Karnataka
After being relegated from division one last season it would have been easy to say they were a spent force. Hakon Mork took got them into a good position in both forms and then left for greener pastures in South Australia, the new manager has continued the success for the team and they are positioned well in Four Day cricket. Initially expected to struggle against the big name teams in the division they have held their own and have pulled off three impressive wins. A hundred from S Borde in round two lead to a great win against heavyweights Hampshire. Engineer and Liyanage also contributed with the ball in the big win. K Ali long regarded a one day specialist has also lifted his game this season bowling several important spells. Theres no doubt in my mind that these three guys need to continue to take plenty of wickets for Karnataka to stay at the top of the division two table.
The impressive season by this mob also extends to one day cricket. They still occupy a spot in division one, but theres every chance that could end this season. They in fact sit in first place, but one loss could send them straight back down the table. They have had some great wins including the six wicket victory over SA in round five. Ali, Maxwell, Wadekar, A Jones, there's plenty of stars in this line up and we could see some more great wins before this season out. They are no doubt a hit or miss team, They will either beat you comfortably or they will fall in a heap and fail miserably. One of the most entertaining sides in the competition and i will be following their progress closely over the next few weeks.
One to Watch: S Maxwell, leading wcc four day run scorer. The heart and soul of this team and their results lay heavily on his bat. If he continues his good season they could end up with two bits of silverware.
Predicted Finish: Four Day: 3rd One Day: 3rd
Grading: A
Warwickshire
A two and two record this season looks unimpressive for this quality side, but their two wins have been very very big. Their 24 bonus points mean they site above WP on the table despite winning a game less. Things didnt start well for Warwicks. The round one grudge match against Western Province was quite an ugly affair for them, their highly rated bowlers failed to deliver and the match was over before their world class middle order could do any damage with the bat. Dropping 12 points to their rivals in round one would have really hurt manager Kurt Christensen but they have hit back quite well since then. Mumbai felt the full brunt of Warwicks anger in round two and Howarth and Bradshaw smashed hundreds. The Bowlers again looked threatening and Warwicks appeared to be back to the side of season five.
Warwicks have been the surprise packes of one day in division one. Getting their first taste of action in the elite competition they have looked right at home and could have a say in the final outcome despite initial worries from the manager before the season. Bowling SA out for under 130 defending a small total in round 2 was their biggest win of the season, rookie G Rigby has looked the most likely of all the bowlers and this match was no different as he took five wickets.
One to Watch: D Howarth, The star of the side, possibly the best in WCC, has only made one or two contributions this season, but will make plenty more and will win some games for his side in the process.
Predicted Finish: Four Day: 1st One Day: 2nd
Grading: B
Western Province
One of my favourite teams. Have a great manager and some real world class players. One would suspect this will be their last season in diviion two for a long long time. They started in great style by hammering Warwicks. Despite winning most of their games they have looked unimpressive at times. The narrow loss in round three against Karnataka was very unlike Western Province. Its no coincidence that Funston failed to rack up the runs in their only loss and he is shaping up as a key man in the run home. The bowling is nowhere near as potent as the batting. Still relatively young N Kumble has the task of leading the attack, hes done a more than reasonable job but has struggled to get much support. Samaraweera is also doing a fair job as the all roudner. Funston's 129 against Yorkshire in trying conditions was one of the best innings played in WCC this season, his 170 in round one wasnt far behind.
We are finally seeing some results in one day for WP this season, even if it is in division 5. After less than acceptable results last season they have managed three wins from their five games and remain in the hunt to win the title. Birch's 107 in round two against ND got them to a 2 and 0 record and setting up their season. Ive pinpointed this as the most important innings of their season to date. They lack the skills of a Karachi in one day cricket, but great individual performances could be enough to secure a top two spot. A poor chase in round four against Guyana as the chance to ruin their season, but I think they will be too good to let that haunt them and they will come through and put up a good end of season performance.
One to Watch: F Funston, long underrated by yours trully. He's come out and really hurt some attacks this season, while hes not the absolute centrepiece of their batting line up, his performances certainly dictate the overall results of WP.
