Finding a way…

Steve Waugh knew there was something about Paul Nixon during their time together at Kent. Waugh once said: “Nico should have been born an Australian.” It was the ultimate tribute from a man so proud to wear the Baggy Green.

Waugh also said that there are no fairytales in sport but he might have to revise that now for his old teammate. For Nixon had the perfect finale to his professional playing career in England.

The veteran played a key part in Leicestershire Foxes’ thrilling third Friends Life t20 title.  Nixon threw himself full-length to take a crucial one-handed catch for the team at a packed Edgbaston on Saturday evening.

“Every fairytale needs a sprinkling of magic,” grinned Matthew Hoggard in the post-match press conference, complete with a straw hat donated by a Leicestershire fan and an ice cold bottle of beer. “That was the sprinkling.”

Hoggard was spot on; the dismissal of Kieron Pollard proved the catalyst for an 18-run win that nobody outside of Leicestershire believed was possible. The feeling within the camp, of course, was the polar opposite.

“As a squad, we’ve had a belief in our abilities to get over the line, whatever the situation,” said Will Jefferson, the hero of the one-over eliminator that clinched a thrilling semi-final triumph against Lancashire Lightning.

“We talk about finding a way,” said Nixon. Josh Cobb echoed those sentiments: “We’ve always found a way to win,” he said, during the rain delay in the quarter-final tie against Kent. That was one of many games the Foxes pulled out of the bag during a fantastic campaign.

Cobb’s Finals Day story epitomised the spirit within the Leicestershire camp. It started horribly with a diamond duck but Cobb showed a tremendous lack of fear to go out to bat in the one-over shoot-out.

What was going through his mind? “The mindset was pretty simple: Clear the ropes,” he laughed. “It was the last chance saloon.”  In walking off the field as a winner alongside Jefferson, Cobb’s day had taken a significant turn for the better. It didn’t stop there.

Cobb took four wickets and completed a smart run out in the final as part of a man-of-the-match performance. He was also one of the few batsmen who scored freely in the showpiece game, gathering 18 runs from just 10 balls.

It took some bottle; as it did for Wayne White, who suffered the horrible feeling of going for the last-ball six in the semi-final that tied the game. White too bounced back, hitting a brisk 10 not out from five deliveries in the final before claiming that key wicket of Pollard via Nixon’s super glovework.

The duo’s character will not have been lost on Nixon, who picked up Cobb just hours after he was born. Just over 21 years later (Cobb celebrated his birthday during the recent LV=CC game at Colwyn Bay), the duo were holding a trophy and enjoying a drop of bubbly on the Edgbaston turf.

This was the stuff that dreams are made of. “Thankfully, it was written in the stars today,” said Nixon, with a glint in his eye.  “The timing was right, everything was right.

“The Kent game at home was very special and I felt like that was my send-off. Mentally, I felt that this was business time; that this was for the lads, who’d given me so much.

“That Kent game was for me, this is for everyone else. This is for Leicestershire as a Club. This is for Leicestershire as a county.”

It had all made for terrific viewing from the state-of-the-art press box at Edgbaston, where the media were very well looked after. Warwickshire had provided enough food and drink to cater for everybody twice over.

There were programmes, scorecards and information aplenty. Nothing was too much trouble; the little touches make a big difference and everything had been thought through.

I say terrific viewing, but I could barely watch the closing stages of the game against Lancashire. By the end of it, I felt physically sick; almost ready to explode at the combination of excitement and tension.

Thankfully, the players were the calmest people in the ground and it was fantastic for Phil Whitticase, his backroom staff, Chairman Paul Haywood, Chief Executive Mike Siddall, the Board of Directors, the committee members, the Club staff and the supporters to be part of this thrilling triumph.

From Abdul Razzaq’s hitting masterclass alongside White’s clean hitting at Lancashire at Old Trafford to the fearless batting of James Taylor and Jacques du Toit against Derbyshire at home, the Foxes developed a winning habit.

Brilliant all-rounder Andrew McDonald was the competition’s leading run-scorer and chipped in with runs and good catches, left arm paceman Harry Gurney was among the top wicket-takers and added hostility to the attack.

Look up economy in the dictionary and Claude Henderson’s picture would be next to it. Matthew Boyce, although not getting the opportunity to have much of a bat, was like dynamite in the field.

Hoggard took wickets throughout and showed his class and experience on Finals Day while Jigar Naik took three wickets in his first over of t20 this season and was always ready to come into the side.

Cobb and Jefferson were destructive in the powerplay overs, while Nixon, in his last professional season, importantly helped get the Foxes off to a winning start at Wantage Road.

They didn’t look back after ending Northamptonshire’s unbeaten start to the season. “Everyone has come to the party,” smiled Nixon. And everyone was going to one too, to celebrate this phenomenal achievement.

