Pujara demonstrates the old virtues are still effective

Any game plan heading into a Test match must contain more than just a hint of pragmatism about it, India’s positive and aggressive strategy in the opening session of this eagerly awaited Test series perhaps overlooked some rather critical factors and was in fact edging towards reckless. The remainder of the day saw India (or more pertinently Pujara) have to fight their way back into the contest to establish some semblance of near parity.

India seemed intent on gaining the early upper hand, that initial momentum to put the hosts on the back foot. Australia opted to sacrifice the all-round skills of Mitchell Marsh for the opening Test in order to try and bolster what is a fragile and inexperienced batting line-up and so have just four specialist bowlers to rely upon in the extreme Adelaide heat.

This Adelaide pitch offered just enough swing and nip, Edgbaston on an overcast day in early summer this was not, plus the likelihood of this assistance lasting too much past the opening hour was minimal. Having won the toss India were planning on draining the energy from the Australians and ensure they endured a long day in the field.

Step forward Chetashwar Pujara, who we’ll come to later. The only successful batsman of the day did not seem the ideal candidate to implement India’s apparent strategy. The reason ? The strategy applied by the rest of the top seven was seriously flawed.

Facing this Australia attack in their own conditions is exceptionally challenging and a strategy for both survival and to flourish is imperative. However, India lost four wickets in the opening session with a flurry of impatient drives, gifts that these Aussies need no invitation to accept.

KL Rahul went after a full swinging ball in the second over, Vijay looked unsettled and not at his fluent best and snicked off a full one from Starc. Kohli came and went very quickly by his standards when looking to over impose himself and driving at one too wide resulting in a stunning catch from Usman Khawaja in the gully. Rahane showed similar intent and the plan was clear to attack Nathan Lyon and force him out of the attack and give the quicks more work than they would have wished for  in the sapping heat. Problem is Lyon is actually a bloody good spin bowler and rarely gets dominated. Despite Lyon not claiming the wicket of Rahane he also gave it away to Hazlewood with yet another ill-advised poorly selected drive.

All the old fashioned batting virtues are still applicable in Test cricket despite them being woefully out of fashion - patience, discipline, grit, determination, technique, all boring and outdated according to the new age batsman. However, Pujara expertly demonstrated these skills. His 50 took 153 deliveries with his 16th century coming off 231 balls. Australia were bowling well and he was displaying the requisite watchful nature to nullify arguably the world’s best attack.

Pujara’s special innings was built around several cut shots, fleet of foot against Lyon, and those typical flicks of the legs when the bowlers erred in line. Sometimes the best strategies are the simple ones, the pitch is flat, it’s hard work for the fielding side and it should have been much harder for Australia today, specifically in the morning session. Get through that tough first hour and settle in for the day. Easier said than done admittedly but even more difficult when a side with little game time on the tour to this point attempt an elaborate over-attacking method.

SSCC Round Three: Talking Points

Finally…Chef delivers an early season treat 

While the rain persists and batting conditions continue to ask probing questions of some of the world’s finest batters, Alastair Cook finally got to spend some meaningful time out in the middle against a strong Hampshire attack. Former Test players Kyle Abbott and Fidel Edwards opened up the examination with the new ball and Cook predictably grew in confidence the more time he spent at the crease.

The familiar cut shots were evident, along with the nurdles off the pads, and it’s always pleasing to see Cook moving into the ball and driving through the offside. It’s a big summer coming up for England’s record Test run-scorer and he’ll have two more County Championship games against Yorkshire and Worcester to regain further confidence ahead of facing former Essex teammate Mohammad Amir in the opening Test against Pakistan.

The other rather light-hearted talking point from Essex’s rain-affected draw against Hampshire was the sight of Australian Peter Siddle running in to bowl while sporting a beanie hat! Early in the domestic season we have become accustomed to seeing hand warmers stored away in the fielders’ trouser pockets and several layers being worn in an attempt to ward off any threat of hypothermia, but a beanie? Surely that’s a touch excessive! Ok, this may not be Victoria-type temperatures but a big burly quick should be able to cope with a chill in the air after running in for a couple of overs.

Renshaw shows how to combat early season conditions

There were two contrasting performances from the overseas players at Taunton, where Somerset’s Matt Renshaw continues to capture the attention of the Australian selectors back home following on from his 101 not out in the Cidermen’s first game and his first innings for the club. Worcester were the side put to the sword in that game and this time it was Yorkshire, with Somerset winning their second game to become the only side in Division One with a 100% record.

With plenty in the pitch for the bowlers at Taunton, Renshaw blazed away and reached three figures before the players had sat down to lunch! It was perhaps a premeditated strategy and a hugely skillful attack from a batsman more likely to produce a more traditional and watchful openers’ innings rather than a Virender Sehwag style assault.

If it was a bid to neutralise conditions and assert some pressure back onto the bowlers it certainly paid off and set Somerset up for a 118-run victory despite being bowled out in that first innings for just 216. That Renshaw was back opening the batting for the second time before the end of the opening day’s play (day two as day one was lost completely) says all you need to know about the quality of his innings.

Ball back in the swing of things

After a dispiriting winter for Jake Ball it is heartening to see how he’s bounced back at the start of this domestic season. No bowler has taken more than the 21 scalps he’s claimed with another seven being added in the latest match against Division One strugglers Worcestershire. It was always likely to be a battle for the Pears as they were consigned to another thumping defeat, this time by an innings and 41 runs. This was Ball’s second five-fer of the season, even the usually stubborn and obdurate Daryl Mitchell couldn’t guard against losing his off pole on the final day from a beautiful full delivery from Ball.

There’s no question the Notts quick possesses all the attributes to return to the international scene. His pace and bounce was expected to trouble the Aussies in the Ashes but he wasn’t fully fit in the first Test, before being discarded for virtually the rest of the winter. Ball will have been keen to regain some much needed confidence at the start of the season. He couldn’t have started much more impressively, albeit in favourable bowling conditions, and he will certainly be hoping to make up for lost time.

Things can only improve for Northants

Northants would have been hoping to go one step further this season and make it into one of the top two spots, but the campaign has not started as they may have expected. Tough games against Middlesex and Warwickshire have seen them beaten comprehensively and they didn’t manage a solitary delivery in the recent clash with Durham. A five-point abandonment does nothing to resurrect their season at this admittedly early stage.

Signs are good for Leicestershire’s bid for improvement

Leicestershire continue to threaten improvement and the signs do look good under Paul Nixon’s watchful and enthusiastic leadership, but the weather dashed any hopes of an early season triumph. Colin Ackermann’s good form continued with a brisk 65 against Derbyshire’s more potent attack this year, to go with his opening knock of 186 in a hard fought draw against Sussex in their first game. A reliable presence at number three should give Nixon’s men some solidity at the top of the order.  

