs away with it

Phenomenal. That's about the only way to describe Ravi Bopara's blistering double hundred against Leicestershire in the Friends Provident Trophy. I'd just tuned in to BBC Essex's streaming commentary when Ravi cleared the ropes for the tenth time, bringing up his 200 with one ball of Essex's innings remaining. This was astonishing not only because there have only ever been a handful of limited-over double hundreds, but also due to the fact that Ravi had reached a mere 150 about five overs beforehand, when I belatedly checked the score for the first time.

I remember noting Ravi's innings of 83 from 46 balls against Surrey in the Twenty20 Cup in my 2006 season review for Third Umpire. As luck would have it, Essex's next one day fixture will be at Surrey in the T20, and I'll be sitting in the Oval bleachers again, hoping for more of the same. There have been no less than forty hundreds scored in T20 competition, the highest being one of the most recent - Brendon McCullum's ferocious 158 not out in the IPL - so it's not beyond the realms of fantasy that the Eagles could be rocket-propelled towards another big total by Centurion Bopara; though another double looks unlikely.

As the BBC Essex commentators mulled the significance of Ravi's pyrotechnically accomplished knock, they immediately projected forward to him scoring bucketloads of runs in the one-dayers against New Zealand, and then doubtless returning to the Test side to face the Saffers. Caution should be preached, for now, as he has already received caps in both forms of the game, and ended up departing with them in hand. However, with such undoubted aggression, and his wristy, punchy stroke play, there's every reason to hope - particularly while England's middle order continues to suffer so excruciatingly...

In Harm's Way

Steve Harmison has looked less like a shadow of his former fast bowling self than a fart trying to imitate a hurricane in the last twelve months. His wide to kick-off the Ashes will go down as the most famous misfire in English Test history; but every big-hearted trier is only ever a good towling down and a bottle of Lucozade Sport away from a shot at redemption, and Harmy is looking like he might have strapped his sights on this time.

After toiling at Colombo for figures of 3 for 111, Harmison's detractors had only to look at the surface to see what a stirling effort he had put in. Taking three wickets on a track worthy of the grim reaper after six months without a Test appearance was one thing, but chalking up over 40 overs in an innings on the subcontinent for the second time was quite another. For a man who has been accused of a rather lackadaisical approach to touring, it was timely riposte.

Onward to the third Test, and England's last chance of saving their place next to Australia at the top table, where 'Steady' Steve, as he'll probably not henceforth be known, is again right on the spot. Figures of 13-2-28-3 at the close of day one suggest that Harmison may well be motoring back to the sort of lethal consistency that once made him the fearsome fairy atop the fast bowling tree, and England's success in engineering a great Sri Lankan escape will probably rest on his broad Geordie shoulders.

Barring such an outcome, an impressive showing here and some target practice against the Kiwis will hopefully give England's big man the best chance of showing the watching cricketing world what he can do again when the Proteas come a-calling next Summer...

Ronnie Irani: The lad done good

It's been a few days touched by sporting sadness for me - not least because Thierry Henry has departed for Catalunyan shores - but because it also seems that injury has cut short Ronnie Irani's final season at Essex.

Arriving in Chelmsford from the more northerly environs of Lancashire, Ronnie quickly established himself as a favourite at the County Ground - although he never did manage to shed his accent! A combative allrounder, he was the obvious choice to take on the captaincy in the wake of Paul Prichard's retirement and Nasser Hussain's increased commitment with England, and, I'm sure he'd be pleased to know, he always did us proud.

Whether he was bustling in to unleash his niggardly medium pace, or flaying the ball around at a fair old strike rate with willow in hand, his ability as a player was clear; despite never being quite able to translate this to the international arena. At his best as a one day player, he guided Essex to National League success in 2005 and 2006, as well as the last ever Benson and Hedges Cup final in 2002 (unfortunately not a great day out, as I remember). His strongest international analysis also came in the short form, with 5 for 26 and 53, in the same match against India.

