My England Team

Earlier today I saw the BBC Cricket page. On it was a post about who four different people thought should be the England XI come the summer tests against Sri Lanka. These four were Phil Tuffnell, Steve Harmison, Michael Vaughan and Simon Hughes. It goes without saying that these four clearly know their stuff, but I didn't agree completely with any of the teams that they had picked. So I thought I would have a go at creating my own team. So here goes.

1 - Captain Cook.

England captain. World class opening batsman. He is the only man that I have put into this team without even hesitating. Although there have been some calls (mainly by people who know little about cricket) for his head after the 5-0 defeat down under, Cook is a quality batsman and an ever learning captain. Because of this he is, for my money, going to be facing the first ball of an England innings come June.

2 - Joe Root

He showed his massive potential in the summer against the Aussies, and was labelled as a future opening batsman. With the ageing  Michael Carberry failing to capitalise on his chance to shine and cement a spot as opener, Root is the obvious choice for me. He may not hit the ground running, he will take time to mould into an international opener,  but with a busy summer ahead, I believe Root should be the given the chance to play every test against Sri Lanka and India and solidify most peoples belief that he is a star in the making.

3 - Ian Bell

Every BBC writer had Ian Bell as their number 3, and I'm no different. A genuine stroke player, we all know what Bell is capable of. Of course this could all change if Jonathan Trott makes a drastic recovery and regains some form, but unfortunatly I can't see this happening.

4 - Kevin Pietersen

Like Cook, there have been some calls for KP to be for the chop, but I can't see why. Yes he got out playing some "interesting" shots during the series, but he still scored more runs than anyone else in the England camp. Could definitely do with a few games with Surrey rather than the IPL to regain his mojo, but he's in my team every day of the week.

5 - Gary Ballance

I rate Ballance highly as a player, and that is the reason why he is in my team. He steadied the sinking ship in the first innings at Sydney, showing his credentials as an England player. His full potential has yet to be seen, so I would like to see him be given his chance for the three tests against Sri Lanka, and then review the number 5 position against India.

6 - Ben Stokes

Before the winter I thought Stokes wasn't good enough. I thought his bowling would get hit to all parts and he would be score poorly with the bat. I was wrong. He has been excellent. A battling hundred in Perth, and six wickets in Sydney. This lad can play. After Captain Cook he was the second name on my teamsheet. Looking forward to seeing what he can offer in home conditions. Hopefully it will be even better than what we all saw in Oz.

7 - Matt Prior

Jonny Bairstow has had his fair share of chances in the England team. His batting is okay, but I just can't see him hitting big centuries on the international stage. As for his keeping, he looked like a man who hasn't spent enough time with the gloves on. That's why Matt Prior is in my team. An experienced gloveman, who I think will return all guns blazing with the bat in the summer, he is a top class player. Like Pietersen, could definitely do with a couple of games for his county.

8 - Scott Borthwick

This spinners position was a bit of a toss up between Borthwick and Panesar. Panesar is a good player, not world class, but he will take wickets. But Borthwick can offer a lot more with the bat than Monty, which is part of the reason I have chosen him. Like Ballance, I would give him the three tests against Sri Lanka and bring in Monty if he's poor.

9 - Stuart Broad

Stuart Broad is a very good bowler. He can devastate a batting lineup in a spell of bowling when he's on song. For this reason he is in my team. Simple.

10 - James Anderson

Jimmy is a brilliant swing bowler. He didn't have the best series in Australia, but back in home conditions I'll be backing him to pick up 30 wickets if not more wickets in the 8 tests England have this summer. He is no spring chicken, but for this summer at least, he offers a hell of a lot to this England bowling attack.

11 - Graham Onions

I think Graham Onions is a fantastic bowler. I can't see why he hasn't been in the test side more. Finn goes for too many runs, and should spend the summer playing for Middlesex. Bresnan is a handy bowler to have but I think Onions is better. Mills is only 21, give him another couple of years to develop and become a better bowler. I think Onions has the ability to take bagfuls of wickets this summer, and he has done everything on the county circuit to merit being picked.

Only time will tell if my 11 is accurate or complete rubbish, but I think, with this 11 playing, we can blow away Sri Lanka and then India this summer...

