England's Performance Squad 2010- where are they now?

England's Performance Squad for the forthcoming winter was announced earlier this week, and it boasts a number of highly talented young cricketers; some of whom have already broken into the national side.

The tour is designed to give those who are selected a chance to play in conditions that are very much different to those in England, something which the selectors feel will give them an advantage when these players hopefully make the transition into the full side.

However, it has been asked whether a full winter of cricket on foreign soil is good for the future of the English team, as burnout is now a genuine worry after what happened at the World Cup on the sub-continent in March.

A look back at how the players who travelled to the West Indies last winter have performed over the English season could shed some light on whether the Performance Squad can enhance a player's international prospects, or if their careers take a backwards step once they arrive back home.

Jimmy Adams (Hampshire): Scored over 900 first-class runs in a season of relegation for the Royals. Looks set to take over the captaincy from the retiring Dominic Cork, and at 31, may have missed the boat in terms of national selection.

Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire): A breakthrough season for the young wicket-keeper as he topped the batting charts at Headingley whilst announcing himself on the international stage with a breathtaking innings in the final one-dayer against India. Touring India next month with the one-day side.

Jonny Bairstow has already starred in an England shirt

Ravi Bopara (Essex): Bopara was not at his fluent best in 2011, but still picked up two test caps after an injury to Jonathan Trott. He remains a key member of England's limited overs sides and should also tour with the test side this year.

Danny Briggs (Hampshire): Only 38 wickets in four day cricket in a disappointing first-class season for the slow left arm bowler. Continues to impress in limited overs cricket, especially on the spin friendly pitches at the Rose Bowl.

Maurice Chambers (Essex): Chambers disapponted this year, only taking 23 wickets in Division Two. Looks to be well down the England pecking order after his own poor form and the emergence of others.

Jade Dernbach (Surrey): One of the success stories of the summer as Dernbach burst onto the international scene with impressive performances in both one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches. His ability to mix out and out pace with a number of variations on the slower ball means he could be a potent weapon for years to come.

Steven Finn (Middlesex): Despite falling behind Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan in the test match pecking order, Finn has still had a decent season after helping Middlesex to the Division Two title. He also improved his one-day game and was rewarded with selection for the matches against India.

Andrew Gale (Yorkshire): Gale had an indifferent season with the bat, despite a few good innings. He missed out on the final matches of the season after breaking his arm in the nets, meaning he was powerless to help as the Tykes were relegated from Division One in an unceremonious fashion.

James Harris (Glamorgan): 44 first-class wickets at an average of less than 27 is a sign of more progression for the Welsh seamer. His selection for this winter's Performance Squad shows that he is still very much on the radar of the selectors.

James Hildreth (Somerset): Despite playing half a season at the batting paradise that is Taunton, Hildreth failed to reach 1000 runs in first-class cricket, and the form of others may mean he has missed out on pushing for an England place. Still one of the most talented batsmen in county cricket.

Craig Kieswetter (Somerset): South African-born Kieswetter has established himself as England's one-day and Twenty20 wicketkeeper due to some impressive performances behind the stumps and with the bat at the top of the order. Still has a plenty to do to force Matt Prior out of the test team.

Adam Lyth (Yorkshire): After being tipped as the man to replace Andrew Strauss, Lyth had a massively disappointing season which culminated in him being left out of the Yorkshire side for a large part of the season. 2012 could be a make or break year for the left-hander.

Liam Plunkett (Durham): Of all the players who toured the West Indies over the winter, it is Plunkett who has disappointed most during the 2011 season. He featured in only two first-class matches for Durham, and despite signing a new contract at the Riverside, it seems his international career may be behind him.

Adil Rashid (Yorkshire): Rashid was another Yorkshireman who disappointed this season as he looked to be half the player that he has been over previous seasons. A total of 33 wickets in four-day cricket is an incredibly low total for a man of his talents, and it seems that he has fallen down the England pecking order.

Ben Stokes (Durham): Despite being hampered by a serious finger injury for almost half of the season, Stokes made a big impression in the domestic game as comparisons were drawn with Andrew Flintoff. Even a slightly disappointing one-day series against India hasn't spoiled a good season for the 20-year old.

James Taylor (Leicestershire): Described as the best middle-order batsman in Championship cricket, Taylor scored almost 900 runs at an average of over 38. An England call-up seems to be a matter of not if but when, and it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see him selected for the Test squads over the winter.

Taylor has already starred for the Lions

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire): Despite not figuring for the national side as much as many would have hoped, Woakes confirmed himself as one of the top all-rounders in the country as he picked up 56 wickets and scored almost 600 runs. If his form continues, he could be an England regular for years to come.

The performances of last year's squad are varied, and whilst some have prospered and gone onto bigger and better things, others have failed to live up to the expectations that were placed on them.

Eight of the seventeen players who toured the West Indies have featured for the national side since the start of the 2011 domestic season, whilst five of last year's team have been selected for the this winter's Performance Squad.