County preview – M to Y

Middlesex:

Overseas player 2011: Chris Rogers (Australia); Ryan McLaren (South Africa, for Twenty20)
Ins: Chris Rogers (Derbyshire), Corey Collymore (Sussex, KPK), Anthony Ireland (Gloucestershire), Adam Rossington
(YTH), Ollie Rayner (Sussex, loan from start of season until mid-May), Steve Crook (Northants)
Outs: Owais Shah (Essex), Pedro Collins (REL), Tyron Henderson (KPK, had been on a short-term deal for Twenty20
cricket), Danny Evans (REL), Shaun Udal (RET, has joined Berkshire)

The loss of Iain O’Brien, Owais Shah and Shaun Udal will hit a Middlesex side already resigned to losing Eoin
Morgan for most of the season given he is expected to replace Paul Collingwood in the England team. But the arrival of the prolific Chris Rogers and the signing of experienced seam duo Corey Collymore and Anthony Ireland should fuel a promotion push in the Championship nevertheless. Ryan McLaren adds quality to their t20 squad while Steve Crook has undoubted talent, so there is every chance that Middlesex can be strong across all formats. On the batting front, they will need Scott Newman and Rogers to be consistent and Dawid Malan is a key performer in the middle; he’s lost Shah and Morgan for company but is an exciting talent, while Ireland star Paul Stirling may also get the chance to make his mark. They are strong in the seam department as Collymore and Ireland join the consistent Tim Murtagh, the promising Toby Roland-Jones and under-rated Gareth Berg – and Steve Finn when available. Ollie Rayner’s loan signing will initially help to replace Udal. But spin could be an issue once he has departed; Tom Smith has talent but little experience.

Key man: Dawid Malan. One to watch: Toby Roland-Jones

Northants:

Overseas player 2011: Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka), Johan Botha (South Africa, for Twenty20)
Ins: Luke Evans (Durham)
Outs: Nicky Boje (REL), David Wigley (REL), Vishal Tripathi (REL), Paul Harrison (REL)

David Capel has made a canny overseas capture in Chaminda Vaas and Johan Botha adds know-how to their already more-than-useful t20 side. Their only domestic signing has been Luke Evans and the tall paceman will compliment a good attack of Vaas, David Lucas, Jack Brooks, Andrew Hall and Lee Daggett. On the batting front, Northants need more from Mal Loye and they will hope David Sales and Niall O’Brien regain form. If that trio fire, Stephen Peters replicates his 2010 form, and Hall and Rob White find form, the team could be promotion outsiders. Always a one-day threat and the permanent capture of Vaas will only help that.

Key man: Chaminda Vaas. One to watch: Jack Brooks

Nottinghamshire:

Overseas player 2011: Adam Voges (Australia, start of season until end of Twenty20); David Hussey (Australia, from June)
Ins: Ben Phillips (Somerset), Scott Elstone (YTH), Riki Wessels (Unattached)
Outs: Ryan Sidebottom (Yorkshire), Matt Wood (REL), Bilal Shafayat (REL)

Nottinghamshire were worthy winners of the Championship in 2010 and there is every indication that they’ll go well again. Steven Mullaney more than compensated for the loss of Mark Ealham last season and the re-signing of key Australian duo Adam Voges and David Hussey will be critical to another title bid. Ryan Sidebottom is an undoubted loss and Mark Wagh will be a big miss when he starts his new career in law but Ben Phillips fits the Trent Bridge profile; he swings the ball and will add runs down the order. Notts will hope that Alex Hales continues his progress and Chris Read, Samit Patel and Ali Brown will all score heavily. Bowling-wise, the Outlaws will be without Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann for most of the season and are Sidebottom-less so Charlie Shreck and Darren Pattinson need to discover their past form and back up the prolific Andre Adams. Notts also have a strong youth policy at present and Scott Elstone and Jake Ball are good products of Notts’ academy. Akhil Patel – brother of Samit, is another exciting prospect. Expect Notts to be strong in all three competitions.

Key man: Samit Patel. One to watch: Jake Ball

Somerset:

Overseas player 2011: Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka, first few weeks of season); Murali Kartik (India, after Indian
Premier League finishes); Kieron Pollard (West Indies, for Twenty20)

Ins: Steve Kirby (Gloucestershire), Gemaal Hussain (Gloucestershire), George Dockrell (Ireland)
Outs: Ben Phillips (Nottinghamshire), Mark Turner (Derbyshire), Zander de Bruyn (KPK, Surrey), Michael Munday
(REL), Robin Lett (REL), David Stiff (REL)

After a heartbreaking end to a brilliant 2010 season, where three trophies all slipped out of grasp, Somerset’s
signings speak for themselves. They feel they can challenge in everything again and go one – or three – better this time around. Their overseas combination of Ajantha Mendis, Murali Kartik and Kieron Pollard are all watch-winners while Steve Kirby and Gemaal Hussain will give pace and control respectively on traditionally flat Taunton surfaces. They give greater depth to a seam department that has been run by Charl Willoughby and Alfonso Thomas and in George Dockrell, Somerset have a slow left armer of great promise. Dockrell has been a star performer in Ireland’s world cup bid and that justified the faith Somerset previously showed in him. The batting will be weakened by the loss of Zander de Bruyn and James Hildreth will be knocking on the England door. But Craig Kieswetter is due a big year, Nick Compton can get big runs and Marcus Trescothick is a run machine. Somerset are due a trophy – this should be the year.

Key man: Marcus Trescothick. One to watch: George Dockrell.

