Everything To Play For

Taken from Swinging Balls Magazine, published 31/07/2011

With under two months remaining in the season, things are beginning to hot up in all of England’s domestic cricket competitions. Whilst a small minority of teams may be seeing out the campaign with little to play for, many sides are dreaming of lifting a trophy or staving off the threat of relegation.

Durham currently lead the County
Championship, but that could all
change over the next few weeks

In Division One of the County Championship, it is Durham who lead the way by two points over Lancashire. Those two sides have easily been the most impressive in the four-day game this year, but Lancashire’s defeat to Nottinghamshire at Southport at the end of last month has set them back somewhat with only five matches to play. Warwickshire and Somerset sit in the next two positions, and both are ready to pounce if one of the top two slip up in the run-in. Marcus Trescothick has been in absolutely superb form yet again in 2011, and his batting will be key if Somerset are to make a late run to win the title on which they narrowly missed out last year.

At the other end of the table, Hampshire look doomed to relegation, especially after losing eight points for a poor pitch for their match against Nottinghamshire, and it seems that they will be joined by either Worcestershire or Yorkshire. Both have lost games which on other days they may, or should, have won, and both will be hoping they can pick up enough points from their upcoming matches so that they are not plying their trade in Division Two next year.

Whichever teams are relegated, it seems increasingly likely that they will be replaced by Northamptonshire. They have only suffered defeat once this season and would be worthy champions if they were to finish off what has been an excellent season. Middlesex and Gloucestershire sit just below them, and you would get long odds on a team other than these two joining Northants in the top tier of the County Championship next year.

In the Clydesdale Bank 40, it is the southern sides who are dominating. Durham are the only northern side who currently sit in the top two positions of one of the groups, whilst Surrey and Somerset are yet to taste defeat in this year’s competition, and alongside Group A leaders Sussex are the favourites for the competition.

Despite their four-day woes, Hampshire have been superb in this year’s Twenty20 competition. The spin trio of Danny Briggs, Imran Tahir and Shahid Afridi have seen them to a number of victories, and with a home draw for the quarter-finals, they look set for yet another finals day appearance.

If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Nottinghamshire, Kent and Sussex joining them at Edgbaston, but only time will tell.

Despite being near to its close, the 2011 season will surely have many twists and turns to come as the winners and losers are decided.

IPL- The Soap Opera Continues...

­It promised to change the way cricket was played, give the brightest youngsters the chance to shine and bring together the biggest names in the game. But now, three years since the IPL was launched, the competition now lies in disarray. Lalit Modi, the man behind the competition, is facing allegations of corruption, whilst two of the established franchises have now been expelled from the tournament. So what now for India’s premier cricket competition?

The expulsion of Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab is a major blow for an already controversial tournament. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have cited the reason that the two franchises ‘broke ownership rules’, but have not given any further details. With the huge question marks surrounding the game of cricket at this time, one fears for what may have been going on behind the scenes. Tie this in with the charges that face the one-time commissioner of the league, and the whole future of the competition has to be questioned.

Despite the obvious hit to the cities where the two sides play their games, the loss of Rajasthan especially will be felt all over the world, no more so in the county of Hampshire.

It was announced in February of this year that Hampshire, along with South African side Cape Cobras, Australia’s Victoria and West Indian team Trinidad & Tobago, would be joining together with the Royals to create the “first global cricket franchise”. The deal meant that players from all five teams could switch between sides, for example both Dimitri Mascharenhas and Michael Lumb turned out in the IPL for Rajasthan, whilst the English county changed their one-day side’s name from Hampshire Hawks to Hampshire Royals to show their faith in the deal. Now though, this faith looks as if it may have been misplaced. 

As well as the impact on the different teams associated with the Royals, it will also hit the players involved. In the case of Rajasthan, both Shane Warne and Damien Martyn have come out of retirement to play in the tournament, whilst many talented young Indian stars have been able to showcase their talents to a worldwide audience. In both cases, these players will now be missing out on the different perks that the IPL offers, be it money or experience. This in turn may put off possible future stars of the tournament, as they may see their future’s as being insecure.

In 2007, the IPL was billed as being the most exciting competition in world cricket. Now, in 2010, some would argue it still is exciting, but more off the pitch than on it, as cricket fans worldwide sit and wait to find out what will happen next in what is becoming the biggest soap opera in modern-day cricket.