*Official* UK off-season 2009/10

[aussie]

Regardless of whether FC success = Test success (and of course it doesn't, as it doesn't anywhere, England, India, New Zealand or wherever you care to mention), the fact is that a good domestic bowler has a better chance of Test success than an average-to-poor domestic bowler. An average-to-poor domestic bowler has basically zero chance of international success; a decent-to-good domestic bowler has some amount of chance of international success. Simple as that.

Clearly in ENG it doesn't always work this way. Since i could say now i'd back Morgan although he hasn't doen the hard yards FC to have a more successful test career than Andrew Gale or something..

Or a Tremlett or Rankin to be test quality than Davies even though their FC record will likely never be as good as him.

Not at all. Totally different cases apply to players who have been tried and failed in the past and those who are yet to play or have only played a small number of games.

Why?. It is possible the player who played before & failed could have gone back to FC & improved.

UIMM Davies is capable of bowling 77-78mph, ie medium-fast, which was probably about the same speed Bedser bowled and certainly the same speed other successful Test bowlers have bowled in the not-very-distant past.

Its it me but how is 77-78 mph termed medium-fast now. Isn't medium fast anything between 80-89 mph?. While fast is anything 90+?

Medium pace is 75-79 range, while slow medium is probably 65-73 mph.

Bedser is in the medium pace 75-79 range, hitting 80 mph at the odd delivery. His kind hasn't been seen since the 60s in the Don Shackleton, Tom Cartwright, Ken Higgs (although he was around Hoggard's pace at times based on what i've read). Clearly an extinct breed in tests.

Not of enormous importance but I've despaired of him ever really cracking it because most injury-prone 29-year-olds have had their chance come and go.

I'm thinking positive regardless. Need him fit this season, if not we better get Rankin ASAP

Fraser in 1998 and 1999 was bowling at 78mph or so at best. Ditto McGrath in the last 2-3 years of his career. Both at the end of their careers were medium-fast and no more. McGrath had beyond all question been quicker earlier; Fraser probably had (but had never been timed before as 1998 was the first time reliable speedguns were used).

As aformentioned i think you are mixing up the terminology of what a "medium-fast" bowler is. McGrath in the last 2-3 years of his career was by was still capable of bowling deliveries @ 85 mph. McGrath only became medium pace (75-79) after he retired in the IPL recently, which is the pace of Davies & Bedser..

On Fraser i certainly think he was around the 80-82 mph range in the 98/99. I remember two spells distinctly from him right now, his 8 wicket haul in Trinidad & his last day bowling performance vs SA @ Leeds. Very likely.

Maybe during the 99 WC he was at 78 mph though..

Bedser was almost beyond question quicker than 70-71mph. Wicketkeepers in those days were far quicker to stand up to the stumps to medium-fast bowlers; in the 1970s and 1980s that trend was largely lost, before recently ODIs have seen it regained. Some of the best wicketkeepers would and now once more will even stand-up to fast-medium (~80-84mph) seamers if they're short enough.

Well yea like Luke Wright or so. But overall Bedser from all i've read the keeper was always up to stumps to him throughout a game..

 

[aussie]

That Trent Bridge 2006 deck was far from a greentop - in fact it turned-out to be something not far from a dustbowl.

It indeed ended up a dustbowl, but it certainly do remember pre-match hype that conditions where going to be bowler friendly. Can't remember 100% if the pitch was grassy in any way, but i do remember the ENG pace quartet getting alot of assistance in SRI 1st innings.

However, Lewis certainly isn't the type of bowler who needs a greentop to be effective - rather he's the type who needs the right sort of ball.

Right sort of ball?

Lewis is and always has been much more a swing than seam bowler. Of course he rarely got the ball off the straight all through his debut Test, he bowled awfully,

Nah son he was very good in the 1st innings the conditions was bowler friendly. But in the 2nd innings when the pitch got flatter he was ineffective because his type is useless on flat deck to international batsmen.

but had he gotten more of a chance he might've done better. No-one will ever know.