Surrey:

Overseas player 2011: Yasir Arafat (Pakistan), Shaun Tait (Australia, for Twenty20)
Ins: Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Zander de Bruyn (KPK, Somerset), Tom Maynard (Glamorgan), Yasir Arafat (Sussex),
Tom Lancefield (YTH), Rory Burns (YTH), Zafar Ansari (YTH), Tom Jewell (YTH)
Outs: Usman Afzaal (REL), Laurie Evans (Warwickshire)

Every year you think Surrey must be getting close to being promotion candidates – so in saying it again, law of averages must be getting me closer! In all seriousness, Surrey have a talented squad and although Chris Tremlett could be on England duty, Yasir Arafat should get more out of the Oval surfaces than most and Jade Dernbach, Andre Nel and Stuart Meaker have pace and aggression. As does Shaun Tait, who joins up for t20. Batting-wise, Mark Ramprakash is struggling with injury, Usman Afzaal has been released and Kevin Pietersen will barely be available. But Zander de Bruyn guarantees runs and Tom Maynard should enjoy a new lease of life. Chuck in a fit-again Michael Brown, Steve Davies and some young guns and Surrey have an order that should go well. A weakness in four-day cricket has been the abiliy to bowl teams out with spin, as Gareth Batty, Chris Schofield and Matt Spriegel all understandably struggled to take wickets on flat Oval tracks last term. But this could be Surrey’s Championship year – and those slow men will prosper in one-day cricket; particularly in t20.

Key man: Would have been Mark Ramprakash, now Zander de Bruyn. One to watch: Jason Roy

Sussex:

Overseas player 2011: Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (Pakistan, first half of season), Wayne Parnell (South Africa, second
half of season)
Ins: Amjad Khan (Kent), Will Adkin (YTH), Lewis Hatchett (YTH), Lou Vincent (UKP), Naved Arif (EUP), Kirk Wernars (EUP)
Outs: Robin Martin-Jenkins (RET), James Kirtley (RET), Corey Collymore (Middlesex), Yasir Arafat (Surrey), Ragheb Aga (REL), Chad Keegan (REL), Michael Thornely (REL), Ollie Rayner (Middlesex, loan from start of season until mid-May)

Sussex have again recruited wisely on the seam front and needed to following the loss of reliable performers Robin Martin-Jenkins, Corey Collymore, Yasir Arafat and James Kirtley. Rana Naved and Wayne Parnell share overseas duties while Amjad Khan could be a marvellous signing if he stays fit. Lewis Hatchett looked lively in his first season on the staff, James Anyon had a decent season and Luke Wright provides another good option when not required by England. Seamers Naved Arif and Kirk Wernars are relative unknowns but are clearly highly thought of, while Monty Panesar enjoyed his move and should prosper again. Lou Vincent adds plenty to the t20 squad while Murray Goodwin, Ed Joyce and Chris Nash are all key men. Ben Brown is an exciting young keeper, and Sussex should consolidate in the Championship while being big players in one day cricket.

Key man: Chris Nash. One to watch: Ben Brown

Warwickshire:

Overseas player 2011: Younus Khan (Pakistan; subject to fitness checks, work permit and ECB registration)
Ins: William Porterfield (Gloucestershire), Laurie Evans (Surrey)
Outs: Imran Tahir (Hampshire), Calum MacLeod (REL), James Ord (REL)

Warwickshire struggled on the batting front in 2010, so it is little surprise to see three new signings come in.
Younus Khan is a world-class performer (but will miss the first two months of the season), Will Porterfield has
plenty of experience from Gloucestershire and Ireland while Laurie Evans has the ability to score heavily and will benefit from a fresh start. They will compliment the likes of Ian Westwood, Darren Maddy and Jim Troughton and ensure the loss of Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott won’t be felt as much as last season. Imran Tahir is a big loss but Ant Botha is a capable spinner and the Bears have a good seam attack led by Chris Woakes and complimented by the wily Neil Carter. Possessing plenty of all-rounders such as Stef Piolet and Keith Barker, the Bears will go well in one-day cricket but could struggle again in the Championship.

Key man: Chris Woakes. One to watch: Paul Best

Worcestershire:

Overseas player 2011: Damien Wright (Australia, early part of season), Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan, second half of season), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh, for Twenty20)
Ins: Neil Pinner (YTH), Matt Pardoe (YTH)
Out: Ben Smith (REL, becomes assistant coach), Imran Arif (REL)

Worcestershire went up right at the death last season but they have not been able to strengthen as much as they would have liked. Young players such as Moeen Ali and Alexei Kervezee are highly talented – Moeen was magnificent last term – but the step up to division one brings added pressure. James Cameron proved an inspired signing and he, new skipper Daryl Mitchell and Vikram Solanki, along with the aforementioned duo, will need to score heavily. There will be no Phil Jaques or Ben Smith around this term and Shakib al Hasan, who played a key role in promotion, is back just for t20. Damien Wright and Saeed Ajmal are good overseas signings but it is hard to see anything other than a season of Championship struggle at New Road.

