Are Middlesex right in taking on Phil Hughes?

[King Pietersen]

I'm not too fussed tbh. He's hardly been facing world class bowling, so all it really will have achieved for him is abit of false confidence, like what England have gained from drubbing a poor West Indies side. Not sure either will have any great impact on how well the sides perform come Cardiff. It's good for the England team to be able to get some scouts out around the grounds, to help formulate some sort of plan against him as well, because without this spell in County Cricket, Hughes would have been somewhat of an unknown entity. So it's not all bad for England, he's certainly bolstered Middlesex's batting line-up as well, so they certainly won't be complaining.

 

[FBU]

I'm sure there was talk of Flintoff playing grade cricket before the last Ashes, not sure whether it was conjecture or whether one or both of the parties vetoed it though

No he had to join the Academy and in this match played for the Under 19s

ECB National Academy v England Under-19s at Adelaide, 17 Jan 2003

http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/98/98870.html

 

[Woodster]

I'm not too fussed tbh. He's hardly been facing world class bowling, so all it really will have achieved for him is abit of false confidence, like what England have gained from drubbing a poor West Indies side. Not sure either will have any great impact on how well the sides perform come Cardiff. It's good for the England team to be able to get some scouts out around the grounds, to help formulate some sort of plan against him as well, because without this spell in County Cricket, Hughes would have been somewhat of an unknown entity. So it's not all bad for England, he's certainly bolstered Middlesex's batting line-up as well, so they certainly won't be complaining.

His aim when he came over, I'm sure, was not to face world class bowling as such, it was more to do with the conditions and culture, as averse to the opposition. Take Lords for example, his home ground with Middlesex, the pronounced slope across the pitch that is one factor to consider when you're going out there for the first time, which balls to leave, which you have to play at, etc. He will certainly be feeling more confident within his gameplan when he next visits Lords with much more at stake.

 

[Son Of Coco]

They have every right to employ him. I just hope that England have taken full advantage and had somebody watching him closely to try and spot any weakness. The trouble is from what I've seen so far, his only weakness seems to be his inability to get to 200...

 

[pjilka]

To paraphrase Ricky Ponting, where any poms complaining when James Anderson was getting match practice with Auckland ahead of the series in NZ?

Exactly
I don't think its that big a deal
When India toured New Zealand, NZCB allowed a few Indian players to play for their domestic clubs. At the end of the day, I believe it will improve the quality of cricket we will see in the test series and that can only be a good thing for test cricket

 

[Furball]

I vote no.

Not because it's Ashes year or anything like that, simply because I don't think the counties should be in the business of taking on overseas players for short periods of time.

I have no issue with Middlesex signing Phil Hughes, or Gloucestershire signing Stuart Clark, if they're both going to be medium to long term signings. Particularly in the case of Clark, I think he'd be an excellent signing for any county, he's a very good bowler who I think would be perfectly suited to English conditions, and he would have a lot of experience and knowledge that younger bowlers at the county could benefit from.

To sign Clark for 2 games is simply the counties looking after their best interests, which IMO the counties are wrong in doing. The aim of any domestic set up should be to prepare and produce players for the international side. The counties don't do this.

 

[Matt79]

He scored a fair whack of runs for them, so you'd have to say it was a smart signing. And unless there's an item in the charter of either the county comp or the Middlesex Cricket Club that they are expected to manage their club in a way that best enhances England's national team's chances, as well as their own, then they've done exactly the right thing.

 

[Redbacks]

not such an issue when England come to Australia, their front line bowlers wont even take part in practice matches so I can hardly see them wanting to play state cricket.

 

[Debris]

As long as if our players want to play state cricket before the 2010/11 Ashes, CA allow them to do so then there isn't a problem.

Like Polo said, it's 1 thing facing mediocre county bowlers (and Middlesex are in Division 2 so even poor quality for county level) to facing Anderson, Flintoff, Swann etc with the pressure of the Ashes.

CA won't stop them. Whether the states would want to pick them is another matter.

 

[AlanJLegend]

I don't see any problem. Hughes benefits, Middlesex benefits, some English county crickets get to play with/against a 'big name' player, it's all good.

The only negative I see in it is that one probably loyal Middlesex player will miss out on a lot of matches because Hughes waltzed in and became a part of the team.

The ECB will get over it.

 

[Nate]

Would be stoked in Flintoff or Pietersen played State or Grade Cricket in Australia. Don't have a problem with it at all.

 

[Burgey]

As long as if our players want to play state cricket before the 2010/11 Ashes, CA allow them to do so then there isn't a problem.

Like Polo said, it's 1 thing facing mediocre county bowlers (and Middlesex are in Division 2 so even poor quality for county level) to facing Anderson, Flintoff, Swann etc with the pressure of the Ashes.

Doesn't seem to be hurting Strauss atm......

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

CA won't stop them. Whether the states would want to pick them is another matter.

Exactly. Our states are happy to play internationals, but only when they are going to stay for a while or play Twenty20s. That's why South Australia were pretty happy to play Younis because he wasn't just coming for one or two games to get into touch.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Doesn't seem to be hurting Strauss atm......

Lionel Baker wouldn't be anything more than a bog average county bowler either.

 

[Uppercut]

To sign Clark for 2 games is simply the counties looking after their best interests, which IMO the counties are wrong in doing. The aim of any domestic set up should be to prepare and produce players for the international side. The counties don't do this.

Totally disagree with the principle. The counties have been around longer than the international side. Besides, competitive cricket, where each side is doing their best to win, will do the international team more good than an atmosphere of "it doesn't matter who wins or loses, we're all just getting players ready for England anyway".

 

[Son Of Coco]

Would be stoked in Flintoff or Pietersen played State or Grade Cricket in Australia. Don't have a problem with it at all.

Yeah me too. They'd look great in NSW colours

I think the problem last time lay in the scheduling if I recall correctly. Didn't England play a test series immediately before coming to Australia which also affected the amount of preparation time they had? With domestic cricket only starting a month or so before the Ashes series in Australia it makes it hard for English players to get some games with a local team if they're playing tests somewhere else beforehand.

Would be happy to see it happen though.

 

[pasag]

As long as if our players want to play state cricket before the 2010/11 Ashes, CA allow them to do so then there isn't a problem.

It came up before the 06/07 Ashes when a lot of clubs here were lining up to get Fred to play for them ahead of the Ashes. As Sutherland said, like the ECB, the CA don't have much say in the matter really:

"This really isn't an issue for us, it's down to the state associations and the clubs to arrange. There is nothing in the regulations to stop this."

Australia ready to help Flintoff

 

[Manee]

Lionel Baker wouldn't be anything more than a bog average county bowler either.

Or worse.

 

[Matt79]

Even if it is a visit that only lasts a game or two, a county team mate with the right attitude could get something out of someone like Clark visiting, esp so long as the international isn't a **** and is happy to talk/train with players.

 

[iamdavid]

In the case of Hughes I think that if anything England are more likely to benefit than suffer. He's very good however at this stage he's not a very well rounded player at all, has some excellent strengths to his game (the way he deals with any width at all, temperament), however there also appear to be some areas that need work (he's not a good player of spin mainly because Harris is the only decent spinner he's faced, looks ugly against the short ball and was lucky in that area against South Africa, far less comfortable when the line is middle and off as opposed to outside off). If the England management have any brains at all they'll have analysed his batting during this little stint (as well as the video's from South Africa), and they'll be formulating some pretty detailed plans about bowling to him.