Time will tell whether the Performance programme is of a benefit to England teams of the future, but for now many of those who have been selected are beginning to prove that it is a worthwhile exercise.

England's opening dilemma

After Kevin Pietersen's good start to life as an opening batsman, many thought that England had finally found a someone to partner Andrew Strauss at the top of the order.

However, a hernia injury means Pietersen has had to travel back to London for surgery, with Eoin Morgan being called up in his place. The selection of the Irish-born Morgan shows that England are going to have to find a new opener within their current World Cup Squad, with none of the other fourteen players being genuine opening batsmen.

Pietersen's 59 against Ireland showed he may be able to open
for England in future years

Who will England now turn to? Andy Flower has revealed he knows who will open in against Bangladesh in Chittagong on Friday, but also said they may review the position on a game-by-game basis. 

So who are the main contenders....

Ian Bell. Bell has previously opened in One-Day Internationals, and many people asked before the tournament began whether he would partner Strauss. He averages 33.33 from his 26 innings' as an opener in ODI's, but the last time he featured at the top of the order was in 2008. His style of play suits batting in the powerplays as he looks to pierce the gaps and play his shots, and he could prove the perfect foil to Strauss, who has been England's most aggressive batsman thus far.

Ravi Bopara. Bopara's impressive innings against South Africa should have made the selectors sit up and realise that the Essex man is, on current form, a much better man to have in the middle-order than Paul Collingwood. However, after Pietersen's injury, they may again have to move Bopara from a position he looks comfortable in. He has previously opened in ODI's, and averages less than 30 from his fourteen innings', with only one half-century. Despite having the experience, the selectors would face some criticism if Bopara were to find himself opening again, as his batting style and ability to hit over the top would be much better suited to the middle and late overs.

Bopara's innings against South Africa may have assured him
a place in the side for the rest of the tournament.

Matt Prior. Prior is another of England's middle-order who has experience of opening the batting, most recently in the seven-match series against Australia. However, from his 32 innings' he only averages 24.2. Since Morgan's injury, he has been batting in the number 6 position and has been enlisted as 'the finisher'. However, with Morgan back in the side he may not be needed to fill this role, and this could see England revert to having their wicket-keeper doubling up as their opening batsmen.

Luke Wright. It would be a massive shock if Wright was handed the role of opener for the remainder of the World Cup, especially since in his six previous innings at the top of the order in ODI's he has only mustered 107 runs. However, the selectors seem to feel he has something to offer the squad, and stranger things have happened...

In my opinion, Ian Bell is the best candidate to partner Strauss at the top of the innings. However, it would come as shock if England's selectors went with Matt Prior, as it would open up the finisher role for Morgan to come into, whilst not disrupting the middle-order.

This article can also be found at worldcricketwatch.com and sportsvoice.co.uk

JN2053 Skills Tests: Data

Last night, the Ashes began in Australia. Many see this serries as England's best chance in years to retain the urn down under, with the majority of supporters and commentators happy with the team the selectors have chosen.

However, having looked at the batting averages of England's top six batsmen in the 2010 County Championship, many might question their credentials.

In this graph I have taken the batsmen with the highest batting average from each county in Division One of the county championship. To make the graph fair, I placed a restriction on that the batsman must have batted 15 times to qualify. I did this as otherwise there may have been some anomalies.

On the right hand side of the graph I have shown the batting averages of England's top six batsmen, which are generally lower than those who do not play in the national side.

Despite the England players having such low averages, I believe they are the right men to lead the country in the Ashes. The likes of Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen (who have the two lowest averages on the graph) had their county seasons somewhat curtailed due to injuries and international commitments, and this is reflected in their averages.

The data used for this chart can be accessed here-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2010/sep/21/county-championship-batting-bowling-averages

Who should be lining up for England in the 2014-15 Ashes?

Following Matthew Wood and Ben Roberts’ discussion regarding who should feature in the Australian side for the 2014-15 Ashes, I thought it only fair to give them some opponents, and draw out my own England side for four years time.

Opening the batting in my side is current vice-captain Alastair Cook, who, despite questions surrounding his technique, has managed to keep his place in the side. Given the ECB’s recent policy of simply picking the most experienced player in the squad to be skipper, the Essex man also gets the nod as captain.

Alongside the skipper is Yorkshire’s Adam Lyth, who is already showing great promise despite only having two full seasons in first-class cricket. After becoming the first man to reach 1000 runs in 2010 County Championship, he is well and truly on the national selector’s radar. He will also be 27 by 2014, and in the prime of his cricketing career, giving him more than a good chance of facing the Aussies in four years.

At three I have chosen Ian Bell, who will still only be 32 come 2014. Despite not having the best record against Australia, he seems to be now eventually becoming a quality international batsman, and by the time he reaches his 30’s he has every chance of being in the top 10 test match batsmen in the world.

