ECB 26 Man Squad

The ECB today announced a 26 man England Performance Squad for the 2008 Summer season. Along with the centrally contracted players and many of the usual suspects, the uncapped trio of Michael Carberry, James Tredwell and most excitingly Adil Rashid, were included in the 'EPS'. Doubtless much will be made of Rashid's inclusion; the young spinner has impressed greatly whether it be with Yorkshire or on the recent England Lions tour to India, while England have been searching for leg-spinning magic for as long as can be remembered. Although it is clearly important to allow these young and clearly talented players to come under Peter Moores' tutelage, one wonders whether or not there are any gaps in the England side that need to be filled. Despite the absence of Harmison and Hoggard in Napier, the England team is beginning to be as settled as it has been post the much celebrated 2005 Ashes triumph, so here is an opportunity to look more closely at the players who will make up the England team in the 2008 Summer.
Alistair Cook's unflappable temperament at the top of the order has meant that Marcus Trescothick has not been too sorely missed, while Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss, despite recent blips complete a top three of real International pedigree. This author would suggest that perhaps there is only room for two of the aforementioned batsmen at the top of the order, and that Ian Bell as opposed to Vaughan or Strauss would be a better prospect at number three. Nonetheless it would be no surprise to see Bell taking up a slot in the middle order sandwiched between Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood, both of whom are automatic selections in both forms of the game. Tim Ambrose will hopefully be given a chance to prove himself throughout the summer, and first impressions would suggest that he has a real chance to establish himself as a permanent fixture in the Test team.


Considering the hype surrounding Andrew Flintoff's return to domestic cricket, it would seem that his International come-back is imminent, though it would be interesting to see him in a slightly different role than he once filled; as a bowler with the ability to change the game fro number 8, although it could be argued that this is a waste of the supreme all-rounder's undoubted talents.


That leaves the bowlers, and while Harmison and Hoggard will have something to prove in the opening county exchanges, they will be on the edge of Test match selection throughout the summer. Stuart Broad impressed sufficiently over the winter to suggest that he has a real future and it would be a tough break if he were to make way for either Harmison or Hoggard. Ryan Sidebottom was the star of the New Zealand tour and with his flowing locks and dangerous swing back into the right handers, Michael Vaughan will be calling on him time and again throughout a busy summer. James Anderson's ability to extract regular and sometimes late swing has meant that the selectors have persisted with him for long periods of time and his will be a name on the selectors' lips throughout the summer. Monty Panesar, after bursting onto the International scene, had a largely disappointing winter, and it would be an interesting move if the selector were to plump for the winter's drinks carrier Graeme Swann, James Tredwell or even Rashid, especially as any of these three would offer substantially more with the bat and in the field.
Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara lie on the cusp of selection, but it is difficult to imagine either getting a run in the Test side without injuries to some of the more established players. Thus, even though a 26 man EPS has been named, England's side is reasonably well settled, and the competition for places is very healthy, particularly amongst the seam bowlers.

England will hope to be more dominant and assertive against New Zealand this time around, although South Africa will pose a far more serious challenge. The Proteas' pace attack is one to be feared, with Dale Steyn becoming more dangerous by the series, Makyha Ntini still a force to be reckoned with and Morne Morkel consistently bowling close to 90mph. Moreover South Africa's batting line up has been firing lately with Neil McKenzie enjoying a renaissance and Hashim Amla finally reproducing his domestic form on the International arena Graeme Smith and Jaques Kallis are seriously class acts and Mark Boucher and AB de Villiers will make consistent contributions in the middle order. England will need to be at their best if they are to compete and consistently so. The first step towards consistent performances is sending out an unchanged side, consistently, enabling the team to bond and develop an understanding as per the 2005 Ashes.


On a finishing note it is interesting to observe two notable omissions from the EPS, Simon Jones has become somewhat of a forgotten man during his recovery from injury, but this author would suggest that he can be a bowler of International class again, while the other man to miss out is the one and only Mr Mark Ramprakash, who, rather inevitably opened his 2008 Championship account with a patient century.

