Recently he took a hat-trick for Somerset 2nd XI and has played for England Under 19’s versus Sri Lanka this summer, a year out of his age group. I am led to believe from several respected sources, that Lewis Gregory has rich promise.

I doubt any player has enjoyed similar success of a triple wicket maiden on debut. However, there are examples of players taking a wicket with their first ball in First-Class Cricket.
Warwickshire’s Chris Lethbridge dismissed Geoffrey Boycott with his first ball. But without doubt the greatest achievement was by NS Joseph playing for ‘All Ceylon’ against the touring Australians in 1930, when he disimissed the great Don Bradman with his first-ever ball in First-Class Cricket.

In 1991, I recall Richard Illingworth bowling Phil Simmons with his first ever delivery in Test Cricket. Illingworth is one of only thirteen bowlers in the history of Test Cricket to achieve this feat. However, early success is no guarantee of long-term achievement, with only 2 of them (Maurice Tate and Inthikab Alam) going on to play more than ten Tests. Australian Damien Fleming took a hat-trick on Test debut v Pakistan, becoming only the second bowler to do so in Test history.

All the headlines at Taunton yesterday belonged to Pakistan because of Cricket’s ongoing crisis, but I anticipate (and hope) we will read more headlines about Somerset’s Lewis Gregory in the future.

Every young player dreams of scoring their first century, and fantasises about scoring a century at Lord’s. Some get the chance to convert fantasy into reality, and do it with aplomb. One such figure was the legendary Denis Compton, of Middlesex and England. On this day in 1947, Denis scored his 17th century of the season playing for Middlesex against South Africa at Lord’s. In this golden summer for Compton, ‘The Brylcreem Boy’ scored 3,816 runs at an average of 90.85, won the County Championship, and also scored four Test centuries against South Africa.

Earlier in the season, Compton and his Middlesex ‘twin’, Bill Edrich, put on a record 370 for the third wicket for England in their win against South Africa in the Lord’s Test, whilst making 208 himself.

By making his 17th century of the season, Compton beat the legendary Sir Jack Hobbs’ record of 16 centuries in an English First-Class season in 1925.  In the annual ‘County Champions’ v ‘The Rest’ match Compton scored an 18th century, which remains a record for centuries in a First-Class Cricket season,when making 246 at The Oval.

The irony of the 4th September, is that on the very same day in 1925, Hobbs made his 15th century when making a record score of 266 in the annual Gents v Players match. Hobbs carried his bat through the innings, which remained the record score in a fixture which had first taken place in 1806, and was last played in 1962.

Hobbs was the ultimate century maker in Cricket history, with 199 to his name when his career ended. He was also part of 166 century partnerships in First-Class Cricket, another of the many records held by ‘The Master Batsman’, which also include being the oldest man to score a Test century, when making 142 against Australia in the 5th Test,at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1929, aged 46.

In order for humans to allow for optimal function and growth, three psychological needs motivate ‘the self’ to initiate behavior and specify nutriments that are essential for psychological health and well-being of an individual. These needs are said to be universal, innate and psychological, and include :

 The Need for Competence
– Refers to being effective in dealing with the environment a person finds themselves in (White, 1959)

 The Need for Relatedness
– Is the universal want to interact, be connected to, and experience caring for others – (Baumeister & Leary, 1995)

 The Need for Autonomy
– Is the universal urge to be causal agents of our own life and act in harmony with our integrated self. However Deci and Vansteenkiste (2004) note this doesn’t mean to be independent of others. (Deci & Ryan, 2002).

From a sporting perspective, I have become increasingly committed to allowing for greater self-discovery with the people  I work with. 

In an age where increased numbers of support staff are potentially suffocating ‘the athlete’ in the space they both occupy when working together, I thought it pertinent to share this psychological theory.

With the football season underway, and a European Championships Qualifying match at Wembley tomorrow night, the focus on Fabio Capello’s ability to motivate the England team will be a feature of the match’s commentary. Interestingly, the above theory highlights the key components which drive human motivation, and probably conflict with the management style of many people operating in top sport today.

Maybe, the modern player needs to be left alone more, in order to work it out for themselves?

To produce peak performance, London County’s Director of Mentoring Dr Ken Jennings’ (who has a PhD in Performance Psychology) once shared with me that he believes all three energies (physical, mental and emotional) need to be aligned like a laser beam. When this happens, an ‘athlete’ is able to excel.

Kevin Pietersen is a highly talented batsman with a Test average which has been in excess of 50 for the majority of his career until now. He is in turmoil as a player and seemingly facing the biggest challenge of his cricketing career with an Ashes Tour to Australia on the horizon which, if he is selected, may define him as a player and man.