Yorkshire:

Overseas player 2011: TBC

Ins: Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Moin Ashraf (YTH), Gurman Randhawa (YTH)
Outs: Jacques Rudolph (KPK, REL)

Ryan Sidebottom makes a welcome return to Headingley and Moin Ashraf is the latest talent to come off the Yorkshire production line. But the loss of Jacques Rudolph will hit the club heavily and their commendable strong local policy might prove to go against them if Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad get the expected calls from England. Given Adam Lyth and Andrew Gale will be on Lions duty at some stage and could also push for a full cap, the squad could be pushed. However, the likes of Jonny Bairstow, James Lee, Steve Patterson, Oliver Hannon-Dalby and David Wainwright are all more than capable of holding down first team spots and Joe Root is an outstanding prospect. Joe Sayers and Anthony McGrath will score heavily but they could do with an overseas batsman to replace Rudolph. However, their bowling looks strong and the all-round talent of their squad means they should compete for a one-day trophy. Four-day hopes rest on how many of their talented crop get England call-ups.

Key man: Andrew Gale. One to watch: Joe Root.

County preview – D to L

Derbyshire:

Overseas players 2011: Usman Khawaja (Australia, first half of season including Twenty20), Martin Guptill (New Zealand, second half of season including Twenty20)
Ins: Luke Sutton (Lancashire), Mark Turner (Somerset), Matt Lineker (has played for Derbyshire and Notts in 2nd XI Trophy), Tony Palladino (Essex)
Outs: Chris Rogers (Middlesex), Graham Wagg (Glamorgan), Lee Goddard (REL), John Sadler (REL), Tom Lungley (REL), Robin Peterson (KPK, REL), Ian Hunter (REL)

The key question for Derbyshire this season is ‘who will score Chris Rogers’ runs?’ The prolific Australian has
moved to Middlesex and he will leave a huge void at the top of the order. Derbyshire will hope that Usman Khawaja and Martin Guptill will prosper but both will have to acclimatise quickly in their season-sharing exercise. Graham Wagg and Robin Peterson also leave sizeable gaps but seam duo Tony Palladino and Mark Turner will be good signings provided they stay fit. Another excellent signing is Luke Sutton, who returns for a second spell from Lancashire. The ‘keeper is under-rated and under-stated and he will score consistently, take his catches and win matches; particularly in one-day games, which will be the Falcons’ strong suit in 2011.

Key man: Greg Smith. One to watch: Jake Needham.

Durham:

Overseas player 2011: David Miller (South Africa, for Twenty20)
Ins: Ruel Brathwaite
Outs: Will Gidman (Gloucestershire), Neil Killeen (RET), Luke Evans (Northants)

There has been little activity down by the Riverside and that shows Durham are happy with their lot. And why
shouldn’t they be? 2010 was a difficult season but Durham have a strong squad and can regain form in the new campaign. The key is the pace attack and the Dynamos will be hoping that Steve Harmison, Liam Plunkett, Callum Thorp and Mark Davies stay fit this time around – and forgotten man Graham Onions could also return to the fold after injury. With experienced campaigners such as Ian Blackwell, Dale Benkenstein, Michael di Venuto and exciting youngsters like Ben Stokes and Ben Harmison around, Durham have a nice blend. If Paul Collingwood is a regular appearer, the side could easily challenge across all formats. They have always threatened in t20 without delivering but the signing of David Miller is an interesting one. The South African may not be on the world’s radar at the minute but is well-known by Benkenstein – and the newly re-appointed limited-overs captain has a shrewd knowledge of the game.

Key man: Steve Harmison. One to watch: Ben Harmison.

Essex:

Overseas player 2011: Scott Styris (New Zealand, for Twenty20 – subject to approval from NZ board)
Ins: Owais Shah (Middlesex)
Outs: Mervyn Westfield (REL), John Maunders (REL), Grant Flower (REL – is returning to Zimbabwe to play and coach), Tony Palladino (Derbyshire)

Essex have made an excellent signing in former England man Owais Shah and he joins a strong middle-order which also includes Ravi Bopara, Matt Walker, Ryan ten Doeschate and James Foster. With Mark Pettini and Billy Godleman opening (and Alastair Cook occasionally available) and given young trio Jaik Mickleburgh, Tom Westley and the highly-promising Adam Wheater are also pushing for places, Essex’s strong suit will be their batting. On the bowling front, much rests on the dependable shoulders of David Masters but Chris Wright and Maurice Chambers are prospects. With Scott Styris coming in for t20 and dangerous players like Graham Napier on the books, Essex will be hard to beat in one-day cricket and could also be contenders in the Championship following their relegation.

Key man: Ryan ten Doeschate. One to watch: Adam Wheater.

Glamorgan:

Overseas player 2011: Alviro Petersen (South Africa), Mark Cosgrove (Australia, for Twenty20)
Ins: Graham Wagg (Derbyshire), Mike O’Shea, Stewart Walters (Surrey)
Outs: Jamie Dalrymple (REL), Tom Maynard (Surrey)

There have been lots of changes at the SWALEC stadium, with Alviro Petersen bought in as captain and a new coaching structure in place, so it is hard to assess how Glamorgan will fare. They will undoubtedly miss Mark Cosgrove’s runs, and Jamie Dalrymple and Tom Maynard leave gaps in the middle order – so the Welshmen need Petersen and Stewart Walters to settle quickly and score heavily. With Graham Wagg joining and Jim Allenby, the Dragons have good all-round options and should threaten in one-day cricket. A lot of their four-day prospects rest on spin duo Robert Croft and Dean Cosker so expect home pitches to turn.

