Thursday 9 December 2010

County Players Winter Form - Part Two

Following on from our look at the Australian domestic season we move on to South Africa to investigate the form of the players we expect to see in domestic cricket in England in 2011.

Before we get to the South African players that will be appearing in the County Championship, there have been three English players over there performing for two of the franchises. Kevin Pietersen linked up with the Nashua Dolphins ahead of the Ashes series in an attempt to find some form, but he only made 36 runs in his first innings and bagged a duck in his second game. Yet it was his work on the training ground with his old friend and coach Graham Ford that seems to have rekindled glimpses of his old form, judging by his recent performance in Adelaide.

Ravi Bopara followed on from Pietersen at the Dolphins when he headed off to Australia. He has made only one SuperSport Series appearance so far against the Lions where he batted at number four. He made two starts but was unable to build upon them and register a big score, he was dismissed for 34 and 33. His 12 overs went unrewardedand he leaked 59 runs.

But Bopara's impact in the MTN40 has been much more significant. He helped guide them to the semi-finals of the 40-over competition and appeared in all nine matches making 336 runs at an average of 42.00, including four half centuries, one of those in the first leg of the semi-final. But it was his medium-paced bowling that perhaps surprised, he took 15 wickets at 20.86, his economy may be construde as being a tad high at 6.43, but he took wickets. He managed 4-11 against the Knights, who have reached the final, and 5-63 against the Warriors off eight overs.

His new Essex colleague, Owais Shah, has also spent some of his winter in South Africa at the Cape Cobras, playing as an overseas player in the MTN40 competition. He played six of their seven games, and topped the batting averages with 54.25, his best being the 83 he scored against the Knights off just 78 balls.

So what kind of form have the South African players that we expect to see next season been in ?

Surrey's new signing from Somerset, kolpak all-rounder Zander de Bruyn has been in imperious touch with the bat in both formats. With fitness concerns over Mark Ramprakash for the start of the English season, Surrey have moved swiftly to complement the exciting young talent they have at the Oval, with some much needed experience. A shrewd move it's looking with de Bruyn in his current form.

In the 40-over game, de Bruyn scored 345 runs, at just under a run a ball, while averaging 69.00. He made a century and three fifties, and this form continued into the longer game. His SuperSport Series record after four games has seen him average 70, slightly inflated by two not outs in his six innings, but impressive nonetheless.

His Lions team-mate and Hampshire middle order batsman Neil McKenzie has also caught the eye in SuperSport Series with 353 runs in the tournament so far. In his last match he made 164 and set up a four-wicket victory for the Lions. His one-day form is not comparable to the four-day game, but he has always been a safer bet in the longer form.

An exciting talent that will be returning to Hampshire in 2011, after a season with Warwickshire, is leg-spinner Imran Tahir who plies his trade along with Bopara at the Dolphins. While Hampshire unearthed a potential spinning gem in Danny Briggs while Tahir was away for a season, his development can only be enhanced by operating in tandem with Tahir and picking his brains on all facets of their art.

Tahir, as ever, has proved hugely effective in both the MTN40 and the SuperSport Series. His outstanding economy in the 40-overs game of 4.42 demonstrates the absolute control he has over his line and length, and his spin armoury has bamboozled no less than 30 unsuspecting victims in the first-class game, which includes four five-wicket hauls. His best came against the Titans, when he tore through their line-up in the first innings taking 7-112, without affording them any let up in their second effort picking up a further 5-47. The formailty after such a high quality sustained piece of bowling was completed when the Dolphins knocked off 73 with the loss of only one wicket.

Glamorgan's new signing and captain, Alviro Petersen, has not enjoyed the best of domestic season's so far, averaging mid to late 20's in both competitions. In the recent Test series against South Africa, Petersen made 67, 26, 2, and 35, to suggest he was getting himself, but failing to really go on and capitalise in helpful batting conditions.

Leicestershire's Claude Henderson, who had an excellent season at Grace Road accruing 56 wickets in the County Championship, is displaying typical reliability again in South Africa for his franchise, the Cape Cobras. There is nothing too exceptional about Henderson, but he can certainly be expected to bowl with the control and patience necessary to execute his skipper's plans. Although his 7-108 at Benoni against the Titans indicated he can still win matches for his side and not just be a steady Eddie.

So I think that's covered all the players we can expect to see in 2011, if there are any players that may have been missed, or that may be playing club cricket in South Africa, please leave a comment with an update of how they're going. Until next time....

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