Wednesday 24 January 2018

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.

Saturday 13 January 2018

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. 

Friday 12 January 2018

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.

Wednesday 10 January 2018

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.


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 ...