Key man: Alviro Petersen. One to watch: Will Bragg

Gloucestershire:

Overseas player 2011: Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka, for Twenty20)
Ins: Will Gidman (Durham), James Fuller (UKP), Graeme McCarter (YTH), Michael Beard (YTH), Craig Miles (YTH), Richard Coughtrie (YTH), Ian Cockbain (YTH), David Wade (from Royal Signals Corps)
Outs: Steve Kirby (Somerset), Anthony Ireland (Middlesex), William Porterfield (Warwickshire), Gemaal Hussain
(Somerset), Kadeer Ali (REL), Steven Snell (REL), Rob Woodman (REL)

Talking of changes, there have been many at Gloucestershire, who have opted for a youth policy, including highly promising New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson. He will undoubtedly add strength to their batting line-up – the batsman has already impressed at test level – but their seam bowling has been badly hit given Steve Kirby and Gemaal Hussain have traded Bristol for Taunton and Anthony Ireland has joined Middlesex. Jon Lewis remains at the club and he will lead an attack which includes prospects Ian Saxelby and David Payne. With Will Porterfield moving on and Kadeer Ali released, experienced quartet Chris Taylor, Hamish Marshall, Alex Gidman and Jon Batty will need to get big runs in support of Williamson. Muttiah Muralitharan adds the star turn for t20 but how they could do with his vast experience in four-day cricket too.

Key man: Jon Lewis. One to watch: David Payne

Hampshire:

Overseas player 2011: Imran Tahir (South Africa); Shahid Afridi (Pakistan, for Twenty20)
Ins: Imran Tahir (Warwickshire), Johann Myburgh (KPK), Friedel de Wet (KPK)
Outs: Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Chris Benham (REL)

An already strong squad has been strengthened further with more good overseas additions. Match-winning leggie Imran Tahir rejoins from Warwickshire and batter Johann Myburgh and quickie Friedel de Wet offer plenty to a squad already containing the consistent Neil MacKenzie and reliable Sean Ervine. Shahid Afridi adds his talent to the t20 campaign and to go alongside the overseas stars, youngsters James Vince and Danny Briggs are England cricketers in the making and Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry will score plenty. On the bowling front, Dominic Cork is still going strong, de Wet has raw pace, James Tomlinson is under-rated and youngsters are breaking through. 2011 could be the Royals year: They will go well in one-day cricket and should be challenging at the top end of the Championship rather than face another relegation battle this time around.

Key man: Imran Tahir. One to watch: James Vince

Kent:

Overseas player 2011: TBC
Ins: Daniel Bell-Drummond (YTH), Ashley Shaw (YTH), Sam Billings (YTH), Adam Riley (YTH), Chris Piesley (YTH)
Outs: Amjad Khan (Sussex), Rob Ferley (REL), Warren Lee (REL), James Hockley (REL), Phil Edwards (REL), Paul Dixey (REL)

Kent have had some financial problems and their only signings have been youngsters but the club have the bulk of their experienced squad in tact so will continue to be strong on the batting front. Joe Denly, Rob Key, Martin van Jaarsveld, Darren Stevens and Geraint Jones are proven performers but the decision to release the experienced Amjad Khan will affect their chances of bowling hte opposition out. Key can call on James Tredwell in the spin department but Kent need an overseas bowler to back up Simon Cook, Robbie Joseph, Azhar Mahmood, Matt Coles et al. Makhaya Ntini’s name has been mentioned and he could be lethal in division two.

Key man: Martin van Jaarsveld. One to watch: Daniel Bell-Drummond.

Lancashire:

Overseas player 2011: Farveez Maharoof (Sri Lanka)
Ins: None
Outs: Andrew Flintoff (RET), Luke Sutton (Derbyshire), Daren Powell (KPK, REL)

Lancashire are going into 2011 with few changes and there is a nice balance between youth and experience at Old Trafford (and Liverpool, given the redevlopments at their Manchester base). Wily duo Glen Chapple and Gary Keedy will be key figures and overseas signing Farveez Maharoof fits the Lancashire profile of a bowler who can also contribute plenty of runs. Stephen Moore, Tom Smith, Paul Horton, Mark Chilton and Steve Croft will score plenty but the small squad may be tested when international calls come and injuries take their toll. Lancashire continue to produce their own cricketers and Luke Procter is one to watch in the middle order – he should get extended opportunities – while wicket-keeping duties fall to the highly-rated Gareth Cross this year. Saj Mahmood is potent with the new ball and he, Hogg and Maharoof will give them batting depth. Spin twins Simon Kerrigan and Steve Parry provide more options to go alongside Keedy so expect the Lightning to shine in one-day cricket – and excel in the Championship when the sun comes out.

Leicestershire:

Overseas player 2011: Andrew McDonald (Australia)
Ins: None
Outs: AJ Harris (RET, becomes second XI coach at Derbyshire), James Benning (REL), Joel Pope (REL), Dan Masters (REL), Sam Cliff (REL)

Leicestershire head into 2011 full of optimism after a heartening season last time around. The team finished fourth in the Championship and could have been promoted had the weather not intervened on a couple of occasions. Matthew Hoggard did an excellent job in his first year as captain and he has a number of talented young players at his disposal. James Taylor and Nathan Buck both capped good seasons with an England Lions call-up, while Greg Smith and Jigar Naik topped the national batting and bowling averages respectively. Leicestershire will continue to develop their own players and integrate them into a squad that also has plenty of experience in the form of evergreen duo Paul Nixon and Claude Henderson. Four-day cricket will be their strong suit but Andrew McDonald will arrive in May and the team will improve in the one-day arena. There is plenty of competition for places in a small squad, but one thing that is not catered for is star man Taylor’s potential absence; for an England call cannot be too far away.