More chances on a greentop/bowler friendly deck maybe. But given the amount of flat pitches around he generally would not have been a seriously effective test bowler. His chances of being an effective ODI bowler long term where much better.

 

[Richard]

Clearly in ENG it doesn't always work this way. Since i could say now i'd back Morgan although he hasn't doen the hard yards FC to have a more successful test career than Andrew Gale or something..

Or a Tremlett or Rankin to be test quality than Davies even though their FC record will likely never be as good as him.

Morgan hardly has a poor domestic record. Someone like for example Gordon Muchall or Robert White clearly have next to no chance of being Test-class. Tremlett or Rankin may at some point be Test-class (in Tremlett's case as I say I've begun to seriously doubt it) but you can look at them right now and say they clearly aren't and at this moment Davies has a much better chance of being.

In any country at any time someone who is not successful in domestic cricket has next to no chance of being successful in international cricket. If you want to pick a player for international cricket and hope they will succeed you have to go for those who have first demonstrated they can hack county cricket.

Why?. It is possible the player who played before & failed could have gone back to FC & improved.

If they've had a shortish Test stint maybe, but not if they've had umpteen Test stints and the same problems have been on display every time.

Its it me but how is 77-78 mph termed medium-fast now. Isn't medium fast anything between 80-89 mph?. While fast is anything 90+?

Medium pace is 75-79 range, while slow medium is probably 65-73 mph.

Bedser is in the medium pace 75-79 range, hitting 80 mph at the odd delivery. His kind hasn't been seen since the 60s in the Don Shackleton, Tom Cartwright, Ken Higgs (although he was around Hoggard's pace at times based on what i've read). Clearly an extinct breed in tests.

The way I define it, medium-pace is low-70s - 70-73mph. Medium-fast is sort of 75-80mph; fast-medium 80-86\7; fast 88+. Or something along those lines.

There is however no concrete definition of what constitutes medium, medium-fast, fast-medium, fast etc. - it's vague and inconsequential. Thus it's really a fairly pointless matter to be drawing any conclusions from. The only definition between bowlers should be seamer or spinner.

I'm thinking positive regardless. Need him fit this season, if not we better get Rankin ASAP

Don't get too excited about Rankin, he's got to actually bowl decently first.

As aformentioned i think you are mixing up the terminology of what a "medium-fast" bowler is. McGrath in the last 2-3 years of his career was by was still capable of bowling deliveries @ 85 mph. McGrath only became medium pace (75-79) after he retired in the IPL recently, which is the pace of Davies & Bedser..

On Fraser i certainly think he was around the 80-82 mph range in the 98/99. I remember two spells distinctly from him right now, his 8 wicket haul in Trinidad & his last day bowling performance vs SA @ Leeds. Very likely.

Maybe during the 99 WC he was at 78 mph though..

To my knowledge Fraser never clocked even 80mph. I certainly never noted him do so. Pretty much throughout his spring and summer of extreme success in 1998 he was bowling in the mid-70s mph. It is still perfectly possible to be successful in Test cricket bowling at less than 80mph, you just have to be very good. Fraser was; whether Davies is is far from certain but his pace alone is not sufficient to discount him. McGrath for his last year in Test cricket was bowling at the same sort of pace - mid-to-late 70s mph - as Fraser in his 1998. That's regardless of whether he could still bowl the odd ball at 85mph - which I certainly never noted him do.

Well yea like Luke Wright or so. But overall Bedser from all i've read the keeper was always up to stumps to him throughout a game..

Yes he was - as I say good wicketkeepers stood up to all bar the very fast bowlers until the 1970s.

 

[Richard]

It indeed ended up a dustbowl, but it certainly do remember pre-match hype that conditions where going to be bowler friendly. Can't remember 100% if the pitch was grassy in any way, but i do remember the ENG pace quartet getting alot of assistance in SRI 1st innings.