Yesterday, he was left out of an England squad for the first time since making his debut in 2005. After his first ball duck in last week’s 4th Test at Lord’s, Pietersen faces a very difficult situation trying to regain his form as a loan player for Surrey, (after the early termination of his Hampshire agreement recently), before England select their squad for the Ashes Tour to Australia.

Maybe another possible solution would have been  to send him on holiday for seven weeks, to re-energise and re-discover his mojo, far away from the intensity of sporting competition. Taking oneself out of context, and out of the culture one normally inhabits, can be the perfect tonic to breaking unhealthy, unsuccesssful patterns in one’s life. 

With an uncertain future, and possibly an Ashes Tour place on the line, Pietersen will be really challenged to re-discover his form. Against the backdrop of a poor season for England, and a difficult eighteen months, England’s best batsman has been through a confusing time, at best, and an emotional roller coaster at worst.

For a batsman to succeed at the highest level he needs to have a good defence. To succeed consistently, he has to have a ‘world-class’ defence. Having an array of quality attacking strokes is irrelevant if a batsman keeps geting ‘knocked over’ by quality bowlers early in his innings. At present, Kevin Pietersen’s defence is ordinary.

When a batsman’s brain is scrambled, batting becomes a hazardous experience. Pietersen’s poor shot first ball which brought about his downfall at Lord’s against Pakistan in the first innings of the 4th Test last week suggested a lack of the mental clarity necessary to succeed in Test Cricket. In the past, he has had his travails against the most innoccuous of left arm spinners, but to be dismissed in such careless fashion by playing a very loose stroke first ball, when his team were in trouble, told the story of a player completely out of sorts.

One of the challenges for top sportspeople is not to define who they are, based on their sporting performance. It is important to view performance as an aspect of one’s life, and not in totality. The greater challenge is to develop, and then access other parts to oneself, and live a life which enables the individual to be more balanced in the face of poor performance, or indeed high achievement. This is even more so for international performers, where the reporting of their deeds gets magnified one way or the other. For emotionally immature people, the possibility of seeing oneself as a hero, or a villain, based on the media’s representation of a match is easily increased.

Two years ago, Pietersen was on top of the world. Despite no experience of leadership, he was appointed England Captain, following Michael Vaughan’s tearful resignation, as part of the ECB’s desire to unify all formats of the game under one person’s captaincy. It was a spectacular gamble, but the South African raised batsman, made a century at The Oval against the country of his birth at the first attempt, and won his first Test as Captain in the process. As a Captain, Pietersen was effusive in his love for his players, revealing a style which suggested a belief on his part, that the best way to manage people is to indulge them, shower them with praise and, in the modern vernacular, ‘big them up’.

Four months after leading England to a victory over South Africa at The Oval, he fell foul of his employers, and was removed as Captain after a public falling-out with his then Coach Peter Moores, who was also removed of his duties. At the core of their relationship difficulties was Pietersen’s desire to be in charge, and surround himself with people he believed in, to support his desire to make England a ‘world-class’ team.
At the time, it appeared that amongst the England team there was some considerable resistance to Peter Moores’ coaching style from senior players, and Pietersen felt he had the support of the group in challenging Moores’ authority, and his suitability to remain in the post. Moores is a good man and a conscientious coach, but the timing of his appointment reduced his chances of success due to the decline of senior players and a strong link between the senior players and the former Coach Duncan Fletcher. It meant that Moores was unable to build rapport with some of his leading players who didn’t enjoy his methods and work ethic, or trust his ability to iron out their technical problems in the way that Fletcher had previously. It was sad to see a good man become the victim of a political nightmare for all concerned.

As Captain, Pietersen was misguided in his ability to influence the establishment of English Cricket, and misplaced in his confidence with regard to his hold over the job. For the people who opposed his original appointment, his behaviour gave them the chance to express why they were initially against his earlier promotion. His decision to be on  holiday in South Africa, while the leadership shenanigans were played out at Lord’s in his absence, were interpreted as complacent, or arrogant in the extreme, by his detractors. The whole episode was damaging  for English Cricket’s reputation, especially coming so soon after the Stanford Twenty20 debacle two months earlier.

Unfortunately for Pietersen, he lost his position, and Andrew Strauss inherited the very situation the deposed Captain was campaigning for, and indeed craved: greater authority, and no Peter Moores as Coach.

Awkwardly for Pietersen, he had to return to the ranks and play alongside players who may inadvertently have contributed to his downfall. By not backing his mutiny as Captain despite their complaints whilst on Tour in India, he was compromised, and to have to play under Andy Flower’s caretaker management following a recommendation that Flower be removed along with Moores after the India Tour concluded at Christmas. The relationship with Flower subsequently improved largely because of the Caretaker Coach’s ability to build quality relationships, irrespective of what had gone before, and the deposed Captain’s commitment to being a model professional whilst on tour.

