Kolpak clampdown for 2010

Kolpak players are being squeezed out of county cricket after the Home Office passed legislation making it harder for those players, typically from countries with trade links with the EU like South Africa, to ply their trade in England next season. Some see Kolpak as strangling English talent by occupying county cricket slots that should be filled by young English talent.

Others saw Kolpak players as an imporant loophole to get foreign players (deemed better than their English equivalents) through the side door. The trickle became a flood as counties exploited the initial ruling and it seemed no coincidence that the smaller counties with less money were often the worse ‘offenders’.  Either way, that door is closing fast  with the ruling that ’only players who have held a valid work permit for four years will be able to continue to be employed as though they were EU citizens by counties. That is unless they have played one Test match in the past two years or five Test matches in the past five.’ (BBC Sport).

So, what does all of this mean for Somerset who have been quick to tap into South Afrtican talent to unashamedly bolster their squad? Well, if I understand it right, not a great deal. Two SA players (Zander De Bruyn and Alfonoso Thomas) are ok due to ‘citizenship’ through marriage while Charl Willoughby qualifies having played county cricket for four years. Somerset have a long association with South African players and certainly not to the detriment of the club but the only possible SA player to possibly come to Taunton will be….the captain of their national side, Graeme Smith! Still, think we’re allowed two overseas players in 20/20 so get Wayne Parnell over here while we’re at it….

Somerset to sign Stephen Cook…not anymore

It will presumably stop young SA talent finding its way to Taunton via our connections. Stephen Cook being a prime example. Having recently thumped a completely chanceless 390 to join his father as a triple centurion (and claiming the highest score in first-class SA cricket)

And where do I stand in all of this? Naive as this might sound, I believe that if you’re good enough, you’ll get your county place so Kolpak players have been important for some counties including Somerset to try and find quality cricketers overseas to compete with bigger counties  – who invariably have the money to attract some of the cream of English talent. Now that the Kolpak episode in county cricket is drawing to a close, the onus will be on English players making the most of these new opportunities.

Peter Trego blasted runs aplenty though defending Champs England had to settle with fourth over the weekend in the Hong Kong Sixes. A long overdue nudge from the selectors and PT has certainly done enough to catch the eye and with the 569 ODIs scheduled in the next 9 months, there might yet be a Somerset player in an England shirt next in 2010.

Wisden’s view of the team Marcus Trescothick has now inherited from Justin Langer. The county roundup for 2009 stressed the issue of the Taunton pitch (Phil Frost must grind his teeth at descriptions of it being a feather bed, road or such like but the point is a fair one) as the crux between Somerset and Durham. Certainly the bowling of Willoughby, Stiff and Phillips was equal to the task away from home while the batting was excellent once more. The report hints at a crossroads – without Langer and Caddick (though the latter has not featured much in 2009) and the importance of the next generation of Suppiah, Hildreth and Kieswetter playing increasingly important roles for the county. Craig Kieswetter in an England sweater (a great new Somerset chant perhaps??) is not such as outlandish as it sounds though I don’t think he’ll walk into the team as fellow saffa KP did.

Trescothick’s captaincy will be interesting though as he’s been vice and is part of the furniture at Taunton, there’s unlikely to be any upheaval. I’ve said it often enough on here but there’s a feeling that Somerset are close to a breakthrough and that first elusive title. Much depends on Kartik who it surprised me to see only got 33 wickets in the Championship. I say only, as that’s a not unreasonable haul but more is expected at Taunton and with Mushie’s frequent soujourns into the 80-90 wicket region, there’s plenty to live up to for those that still wistfully remember the Pakistani master, chirping and whirling his way to another five-wicket haul.

 

The rustic Riversider. Their headline not mine but at least  there’s no mention of being burly. A great read from Wisden’s Jonathan Wilson and interesting to hear a player (whom Somerset fans still pine for in their numbers) distinguish carefree Durham with the apparent bootcamp at Somerset: “It was a very intense atmosphere down there…For me to play and actually succeed…it was a detrimental atmosphere.”