Where has it all gone wrong?

Hallway through the 4th test down under, and England are in pole position. After being put into bat (wrongly in my opinion) England continue the trend of the series. Batsmen are settling at the crease, but not converting their starts into a game changing innings. All of the top five got starts, getting to at least 20 each. After Johnson blew away the tail (yes, again) we were all out for 255. Considering the decent start we got, it was undoubtably under par. In reply I was expecting another big score from Australia, but I was wrong. Brad Haddin, who has been a constant thorn in England's side for the entirety of this series, and late resistance from Nathan Lyon, meant that England's lead was kept down to a steady lead of 50. Although it could have been a much higher lead, it still meant that England had a good advantage going into their second innings.

I stayed up till 1 30 (lunch) to see how England fared. We were 50 odd for 0. Carberry had looked a little shaky, but he was still at the crease, and Cook had been fluent and positive in his start. Even with England's soft batting underbelly in the series, I expected to wake up in the morning to find out that we had set the Australians at least 300 to win as a minimum. How wrong was I? 179 all out. My hopes had been dashed. 

The aussies made light work of the run chase. A second batting collapse was no option for Michael Clarke's men, and England were 4-0 down. Slack fielding in the shape of dropped catches didn't help England's cause, although even if they would have been taken I would have backed Australia to get over the line. 

So with one test match to go, the ashes already lost, and a 5-0 series whitewash looking inevitable for Cook and co, where has it all gone wrong?

Firstly, England's batting has not been good enough. Ben Stokes is the only player to score a century, and this highlights why England find themselves 4-0 down. Too many good starts for players, not enough conversions into high scores. Carberry is a prime example. 40 in his first innings of the series at Brisbane, 60 at Adelaide, 43 and 31 at Perth and 38 at the MCG. He's looked decent, played some nice strokes, and for the majority of his time spent at the crease he's looked relatively comfortable. But he has yet to hit that big score that changes the game in England's favour and cements his place in the team. Granted he's had some bad luck with dismissals but this can't totally be blamed for his lack of a game changing total. The same goes for captain Cook, Pietersen and Bell. As for the lower order, they've been blown away nearly every time with little resistance. They've almost looked scared to face Mitchell Johnson at times, and while I think James Anderson and Monty Panesar can be excused for not scoring, Broad, Swann, Bresnan, and Prior/Bairstow have got to hit some vital runs lower down the order.

The bowling is the next reason why we've failed. The conditions don't suit James Anderson, Broad has been good in patches, Bresnan doesn't quite cut the mustard for my money and Stokes has got potential but isn't the full product yet. Swann earlier in the series was targeted by the Australians and didn't cause too many problems. So what is the solution to our bowling woes? Although it isn't a big a problem as our batting, there's still a lot of room for improvement. Firstly, I think we should have brought either Tremlett/Rankin in from the start of the series. They can bang the ball in, and I think would be able to blow the tail away in a similar way to Mitchell Johnson. Finn can do this too, but personally I think he leaks too many runs. And secondly, the core bowlers, Anderson and Broad, need to regain their best form if we have any chance of preventing a 5-0 scoreline.

Lastly, a huge amount of credit needs to be given to our Australian opponents. Beaten 3-0 in the summer (a closer scoreline would have been fairer), they have played exceptionally well. Harris and Siddle have kept things very tight, plugging away ball after ball while Johnson has been the one grabbing the headlines. As for the batting, Watson and Rogers have given the Aussies more good starts than bad, while Haddin has come in late to hit some match changing runs towards the later of the innings. Smith, a player I don't particularly rate, has hit a couple of good scores, while Clarke is just world class. The batting performances of the tail, for me, has optimised the difference between the sides. The English tail looks weak and easily dismantled, while the aussie tail have been resilient and tough to dismiss. 

In conclusion, England will definitely have some regrets after this series. I think the decision to leave out a genuine quick bowler, loose shots by batsman and some bad luck with Clarke winning every toss. However, Australia have been outstanding. Their batting solid, their bowling consistent. Johnson has blown away our team at times, I don't think he's a world class bowler by any means, but he's been good enough to make England crumble. Well played Australia, lets hope England regroup and bounce back in 2015.   