Key man: James Taylor. One to watch: Harry Gurney

England’s boxes left unticked…

So England exited a World Cup a well-beaten team at the quarter-final stage and their leader looks likely to tender his resignation. At face value, it looks like the same old story – and could even be mistaken for a football narrative – but England’s 2011 campaign was far from uneventful.

The six group games were all close-run things and had plenty of excitement; in all of the matches, the result could have gone any of three ways as the fixture entered the closing stages. But the one clear-cut outcome against Sri Lanka came at the worst possible time – the point of no return.

As the only country unbeaten in the tournament against the three teams who qualified alongside them, England should have been taking on one of the host countries with some confidence. But there was a melancholic air of inevitability about Saturday’s defeat which put paid to England’s strange campaign.

The team beat South Africa and the West Indies and gained a thrilling tie against India but only narrowly got the better of Holland and lost to both Ireland and Bangladesh. If you didn’t know quite what to make of it, then join my club!

But although England did not pull up any trees in the group stages, they had the toughest of the two pools and winning a World Cup is not necessarily about being the best team; it can be about sneaking through and beating the best teams when it matters.

Had England produced a performance like the India tie against Sri Lanka and won, a semi-final against New Zealand – who England would have been closely matched with – awaited. In the last four, if Pakistan were to win, England would have avoided their nemesis Australia and a rematch with their two toughest group opponents. Game on?

Maybe. Whatever the potential pathway, there is an old adage in sport that you must look after your own results and England were nowhere near good enough to trouble Sri Lanka. Whereas Sri Lanka had all of the qualities required of a World Cup triumph, England had precious few of those ingredients.

In 50-over cricket, you need a settled opening partnership and players who can hit over the top to exploit powerplays. You require an adaptive and innovative middle-order and people you trust to finish off games.

On the bowling front, you need one of two things: orthodox bowlers with a cunning gameplan (Daniel Vettori springs to mind) or an unorthodox attack. Variety, in either case, is the spice of life – how many slower balls did England bowl, for example? Why didn’t they keep the batsmen guessing what was coming next?

Fielding-wise, you have to defend for your lives with the attitude that every single run could decide the outcome of the game. The ‘keeper is also a key position in scoring runs, saving runs and generally organising the fielders, for he has the best view. Above all, every player needs to be given a clearly-defined role within the team and then carry it out to the letter.

Sri Lanka ticked most of their boxes – apart from the one labelled ‘catching’ – but England’s checklist must have been mainly red ink and crosses; that of a naughty schoolboy’s homework. They had an adaptive and innovative player in Eoin Morgan and their fielding was occasionally excellent, but they were sadly lacking in all other departments.

Unfortunately for Matt Prior, he appeared to embody most of England’s problems. Prior, who was given the nod after the Ashes triumph, cut a weary figure and he flickered between roles as opener and in the middle order. The indecisiveness in where to bat him filtered through to his methodology and the dismissal against Bangladesh summed it all up.

Prior’s attempt to come down the ground and hit slow left armer Abdur Razzaq was one of half-measures and it epitomised England’s batting. There was some foot movement but no complete commitment to advancing.

The manner of the dismissal was dismal. His foot may well have been grounded when the bails were whipped off by Mushfiqur Rahim initially but he then inexplicably wandered out of his ground. Rahim couldn’t believe his luck and pulled a stump out of the ground. To run the risk of being stumped once is careless but understandable; twice surely inexcusable given Prior is a wicket-keeper himself.

On that occasion there appeared to be an absence of thought but in general there was just a lack of clarity in decision-making in the batting. Everyone looked in two minds (at least):  the ‘shall-I-shan’t-I-can-I-can’t-I’ school.

Trott was England’s trenchman; batting as though the next disaster was on the horizon. Although he may have had a point, 50-over cricket was not designed to be a war of attrition.

You couldn’t fault Trott’s relentless run-racking attitude but his batting resembled that of a middle lane motorway hogger. He refused to either put his foot down or move aside and there comes a stage in every limited-over innings that one of those two options must be taken.

Having said all of that, you do need someone to bat through the innings and Trott provided that stability. In all fairness, he was not the only one to lack panache and it is hard to knock someone who contributed more than 400 runs in seven innings.

England were crying out for someone to belt the ball over the top and had that been combined with Trott’s pugnacity, then his monopoly may have allowed the team to put a hotel on Mayfair rather than whiling away time on the free-parking space.

When Morgan played well, he was the perfect foil because the talented left-hander possesses quirkiness. But most of England’s batsmen were unable to break the shackles of slow bowlers on slow wickets. More disturbingly, there was no daring to be different; no risk-free release shot, no real foot movement, no aggressive intent.

Sri Lanka have an outstanding and unusual trio in Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis but overs had to come from orthodox alternatives. Yet England did not seem to grasp that, within reason, Tillekaratne Dilshan, Rangana Herath and Angelo Mathews had to be targeted.