No seam bowlers got the remotest bit of assistance all game. Flintoff got something out of it as he gets something out of most decks, and early on Hoggard was getting boomeranging swing. But there was absolutely no seam in that pitch at any point. It is almost unheard of for a pitch to start seam-friendly then become spin-friendly in this day-and-age.

Right sort of ball?

A ball that swings properly.

Nah son he was very good in the 1st innings the conditions was bowler friendly. But in the 2nd innings when the pitch got flatter he was ineffective because his type is useless on flat deck to international batsmen.

That's what the stereotypes would like to have happened, but in reality it isn't. Lewis bowled pretty awfully all Test, first-innings and second-innings - he got some early first-innings wickets with some bad Lankan batting (Vandort dragging-on for example) but he didn't actually get them out. Lewis never swung a ball throughout the game, even when Hoggard was getting it to boomerang around early. And as I say no-one got any seam movement.

All that Test proves is that you should never judge a cricketer on a single game.

More chances on a greentop/bowler friendly deck maybe. But given the amount of flat pitches around he generally would not have been a seriously effective test bowler.

As I say - good swing bowling with the right type of ball can take a flat deck out of the equation completely. What is more likely to have had an effect on Lewis' chances is the fact that most balls used in Tests in recent years have been of poor quality and have not swung sufficiently. Lewis is not a bowler whose chances of success are influenced enormously by the pitch - it's overwhelmingly about the ball.

 

[zaremba]

Yes he was - as I say good wicketkeepers stood up to all bar the very fast bowlers until the 1970s.

I seem to remember the Bodyline miniseries depicting the wicketkeeper taking a stumping off Harold Larwood. One of the more reliable Australian takes on the series.

 

[grecian]

Kieron Pollard at Taunton

Carnage

 

[Woodster]

Kieron Pollard at Taunton

Carnage

Excellent signing for Somerset, you can imagine he is going to do some serious damage to the surrounding area on that track. Pollard certainly on his way to becoming a full-time T20 freelancer.

 

[aussie]

Pollard & White is same team @ Taunton is so unfair..

 

[slowfinger]

Pollard & White is same team @ Taunton is so unfair..

White's there too?
Utter carnage.

 

[Jarquis]

Might have to get myeslf up to Somerset..

 

[morgieb]

Current player transfers, not sure how accurate these are though....

Derbyshire

In: Robin Peterson (South Africa, KPK), Steffan Jones (Somerset), Lee Goddard (Durham), Mark Footitt (Nottinghamshire)

Out: Stephen Stubbings, Dan Birch, Wavell Hinds, Charl Langeveldt, Dominic Telo, Mark Lawson, Jamie Pipe (retired),

Durham

In:

Out: Lee Goddard (Derbyshire)

Essex

In: Billy Godleman (Middlesex)

Out: James Middlebrook (Northamptonshire), Jahid Ahmed, Varun Chopra (Warwickshire), Jason Gallian (retired)

Glamorgan

In: Jim Allenby (Leicestershire)

Out: Michael O'Shea, Ryan Watkins, Alex Wharf (retired)

Gloucestershire

In: Jonathan Batty (Surrey)

Out: David Brown, Matthew Gitsham, Grant Hodnett, Craig Spearman

Hampshire

In: Shahid Afridi (T20), Simon Jones (Worcestershire), Ajantha Mendis

Out: Imran Tahir (Warwickshire), Billy Taylor, John Crawley (retired)

Kent

In: Stuart Clark

Out: Ryan McLaren, Martin Saggers (retired)

Lancashire

In: Stephen Moore (Worcestershire), Daren Powell, Ashwell Prince, Kumar Sangakkara

Out: Mal Loye (Northamptonshire), Steven Mullaney (Nottinghamshire)

Leicestershire

In: Andrew McDonald, Will Jefferson (Nottinghamshire), James Benning (Surrey), Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire)

Out: Jim Allenby (Glamorgan)

Middlesex

In: Iain O'Brien, Scott Newman (Surrey), Tom Smith (Sussex)