His 5 wickets for seven runs against us a nudge at what we were missing – 43 at an average over 24 in the Championship overall plus 801 runs with the bat. Blackwell has clearly flourished in his first year up at Durham and it’s a relief to him to escape the moribund track at Taunton (“The wicket couldn’t have been worse for me”) – music doubtless to the ears of Murali Kartik though

Perhaps the most surprising aspect was that Ian Blackwell, whilst being scoffed at in the press for his figure, managed 34 ODIs.  Not because he wasn’t or isn’t good enough but he has always seemed the backup option and has done his fair share of touring as a consequence.  His atst of 24 wickets at 36.54 don’t particularly tell of the situations where he often did a fair economical job with the ball.

If he can get his injury (a slap lesion in his shoulder no less) sorted then he’ll remain a key asset for Durham as they aim for a third consecutive title.  Extraordinary stuff from a county that had got to used to finishing last and being lampooned in its infancy in county cricket.

A shame I’ve only seen this extract from his new book but Michael Vaughan is laying out his vision of a shimmering bold future for English cricket.  There were some sound nuggets from the piece I read involving getting pampered (his inference not mine) county pros to return to their club cricket roots from time to time for a spot of humble pie as well as the suggestion that counties play less cricket and get out to India to play there each year as a valuable experience in tough conditions.

Got to agree with him on that one – India is unique and exactly the pressure cooker experience all county pros would benefit from. Just watching the second ODI out in India between the home side and Australia and even the Aussies look a little dumbstruck by the wall of noise and frenzy hitting them as they attempt to chase down 350+.

But seeing as Vaughany has had his pearls of wisdom strung out in public, I thought it should be my go…

A VISION FOR ENGLISH CRICKET

Less Twenty20 cricket – yes, I know the cricketing world has been bitten by the 20/20 bug but we already have the IPL, Champions League, Champions Trophy and not to mention whatever competitions going on in England next year (last count there were 32). In England, we are Olympic gold medallists at dragging out a cricket event until all interest has hit rock bottom. Shorter, sharper doses of this format is the way forward and with the welcome shot in the arm of overseas franchises.

 

Less 40-over cricket – or at the very least, think of a better format for a competition that chucking all the bloody counties into two pots and then having semis and finals. It harks back to those dreary days of countless meaningless games between sides with bugger all to play for.

 

Less 50-over cricket – You might have detected a theme by now – but who on earth wants to watch five or heaven help us all, seven one day internationals between the same teams. If we have to play this much cricket each summer (and let’s face it, it’s not making England any better at the sodding format) then at least make a mini-tournament or invite over Deccan Chargers or Trinidad & Tobago to brighten things up.

 

Don’t start county cricket until May - I am firmly in the camp who loves to chalk off the days until the new season but I’m never one of the die-hard few who will sit in driving rain in plummeting temperatures to watch Somerset and Devon each score 400 at Taunton in front of two ducks and a lost tourist.

 

Shake up the points system in County cricket - No one wants to lose a game of cricket but at the end of the day, it happens to the best of us so better to go out in a blaze of glory. Encourage sides to press for that win, draws are not uncommon especially in a country where whole counties can be under water for days (just ask Worcestershire) but there has to be bugger all incentive to just let games drift.

 

Take Test cricket off Sky - Whilst resisting for years, I have succumbed reluctantly to the beast that is Sky. Apart from the fact that it would save me £35 a month, and despite Sky’s subscribers now up at 9.5m, I cannot believe it does the game any good to be watched by a fraction of the population.

And there you have it, hardly revolutionary but will they listen, will they b*%#$!!

And yes, he’s from Middlesex before you ask. And a batsman to boot. Though we shouldn’t hold either against him, indeed we’ve done rather well from Middlesex players down the years and Langer’s departure meant we could do with a number 3 which I believe is the club’s thinking. Compton had an excellent 2009 and is likely to slot right in at or near the top of the order in 2010. he’s a great talent, superb fielder and imagine will further enhance our one-day side nicely. The view from Middx fans certainly seems to be one of appreciation for Compton’s weight of runs and hope he does well at Somerset which is magnanimous seeing as we’ve nicked arguably their two best players.