Their 21 overs went for just 92 runs but worse still, Dilshan’s first four – as a makeshift opening bowler – went for just 9 runs and he also claimed Andrew Strauss’ wicket. Herath then replaced him and conceded 13 in his opening four. All told, 22-1 was registered from the first eight overs of conventional spin and it set the tone.

Perhaps the duo bowled well, maybe they deserve more respect. But England should have had a clear plan, gone for the kill and even had they failed, at least they’d have tried. They died wondering.

On the bowling front, England could only offer right-arm fast medium, right arm medium or conventional off-spin. Granted the squad was affected by illness and injury, but England had no spark; no enigma. Thus their World Cup exit was hardly a mystery.

What is harder to fathom is that a team suffering from their winter’s excursions and generally lacking in key qualities competed well in games against two of the favourites in India and South Africa. But which way do you look at it – does it show the team were not far away from success, or do defeats to Ireland and Bangladesh and a thumping by Sri Lanka prove a complete rethink in terms of personnel and strategy is needed?

A lot will depend on Strauss’ decision as to whether to stay on or not. If he does, England may be tempted to keep faith with those who want to soldier on and look to integrate some selected newcomers. If he decides to step down, it may prompt a clearing of the decks and a whole new approach.

A failed tournament usually prompts the latter – most of England’s captaincy changes in recent times have gone hand-in-hand with World Cup exits – but Strauss should not feel he has to shoulder the blame. Unless you have powerful, adventurous hitters, quirky bowlers and 100% executed gameplans, then there is little chance of success.

India and England serve up a thriller…

After bemoaning the lack of good 50-over games before the World Cup started, England have shut me up by producing two really good games so far. Today’s tie with India was one of the best one-day games I’ve ever seen (probably the best) given it was the classic ‘down to the wire’ affair and also because there was such good cricket on show; this was no low-scoring thriller!

Although Sachin Tendulkar and Andrew Strauss dominated with the bat, the performances of Tim Bresnan, Zaheer Khan and Harbajhan Singh underlined the importance of bowling in 50-over cricket. That’s right bowlers; they are allowed to have their say from now and again despite the best attempts to stop them!

Firstly it was one bouncer an over, then shorter boundaries, then bigger bats, now referrals which occasionally deny wickets to dent the bowlers’ enthusiasm. But Bresnan and Zaheer proved the worth of the seamer in the modern game and demonstrated great control amid the chaos. Harbajhan also proved his match-winning – or tieing – abilities as a spinner and show that slow men are not just cannon fodder.

Generally though, it was an unhappy afternoon for the bowlers. I thought Michael Yardy bowled better than his figures suggested, but Jimmy Anderson was again expensive and Ajmal Shahzad went for a few towards the end of the innings. India targeted (and unsettled) Graeme Swann and never allowed Paul Collingwood to get into his stride, which were good tactics. It meant England had no option but to persevere with Anderson, who was a little off-colour.

The hosts also generally struggled though and the way England produced big late order hitting – ironically, after a dreadful batting powerplay looked to have cost them dear – will have worried India. Although the team were cruising when Strauss and Ian Bell were at the crease, India wrestled back control in the powerplay and then really should have seen the game out with few dramas after grasping the nettle.

Having said that, England will feel they shouldn’t have allowed India to get in that position, so perhaps I’m being over-analytical. Maybe it was just a great game of cricket that ended in the deserved result; although both sides could (and even should) have won, neither warranted leaving the field with a defeat.

But the margins of results are always narrow (the short run from the last ball of India’s innings could have made all the difference) and the seeds of World Cup triumphs are sewn at an early stage. So if the favourites are to go on and win, they need to review their performance here; particularly the way the innings subsided and their bowling options.

The batting is not really an issue because their is plenty of quality in the middle order. The bowling is less clear-cut though because there are problems. If I was in MS Dhoni’s shoes, I would go for another seamer and then place more trust in Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar as slow bowlers.

England’s dilemma is different; how do they balance the side given there is no Andrew Flintoff type in their squad? Yardy bowled well today and needs to play but we looked a batter short. The Sussex man may be useful and awkward with the willow because of his ideosyncratic style and his ability to hold his nerve under pressure, but he is not reliable.

So, for my money, Ravi Bopara needs to come in for Paul Collingwood because the Essex man can be a key player in this tournament. The top four cannot be dropped, Matt Prior is the specialist keeper and Collingwood, as he showed today, is no fifth bowler.

Besides, with no Eoin Morgan, England need someone with finishing qualities and although Collingwood used to deliver, he now resembles a tired postman. Bopara needs to come back and his selection would also give the sixth bowling option that Collingwood currently provides.

We are essentially picking the Durham man for the sake of continuity and that does nobody any favours. I’m a big fan of Colly but it is horrible to see him going through his current batting scripts. If the latter stages of his test career resembled Waiting for Godot, then his one-day text is Groundhog Day.

In the tests, Collingwood went in and nothing happened and the second innings resembled act one (when Australia were good enough to bowl us out). In ODIs, the same thing happens again and again; you think a big score is around the corner but the road never seems to turn.

The experts will come out with that horrible cliche that Colly is, indeed, ‘one game away from a big score’ but England have been more than generous in their tolerance of his lack of form. His service to England deserved loyalty, but we are beyond that now. England need to learn from their Bangalore experience if they want to progress to the latter stages and three things stood out for me.