Out: Billy Godleman (Essex), Alan Richardson (Worcestershire), Chris Silverwood, Murali Kartik (Somerset), David Nash (retired), Nick Compton (Somerset)

Northamptonshire

In: Mal Loye (Lancashire), James Middlebrook (Essex)

Out: Monty Panesar (Sussex), Mark Nelson, Bud Bailey, Graeme White (Nottinghamshire)

Nottinghamshire

In: Neil Edwards (Somerset), Steven Mullaney (Lancashire), Graeme White (Northamptonshire)

Out: Mark Footitt (Derbyshire), Will Jefferson (Leicestershire), Mark Ealham (retired)

Somerset

In: Murali Kartik (Middlesex), James Hayman, Nick Compton (Middlesex), Kieron Pollard (T20), Cameron White (T20)

Out: Neil Edwards (Nottinghamshire), Steffan Jones (Derbyshire), Justin Langer, Andy Caddick (retired), Carl Gazzard (retired)

Surrey

In: Steven Davies (Worcestershire), Gareth Batty (Worcestershire), Piyush Chawla (Sussex), Rory Hamilton-Brown (Sussex)

Out: James Ormond, Chris Murtagh, Murtaza Hussain, James Benning (Leicestershire), Jonathan Batty (Gloucestershire), Pedro Collins, Alex Tudor, Mark Butcher (retired), Scott Newman (Middlesex)

Sussex

In: James Anyon (Warwickshire), Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire)

Out: Carl Hopkinson (coaching), Jason Lewry (retired), Tom Smith (Middlesex), Piyush Chawla (Surrey), Dwayne Smith, Pepler Sandri, Rory Hamilton-Brown (Surrey)

Warwickshire

In: Varun Chopra (Essex) , Imran Tahir (Hampshire)

Out: James Anyon (Sussex), Tony Frost (retired)

Worcestershire

In: Phil Jaques, Alan Richardson (Middlesex), Shakib Al Hasan

Out: Steven Davies (Surrey), Gareth Batty (Surrey), Simon Jones (Hampshire), Ian Fisher, Mehraj Ahmed, Stephen Moore (Lancashire)

Yorkshire

In: Ryan Harris

Out: Simon Guy, Matthew Hoggard (Leicestershire), Deon Kruis, Michael Vaughan (retired)

Will add as it goes along. May have missed some, too.

 

[superkingdave]

Damn i'd forgotten (deliberately) that we had signed Darren Powell.

 

[Pothas]

Hampshire have got Mendis as well of course

The whole Kabir saga is still ongoing, don’t get me wrong I would like to see us get him but don’t really like the way it is unfolding with him now refusing to train with Worcestershire.

If we do get him which is still a big if then we have a potential bowling line-up of a Jones, Tremlett, Kabir, Mendis and Dimi with Corky (and a few others) in reserve and young Briggs (and maybe Dawson) providing spin options as well. reserve which is even better then Durham but I would be pleasantly surprised if those players ever played in the side together let along on a regular basis. In truth we will probably be a rather short on pace attack again so think avoiding relegation and doing well in limited overs stuff will probably be the main aim again. Most important thing though is our young players; Bromsgrove and co have done really well in making us a constantly good county but it is now time for us to really bring our own players through and three players being with under 19’s is excellent testament to how they are trying to do this. Hoping to see Dawson, Vince, Riazuddin and Briggs (who I am especially hopeful for) progressing this year

 

[morgieb]

Kabir's honouring his contract with Worcestershire I last heard. Things may have changed though.

 

[Pothas]

Well this was the news last week

BBC Sport - Cricket - Kabir Ali refuses to train with Worcestershire

BBC Sport - Cricket - Worcestershire seek solution to Kabir Ali dispute

 

[morgieb]

Interesting. Didn't know about it as I'm not English and nothings on Cricinfo.

This is a better version for county movements, FWIW.

