*Official* English Domestic Off Season 2010/11

[shivfan]

Someone a bigger arse than Kirby? Some mistake surely?

Suleimann Benn....

 

[Jarquis]

Has been shunted up and down the order a lot as well, they have tried to turn him into a top order bat in the four day game and he has never looked comfortable there. Has been low on confidence with his bowling for over a year now and the emergence of Briggs has limited his opportunities in that department. Has signed a new contract though so hope he can find some form this year.

Anyway great to get to the final even if I have missed all our games, delighted that Hamza has done really well this tournament, hoped last year would be a bit of a breakthrough for him but he got rather overtaken by others.

Didn't he get the yips?

 

[shivfan]

Trinidad and Tobago were a notch above all the other teams in this year's tournament. They went thru the entire tournament unbeaten, and did so without their match-winning stars, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, and coped without their inspirational captain, Darren Ganga, in the final. Like commie Jeff Dujon, I was concerned that the trinis would've lost this match because they'd already qualified for the CL, this was their third match in a row, and several key players were carrying injuries. But they approached the final professionally, which is something, considering that most of the team are amateurs who have to make ends meet by doing non-cricket jobs.

Spinners Danny Briggs and Samuel Badree bowled very well at the top of the order for Hampshire and Trinidad respectively, but the innings of class once again was Darren Bravo, who hammered an entertaining 41 from just 28 balls, and Denesh Ramdin chipped in with a quickfire cameo at the end to set up a challenging total for Hants in the end. Lendl Simmons made a laboured 31, and it's debatable as to whether his innings helped or hurt Trinidad....

But ever since leggie Badree bowled Johann Myburgh for a duck at the start of the Hampshire innings, the English county was always going to struggle. None of the other Hants batsmen had set the tournament on fire the way the South African has. It was a good team bowling effort, aided by some thought-provoking field settings to the spinners by stand-in captain Ramdin, and probably it's just as well that the winner of this tournament was a Caribbean team.

It was a great effort by Hants to reach a final on foreign soil, and in alien conditions, and shows that this English county has a lot of talented youngsters, which augur well for the future....

 

[superkingdave]

Don't forget T&T were without Dave as well.

 

[marc71178]

Shakib's back

 

[WorcsRoyal]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Howe_zat]

Great news for Worcs fans.

 

[shivfan]

Don't forget T&T were without Dave as well.

Sadly, for good, I fear....

 

[Woodster]

Rana Naved to return to Sussex for the first part of the County season, will please the locals.

 

[morgieb]

Well apparently Sean Ervine will remain at Hampshire after pulling out of the WC squad.

Also Yasir Arafat will be Surrey's overseas player, and Northamptonshire have signed Johan Botha for the T20.

 

[Woodster]

Another good overseas signing for a County, Sussex this time, wil undoubtedly benefit from having Wayne Parnell with them for the second half of the season. A good move from a development point of view for Parnell aswell to get some decent quality cricket under his belt following his recent injury problems.

 

[Woodster]

Ollie Rayner's moved to Middlesex on loan.l Not surprising him going early season, with the developments at Hove reducing the size of the playing field and lessening the likelihood of two spinners playing during the height of summer let alone on the green pitches early doors. Be interesting if the size of the pitch will prompt a change in the pitches being produced at Hove this summer, making it a little more seamer friendly.

With Panesar in the side and Yardy offering a bit of part-time slow stuff they should have more than enough in that area, and of course with Shaun Udal having left Middlesex it meant there was a spin bowling vacancy at Lords.

 

[marc71178]

More spinner news - slightly more illustrious though:

Gloucestershire snap up Murali - Gloucestershire - Counties - Domestic - News - ECB

 

[Jarquis]

Definitely getting to Bristol for a game then. Or when he comes to Taunton.

 

[Woodster]

Naturally having lost players such as Steve Kirby, Gemaal Hussain, Will Porterfield, and no major signings coming in, Gloucester must have plunged a fair chunk of their cash on this marquee signing of Muralitharan. Also understand they're after an overseas player to play the whole season for them.

What Murali gives off the pitch may be of more importance to Gloucester and the development of some of their younger players.

 

[Woodster]

A further note on Gloucestershire's overseas player for the 40-over competition and the CC, having lost a fair bit of experience from last season's side, would have thought had finances allowed, that a player that had been there and done it might have been the way to go, such as Marcus North returning for example. It seems they are eyeing a young up and coming Aussie or Kiwi, guess they'd be a cheaper option for them.

 

[Woodster]

Somerset re-sign Kieron Pollard for the T20 campaign, while Ajantha Mendis will supervise for Murali Kartik while he's away at the IPL.

Younis Khan appears to have let Warwickshire down. Just two months into a two-year contract, where he implied he would be available all season, he has now suggested he will tour the WI with the Pakistan national side after having a change of heart. Full-time alternatives are being considered.

 

[mrcheek]

Somerset re-sign Kieron Pollard for the T20 campaign, while Ajantha Mendis will supervise for Murali Kartik while he's away at the IPL.

Two pieces of good news!!!
Although great a signing as Mendis is, I wish Somerset would stop signing overseas spinners. Taunton isnt really a spinners wicket anyway, plus they have talented young spinners in Max Waller and George Dockrell. They should really have signed an overseas batsman for the County Championship, as theyve lost De Bruyn, and Hildreth will surely make the England squad this year. Their batting was really lacking in the West Indies T20.

 

[Woodster]

Two pieces of good news!!!
Although great a signing as Mendis is, I wish Somerset would stop signing overseas spinners. Taunton isnt really a spinners wicket anyway, plus they have talented young spinners in Max Waller and George Dockrell. They should really have signed an overseas batsman for the County Championship, as theyve lost De Bruyn, and Hildreth will surely make the England squad this year. Their batting was really lacking in the West Indies T20.

Yes especially early season when you'd expect the pitches to be more conducive to seam and swing bowlers, an area Somerset should have a fair bit of depth with the additions of Steve Kirby and Gemaal Hussain. As you say with Dockrell and Waller they have two inexperienced options, and they may be looking for more of a matchwinner, as it'd be a lot to expect for one of those two to step in and win Somerset matches just yet.

Think a quality spinner is not a bad option for the majority of the season, Taunton's generally a flat track and can become difficult to bowl sides out twice. In Hildreth, Trescothick, Compton, Suppiah, Trego, Kieswetter and Buttler, I'd expect them as a unit to put some decent scores on the board. If Hildreth is called up for the Sri Lanka series, which may depend on his early season form, it's not till the end of May, by which time they will have played around 7 or 8 CC games. A quality spinner will play a part in any conditions I guess, but maybe a batsman would have been a better option early season.

 

[grecian]

"Hildreth brought up his half-century with a six over long-on from Brooks."

Hildy for England.

Thanks for the link to the twitter site, btw SKD.