It was as an increasingly accomplished batsman in the longer game that the last few seasons have been most notable for, however, as knee trouble forced the right-arm away swingers to be packed up in the kitbag for good. Performing solely in the top order from the 2004 season onwards, he consistently averaged around the 60 mark, and his bankability helped go a long way to making up for the loss of such stalwarts as Nasser Hussain, Paul Grayson and, more recently, Andy Flower. Before announcing his plans to retire at the end of this season, Reggie was averaging over a hundred, having hit a career-high score of 218 in the second game of the Championship at home to Glamorgan. Sadly, the knees couldn't quite make it.

With some of the young, talented players Essex have brought on recently, I'm not too worried about the batting (it looks like Grant Flower's staking his claim as 'veteran run-getter' at the moment too): it's more as a presence in and around the team that Irani will be chiefly missed. Always a jovial, friendly cricketer, his captaincy engineered us a few wins we might not otherwise have had, and his honesty and connection with the fans were much respected. I'll always enjoy the memory of his clobbering Shane Warne out of the ground in one Warney's first few games at Hampshire; as well as some of the thunderous strokes he employed in Essex's recent one day ascendency. But it's the simple, incongruous-sounding, familiar three sylables in the middle-order of the Essex scorecard that I'll pine for most of all.

Cheers, R. C., you done good.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

You know you've missed me. Particular hellos go out to regular readers, my Mum, Mrs Bescott from next door, and AndrogynousMel64. Since KP's wall-flower hundred against Australia irritated the hell out of me a lot of water's passed round the U-bend. So, let's dip into a delightful bag of pic'n'mix, shall we...?

World Cup Washout
The ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 - a name eloquently derided in Lawrence Booth's fantastic The Spin column - ended up being almost as long, unwieldy and exasperating as the formulation ICC CWC WI 2007 itself. Fifty-odd games, almost seven weeks, less than a handful of exciting finishes, and almost limitless shovel-loads of opprobrium. The messy whimper which signalled its close (the teams mistakenly forced back onto the pitch to play a final three overs in near total darkness) fairly well summed the tournament up; Oliver Brett delivers a pretty damning report.

Almost as saddening was the West Indies' decline - although their contribution to a thrilling final Super Six match against England went some way to showing how entertaining the tournament could have been. Brian Charles Lara will of course be sorely missed from the international arena, and even though my favourite memory of the man is still his falling for a first golden duck to Craig White's right-arm-around in 2000, it is a shame that his singular abilities could not be matched by his team mates in the twilight of his career. It will be with a wistful sigh that I next boot up Brian Lara Cricket for the Playstation.

County On Regardless
There is some succour, however, for lovers of the thud of ball on bat: the County Championship season is well and truly underway. As a dyed-in-the-wool Essex boy, I shall be casting judgement on Ronnie and lads over the course of the season (hopefully with some boundary rope analysis to supplement my avid Ceefax/web score-watching), and hopefully celebrating more success at the County Ground, Chelmsford. After an underwhelming draw against Derbyshire, I had begun to fear that taking wickets was again going to be a problem; and with Andy McGarry (young Essex paceman, who seemed to have left the game) re-registered for the first time since 2003 before the Glamorgan fixture, things didn't look great. But thanks to to some Danish Kaneria magic - and a little assistance from God Almighty (see the news archive for an interview) - a first, and emphatic, CC victory of the season was garnered. That's 19 wickets from two games for Kaneria, and once he's joined by Andre 'Angry' Nel, we should be firmly in the groove - even on early season featherbeds!

NB. Just in case there are any partisan McGarry fans out there, it's not that I don't rate him (I can remember a few decent wicket-taking performances from the early '00s), more that his return signals just how threadbare our pace resources are at the moment. No offence intended...