Derbyshire
Overseas player 2009: Chris Rogers (Australia)
Overseas player 2010: Chris Rogers (Australia)
Ins: Robin Peterson (South Africa, KPK), Steffan Jones (Somerset), Lee Goddard (Durham), Mark Footitt (Nottinghamshire)
Outs: Stephen Stubbings (REL), Dan Birch (REL), Dom Telo (REL), James Pipe (RET), Wavell Hinds (REL), Mark Lawson (REL), Charl Langeveldt (REL), Stuart Law (REL)
Durham
Overseas player 2009: David Warner (Australia); Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)
Overseas player 2010: TBC; captain Will Smith has said Chanderpaul has "probably" played his last game for the county
Ins: Michael Richardson (MCC Young Cricketers), Ben Stokes (YTH)
Outs: Lee Goddard (Derbyshire), Paul Wiseman (RET)
Essex
Overseas player 2009: Danish Kaneria (Pakistan); Hashim Amla (South Africa)
Overseas player 2010: Kaneria hopes to return, but says "it is up to the Pakistan Cricket Board"; Essex may need cover if Kaneria tours England with Pakistan
Ins: Billy Godleman (Middlesex), Max Osborne (YTH), Michael Comber (YTH)
Outs: Varun Chopra (Warwickshire), Jason Gallian (RET), Jahid Ahmed (REL), James Middlebrook (Northants)
Possible signings: Coach Paul Grayson wants to sign "a strike bowler" after missing out on Matthew Hoggard.
Glamorgan
Overseas player 2009: Mark Cosgrove (Australia); Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa)
Overseas player 2010: Mark Cosgrove (Australia); Shaun Tait (Australia, for Twenty20 Cup)
Ins: David Brown (Gloucestershire), James Allenby (Leicestershire), Nick James (ex-Warwickshire, has signed a contract after successful trial spell)
Outs: Alex Wharf (RET), Ryan Watkins (REL), Mike O'Shea (REL)
Gloucestershire
Overseas player 2009: James Franklin (New Zealand)
Overseas player 2010: James Franklin (New Zealand)
Ins: Jon Batty (Surrey), David Payne (YTH), Chris Dent (YTH)
Outs: Stephen Adshead (REL), Grant Hodnett (REL), Matthew Gitsham (REL), David Brown (Glamorgan), Craig Spearman (REL), Tom Stayt (REL)
Possible signings: New Zealand bowler Kyle Mills has stated an interest in playing for Gloucestershire in the 2010 season.
Hampshire
Overseas player 2009: Marcus North (Australia); Imran Tahir (Pakistan, now qualified for South Africa)
Overseas player 2010: Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka), Shahid Afridi (Pakistan, for Twenty20 Cup)
Ins: Simon Jones (Worcestershire), Michael Bates (YTH)
Outs: Imran Tahir (Warwickshire), John Crawley (RET), Billy Taylor (REL), Tom Burrows (REL), Tom Parsons (REL), Chris Morgan (REL)
Possible signings: Kabir Ali's agent says the Worcestershire seamer has agreed to move to the Rose Bowl, but the New Road club claim he is staying with them - and are demanding £60,000 in compensation. Meanwhile, Hampshire are seeking a second overseas player for the Twenty20 Cup and have refused to rule out re-signing Shane Warne, although chairman Rod Bransgrove insists they have other options.
Kent
Overseas player 2009: Wayne Parnell (South Africa)
Overseas player 2010: Stuart Clark (Australia, first half of season)
Ins: None
Outs: Martin Saggers (RET), Ryan McLaren (REL)
Possible signings: McLaren, who has relinquished his Kolpak status by returning to the Eagles in South Africa, could yet find himself back at Canterbury next summer as an overseas player. Coach Paul Farbrace wants a spinner for the second half of the season.
Lancashire
Overseas player 2009: Ashwell Prince (South Africa); VVS Laxman (India)
Overseas player 2010: Ashwell Prince (South Africa, first part of season),Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