Heartbreak for TRJ but a new story begins

News of Toby Roland-Jones being out with a recurrence of the stress fracture that ruled him out of the Ashes series was obviously hugely disappointing for all cricket supporters. It has, however, given a chance to the talented Tom Barber to make his first-class debut for Middlesex.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing for the left-arm paceman since appearing for the England Under-19’s (Barber is now 22), he was released from Hampshire at the end of the 2015 season and worked with the former Essex opening batsman Paul Pritchard while representing minor-counties side Dorset. After a spell with MCC Young Cricketers, having no doubt soaked up some more than handy tips from the former fiery quick Steve Kirby, Barber impressed Middlesex sufficiently to offer him a chance last season.

The game in which he made his debut will be instantly forgettable for most, only 58 overs were bowled in the entire game with Glamorgan, Barber delivering five economical overs. He will have learnt plenty from the experienced Tim Murtagh who picked up all four of the Glamorgan wickets to fall, the youngster doesn’t have far to look for county bowling role models.

(As seen on www.deepextracover.com)

A T20 alternative ? Surely not necessary

I understand that the ECB feel the need to differentiate their new competition, that is due to get underway in 2020, but to reduce the proposed T20 format down to 100 balls a side ? Surely this is a gimmick gone too far!

While England's domestic T20 tournament has lost significant ground when comparing it with the success of similar competitions around the world - the IPL and the Big Bash in particular - the new proposal of 16.4 overs per side (with the option of a final 10 ball over) seems less ground breaking and more head scratching.

The T20 Blast has sufficient interest and quality of cricket in which to build upon, but a similar tournament run alongside it may seem like overkill, despite the eight-franchise idea. It's a desperate attempt to harness interest from the UK public (mums and kids according to Andrew Strauss) and the watching world as the ECB want to be seen as acting upon and taking advantage of a possible new craze. In reality they are finding a solution to the broadcasters request to slot in a game conducive to the requisite time allowance.

I have no doubts there were similar gripes from many cricket followers when the T20 was first discussed but this idea isn't as outlandish or as full of intrigue, it's a further gimmick on a gimmick and frankly holds little interest to me.

There is nothing wrong with thinking outside the box, but it needs to add something ultimately significant or fascinatingly alternative to the game, the players and the watching public rather than simply confusing all concerned and any potential newcomers to the sport with yet another format.

Then comes the question of how all this affects the County Championship ? Already marginalised in the county calendar, will the four-day format become even more of an afterthought in the marketing meetings at the ECB headquarters ?

Despite so many questions and uncertainty over the structure of county cricket there is still so much to enjoy and admire, especially in the longer format. Plenty of counties now show live streams of the Championship fixtures which is so appealing to many county cricket fans but this format must remain a vital competition despite the lack of funds it may bring in.

We have some outstanding cricketers on these shores this season for all the formats. There isn't too much wrong with our domestic game but we need to ensure the right decisions and changes are made in the upcoming years for the right reasons.

SA need to assert themselves

There is no doubting Australia dominated the opening Test of what should prove to be a most captivating battle between them and South Africa, even if the numbers through the gate do not depict what is undoubtedly a highly-anticipated clash.

The additional bonus is that we are treated to a series of four Test matches, which are not common place these days in an era where schedules are being devised with the intention to decrease the amount of Test cricket. With a four-Test series it allows individual battles to develop as the
teams learn about technical and mental deficiencies, players poke and prod at opponents hoping to identify and exploit any kind of weakness with which to pounce and use against them in the upcoming Tests. That this Test ignited almost immediately intimates that Australia may have premeditated such a theory and reminds South Africa they cannot afford to be as
passive as they were at various times throughout this Kingsmead opener. That Australia wanted the stump microphones turned down so you couldn't detect what was being said is a strong indicator they were planning on hitting the hosts hard.

The David Warner and Quinton de Kock altercation was a regrettable incident. Warner is never shy at initiating a word or two with the opposition, especially when they are under extreme pressure, de Kock will have felt the strain following a poor run of form resulting in South Africa opting to include an extra batsman at six, consequently dropping de Kock back down to a more familiar spot in the order. The content of the exchange will largely remain unknown, with claims that each player resorted to personal insults, something Warner is no stranger to.

Nathan Lyon effected the final act of the run out of the hugely-important AB de Villiers in the second innings before petulantly dropping the ball onto de Villiers, an act that may have provoked a more hostile response from other players, de Villiers impressively managed to keep his emotions in check.
You wonder if a more fiery character, such as a Ben Stokes for example, would have been quite so understanding, or indeed whether Lyon would have acted in that fashion in the first place!

That run out also saw Warner barking helpful words of encouragement in the direction of the highly- impressive Aiden Markram, perhaps the catalyst for the antics later on that day between Warner and de Kock. 

Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood have also all been exceptionally vocal, they sense this South African batting line-up can be brittle, are prone to more than the odd collapse so are heaping further pressure onto them. 

This Australia side are a supremely confident group of players, and why shouldn't they be. The Ashes performances strengthened the belief they had in themselves if they can get their strongest bowling attack fit and out on the pitch consistently. They know they can bowl any side out in the world twice which in turn offers confidence to the batsmen. Not that Steve Smith or David Warner are struggling for confidence, while the returning Marsh brothers are feeling much more at home in Test cricket these days. 

However, verbal intimidation or mental disintegration, or whatever you wish to call it - some even refer to it as 'bullying' - has to be stood up to. South Africa need to meet this aggressive approach head on, that isn't to say they need unleash a torrent of expletives that will only hit them in the pocket and see the award of demerit points or suspensions, but they need to demonstrate they are up for this challenge, in fact, that they want this confrontation and they cannot be intimidated. Currently, they are perhaps too accepting of the Australia behaviour, maybe the de Kock incident will fire them up. 

South Africa have determined and inwardly-tough cricketers, no doubt, but a number of them appear generally quiet mild-mannered individuals and you wouldn't want any forced aggression that they wouldn't be comfortable with. As a team they need to announce themselves in this series. Back in 2005 when England were clear underdogs (unlike South Africa in this series) the importance was clear - they had to stand in the faces of the great Australian side and let them know they weren't there to lie down. 

The first chance England had they all climbed into Matthew Hayden, Simon Jones and Paul Collingwood led the charge and others followed. It wasn't distasteful or crossing the line, it was a sign of intent, they were not going to be intimidated, they obtained Australia's attention, they simply meant business. 

