*Official* UK off-season 2009/10

[Richard]

As for the pitch, yes it can lack pace but it does tend to take spin, and given our dearth of seamers I would expect some effort to be put into preparing a series of turning decks. We now have Monty, Beer, Rayner, Nash, Hamilton-Brown, and (yes, yes, I know) Yardy all of whom bowl various sorts of hittable rubbish spin.

I'd be somewhat disappointed if special effort was made to aid most of those, as most are what I'd call not much crack. MSP certainly always has retained potential and Beer, well, all hope is not lost yet as he's 19-20 years old even if he's hardly had an auspicious start, but the rest... ugh. Nonetheless, if it is - and you're right that the old Lewry-Kirtley-RMJ triumvarate is now a World away - then yes MSP has the chance to cash-in.

More broadly, in terms of building up his confidence and resuscitating his career, it could well work. Nurturing environment, intelligent management, family club, good relationship with new mentor Mushy, a fresh start.

Good job Northants don't have fans, I'd expect some scandalised comments else. Certainly all those sorts of things should be helpful, but if the decks don't turn, no amount of benefiting from them should enable him to have a great deal of success.

 

[Furball]

Middlesex sign Gilchrist for Twenty20s | England Cricket News | Cricinfo.com

Article says they're also looking at Tendulkar.

 

[Jarquis]

Big signing, fully expecting him to tear up

 

[Pothas]

Middlesex sign Gilchrist for Twenty20s | England Cricket News | Cricinfo.com

Article says they're also looking at Tendulkar.

Interesting to see if it sets a precedent, maybe we will see some more big names follow as counties are allowed two overseas players. Probably too busy playing poker but I wonder if Warne would be tempted to return to Hampshire for a few Twenty20 games.

 

[zaremba]

There's a rumour that Sussex have signed James Anyon from Warwickshire. Anyone know anything about him? His first class record looks pretty ugly.

 

[Richard]

I was hoping sincerely that he'd not find another county because he's just so far below county standard it's embarrassing.

Like Chris Whelan, Gareth Andrew, Chris Wright, Mark Turner etc. though, he just keeps being picked-up and given more and more chances. It's depressing that the county game seriously can't do any better than these.

 

[Manee]

I was hoping sincerely that he'd not find another county because he's just so far below county standard it's embarrassing.

Like Chris Whelan, Gareth Andrew, Chris Wright, Mark Turner etc. though, he just keeps being picked-up and given more and more chances. It's depressing that the county game seriously can't do any better than these.

I think that Chris Wright has a bright future ahead of him and is, most certainly, County standard, these days.

 

[fredfertang]

Sussex must have seen something in Anyon that they like - he may do a Masters or a Murtagh or, from an earlier era, a Neal Radford

 

[zaremba]

I was hoping sincerely that he'd not find another county

Humanity really does course through your veins sometimes doesn't it?

 

[Pothas]

Richard has his own greater concept of humanity which sees further than the petty interests of the individual, people just don't know what it is good for them, kind of like a Bolshevik really.

 

[Uppercut]

Well yes, it's his livelihood, but the important thing is that undeserved runs after a let-off due to a dropped catch are not scored.

 

[Richard]

Sussex must have seen something in Anyon that they like - he may do a Masters or a Murtagh or, from an earlier era, a Neal Radford

David Masters was never anywhere near that bad, he always showed glimpses of the extreme accuracy he's demonstrated in recent seasons; Murtagh meanwhile wasn't great but was certainly never anywhere near as bad as Anyon, Andrew et al.

 

[Richard]

Humanity really does course through your veins sometimes doesn't it?

Not entirely sure what you mean by humanity given use in that context, but if you mean along the lines of "compassion", I fail to see how it's in anyone's best interests to be trying and trying to make it in a career they've no hope with because they're simply not good enough.

Also the interests of the game come before those of any one individual for mine.

 

[four_or_six]

Also the interests of the game come before those of any one individual for mine.

Communist cricket?

 

[brockley]

Whats happening with allen wise are lancashire signing him.

 

[zaremba]

Not entirely sure what you mean by humanity given use in that context, but if you mean along the lines of "compassion", I fail to see how it's in anyone's best interests to be trying and trying to make it in a career they've no hope with because they're simply not good enough.

Also the interests of the game come before those of any one individual for mine.

I mean humanity in the sense of the sort of trait which makes some people not express a wish for an immediate termination of someone else's career in their chosen profession. I'm sorry to say this because you contribute so much to this forum but I can't think of anyone else here that would have expressed that sentiment and then tried to defend it.

 

[Manee]

Rarely find myself disagreeing with Richard, but here, it is hard not to.

 

[Richard]

I mean humanity in the sense of the sort of trait which makes some people not express a wish for an immediate termination of someone else's career in their chosen profession. I'm sorry to say this because you contribute so much to this forum but I can't think of anyone else here that would have expressed that sentiment and then tried to defend it.

As I say - "it's for their own good" sounds horribly patronising, but that's pretty much the only way to put it.

Seriously, who wants to see cricketers who are eons short of county standard being continually given contracts? I just don't understand it. Yes, cricketers are humans first-and-foremost but they're also players in the game and I don't know too many people who don't make the claim that the game is bigger than any one individual.

 

[Jarquis]

I don't quite understand how they're not county standard if they're being offered contracts by counties to play cricket

 

[fredfertang]

I don't quite understand how they're not county standard if they're being offered contracts by counties to play cricket

An excellent question - it all depends whether you are putting the cart before the horse or the horse before the cart, as it were

I trust that's cleared that one up