New County Championship Season

The new County Championship season is now under away, and although the weather is a lot colder than most sane cricketers would rather, the show must go on.

Last year, Derbyshire and Yorkshire were promoted from division two, whereas Worcestershire and Lancashire were the two teams who will be spending this year trying to get back into Division one after being relegated last year.

But who is going to prosper in this years County Championship?

And who is going to struggle?

Well - I'll start off with Division two.

As a Leicestershire fan I don't take much joy from admitting this, but it's looking quite likely that we will struggle again. We've lost a cuple of players, and the players that we've brought in are no better than the ones we've lost, with the exception of Niall O'Brien, who I rate. Sarwan will have a big role to play in his debut season as skipper, although he will miss the second half of the season because of international commitments, he will surely be greatly missed in the batting order. We also have young Shiv Thakor at our disposal, who has great potential, he could be key. If he has his breakthrough season, we could do well, if he does not, it could be the wooden spoon for Leicestershire...

Glamorgan have got to be chosen as one of the teams that will struggle, for the simple reason that they just don't have good enough players to have a good chance of posing any real threat in the division. They have Marcus North as an overseas player, he is a solid batsman, but doesn't really stand out compared to the overseas players at other counties. To conclude - I think we could be seeing Glamorgan lingering around at the bottom of the pile for another year.

Elsewhere in Division Two, I expect Lancashire to bounce straight back into Division One, led by Glen Chapple, a seasoned County Championsip player, they have quite a good squad. One star of the team is Ashwell Prince, a quality batsman who, in Division Two, has the ability to score game changing runs against any opponent. Lancashire have good players and will be hungary to put the misery of relegation last year behind them, and for these two reasons they are my favorites to go up.

The club I think will join Lancashire in Division One next year is Essex. A slightly controversial decision I know, but they are a good team who have been trying to get out of Division Two for a few years now. Led by James Foster, a very good wicket-keeper, they have a good chance of promotion in my opinion. They will have Ravi Bopara for the season, assuming he isn't picked for England. (which I hope is the case as he has never performed for England!) Although I really don't rate him as an international player, I do think he can clock up a lot of runs for his county. They also have a decent bowling attack, David Masters is a high quality bowler, and Tymal Mills has got potential, could it be his breakthrough year? They have also Saj Mahmood, who they have obtained over the winter, he, as an ex England international, has got quality, and if he shows it, Essex could be on their way to Division One.

Moving onto Div 1 now...

Nottinghamshire were my favourites for the title last year, and this year my opinion has not changed. The strength of their batting lineup is extremely impressive. They have Alex Hales and Michael Lumb opening the batting, two players who have done the same for England (albeit in T20 games) and they now have Ed Cowan for the first half of the season. The top three alone could rack up a big score, but it doesn't stop there. James Taylor, depending on international selection, will play games. Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann will also put in a performance or two here and there, when they are free from the England squad. Sheer strength in depth is my reason for choosing them, sorry Warwickshire, I don't think you'll retain the title.

Will Warwickshire Retain Their Title?

I would like to be exciting and throw a real curveball for who I think will be relegated, but I just can't see Derbyshire having the quality to survive. However, they have obtained Shivnarine Chanderpaul as their overseas player, and if Derbyshire do have any chance of staying up, the WI international needs to score big runs frequently. But one thing they will have is team spirit, a nucleus of young players will surely be putting in 110% into training and matches to try and ensure safety for the county. They need a good start to the season so heads don't drop if they have any chance of staying up.

The other club I think might see the drop is... *drum roll* Durham. Durham have a good squad on paper, you can't deny that, Graham Onions is a player a greatly admire, and personally I would like to see him get a crack at an England spot when we play New Zealand in a number of weeks time instead of Steve Finn. On their day, Durham have the players to outplay nearly everyone in the Division, but they don't seem to have their day often enough.

Only time will tell if my predictions are correct - any opinions you have on any of my predictions or your own predictions are always greatly received at TheSillyPoint. You can leave a comment at the bottom of this post, or you can contact us on Twitter @TheSillyPoint_

Cheers