For one, we must change the silly tactic of short bowling, which can be telegraphed from my living room, let alone the middle. Secondly, we must work out how to utilise the batting powerplay because today was a disaster (I thought we took it at the right time but used it badly rather than taking it at the wrong time, like many suggested in hindsight).

Thirdly and finally, we need to balance the side because as ever, we need twelve men to get it perfect without a Flintoff-type. Even with Bopara, we’d still be a batsman light but at least he looks in relatively good form and Stuart Broad’s return from illness will help to compensate. So although issues have flared up in the first two games, we can learn from our mistakes without suffering the pain of defeat. That can only be a good thing, I guess.

England women look for test match success

While England’s men team have recently been starring in the Ashes triumph and playing out a 1-1 draw after two entertaining t20 matches, the England women’s team have also been excelling Down Under.

Charlotte Edwards’ charges won the five-match t20 series 4-1 – the first series win against the World Champions on their own turf – and played some excellent cricket throughout the tournament.

SkySports showed the first two games before the action between the men’s teams and it was thoroughly entertaining. It was just a shame the whole series wasn’t shown because there was plenty of exciting cricket on view.

A young England side had to cope without star trio Claire Taylor, Katharine Brunt and Beth Morgan but coped admirably and won convincingly.

Laura Marsh showed her quality as both an opening batsman and bowler while left-handed Lydia Greenway was a star with the bat on many occasions.

Greenway also took a spectacular catch in the first game and the energy and athleticism showed by the girls throughout was excellent.

Spin was certainly a key theme for England and Marsh, Danielle Hazell, Holly Colvin, Edwards and Danni Wyatt all nowled with nice flight and guile.

I was keeping an eye out for Danni through the games because I interviewed the talented off-spinner before the previous tour to Sri Lanka.

As a slow bowler, Danni had worked with former Leicestershire men Jack Birkenshaw and Carl Crowe, who have been an important part of the England set-up in recent times.

Crowe has replaced Birky as assistant coach to Mark Lane and the spinners will no doubt have picked up plenty of tips from both men, who bowled off-spin successfully for Leicestershire.

Danni, like all of the girls who spoke to the press prior to Sri Lanka, is a confident young lady who plays with a smile as well as with plenty of quality and determination.

Danni was given a key role given she generally had to bowl the last couple of overs of the innings – including the last over -and batted at number three.

She bowled well under pressure and also played some lovely shots in the innings I saw, as well as taking a fine tumbling catch of her own in the fourth match.

During the press conference I attended, Danni spoke extremely well, as did Edwards, Taylor, Isa Guha, who have plenty of experience among a generally youthful squad.

Unfortunately for Taylor, she won’t hit a ball in anger on the whole tour because of a shoulder injury that has cut short her trip.

It is a real shame for the first women winner of the Wisden cricketer of the year in April 2009 because I know she was so looking forward to the prospect of playing in the series and the test match, which begins on Saturday in Sydney.

However, her colleagues will be determined to win the test and retain the Ashes, like the men did successfully on the very same ground earlier this month.

Like the lack of coverage for the final three t20 matches, it is a shame the game won’t be broadcast live. It is also a pity that there isn’t an extended test series; a one-off game does not do justice to either team.

There’s nothing England can do about that though so hopefully they’ll win the one-off test and bring the Ashes home. I know they can do it. Good luck girls!

Good progress…

Had you said to me at the start of the 2010 season that Leicestershire would finish fourth in the Championship and England would have retained the Ashes before the Sydney test, I’d have happily snapped your hand off.

But I now want to see England win or draw the last test match to ensure they win the Ashes outright. A draw would almost represnt a moral victory for Australia in this series after suffering two of their heaviest ever home defeats.

It has been heartening to see a very good England team dominate for long periods but I suspect they feel nothing has been achieved yet. That is a sign of an excellent side and great leadership from Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss.

England have a great work ethic and have played as a team throughout. To win games of cricket, though, you need individuals to put in performances – and they have done.

Players like Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Jimmy Anderson have been in outstanding form and it has been great to see Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan and Steve Finn step up to the plate too.

Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior have chipped in and Graeme Swann has also been impressive when conditions have allowed. Stuart Broad also did a fine job with the ball in the two tests he was available.

The one disappointment has been Paul Collingwood’s batting form and although the presence of an experienced head in the dressing room cannot be underestimated, the Durham man must start scoring runs again soon.

As Flower and Strauss will know, looking ahead is now the key. That goes for the whole team, of course, but particularly for Collingwood, who has Eoin Morgan and a host of talented young batters breathing down his neck.

England need no reminders of the requirement to keep progressing because India visit in 2011 and that will be a huge test of their credentials to be the world’s best.

Retaining the Ashes is a marvellous achievement but Australia are no longer number one, remember. The key to continued success is forgetting what has gone before and concentrating on the next challenge; that goes for County too.

Although the team had an excellent four-day campaign this time around, it all starts from scratch again in April and last year’s results will not count for anything when it kicks off.

Having said that, a number of quality young players made their mark with plenty of outstanding performances and a great deal of confidence and belief will have been gained from some excellent wins.

So the foundations are certainly in place and captain Matthew Hoggard and the lads will be keen to keep moving forwards.

Just like England will be.

* Thanks to everyone for reading in 2010. Very best wishes for 2011