South Africa need to show a similar act of defiance. The partnership on the fourth day between Markram and de Kock was as competitive a period as South Africa showed throughout the Test - but that came at a stage when the Test had all-but certainly drifted away from them. 

As the series rolls on to Port Elizabeth South Africa will need to put down an early marker. Upsetting David Warner is neither against the rules nor particularly difficult - but it is a worthwhile attempt to distract him, same for Steve Smith. This isn't about petty name calling, this is about South Africa not taking a backward step, showing unity in battle (in a cricketing sense), making the two Australian batsmen feel alone out in the middle and like they're up against 11 players. They have a high quality bowling attack to create or relish in this kind of environment. 

Intense cricket between these two nations is not something new, they have history, in 2014 current South African captain Faf du Plessis likened Michael Clarke's Australia side to 'a pack of dogs' as they rounded on him when the batsmen went to pick up the ball to return to the fielding side. Du Plessis needs to instil some mongrel into his side if they are to avoid being walked over in this series. 

Ultimately the side that plays the better cricket consistently will decide the outcome in this most intriguing clash - but in a series of small margins any slight advantage could be crucial. How can the future of Test cricket be in doubt ?

Lawrence injury adds to Essex batting concerns

As Tom Westley edges closer to a full recovery following his finger injury back in December while on tour in Australia with the England Lions, another Essex batsman has been struck down with an injury to a similar area.

Daniel Lawrence has been ruled out of the remainder of the England Lions tour of the West Indies with a fractured hand picked up during net practice ahead of the Lions third Test against West Indies 'A', where Lawrence was expected to make his first appearance of the series.

It was supposed to be a winter where Westley, 28, pressed his claims for a recall to the England Test side, but while fielding against a Queensland Select XI disaster struck. Surgery was required and a  three-month lay-off meant he never travelled with the Lions to the Caribbean  a tour where he will have been keen to impress and show his talent following a period in the Test side where he encountered one or two technical difficulties.

Despite his examination during the English summer, Westley could still have considered himself unfortunate to have missed out on the Ashes squad; he didn't conclusively accept the opportunity he was given in the Test side, nor did he look utterly out of his depth and with no obvious or outstanding candidate to replace him perhaps some favourable selection consistency could have seen him retain his place.

In order to get more Test matches for England Westley will now have to display evidence that he has overcome the issues with playing across his front pad without losing what is an obvious strength in playing through the mid-wicket area. He needs time at the crease which he has been denied this winter due to the unfortunate injury.

On the plus side for Essex, the man that signed a new two-year deal in October will know exactly what he'll need to do when the season gets underway to recapture England's attention and that is score heavily for his county. A man with a point to prove can be a dangerous proposition.

Daniel Lawrence is a batsman of undoubted potential, this Lions trip was to be another stage in his development. He was unfortunate to miss out on the starting XI for the opening Test of the current series in Jamaica; scores of 2 and 35 in the warm-up game against a Jamaica XI weren't enough to convince the selectors to include him ahead of Worcester's Joe Clarke who made a second innings 87 in the warm-up fixture to pip Lawrence to the spot.

If Lawrence is not quite in the running for being 'the next cab off the rank', he's certainly working towards that group of contenders. In Essex's Championship winning season last year, only Nick Browne scored more than his 761 runs which included three centuries. In terms of temperament, 20-year old Lawrence could make a case for already being there, he has the discipline to bat unflustered for long periods but this hand injury is indeed an unwanted setback meaning he'll also miss the one-day series against West Indies 'A'. The full extent of the injury or recovery time required is yet to be confirmed but it may be a race against time to prove his fitness ahead of the start of the County Championship. 

Meaker aims to hit the ground running

Surrey's Stuart Meaker is a bowler that generates plenty of pace, at 29 hopes of an England Test call-up diminish with each niggle; the injuries are considered simply part of the job for a quick bowler but he’s had worse luck than most in this area. Consequently he is ideally suited to short bursts to protect his body and to ensure he can maintain the high speeds and intimidatory spells that marked him out as England’s next genuine quick bowler during his formative years. Following recent career decisions from Adil Rashid and Alex Hales, you may think you know what’s coming next...but you'd be wrong.

Meaker isn't heading off down the one-day glamour route but instead he has signed for New Zealand side Auckland Aces for the whole month of March in a bid to get some overs in competitive first-class cricket under his belt. Auckland will be hoping it will improve their chances of topping the Plunket Shield table, they currently sit third and Meaker will be available for four of their five remaining  games including a big clash at home to second placed Central Districts. A successful period and he should be ready to hit the ground running when Surrey get underway on 20th April against Hampshire at the Oval.

The opportunity arose on the back of a recommend from team-mate Sam Curran who represented Auckland in their T20 competition (Super Smash) that concluded in January this year. 

It's a brave move from both Surrey and Meaker by opting for an intense month of first-class cricket just weeks before the season begins, this  for a player that has been hampered throughout his career with various injuries. He has averaged just under eight County Championship games a season for Surrey in the last five years and Surrey will hope if he is more cricket-hardened then they will reap rewards in terms of him maintaining fitness and gaining  improved consistency with his performances.

Pace bowlers will inevitably pick up strains and twinges along the way, but a fully fit and firing Stuart Meaker can be such a useful weapon for Surrey and they surely believe this is an opportunity to try and get the best out of the Surrey quick.

Last season was tough on the whole for Meaker; his 21 wickets came at a cost in excess of 41 per wicket and while it's generally accepted that the quick bowler may at times be expensive, his strike rate of a wicket near enough every 10 overs must be improved upon in 2018. 

With that in mind a month blowing away the cobwebs and roughing up a few batsmen in the Plunket Shield seems like ideal preparation in what could be a big year for Stuart Meaker. 

County Championship Exodus Continues

Adil Rashid initiated the path for county cricketers to turn their back on first-class cricket for their counties and sign a strictly white-ball only contract. Nottinghamshire's Alex Hales has wasted no time in following Rashid down this route signing a one-day cricket only contract to the end of the 2019 season.

It seems that opinion is divided on this and maybe it's a generational thing to think that shunning the first-class game shows a disregard for what is the most challenging and testing format but ultimately one that surely gives most satisfaction when you achieve success. Perhaps it's easier to quit than continue the demands of the County Championship and force your way back into England's plans. This would require demonstrating less attractive skills such as consistency, discipline, patience in a less glamorous environment than the packed houses that T20 cricket and certain 50-over fixtures bring. 

Both respective counties, in Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, are willing (if not entirely happy) to offer these specialist contracts to their players as they don't want to lose what they both bring to their limited-overs side. With a national focus on the upcoming World Cup in 2019, it seems England have given their approval for players to sacrifice their inclusion in the first-class squads to work on their skills to help England claim the World Cup on home turf. 

