Four weeks into an action-packed county season, AOC pauses for thought and gives a progress report on those with international cricket on their mind in our prospective England XI.
Jimmy Adams – Hampshire
First-class: 303 runs at 50.50
List A: 27 runs at 13.50
Adams has continued his impressive record of the past two seasons in the early stages of 2011, bouncing back after being dismissed by his first ball of the season to post a matchsaving ton against Durham before registering scores of 74 and 73 in the defeat to Somerset. The left-hander is now arguably at the head of the queue should either of England’s first-choice openers suffer an injury.
Adam Lyth – Yorkshire
First-class: 155 runs at 31.00
List A: 17 runs at 8.50
The Tykes left-hander has struggled to replicate his stunning early season form of 2010 and finds his position in our XI under threat from Warwickshire’s classy opener Varun Chopra, who opened the season with consecutive double centuries. An international call-up looks distant on current form.
Ravi Bopara – Essex
First-class: 377 runs at 41.88, 11 wickets at 35.27
List A: 125 runs at 125.00, 5 wickets at 17.80
After a wretched start to the season, Bopara found his form in style and notched a matchwinning 136* to guide Essex to a much needed six-wicket victory over Glamorgan in the Championship. He further pushed his claims for an England spot against Sri Lanka with an unbeaten 75 in the CB40 win against Lancashire and his more than useful bowling displays continue to give the England selectors food for thought as they ponder a replacement for the versatile Paul Collingwood.
James Hildreth – Somerset
First-class: 97 runs at 19.40
List A: 47 runs at 23.50
Hildreth has been unable to carry his superb form of last season into 2011 thus far, registering just one fifty in seven innings across all competitions after a difficult start to the campaign for Somerset. The right-hander must find his feet and quickly if he is to have any chance of lining up against Sri Lanka at the end of the month.
James Taylor – Leicestershire
First-class: 419 runs at 69.83
List A: 280 runs at 93.33
Taylor has been the standout performer among our batsmen, particularly in one-day cricket where he leads the CB40 runscoring charts after scoring one century and two fifties in four innings. After a slow start he has also been in the runs in first-class cricket, making 92 against Derbyshire after a mammoth 237 in the draw with Leicestershire MCCU. An ODI call-up surely beckons.
Andrew Gale – Yorkshire
First-class: 199 runs at 49.75
List A: 83 runs at 41.50
Yorkshire’s skipper has been consistent if not prolific so far this season, with his best performance coming in a losing cause against Nottinghamshire in the County Championship when he shepherded the tail superbly with an unbeaten 145. Gale continues to impress with his astute captaincy but has a few rivals to leapfrog if he is to earn international honours.
Craig Kieswetter – Somerset
First-class: 171 runs at 34.20
List A: 200 runs at 100.00
After a barren run last year, Kieswetter has bounced back superbly in 2011. His performances have been solid enough in Championship cricket but it is in limited-overs cricket where he has excelled, following up a ton against Nottinghamshire with an unbeaten 95 in Monday’s win over Glamorgan. The England selectors will have taken note and an ODI recall is in the offing.
Adil Rashid – Yorkshire
First-class: 15 wickets at 22.13; 63 runs at 12.60
List A: 4 wickets at 19.25; 54 runs without being dismissed
The Yorkshire leggie started the season superbly with a career-best match haul in the Championship win over Worcestershire but has found the going tougher since, picking up just four wickets in his next two matches as the Tykes slumped to defeats against Durham and Nottinghamshire. Rashid must improve on his recent batting form if he is to be considered a potential allrounder at international level.
Chris Woakes – Warwickshire
First-class: 18 wickets at 20.00, 257 runs at 85.66
List A: 4 wickets at 34.75; 65 runs at 65.00
The star show in our XI so far this season. Wickets and runs aplenty, the Bears allrounder also appears to have the maturity and confidence for the highest level and will surely start the international summer in England’s ODI side. Woakes is also pushing hard for a Test place but with plenty of candidates for three pace-bowling spots, the 22-year-old may have to be patient for now.
Jade Dernbach – Surrey
First-class: 2 wickets at 80.50
List A: 6 wickets at 7.66
The paceman has had a frustrating start to the Championship season, sitting out Surrey’s opening fixture and taking just two wickets in the next two matches, but he has continued to show the kind of form in limited-overs cricket that saw him earn a shock call-up to England’s World Cup squad. With enough pace to trouble quality batsmen and a deceptive slower ball, Dernbach is in line to make his ODI debut this summer.
Maurice Chambers – Essex
First-class: 9 wickets at 36.55
Chambers’ position in our XI is in peril after a disappointing start to the Championship season that has seen him struggle for consistency and control. The Jamaica-born quick has proved expensive and been upstaged by his teammate Reece Topley, who has been nothing short of a revelation. With Topley, Glamorgan’s James Harris and Luke Fletcher of Nottinghamshire all impressing, Chambers could find himself ousted from our side before too long.