The expectation is that Wes Durston who seemed to me the best batsman out in India recently in his fleeting performances for the Sabres (curiously labelled Somerset CCC on Eurosport – is there a rebrand we’re unaware of??) is to be offered a new deal so I think the batting is well sown up for 2010.

An express bowler to open alongside Charl Willoughby and Somerset will be in fine nick for trophies next term. And while I remember, a fine gesture for the club to support a charity – Children’s Hospice South West – as the beneficiary for 2010 with club coffers seemingly well packed after India and decent final placings in county cricket.

While yours truly bemoans the fact that Somerset haven’t snapped up Simon Jones, Kabir Ali and Matthew Hoggard, the usual Somerset fan’s desire for big names is at least going to be sated by the news that Graeme Smith or Cameron White are very much on Somerset’s radar for 2010 in the Twenty20 format.

With both players having done a decent job for us before – Smith delivered a trophy and White scored big runs and was unlucky not to get a longer stint at the county – either will offer explosive hitting at the top of the order along with Kieswetter and Marcus. With the role of spin in 20/20 always key then Murali Kartik’s welcome addition will add another string to the county’s bow and perhaps see Somerset as a decent bet for Twenty20 glory in 2010. Either way, the county’s Indian experience this autumn will doubtless have helped enormously and it has to be the aim to get to that English final once more.

It might sound harsh to label Omari Banks only as someone who has had a short and innocuous Somerset career having picked up the unenviable tag of a ball tamperer along the way. But cricket is a game of stats and too few eyecatching figures in the wickets and runs columns meant it was prudent to trim the squad salary especially with Kartik likely to deliver the lions share of any overs of spin next season. However, Michael Munday, who has slipped off the radar and has now been overtaken by Max Waller as the next bright thing, has still got another year to twirl his magic after a new contract.

At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, either there are secret plans to turn Taunton into a dustbowl (a retractable roof will need to come from somewhere this winter) or else, pace bowling, not spin will prove rather important in 2010 and it could be argued we don’t necessarily have the ammunition. Of course, management know only too well on a limited budget that they cannot win. Since Mushtaq went off to Sussex to spin them to title after title, our spin department as been threadbare and that has now been addressed. Yet, from a fan’s perspective, it’s frustrating when English-born fast bowlers come on the market and swiftly disappear elsewhere.

When Wayne Rooney looked bound for Manchester United in the Premiership, Newcastle bid £18m to try and snatch him to their squad at the last minute. Had that happened, it would have been funded by Northern Rock so the general public might now own a piece of Shrek’s brother but I digress. The point is that Newcastle fans were being given a sign that their club were at least in the market for the big players. Perhaps behind the scenes Somerset have been in the market for the likes of Ali, Jones and now Hoggard but whilst I admire that cricketing contracts are conducted largely out of the public domain, the fans want to know who the club has tried to sign and a premier fast English bowler is possibly the large piece of the jigsaw in what is otherwise a competitive and well rounded squad.

It seems odd that apart from Max Waller, Somerset have no one else in the England Development squads over the winter. Extraordinary really. Cynics might point to a heavy South African influence in our squad but we have plenty of English talent. Peter Trego and James Hildreth seem to have slipped completely off the radar though despite being the best allrounder in England in 2008, not sure Trego was ever on it.

Well, at least we did better than Deccan Chargers. It was fantastic to see Somerset out in India playing against the best club sides in the world but we were outplayed for three of the four games. Marcus Trescothick flying home stole the headlines but the Indian adventure was the end of a long season in which Somerset have been one of the best counties in all forms of the game but ultimately won no silverware. A real shame that but there’s nothing to suggest that next year can’t be just as eyecatching. Justin Langer has been fantastic for the county but there remains two issues for Somerset cross their own rubicon and gets their mitts on some trophies.

i) The issue of the pitch – much discussed – needs to be somehow addressed.
ii) The bowling needs to be strengthened. Hampshire’s cash saw Jones and Kabir Ali go to the Rose Bowl but somehow Somerset need to be in the mix for players like these. Our strong Championship finishes won’t hurt our chances of picking up players but ultimately Charl Willoughby won’t go on picking up 50+ wickets for us and we need one strike bowler. Though who knows, perhaps Kartik will be that man in 2010….