An improvement in one-day skills for Hales and Rashid (if their performances are enhanced by this choice) should open the gates for more lucrative opportunities. You certainly can't blame players for attempting to maximise their earning potential, it's just difficult to see how they can do so by not playing the game. They will have the chance to rest the body and I'm sure obtain mental relaxation that comes with a spell away from the game.

Realistically, they could ultimately end up getting paid more for doing less work ? So in theory it sounds like a logical step. Many county players and pundits have taken to social media to condone the decision the players have taken and fully understand why they are doing it but the overriding concern is for the first-class game itself. It would be unfair to say that limited-overs cricket is the easy option; the formats still require huge amounts of skill whatever your discipline is, but you can see how it may be more appealing. It's akin to being the weekend parent that allows you to do all the fun stuff with the kids rather than setting the daily parameters and principles which is fundamentally crucial to their development.   

What irks me is that these are not players at the dying embers of their careers; Hales is 29 years old and Rashid turned 30 in the last week and both could conceivably still forge Test careers. Whether England have told Rashid, or Hales, that Test selection is unlikely and they are looking at alternative options, the heavy weight of runs or wickets for your club presses your claim for a spot more than anything else. Hales is a top or middle-order batsman and Rashid on his day a match-winning spinner, England are on the lookout for players to nail down such spots in the Test side! 

It is also a touch late in the day to be informing their clubs they wish to play no part in the County Championship. One can only think that the club have been made aware of their intentions for some time but delayed the announcement or the finishing touches to the contracts have taken some time. 

There remains a concern and a likelihood that there are more to follow, but for most County Championship supporters they will be hoping sense prevails. The one man that you would expect to opt for a contract containing similar conditions is Eoin Morgan, but this week he has stated his desire to start the County Championship season with Middlesex. Morgan's last first-class appearance came back in July 2015 where he bagged a pair against Somerset, so he has effectively, without signing a contract or making an announcement to confirm, temporarily retired from that form of cricket to an extent. Until this season of course, providing he gets selected. 

Whichever side of the fence you sit on for this debate, one thing is clear and that is that the ECB must do their utmost to preserve and even improve the attraction of the County Championship. The competition has to remain relevant during these changing times, the product on offer should be sufficient to be able to market its captivation and importance but if the quality of the product starts to deteriorate further then things will become much more difficult. 

Rashid shuns first-class cricket

It seems a strange time to take a break from first-class cricket in order to focus on white ball cricket for the 2018 season, and perhaps beyond, but that is the decision that Adil Rashid reached and announced to the cricket world last week. 

Firstly, if Rashid has completely lost the passion and interest for the longer game then there is clearly no point, from a Yorkshire perspective, to continue selecting him for the Championship and making him play if his heart is clearly not in it. Only Rashid will know if this is the case and it's difficult therefore to say he's making a mistake. It is however still a huge surprise to me that he's made this decision. 

He has failed to be signed by an IPL franchise, which would have clashed with the start of the Championship, nor has he been picked up by a Pakistan Super League side for another T20 tournament that concludes on 25th March. So he will effectively be twiddling his thumbs (he's been on enough England tours to realise how frustrating that can be) following the one-day leg of the tour in New Zealand until the start of June when the domestic 50-over competition gets underway. 

I personally don't see what he hopes to gain by not playing four-day cricket, or any competitive cricket at the start of the season. Surely he can only develop so much in the nets or on the practice wickets and even though the Championship schedule is hectic he could have made time for some specific one-day cricket training if he wanted that to be his primary focus. I'm sure Yorkshire would have preferred a compromise rather than completely rule him out as a viable option for the County Championship. 

It is a shame for the Championship as a spectacle to lose a player of this obvious talent with both bat and ball. It is a shame for Yorkshire to lose an important player who will have been integral to their plans in four-day cricket  this season. It is even a shame for batsmen looking to develop their skills against quality spin bowling and they would certainly have been tested by the Yorkshire twirler.  

It may be that he feels hard done to by his inconsistent selection for England in the Test match arena, never really feeling like the main spin bowler in the team and that uncertainty and lack of trust placed in him has festered into his performances and thus produced the inconsistency that we've seen from him. He was England's top wicket-taker during his last series in India back in 2016 when he took 23 wickets but couldn't stop England slipping to a convincing 4-0 defeat. He hasn't been seen in a Test shirt since and has now watched as Mason Crane has nudged ahead of him in the pecking order. But with Crane still very much developing as a bowler and Moeen Ali coming under pressure following his dip in form during the Ashes, with the right attitude and level of performance Adil Rashid could certainly have put himself back in the mix, he is still only 29 years of age after all!

Perhaps the England selectors and skipper and club team mate Joe Root just do not see Rashid as a first-choice Test cricketer. They may have detected this lack of interest in the longer-form developing recently and have opted for alternatives to take the side forward in the future. The bizarre decision to select Liam Dawson ahead of him at the start of last summer was an unnecessary kick in the guts for Rashid. While you can understand any annoyance Rashid may have felt from that selection it should surely serve as a motivation to work harder, find that consistency in the longer form and prove the selectors wrong. 

The leg-spinner's Test record of 38 wickets at 42.78 does not demand selection. Even a first-class bowling record of over 35 does not do justice to a player that has his ability, but the fact he averages 33 with the bat in first-class cricket means he is a very useful multi-dimensional cricketer. 

I find it difficult to compute that a player ever selects 50-over cricket and T20 cricket ahead of first-class cricket and the golden ticket that is Test cricket but Rashid clearly doesn't share the same sentiment. In some countries the disparity in pay can dictate a focus on short-form cricket but in England the players are generally very well recompensed. There are continued murmurings that the likes of Jos Buttler and Eoin Morgan could consider following a similar path and I sincerely hope this is not the case, certainly for Buttler who I'm certain still has plenty to offer both Lancashire and England in the longer format. 

I guess the other case in point is whether Yorkshire should have accommodated his request to be considered solely for one-day cricket ? Loyalty to his years of service for the club may have been a consideration and the hope he will soon change his mind and return back to the four-day fray could also be behind their thinking. He is also a key player in Yorkshire's white ball teams and has found consistency in these formats much easier to come by and so Yorkshire will be exceptionally keen to retain his services for their attack on the one-day competitions. 

Time will tell if this sets a precedent for further players to follow suit and sign one-day contracts with their counties, I for one hope this is very much an exception rather than becoming the rule. 

Wagner to return to Chelmsford

Having made such an impact in 2017, both on and off the field, Essex have re-signed New Zealand international Neil Wagner for 2018.

