The retirement of James Hildreth, and the likely enforced retirement of Steve Patterson and Darren Stevens, reminds all county fans of the contributions these fine players have made to their respective sides, and also how much the county game has changed throughout their careers. Most county players will aspire to international honours throughout their career, but of this trio only James Hildreth seemed close to selection on occasions. A record of 47 first class hundreds confirms...
County cricket in many ways gets a bad rap nowadays. Many of the younger generation of players seem more interested in playing for some franchise side which no one in Lancashire has ever heard of than representing the county that developed them: the likes of Liam Livingstone virtually never appear for Lancashire, particularly in red ball cricket, due to his wish to play for every franchise going. Steven Croft, Lancashire’s longest serving player, is in some ways a throwback, as he has spent his...
Today, Rob Stephenson wonders whether the solution to England’s opening woes has been under our noses, plying his trade as a county stalwart, for years. England have tried an awful lot of openers since Andrew Strauss and then Alastair Cook retired. Most of them are pretty good red ball players at county level. The odd bolter was not – step forward Alex Hales and Jason Roy. Another player mentioned for a possible recall (before the squad was officially announced) was Sam Robson. I do...
Last week, Rikki Clarke called time on his long and distinguished county career. A terrific player for three counties who played the odd game for England in his youth, but who became a much more mature, and consistent, player in his late 20s. It is ironic that England never tried him again after the 2009 retirement of Andrew Flintoff, as he would’ve been capable of standing in for Ben Stokes when needed, too. I say this not as a Surrey fan but an England fan – there are some players...
What does one do when the cupboard is bare? This is the question that’s been bothering me since England’s pathetic capitulation at Edgbaston. Some want to look to the future; others want to recycle players from the past. One name that keeps coming up, however, is the admirable Dawid Malan. Today Rob Stephenson champions the veteran left-hander’s cause … So that is that. A chastening defeat and a first home loss in six years, and England’s young batting line up ridiculed as one of the...
It must be tough to be a sibling, in the same line of work (professional sport for instance) and yet be overshadowed by an older or younger brother or sister (or cousin for that matter). Iain Greig was a solid county all-rounder – but few casual fans would be able to tell you that he played two tests in 1982 as England floundered even with Botham for a period of time. More recently Billy Root has showed signs of developing into a solid county batsman at Glamorgan, yet will always suffer...