Where Eagles Dares
A stunning finish by Chris Eagles capped Man U's stirring comeback against Everton, and seemingly wrecked the Special One's hopes of bringing a third title to Stamford Bridge. After Mourinho's recent dyspepsia, I am more than happy to root for Ferguson and his devilishly good squad, despite a historic antipathy for Manchester's red half. United have been this season's thoroughbreds, playing the best football the Premiership has seen since Arsenal's invincible campaign three years back, and while Chelsea's indefatigable spirit is praiseworthy, their manager's increasing petulance is less so. A spate of unedifying rants has seen Mourinho stand accused of 'doing a Keegan'; and it looks like Ferguson's mental resilience has done for his challenger once again. And who says he doesn't have the prettiest wife at home?

Which Leeds me onto...
Whilst Newcastle have at least retained top-flight status since their spontaneous combustion under Keegan, another former giant, who transformed Yorkshire grit into Champions League glamour, is on the verge of a catastrophic slide into English football's third tier. Leeds United were as good as handed their League One (old Division 2, old-old Division 3) registration forms yesterday, as a late equaliser for Ipswich left the White Rose three points and nine goals from safety, with just a game to play.

A school friend of mine - stand up Safari Dan - is a Leeds man, and for that reason alone I willed them not to fall out of the Premiership. Big spending during their brief tilt at Champions League glory had left them drastically top-heavy, and relegation saw them slowly dismembered by the bean counters. Their quixotic rise to the top unravelled as fast as the likes of Kewell, Viduka, Robinson and Bowyer could say 'pack my bags'. It's a harsh tale for Yorkshiremen and neutrals alike, and the scars still appear livid today.

Despite making the play-off final last year, more internal disharmony saw Kevin Blackwell, the man who almost took them back up, ousted, and an irregular duo of Dennis Wise and Gustavo Poyet brought in. The slide was never averted, however, and life outside the top two divisions for the first time in their history now seems a certainty. This is grand guignol theatre for the club's faithful (not least Safari Dan) - but they must look down the M62, towards the City of Manchester Stadium at Eastlands, for a glimmer of hope. In 1998 Manchester City became the first English winners of a European trophy to descend into the third division (Division 2), during a turbulent period in their history - just as Leeds were beginning their late nineties ascendancy, initially under George Graham, and then whole-heartedly under David O'Leary. If resurrection is to be achieved, then Leeds will have to find a resolve similar to that employed by City in their rise back to the Premiership; and a return for such a great club would surely be warmly welcomed around the country (perhaps excepting Manchester!)

Lost the pot?
And finally, in this hotch-potch of sporting analysis/gabble, a sideways glance at the Crucible, that theatre of respectfully silent sporting genius, where Stephen Hendry, ranked numero uno coming into the World Championship, seems set to depart the tournament in the second round, after scratching his way to just four frames out of 16 (best of 25) against Ali Carter.

Now, I only really get interested in poking small balls with big sticks once or twice a year [insert own joke here], and the championship in Sheffield is usually good for a bit of olde worlde entertainment. I say that, because with a large number of eighties bellwethers - Parrott and Davies in the arena; Virgo and White behind the mic - still on the scene, coupled with the generally somnolent atmosphere that pervades the hallowed arena, one can take in the action at a gentlemanly pace, undisturbed by changes of strip or the introduction of hawkeye to detect surreptitious double-hits. The only records likely to be broken are ones for extremely lengthy encounters - as happened in last year's final - and with regular repeats of Dennis Taylor manically gyrating, cue held aloft in victory, from 1985 (check out those bins by the way), you can virtually taste the sepia.

Yes, there is a respect for one's elders at the World Championship. Which is why I'm saddened to see Hendry getting whupped by young Carter (even though the lad's from Tiptree, home to Essex's finest jam-maker). But almost as ruffling is the absence of Dougie Donnelly as the BBC's anchor for its coverage. Hazel Irvine may have an appealing lilt to her voice too, but this break with tradition is most unwelcome. And while it mayn't be long before Hendry exchanges his potter for some patter in the world of punditry, surely there's still room for the Silken Scot (yes, I realise both Irvine and Hendry are Scottish as well) in the BBC SWC (British Broadcasting Corporation's Snooker World Championship) 2007 dramatis personae?