The 31-year old will link up with his old team mates in May, following the early season spell of Australian Peter Siddle who is available to Essex for the first five County Championship matches. Wagner’s contract currently expires at the end of July, however, there is the option for Essex to extend his stay, should they receive the green light from the New Zealand Cricket Board.

While Jamie Porter and Simon Harmer rightly grabbed the headlines for their exploits last season, Wagner was typically aggressive, wholehearted, and demonstrated his uncanny knack of making things happen when a game appears to be drifting.

Essex, and new head coach Anthony McGrath, know exactly what they’re going to get with Wagner; a serious competitor, a bowler not afraid to concede runs in search of vital  wickets, a man willing to sweat buckets and put the hard yards in during any given game and has the added bonus of creating
some useful footmarks for off-spinner Harmer to bowl into. A ploy that worked wonderfully well in 2017.

He can also deliver sustained spells of hostile bowling; content banging the ball in half way down and skidding the bouncers on rarely wasting his energy as his accurate bumpers invariably find their target. The bonus of being a relatively ‘small’ quick, in bowling terms at least, is that the ball tends

not to fly through harmlessly above head height but constantly asks searching  questions of the batsman. It was this mode of attack that rendered West Indies helpless on the opening day of the recent Test series at Wellington in December when Wagner ran through the tourists to record his Test best figures to date of 7-39.

His 31 wickets for Essex last season came at 35.32 in the Championship, but it’s his Test record that really catches the eye; he currently has 144 Test scalps at 27.87 in 34 Test matches, in 2017 he took 36 wickets for New Zealand at 25.47.

Essex have a player familiar with the surroundings and just as important with county cricket and English pitches. Short-term contracts dictate that a player needs to instantly hit the ground running, and there is no good reason why Wagner shouldn’t. His initial contract encompasses just three County Championship matches and a plethora of Royal London one-day games and of course a block of T20 cricket, so all being well I am sure Essex will hope to extend that contract to include more four-day games in the rest of his stay at Chelmsford.

There are bowlers around who may possess more skill with the ball than Wagner, perhaps even the man he shared overseas duties with last season - Mohammad Amir - but character can sometimes be even more crucial to a club and Wagner possess this by the bucketload. 

Eagles swoop for Siddle

Underwhelming. That was my initial reaction when I read my Twitter feed and saw the announcement I had been eagerly anticipating; the unveiling of Essex's overseas player for the first five County Championship matches of 2018.

Without thinking about the bigger picture or reasons as to why it may actually be a shrewd signing, I must confess to being just a little nonplussed. Why was this my overriding emotion ? Let me first of all say that Peter Siddle has been a very fine seam bowler over the years, he has produced when his country has needed him, to play 62 Test matches for Australia and take in excess of 200 Test wickets (456 first-class wickets and counting) at an average of under 30 speaks volumes for the quality Siddle has possessed over the years.

However.....he is now 33 years old and a catalogue of back problems over the years has inevitably seen his bowling lose some of the spite that made him a more effective tool. In this season's Sheffield Shield, Siddle has taken five wickets at 75.20 in the four game he's played, albeit at a reasonable economy rate. Now the pitches, as we saw in the Ashes, can be somewhat flat, but I'm sure Siddle has been wicketless too frequently with the new ball for Victoria's liking.

It is only a short stay for Siddle but the games do come thick and fast, can his body stand up to the  regular cycle of fixtures he will be expected to fulfil while he's here ? The five Championship games he's been signed for all start on successive Friday's and depending on his workload he may need a break at some point.

I also thought, and this really isn't Siddle's fault, that Essex would opt for another left-arm paceman like last season, the twin overseas signings of Mohammad Amir and Neil Wagner worked exceptionally well in terms of creating rough for the spin threat of Simon Harmer. Of course they brought much more to the club than creating favourable conditions for Harmer but it was a welcome benefit to their actions and a successful ploy for Essex.

So they were all my initial doubts. Then as I read through supporters tweets, there were plenty of people clearly delighted with the announcement so I began to think of all the positive things he would bring to the club.

The main benefit in my opinion is his experience and the assistance he can offer the young quicks at Essex. Jamie Porter, who is not an entirely dissimilar bowler to Siddle, save for the extra pace Siddle used to bowl with in years gone by, must be rubbing his hands at the thought of picking the big Victorian's bowling brain. Not just Porter, but Sam Cook, Paul Walter, Aaron Beard, and the academy lads will be queuing up for hints and tips, both technical, tactical and mental.

So it's important he is the right kind of character in order to impart his wisdom willingly and Siddle comes with big wraps from the likes of Darren Lehmann, who Head Coach Anthony McGrath quizzed for the low down using the useful Yorkshire connection.

As well as his wealth of experience in Test cricket, Siddle has experience of English conditions, featuring in Ashes series over here and also playing a season with Notts back in 2014 where he took 37 wickets at 31.48 in the first division of the Championship. He did sign a two-year deal with Notts for 2016 and 2017 but had to pull out of both seasons due to injury.

Despite not having much success with Victoria so far this season he has been economical and you expect him to be miserly for Essex with the additional wicket-taking threat that comes with playing on the greener tracks here in April and May. When he is fit he will run in all day if allowed, never one to shirk the hard yards I expect Siddle will be an exemplary role model, not just for the young quicks but all the players at the club.

It may be that Siddle makes a bigger impact off the field in terms of helping develop the young bowlers, showing them and explaining what it takes to reach the very top and the essential hard work that needs to be put in. For all the positives that Amir and Wagner brought, their ultimate focus was succeeding for their countries, and some may say so it should be, but Siddle will have no other focus other than what his new employers want from him in the short time he will be there. It's unlikely at this stage of his career that he will win a recall to the national side, though stranger things have happened.  

So what is my reaction now to the overseas announcement ? I expect Siddle to be reliable on the pitch, consistent and hard working. He's a competitor, a winner, but I think Essex will potentially reap long-term gains from this short-term contract due to his influence and help in developing the local lads. He's a solid choice and I expect his performances to be consistent if not explosive and match winning but should Porter win us a game or any of the lesser experienced bowlers you can guarantee Siddle will have played some part in it.

Which counties plans will be least disrupted by IPL ?

So having had a few days to digest the increasingly controversial IPL auction, I started thinking which of the county sides will be happiest with how the auction played out.

As I mentioned in my blog a week or so ago, Kent's worst fears were realised when their newly-elected skipper Sam Billings won a contract for the IPL, he'll be appearing alongside Durham's Mark Wood for Chennai Super Kings. Wood's is another interesting case as you wouldn't - under normal circumstances - begrudge him the chance to earn an extra few quid in a format his body should hold up in having let him down frequently throughout his international career. However, with real hopes of regaining his England Test spot and spending the foreseeable future in the side, would he not be better advised rocking up for Durham for the start of the County Championship in an attempt to get that fragile body battle-hardened for the longer format ? Maybe we should afford him a little more leniency than most on his decision and just hope he gets through the competition unscathed.

Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes once again secured excellent financial packages as did the surprise package Joffra Archer. Now here is a talented individual; able to propel the ball down in excess of 90mph, very athletic in the field and if that isn't enough he's no stranger to clubbing the ball out of the park! An Andre Russell-type multi-functional cricketer that has earned himself a cool £793,200 when he was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals.

Along with Archer Sussex will also miss the services of Chris Jordan who was retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad, but last year's big IPL signing Tymal Mills misses out in a rather heavy fall from grace. Not that that helps Sussex out any in the early stages of the season. What will help them out is the fact very few players these days turn down the riches of this T20 cash cow in order to play county cricket; there is one player that wants to  continue developing his first class cricket, though sadly for England this commitment to the longer form is being demonstrated by Aussie Mitchell Marsh. Impressive on his return to the Australian Test side during the Ashes and eager to build on that and solidify his spot in the middle order, any advances from IPL franchises were most unwelcome as Marsh has preferred the east coast of England to work on the format he has chosen to prioritise. Respect.

On the whole Yorkshire and Middlesex will be the sides most pleased with how the IPL auction went; they had five and four players respectively hoping to win a lucrative IPL contract, including England internationals Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Steven Finn, Dawid Malan and England's limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan. Quite amazingly, none of these players were signed up. Root is a fantastic bat in any format, we know how useful a commodity a leg-spinner is yet Rashid was ignored. Morgan's IPL experience and short-format skills were not enough for the franchises to overlook his current slump in form. Surely one of these three in particular were worth a punt ?! How much the two counties will see of their England players may be negligible anyway but at least they'll get some game time with their clubs.

Nottinghamshire will also be delighted with Alex Hales likely to be available for them aswell as Harry Gurney and Samit Patel. Hales is another player I would have thought would have been worth a gamble for one of the franchises, but instead he can bed in into Notts middle order to try and build an emphatic case for Test cricket inclusion somewhere down the line.

If Yorkshire and Middlesex were pleasantly surprised, there will have been no shock for Lancashire and Surrey to see Jos Buttler and Jason Roy heading off to India for the tournament. Two players with genuine x-factor with the stick; highlighted by their centuries in the recent Australia one-day series. Buttler will line up alongside England team-mate Stokes (and Archer) at Rajasthan Royals, while Roy, whose chances were limited at Gujarat Lions in 2017, has moved on to Delhi Daredevils. Both look like absolute bargains at £480,000 (Buttler) and £164,000 (Roy).

Recently promoted to Division One, Worcester will have to start the campaign without Moeen Ali, he makes his debut in the tournament and has signed for Royal Challengers Bangalore alongside Woakes. By now though I'd imagine Worcester welcome Ali's appearances for the county as a bonus and no pre-season reliance on the spinner will have been planned for.

The majority of the players bought were as expected but surely the franchises have missed more than a trick or two by omitting some fine English cricketers that could have been picked up for pittance even if there is some doubt over their availability over the next couple of years. Not that Middlesex, Yorkshire or Notts will be doing too much complaining.

Is Billings as captain the right move ? I'm not so sure

Is anyone else slightly confused, or perhaps still in the dark to some degree, over the appointment of the new skipper at Canterbury - Sam Billings ?

I will start by saying this isn't intended as a slight on Sam Billings at all but I do question the decision by the powers that be at Kent that have given the captaincy role (for all formats) to a player that featured in just six County Championship matches last season.

Due to Billings' demand in T20 cricket and also 50-over cricket when England come calling later in the summer, there will be periods where he won't be available for Kent in any of the formats. The IPL runs from April 5th to May 21st and England have 10-ODI's during the summer months of June and July where Billings may well be expected to feature in the majority of those fixtures such is his standing in the eyes of the England management team.

So when he can fit Kent in, in between his commitments for country and T20 franchises, then I'm sure he will be more than competent in the role. Again, this isn't a suggestion that Billings wouldn't be up to the role as captain of Kent Cricket Club, he is a well-spoken and clearly intelligent young man that embraces the modern initiatives in the sport. He is a hugely talented cricketer who is Kent through and through and in the right circumstances would be a real asset as the leader of the club.

But I keep coming back to the fact that he will not be around the club and the players during pre-season when plans for the season ahead are being formulated, an element of bonding should be taking place and he should be getting comfortable in his new role around his team mates and familiarising
himself with the new responsibilities he has taken on at the club. Instead he will be playing some T20 cricket in India. Now I don't necessarily blame players for cashing in on the IPL even though it grates a touch that they are playing there and missing games for their county. I'm sensible enough
to realise the money on offer (amongst many other things) makes it very difficult to turn down, and I don't blame Billings for putting his name forward for the auction, but would it be appropriate for him to now withdraw from the tournament ?

I'm sure these discussions will have taken place and Kent will have a temporary solution in place to stand in for Billings during pre-season and the opening weeks, it just doesn't look very good for a new captain and perhaps doesn't set the right tone. By the time the IPL concludes on May 21, should Billings play in the competition and go the distance with his franchise, he will return to Kent having missed four Championship fixtures and two Royal London one-day games.

There is experience within the Kent squad in Mitch Claydon, James Tredwell, Joe Denly (also in the IPL auction) and Darren Stevens, should they require anyone to step in for the interim period. The likely candidate will be Denly who will be skippering the side when the team head off on their pre-season tour to the Caribbean later this month; Billings has been selected in England's ODI squad for the tri-series with Australia and New Zealand.

I don't think the situation is ideal, but clubs are increasingly having to find more innovative solutions to problems they are being presented with, I'm just not sure a having a skipper that isn't going to be with you a great deal is the best solution.

Where now for Northeast as he seeks international opportunity

 The reason Kent had to appoint a new captain last week is down to the fact Sam Northeast - the skipper of the previous two seasons (arguably three, he stood in for much of 2015 with Robert Key unavailable) - has shown a reluctance to commit long-term to Kent and so compromised his role as the leader of the club.

Northeast is now 28 years old and is widely acknowledged as one of the finest operators on the county circuit with willow in hand and can rightly consider himself unfortunate not to have represented the national side in any format as yet. Recent recognition has finally come in the
form of a call-up to the England Lions squad for the one-day leg of the Caribbean tour in March. Many at Canterbury would say 'not before time'. He has amassed over 1,000 runs in each of the last three Championship seasons at very healthy averages.