Middlesex 2008 Preview

Middlesex Preview 2008


2007 in a nutshell:

Middlesex finished third in both the LVCC 2 and in the 2nd Division of the Pro40, securing promotion in the latter via victory over Northants in the ‘Play-Offs’. A positive season that lacked stand-out individual performances, the runs of Shah, as always, were crucial, while Ed Smith had a fruitful year with the bat during his first year as captain. Until the arrival of Murali Kartik, the side lacked a quality spinner, however the ageing new ball partnership of Richardson and Silverwood benefited from the wet conditions which permeated the summer’s cricket.

2008 Prospects:

Middlesex doubtless have the armoury to force their way back into the top tier of Championship cricket; the likes of Shah, Joyce, Strauss and Smith have all played International cricket, while Compton, Morgan and Godleman have all been marked out as potential International’s. The weakness lies in the bowling department, without a strike bowler or a world-class spinner, there are doubts over the team’s ability to really threaten the strongest top-orders. The evergreen David Nash and star gloveman Ben Scott will share the wicket-keeping duties and either will provide batting depth down the order. Middlesex have never made the 20/20 finals, nor have they made a huge impression in the Friends Provident Trophy, so it would be good to see them step up their efforts in the One Day format in order to help them gain momentum in a push for promotion.

Batting:

Owais Shah, when not carrying drinks for England, will inevitably score a stack of gloriously wristy runs. More is expected of Joyce, Morgan and Compton after mediocre 2007’s, while everyone’s eyes will be peeled to see if Billy Godleman can live up to the hype surrounding the left hander’s name. Ed Smith will be hoping he can reproduce the form he showed in all forms of the game in 2007. David Nash has made regular contributions from number 7 throughout his career, although if Ben Scott takes the gloves expect spectacular stumpings as opposed to consistent run-getting.

Bowling:

The aforementioned Richardson carries a heavy workload on tired legs, while Tim Murtagh has enjoyed more success in Limited Over’s cricket than the longer form of the game. Steven Finn is a real talent, only young; he is freakishly tall, gaining bounce, lift and sideways movement and received several rave reviews during the recent Under 19 World Cup. Shaun Udal will need to enjoy a second wind to provide a spin option after the departure of Jamie Dalrymple, while left-arm spinner Chris Peploe has failed to make himself a permanent first team fixture. The mid-season arrival of Murali Kartik will be of huge benefit to the balance of the attack, while it remains to be seen how new signings Vernon Philander and Dirk Nannes in their first years of County Cricket.



Probable Championship side:

Godleman
Compton
Shah
Smith
Joyce
Morgan
Nash/Scott
Philander/Kartik
Murtagh
Udal/Silverwood
Richardson/Nannes

Probable One Day/20/20 side:
Smith
Compton
Shah
Joyce
Morgan
Malan
Scott
Philander
Murtagh
Udal
Nannes

Star Man:

It is difficult to look past Owais Shah, and if he impresses early season he will be, once again, knocking on the England selector’s door. After a pretty average 2007, look for Ed Joyce to rediscover the form that won him a spot at the World Cup.

Rising Star:

All the talk will be about young Godleman who recently scored a pre-season hundred against Surrey, but the real stand-out youngster is Steven Finn, who could burst onto the scene ‘a la’ James Harris and really take batsmen by surprise.

Captain and Coach:

If his writing is anything to go by, Ed Smith is clearly a pretty intelligent guy. Add to this a double first from Cambridge, all the while establishing himself as a cricketer of note and you get the idea that the guy is pretty talented. He is a shrewd captain, who has the respect of the players, and as a batsman he has the ability to really take the game away from the opposition, particularly in the shorter formats. New coach Toby Radford is a bit of an unknown, having run the Academy for the past three years, he will be keen to promote from within and will know the likes of Finn, Williams, Godleman and Levy (all academy graduates) well. Moreover it may benefit the county to have a fresh break from John Embury and the troubles that went with his time as County Coach.