If someone could make it so, we'd be in Grade A Partridge territory: "In off the red!"

Who'd a thunkit?

Cor blimey, strike a light, guv'na - England cricket team in one day cricket success? Read all abaht it, read all abaht it...

The World Cup's back on the agenda, we have the best all-rounder in the world, and the Aussies are on the slide; some welcome light at the end of the long, dark Ashes tunnel. But I think that a first overseas ODI tournament victory since Sharjah should probably be tempered somewhat by the bald statistics of mediocrity that show England lost 22 of the 33 games previous to their winning run to the VB Series final.

Credit where credit is due; you don't beat Australia three times on the bounce without playing the odd session of decent cricket. Missing the batting of Kevin Pietersen, and, in the winning sequence, the swing bowling of James Anderson, England could have justifiably claimed to have been deprived of two of the three or four really world class one day players they have. But with Liam Plunkett bringing along his bag of jaffas, Collingwood batting like it was day two of the second Test in Adelaide again, and some of the bits-and-pieces players finally coming good (hands up Jamie Dalrymple - what a catch in Sydney, by the way - Mal Loye, and Ravi Bopara), they didn't do a half bad job.

I've mused on the flummoxing nature of England's ODI record before, and it's difficult to see everything slotting smoothly into place come the West Indies. It depends who makes the squad, I guess, and fingers should be crossed over Jimmy Anderson's back, Jon Lewis, for some much needed control with the new ball, and someone who can bat as wicket-keeper (although don't hold your breath, as Nixon looks likely to get the nod for his jabbering alone; poor old James Foster). With a decent run of form, they might make a tilt at the semis, and then it's anyone's to play for really. I'll have my fingers crossed, of course, but having observed England splutter at the two World Cups of recent memory, I won't be getting too excited just yet...

One to watch

Liam Plunkett

After England managed to polish off Australia for the first time in a good few months this morning, I thought it was time to reflect on the fortunes of the England bowler most marginalised over this Ashes tour.

Plunkett, the Durham quick, who hit the scene around the same time as Saj Mahmood, had fallen back behind Jimmy Anderson and Mahmood to the point where after getting clubbed for 39 from five painful overs in his first competitive outing since the English summer, it looked as though serious doubts where beginning to form over his ability.

However, that one loosener aside (yes, five overs is generous for a loosener, but wait...), Plunkett has taken 6 wickets at around 15 in the subsequent two ODIs, topping that by producing figures of 9.5-1-24-3 in the immensely satisfying tonking meted out to the Aussies. The crucial aspect here is control - something which both Plunkett and Mahmood have lacked in their short ODI careers; Mahmood's economy is up over 6, while Plunkett's is only just below.

While Plunkett's promise has only reared its head sporadically, I think his style is more suited to forging a successful international career. Mahmood's shotgun pace is undermined by his habit of spraying the ball all over the place - something that definitely isn't out of the Glenn McGrath school of wicket-taking. Maybe he'll settle down, like Shoaib did, but until then, Plunkett's line and angle of attack, allied to a more smooth, economical action, would get my nod. He may not be as quick as Saj, and he may not be able to create the bounce and angles of Chris Tremlett, another rival from England's youthful pace stable, but he seems to have a certain amount of savvy about him that compensates for this.

Looking at the breakdown of his bowling figures may not be all that instructive - but, he takes wickets, and he gets runs, highlighted by the fifty he scored in only his second one day international. Coupled with the productive period he produced in the summer's Tests against Sri Lanka, before injury, I think he's got a decent case for being 'the new Simon Jones'; at least until Jones himself is back. Then he can battle it out with the Welshman and Stuart Broad for that number eight position...