Northeast was appointed captain of the county back in September 2015, only a few months after he did commit to a long-term deal at Canterbury, but with hopes of international cricket dissipating,
his appetite for remaining at his boyhood club appears to have diminished. Northeast
has been given acceptance, albeit reluctantly, from the Kent management to now speak to other clubs. It could spark a healthy scramble amongst a number of counties for the player's signature, one of the more significant in recent times.

It seems likely he will have his heart set on a Division One club. In order to build an England career it's generally considered top division exposure enhances credentials and after seasons of scoring runs
in Division Two now may be the right time to test that theory. With certain selections at national level not requiring a heavy load of runs to substantiate their cause, Northeast will no doubt be hoping he ticks enough of the right criteria boxes to edge ahead of the likes of James Vince.

There is a very real chance he could be in the same line-up as Vince when the County Championship season gets underway on April 13. Hampshire have already thrown their name into the hat and I'm sure enticing packages, deal clinching promises and convincing visions for the future will at the very least be in the developmental stage as I type. Hampshire will expect to have to stave off some stern competition from a number of clubs hoping to convince the talented batsman to join their own ambitious club.

So who could be challenging Hampshire for Sam Northeast ? I'd expect Nottinghamshire to make enquiries having missed out on Keaton Jennings to Lancashire; Northeast would make a very good alternative for a side that lost Brendan Taylor, Greg Smith and Michael Lumb last season. They have
already filled one of the batting vacancies when they lured the experienced opener Chris Nash from Sussex but ideally they'd hope to add a bit more batting depth.

I'd imagine he's the kind of player that is attractive to Surrey and could be seen as the missing piece in Surrey's top order. Jason Roy invariably misses the start of the season due to IPL commitments and this could be the summer that Ben Foakes joins Mark Stoneman (should he perform in New Zealand) in the England side; all this resulting in a serious weakening of Surrey's batting resources.

Yorkshire's batting was rescued only by Gary Ballance's impeccable form in 2017, will they simply opt to retain the same faces in the hope last year was an anomaly and they turn up this year and show their true colours, or would a fresh face re-focus many of the current squad and edge Yorkshire back up the table into more familiar territory?

The best time to strengthen a squad is when you're on top yet I can't see Essex pushing the boat out and offering Northeast a short trip to Chelmsford. With Alastair Cook likely to be available for a number of games and Tom Westley currently out of favour with England and having a point to
prove, the champions will trust their current playing staff to get the runs on the board.

If you're looking for a club outside the top division to try and tempt the Kent star, then Jason Gillespie's Sussex could be that team. Sussex are expected to be serious contenders under the Australian this year and it would be a real coup if Gillespie could persuade Northeast to remain in Division Two for another season with the priority objective of getting Sussex back to the top table ?

Wherever Sam Northeast decides to pitch up with his gear this season one county will fancy they've got themselves a top quality player with a guarantee of runs, at least until England belatedly come calling.

South Africa wobble but Markram shines again

The more I see of Aiden Markram, the more I am enjoying and appreciating his skills and ability as an opening batsman.

The first time I watched Markram, he was scoring 97 on his Test debut against Bangladesh. Of course he'd been touted to open the innings for South Africa ever since he led his country's under 19 team to the World Cup trophy, and probably even before then.

His introduction into Test cricket you would have to say was well planned; a couple of Tests at home to Bangladesh, then a day-nighter with Zimbabwe. With all due respect to both sides it was a gentle start but runs still had to be scored to get the confidence into his game and earn the respect of his teammates and demonstrate what he can do, perhaps for years to come.

With scores of 97,15 and 143 against Bangladesh and 125 in his only innings against Zimbabwe, he certainly gained the momentum he would have wanted heading into his first serious test against a top nation. 

He stands very tall and still at the crease with no sign of any noticeable trigger movements. He positions himself across his stumps to give him a firm sense of where his off stump is and entices the bowlers to go straight so he can work them through mid-wicket; an area where he looks very strong. He has an imposing frame and hits well down the ground; to be fair he hits well in most areas off either front or back foot and does all this with the calmest of demeanours.

At Cape Town in the first Test he was bamboozled by the clever Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who jagged one back into Markram (who could barely get his bat down in time) and was trapped plumb in front. In the second innings Markram gave it away after serenely making his way to 34. 

Today, however, Markram was in control from the outset. We saw the full range; a solid defence the basis for his more expansive strokes, savage on the pull, elegant on the drive and his flicks through straight mid-wicket are swiftly becoming his signature stroke. The biggest surprise today came when he nicked India's main threat, Ravi Ashwin, into the hands of Parthiv Patel for 94 when another century seemed there for the taking. 

He does seem to have a tendency at times for the bat to come down from around second slip on occasions, meaning that if it is straight it will play into his hands and his favoured area with the natural pathway of the bat going in a straight line through mid-wicket; any shape away and Markram will at times play across the ball with the bat having to go in to out. 

There was no sign of any technical deficiencies today, the bat coming down nice and straight and the platform for a 400+ score for South Africa was laid. It wasn't to be. South Africa are prone to more than the odd middle order collapse and Quinton de Kock has now failed to pass 50 in his last 11 Test innings, and with Vernon Philander currently batting at seven, South Africa are failing to capitalise on some decent positions. 

Philander is a special cricketer with the ball in his hand and something on offer in the pitch. With the bat he looks a spot too high at seven and South Africa seem a touch exposed and a batsman light. The composition of the this team does mean they have a very strong bowling unit but without a genuine all-rounder they can't have it both ways. 

India may well have shaded the day today but Aiden Markram continued his rapid rise in the game and will rightly share the headlines. 

Continuity the key for England but room for Liam

If you were expecting major changes to the England side for the next leg of their winter tour which sees them hopping across the Tasman Sea from Australia and into New Zealand then you will have been most disappointed.

In some quarters this was a surprising show of continuity to a group of players who don't deserve such loyalty after their performances in Australia; it could also be down to a lack of viable options at this particular point. We seem to have a number of young, promising cricketers, but are they ready to be thrown into a side that are coming in for plenty of criticism from pundits and spectators alike.

Jake Ball, Tom Curran and Gary Ballance each have an abundance of talent and in Ballance's case, despite not getting an opportunity to showcase what he's capable of in the Ashes, all three are jettisoned out of the England squad and back into county cricket. This will give them the opportunity  to work on their shortcomings out of the international cricket spotlight and press their cases with sheer weight of runs/wickets in the opening weeks of the Championship. Now out of the England squad there could be a chance of a late call-up to the England Lions tour of the Caribbean at the start of February should there be any drop-outs or additions allowed into the tour party.