James Taylor is my choice at number four. He currently averages over 45 in first-class cricket, and at only 20, he is one of the brightest prospects in English cricket. He has already impressed in the England Lions side and if he continues his good form should be one of the most exciting young batsmen in world cricket by the time 2014 comes round.

Eoin Morgan takes his place in the team at number five. His innovative style of batting has catapulted him into the limelight, and it won’t be long before he begins stamping his authority on the test match stage. At 28, he will be another who should be in the prime of his cricketing career, and he has every chance of being the man the Australians most fear come 2014.

At six I have gone for the slightly controversial choice of Ravi Bopara. Many Australians would be rubbing their hands with glee at the sight of Ravi walking to the crease, but I feel in four years time he will have matured and be more consistently showing the form he showed against the West Indies in the summer of 2009. Also, batting at six should give him slightly more freedom, instead of having to come in when the pressure is on after the first wicket.

England’s wicket keeping position is always up for much debate, but I have gone with Steven Davies to fill the position by the time 2014 comes around. He has established himself in the one-day side after some good performance against an admittedly downhearted Pakistan side, and the fact he has been taken to Australia this year as back-up for Matt Prior shows that he is very much the man the selectors see as Prior’s long-term replacement.

As much as I would love to put Yorkshire’s Adil Rashid in my side, I am going to instead going to give Graeme Swann one final ‘Swann-song ‘ (sorry) and choose him in my side. He will be 35 by 2014 and most probably coming to the end of his career, but spinners always seem to get better with age, and I believe Swann will be no different.

England’s seam department should be fairly similar to what it is now, with Stuart Broad and Steven Finn both looking likely to be top quality international bowlers, whilst with their height they should both do well in Australia. 

The third seamer position goes to Warwickshire’s Chris Woakes, who at 21 is the best young seamer in England at the moment, having already recorded to eight five-wicket hauls in his already short career.

As seems the way, England’s squad usually consists of 16 players, and therefore I have chosen Adil Rashid, Yorkshire’s Jonathan Bairstow (back-up wicket keeper), Hampshire’s Jimmy Adams, Durham’s Ben Stokes and Jonathan Trott, who could very well get a chance in the side if the pressure gets to the likes of Taylor or Bopara.

So there it is, a fine side if I do say it myself. Some familiar names, but also some exciting new faces. I look forward to looking back at this in four years time and giving myself a pat on the back, or most probably asking myself what was I thinking. 

This article can be found at worldcricketwatch.com

England's One Day Side: The Middle Order

Now that England's one-day series against Bangladesh has been decided (despite the third match taking place this Friday), the nations once ridiculed side is now looking like a professional outfit.

The omission of key players such as captain Andrew Strauss and premier bowler James Anderson has given opportunity to others to stake a claim ahead of the World Cup in 2011.

However these new candidates to be on the plane to India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will no doubt pose the selectors no end of new problems.

The Middle Order

When asked, many England fans would probably say that their sides middle order in the 50-over format of the game is now set in stone.

Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan have all staked a claim that they should be in England's first-choice middle order, and most cricket followers would struggle to argue against their inclusion.

Dublin-born Morgan is now seen as the first name on any England limited overs team sheet. His fantastic timing and power mixed in with some audacious reverse sweeps and cheeky flicks mean that he is the perfect modern-day 50 overs batsman. His match winning innings in the 2nd ODI was one of the all time greats, with the huge six over the leg side to finish the game a fine example of what he is all about.

Collingwood has also cemented his place in the side due to him mixing his raw talent and grit with a consistency, that was majorly lacking in his early international career. Add to that his fantastic fielding and more than useful medium pace and Colly rates up there as one of the top one-day players in the world.

The case of Pietersen is an entirely different one. Ever since he returned from the Achilles injury that ruled him out of the final three Ashes tests he has looked an entirely different batsman, one who is deprived of confidence and the swagger that used to accompany him whenever he was at the crease. Despite looking like he might be back to his best in the recent Twenty20 games in the United Arab Emirates, his total lack of form in both South Africa and now in Bangladesh must have the selectors scratching their heads.

So who else is there who could either replace or deputise for these three. Many of the other options are from the "Been there, tried them, dispensed with" school, with Owais Shah, Ravi Bopara and Robert Key being the most obvious names. Bopara's well documented Ashes failure has meant he has fallen of the radar, whilst even a match winning knock against South Africa in the Champion's Trophy wasn't enough to save Shah from the chop. Key, on the other hand, hasn't been given much of an opportunity to impress for the Three Lions, with his only match since 2005 being that infamous defeat to The Netherlands at Lords last summer.

So if not the tried and tested, who else is there to possibly take up the mantle. Current Lions and Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale did not cover himself in glory during the Lions' recent winter tour, and would have to play out of his skin to get a seat on the plane. However, Leicestershire's 20-year old James Taylor did have a productive tour, and after an excellent 2009, a good summer could see him banging on the door.