Predicted Finish: Four Day: 2nd One Day: 2nd
Grading: B-
Hampshire
One of the more under rated sides in the competition. Probably dont get the results the squad is capable of. Under one of the longest serving managers Rueben Verghese they have climbed their way up to division two contenders. They have real stars with both the bat and ball. For some unknown reason they struggle to win tight matches against other top teams. Perhaps this could all be changing after their impressive round four win against Warwicks. After making only 220 they bowled their way to victory against the top notch Warwicks batting line up. Best and the Gamage boys combine to form a leathal bowling attack, these three take nearlly all the wickets every week and are among the best in the trade. Rookie E Drake has shouldered much of the responsiblity in the batting line up this season, captain I Ul Haq's form has been the most worrying aspect and he needs to sort out his problLems if Hampshire are to challenge.
Like First Class they have managed to get to a division with sides that just have more quality in one day cricket. You wouldnt class the Hampshire line up as poor, they even have one of the best keeper/batsman in Thomas, but they are simply being outplayed by better teams every round. Having said that it cant be expected that this side will have just one win this season. They have underperformed in matches they could have won and if they dont improve, its bye bye from division three. The round five flogging they got from ACT will hurt them, a loss like that will be tough to get over and with hard matches coming up it seems their only chance of survival is a play off against a side from division four. Their sole win for the season was a last ball win against bottom placed WA, Drake proved hes one for the future with a great ton, id be guessing he will be looking for a move to a higher profile team for season seven.
One to Watch: T Thomas, One day keeper/batsman has real ability in both parts of the game. In my opinion one of the great all rounders in one day cricket and hes about Hamps only chance of survival.
Predicted Finish: Four Day: 4th One Day: 5th
Grading: C-
Yorkshire
Yet another manager has taken charge of them in recent weeks. Its hard to say what was expected from them this season after they over achieved for so long. Theres plenty of ability in the side but they seem to lack that X factor. They can be brilliant one week, as showin in their massive innings victory over Hampshire or they can be horribly poor as we saw in recent one day games, particularly the loss in the cup first round. W Tendulkar is a top notch batsman whos being doing it for years, Simpson a quality all rounder whos in his last WCC season and Gough a tough nut from way back. They have the potential to be up there with the very best, but i feel they are still feeling the effects of being relegated from division one after being up there for so many years. New manager Greg Thomas is one of the most exciting coaches come through the ranks in a long time, Yorks have a career coach here and I just hope the current crop of players can save his division two status for the rest of this season.
One day has been quite successful thus far. They sit above TN and Auckland at this stage but theres still a long way to go. I consider them more of a Four day side, so its going to be tough to get out of this one day scrap. The best of their two wins came away at Auckland in round one when they chased a moderate 240 with Hemp scoring a good hundred. Things havent been quite the same them though, only managing one win from four matches. Nazir is another bowler who has the ability to keep them up with the front runners, but like his team mates he doesnt perform well enough at the essential times to really turn Yorkshire into a world class team. Good luck to them because it could be a tough end of the season
One to Watch: W Tendulkar, Hes been at the club for a long time now and enjoyed some real highs, unfortunately hes seeing the lowest point in the teams history, he has the ability to be the one to turn it around, im not sure if he will, but he needs to score a handful of centuries in the last 5 rounds.
Predicted Finish: Four Day: 5th One Day: 6th
Grading: C-
Mumbai
How tims have changed, once the toast of the WCC community they have almost been reduced to a laughing stock. Its not for a lack of trying from their many managers though. Things just havent gone right since season three for them, their lack of top notch rookies has hurt them, while rival countrymen Tamil Nadu have brought in the youngsters at a rate of knots. Having failed to win a game this season its hard to find any positives. They did take WP all the way in round four, losing by just two runs. Their batting looks reasonable with experienced heads like Patel and Tendulkar up there as well as youngsters Clarke and Owen. Its easy to say the season is over for them, however it only needs a win or two to have the pressure back on the sides in front of them, while I admit all seems lost, its not over till its over.
One day cricket has been a little more enjoyable for the Indians. Three wins and two loses is enough to have them sit 3rd. They have played some wonderfully entertaining cricket and are by no means out of the chase for a top two finish. The huge round four win over Somerset was highlight of the campaign so far, chasing 337 in 46 overs could go down as the best win of any team this season. Roth and Tendulkar showing their quality by scoring hundreds. The one side also includes hot shots like A Flintoff and Y Hills who are among the best in he business.
One to Watch: W Adhikri, one of the stars of the season 5 academy series has impressed many with his talent without making the huge scores. Hes still young so I wouldnt be pushing the panic button yet. Hes got the quality to be a future star for this team.
Predicted Finish: Four Day: 6th One Day: 5th
Grading: D+