The Lions may have a batting spot available after Lancashire's new captain for 2018, Liam Livingstone, won his first call-up to the full England squad to go to New Zealand; this was surely the  most brow-raising inclusion replacing Ballance.

I was satisfied the selectors opted against the likes of Daniel Lawrence and Joe Clarke (Haseeb Hameed I'm sure will make a more convincing case for inclusion this year) for the final batting slot; Livingstone does offer the option of batting three, a position he bats for Lancashire, or coming in down the order where there is likely to be less pressure on him and more freedom for him to express himself with his impressive array of strokes. There's a hint of Jos Buttler about his strokeplay; his bat comes through quickly and he has the ability to break his wrists when finding the gaps, particularly  through the offside.

Dare we think that the selectors do have an eye on the away tours next winter ? With Sri Lanka this side of Christmas and West Indies after, where spin is expected to play major parts, and Livingstone's positive and invariably successful approach against spin highlighting the value he could bring to a team that have struggled with any form of strategy against Australia's Nathan Lyon this winter.    

He is generally recognised as a limited-overs specialist due to his catalogue of modern day shots and has already made his England T20 debut, but with over 800 Championship runs in 2017 he has shown a development and patience in his game and feels like he is more suited and more comfortable in the longer and purer form of the sport.  

Not just a server solely to the blade, the young Lancastrian also got through over 100 overs in the Championship last season, picking up 6-52 against Surrey in final Championship game; this included the wickets of two of England's Ashes party - Mark Stoneman and Ben Foakes - with his fairly innocuous looking off-breaks.

Another addition from outside the Ashes squad is Mark Wood. Once he was confirmed as being back to full fitness he was always going to be rushed back into the England squad. The 'samey' nature of England's attack has been obvious during the Ashes; Wood, when fully fit (and I think that part is absolutely crucial) is quicker, skiddier and can reverse the ball given the right conditions; he just offers something different. He should be let off the leash and allowed to just run in and bowl quick; we have enough early 80mph bowlers that stick it in a decent area, Wood may be expensive at times but providing he's carrying no niggles he should get up towards 90mph and be used in short bursts. Hopefully we may have an alternative style of pace bowler.

So whether it's due to a lack of options or a real belief that this side can turn around their fortunes and deserve another shot at Test cricket, it was a relatively low-key squad announcement and for me that's a better option than starting again with another handful of new recruits.

Does another Ashes thumping prompt an overhaul, starting with Vince?

General procedure when a resounding defeat takes place in Australia is for England to perform a serious autopsy digging deep into the bowels of the entire England structure, the men that hold positions within that such as those that pick and coach the team and an in-depth look at county cricket. A subsequent report is then published explaining the results of their investigation.

In the last dead rubber that took place between these sides at Sydney back in 2014 we saw Michael Carberry, Kevin Pietersen, Scott Borthwick and Boyd Rankin play what presumably will be their last ever Test match (for England anyway), cast aside after only playing the one Test in the case of Borthwick and Rankin and the other two were the two top runscorers in the series for England. That Test also saw a Steven Smith century, so at least one constant theme remains. The point being, after such a savage beating England feel an obligation to make drastic changes, almost try and highlight all the things they deem wrong within the current set-up or selection process, eliminate them and by implementing grand change aim to renew hope and enthusiasm for the times ahead.

Is that the kind of action, considered kneejerk or otherwise, that England require right now following a disappointing yet not wholly unsurprising whupping at the hands of our great rivals ? Not in my opinion. It could be argued that this group of players were the best possible collection available to the selectors at this moment in time. There were one or two contentious picks, but regardless of who was chosen there would have been people readily waiting to point out reasons they shouldn't be on the plane to Australia.  We simply didn't have a big enough squad of players that were demanding selection either through outstanding performances in the recent past for England or a plethora of runs/wickets in the County Championship, bottom line: the squad (or any squad we would have taken) wasn't good enough to compete in Australian conditions.

So the selectors then felt they had to take a 'punt' on one or two players, players that may have the game to crack Australia, a Michael Vaughan type selection if you will. Enter James Vince. An attractive, languid and most aesthetically pleasing batsman that the selectors hoped would suit conditions in Oz, and a series opening 83 must have had a number of congratulatory high fives taking place behind the scenes. In true Vince style, he then churned out a couple of low scores followed by half a dozen promising starts before invariably nicking off attempting another eye-pleasing drive.

His Test average before this series was 19.27 after seven Tests. His average for Hampshire in 2017 in Division One of the County Championship ? An unspectacular 32.94. For me it was a baffling selection, one of pure chance and hope rather than any real belief he was the right man. Even Vince himself admitted to being surprised to get the call for this trip and it was a little unfair to expect any greater things than what he delivered.

The reason Vince's position is coming under more scrutiny than opener Mark Stoneman is because of how classy Vince looked when he batted. At times he looked like he should score thousands of Test runs (not all in this series mind) yet there is nothing on his cricketing record to suggest this would ever be the case but maybe, just maybe, down the order we can get a bit more out of him rather than just discarding him.

Are there better options out there for the upcoming trip to New Zealand ? Youngsters Joe Clarke from Worcester, Essex batsman Daniel Lawrence and the aggressive Liam Livingstone are being talked up by many but I think these highly talented batsmen deserve more time developing and proving their worth before being thrown in. Players such as Jos Buttler and Jason Roy are far too talented to not play more Test cricket but they have to do the honourable thing if they wish to do so and that is to concentrate on the four-day domestic game rather than barely represent their counties in favour of the T20 riches. They will inevitably miss some games due to England ODI selection, but I would love to see them both play more Championship games than the four (Buttler) and five (Roy) they made last season.

Vince shouldn't bat number three again for England in the foreseeable future, his technique simply isn’t tight enough to march out when the ball can still be very new and he will be asked to do so in conditions more conducive to bowling than he has just experienced. However, can England afford a player with a chink in his technique a spot at number five where the ball is less likely to deviate away from the middle of his bat as he looks to unfurl another attractive drive ? A similar option perhaps to Alex Hales.

For the record, I wouldn't have gambled on Vince for this Ashes but would rather have seen continuity with the inclusion of Tom Westley (some possible Essex bias there though it has to be said) or Middlesex's Sam Robson to bat at three. A player familiar with conditions, on the back of a solid county season, is aware of what Test cricket asks of you and has gone back to county cricket following his first crack at Test cricket and worked on his deficiencies. Again no selection would have been without some contention, and should Vince gain selection for the New Zealand tour it may again be scowled upon in certain quarters, my stance may have softened towards his inclusion for that trip on the proviso he is given the relative luxury of coming in lower down the order.