Ins: Stephen Moore (Worcestershire), Luke Procter (YTH), Gary Montgomery, Daren Powell (KPK, subject to visa and registration)
Outs: Mal Loye (Northants), Steven Mullaney (Nottinghamshire)
Other news: Francois du Plessis's future is in doubt because of the new crackdown on Kolpak players, but the county hope to keep him - one option would be to register him as their one permitted overseas player.
Leicestershire
Overseas player 2009: Iain O'Brien (New Zealand)
Overseas player 2010: Andrew McDonald (Australia), Brad Hodge (Australia, for Twenty20 Cup)
Ins: Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire), Will Jefferson (Nottinghamshire), James Benning (Surrey)
Outs: Iain O'Brien (Middlesex), James Allenby (Glamorgan), HD Ackerman (REL), Boeta Dippenaar (REL)
News: Claude Henderson - the first Kolpak signing in county cricket - has been granted British citizenship.
Middlesex
Overseas player 2009: Phillip Hughes (Australia); Murali Kartik (India)
Overseas player 2010: Iain O'Brien (New Zealand); Adam Gilchrist (Australia, for group stages of Twenty20 Cup); the county are also hoping to sign India legend Sachin Tendulkar for the Twenty20 Cup to link up with Gilchrist.
Ins: Iain O'Brien (Leicestershire), Paul Stirling (Ireland), Scott Newman (Surrey), Tom Smith (Sussex), Josh Davey (YTH), Toby Roland-Jones
Outs: Nick Compton (Somerset), Billy Godleman (Essex), David Nash (RET), Alan Richardson (Worcestershire), Chris Silverwood (REL), Murali Kartik (Somerset), Ben Scott (Worcestershire, loan starting on 3 April for minimum of four weeks)
Other news: Middlesex are hopeful of signing South Africa pace bowler Makhaya Ntini as a Kolpak player. Meanwhile, they have the option to recall Scott from his loan spell if first-choice wicketkeeper John Simpson is injured or loses form.
Northants
Overseas player 2009: Ian Harvey (Australia)
Overseas player 2010: TBC
Ins: Mal Loye (Lancashire), James Middlebrook (Essex)
Outs: Mark Nelson (REL), Shaun (aka "Bud") Bailey (REL), Steven Crook (REL), Ryan Cummins (REL), Graeme White (Nottinghamshire), Monty Panesar (Sussex)
Possible departures: South African pair Johan van der Wath and Riki Wessels may not be able to return in 2010 because of problems with their working visas.
Nottinghamshire
Overseas player 2009: Adam Voges (Australia); David Hussey (Australia)
Overseas player 2010: David Hussey (Australia) - though Notts are looking for cover in the early part of the season (while Hussey is at the IPL); Dirk Nannes (Australia, for Twenty20 Cup)
Ins: Neil Edwards (Somerset), Graeme White (Northants), Steven Mullaney (Lancashire), Scott Elstone (signed from youth set-up)
Outs: Mark Ealham (RET), Will Jefferson (Leicestershire), Mark Footitt (Derbyshire), Jason Brown (REL)
Somerset
Overseas player 2009: Justin Langer (Australia)
Overseas player 2010: Murali Kartik (India), Cameron White (Australia, for Twenty20 Cup)
Ins: Murali Kartik (Middlesex), Nick Compton (Middlesex), James Hayman (YTH), Cameron White (Australia, Twenty20 only)
Outs: Neil Edwards (Nottinghamshire), Andy Caddick (RET), Carl Gazzard (RET), Justin Langer (RET), Omari Banks (REL), Steffan Jones (Derbyshire), Wes Durston (REL)
Surrey
Overseas player 2009: Grant Elliott (New Zealand); Ryan Harris (Australia); Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)
Overseas player 2010: Piyush Chawla (India)
Ins: Steven Davies (Worcestershire), Gareth Batty (Worcestershire), Piyush Chawla (Sussex), Rory Hamilton-Brown (Sussex)
Outs: Alex Tudor (REL), Pedro Collins (REL), Jon Batty (Gloucestershire), Scott Newman (Middlesex), Mark Butcher (RET), Jimmy Ormond (REL), Chris Murtagh (REL), Murtaza Hussain (REL), James Benning (Leicestershire)
Sussex
Overseas player 2009: Yasir Arafat (Pakistan); Damien Wright (Australia); Piyush Chawla (India)
Overseas player 2010: Yasir Arafat (Pakistan)
Ins: Monty Panesar (Northants), James Anyon (Warwickshire), Luke Wells (YTH), Matt Machan (YTH)
Outs: Carl Hopkinson (joined coaching staff), Jason Lewry (RET), Tom Smith (Middlesex), Piyush Chawla (Surrey), Rory Hamilton-Brown (Surrey), Dwayne Smith (REL), Pepler Sandri (REL)
Possible signings: Despite losing the services of Dwayne Smith as a Kolpak player, they will try to get him back into the side at some point next summer.
Warwickshire
Overseas player 2009: Jeetan Patel (New Zealand); Sreesanth (India)
Overseas player 2010: Imran Tahir (Pakistan, also now qualified for South Africa) - subject to fitness tests and work permit
Ins: Varun Chopra (Essex), Imran Tahir (Hampshire)
Outs: Tony Frost (RET), James Anyon (Sussex)
Possible signings: The county are reportedly interested in want-away Worcestershire seamer Kabir Ali.
Worcestershire
Overseas player 2009: Ashley Noffke (Australia)
Overseas player 2010: Phil Jaques (Australia, first half of season), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh, from July onwards, subject to completion of visa arrangements)
Ins: Ben Cox (YTH), Jack Shantry (YTH), Alan Richardson (Middlesex), Ben Scott (Middlesex, loan starting on 3 April for minimum of four weeks)
Out: Steven Davies (Surrey), Gareth Batty (Surrey), Simon Jones (Hampshire), Stephen Moore (Lancashire), Ian Fisher (REL), Mehraj Ahmed (REL), Josh Knappett (REL)
Possible signings: Director of cricket Steve Rhodes is concerned about their lack of spin options until Shakib arrives in mid-season, and may look for an additional spinner.
Possible departures: Paceman Kabir Ali could be on the way to Hampshire (according to his agent) although Worcestershire insist no club met their demand for £60,000 compensation by the 30 September deadline, and insist the fee is "non-negotiable".
Other news: Scott's loan deal may run until July when teenage wicketkeeper Ben Scott is free of school commitments, but Middlesex have the option to recall him if number one keeper John Simpson is injured or loses form.
Yorkshire
Overseas player 2009: Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (Pakistan)
Overseas player 2010: Ryan Harris (Australia)
Ins: None
Outs: Michael Vaughan (RET), Simon Guy (REL), Deon Kruis (RET), Matthew Hoggard (Leicestershire), Chris Taylor (RET)

 

[Pothas]

Well it has happened at last
Hampshire sign Kabir Ali | England Cricket News | Cricinfo.com

Did not really like the way it happened in the end but it is a good signing, pace bowling was a real weakness so bringing someone in was probably a good idea, having Jones fit would not be an amazing bonus rather than an absolute necessity.

 

[FBU]

Well it has happened at last
Hampshire sign Kabir Ali | England Cricket News | Cricinfo.com

Did not really like the way it happened in the end but it is a good signing, pace bowling was a real weakness so bringing someone in was probably a good idea, having Jones fit would not be an amazing bonus rather than an absolute necessity.

What is the bowling line up going to be?

 

[Pothas]

What is the bowling line up going to be?

Well what it COULD be is:

Jones
Ali
Tremlett
Dimi
Mendis

What is going to be of course is an entirely different matter.

 

[Pothas]

In other new Michael Lumb as signed for the Rajasthan Royals, not overly fussed if he misses a few four day games, a good performance very likely to increase his chances of going to the Twenty20 world cup.