Fortunately, from the perspective of the health of his own bank balance, his life received a welcome bonus early on in that West Indies Tour, when it was confirmed that both he and Andrew Flintoff had received record bids at the IPL (Indian Premier League) auction to the tune of $1.5 Million. The fact that these two high profile cricketers hadn’t been separated in their value helped maintain an all-important team unity in the Caribbean, particularly between two people who were perceived to be competing (consciously or otherwise)  for the spotlight. However, the IPL became a big distraction and the contractual battle between ECB and its’ star players affected the negotiations between the two parties with regard to the terms of ECB Central contracts, which remained unsigned for what seemed like an eternity. The IPL offered Pietersen the status he craved: an international superstar, able to sub-contract himself to who he wanted to, on his terms.

Unfortunately for him, playing for England under Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss required a different level of commitment where the importance and needs of the team were the priority over the special treatment of any individual. A culture clash appeared to be on the horizon.

Flintoff had achieved legendary status after the Ashes 2005, while Pietersen also announced himself as a potentially great player the same year. However, his South African upbringing, brash nature, and hyperbolic tendencies, didn’t endear him to the public in the way that ‘Fred’, the likeable lad from Preston, had been taken into the hearts of the nation. In my opinion, this is where the nub of Pietersen’s difficulties may lie. Like most humans he has a wish to be accepted and liked, and when it doesn’t materialize as hoped for, I imagine he finds it difficult to comprehend, especially when ‘Fred’s’ popularity was going through the roof, and without any particular extra effort by ‘Fred’. It is interesting when people try too hard to be liked, how it often creates the opposite effect in response.

There is no rhyme or reason why people connect with others and why some are repulsed by others. Sport’s narrative is littered with players who were respected but not loved. Steve Davis was six times World Snooker Champion but Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins (who only won it twice) was known as ‘The People’s Champion’. I always felt that English Cricket supporters ‘beliked’ Graham Gooch, whilst David Gower was ’beloved’. Both  batsmen were superb players, but the audience seemed to have a deeper feeling for Gower. Emotional connections are impossible to describe in words as they go beyond logic, but one can sense (and ‘feel’ ) them, in the way people respond to each other. Maybe it is the ‘human touch’ which people respond to?  When people are seemingly flawed, others may feel something of the kindred spirit in each other? Or, maybe it is simpler? In the case of former England fast bowler Devon Malcolm, the fact that he always tried his heart out, and played with a big smile on his face, aswell as being very respectful of the crowd and their applause by doffing his cap at opportune times, is why crowds love certain players?

Kevin Pietersen is ‘box-office’ when he plays. On form, he is devastating and daring. Off-form he becomes ‘the story’ too. This is an unfortunate aspect of being a star player. For the team’s management, this can be a difficult phenomenon to mange when the media continually focus on one player. Throughout Sir Ian Botham’s remarkable career, he experienced something similar, to the extent where it was almost newsworthy if he blew his nose, let alone defeated Australia with bat and ball in consecutive Ashes Tests. Such factors can dominate the team ’space’ and require careful management. Thankfully, in Andy Flower, the England team has a calm, wise presence at the helm with a broad perspective and a steely determination, which ensures he navigates the ship towards the best direction for English Cricket’s present and future well-being.

For a man who displays a considerable exterior confidence, and has many of the trappings of a modern professional’s success, I wonder how established Kevin Pietersen’s inner confidence really is? Is his considerable straight-backed strut a mere facade to protect a man uncertain of who he really is?

The trappings of success can only go so far in fulfilling a person’s life.

There is an argument that says those seeking external recognition to feed their inner confidence, are fighting a losing battle as such possibilities are beyond one’s control. However, a person who builds themselves from ‘the inside out’, and focuses on the development of character rather than reputation (an opinion others have of you) or image, is more likely to enjoy a balanced and meaningful life in my opinion.

The nature of top sport and the performance industry is that it offers a spotlight for people to feed their egos. Some are intimidated by the possible over-exposure while others find the experience to be the elixir of life. Such people can struggle to break this tie, and get away from the spotlight as it becomes like an addict’s fix which needs to be fed but ultimately contributes to their eventual downfall.

Kevin Pietersen is a top professional. He trains hard, he practices with intensity and purpose, and as far as I know, he leads a sensible life as a committed husband and family man. However, in the period since he has been removed from being England Captain he has had to deal with significant emotional turmoil, which I believe has taken its cummulative toll on him.

The contradiction of Pietersen is that he seems to position himself as a man apart, ‘a gun for hire’ if you like. He appears to want inclusion (both within English society, and in the teams he represents) but he has often been guilty of saying and doing things which create exclusion. I imagine he feels very confused right now, and may be contemplating all sorts of scenarios in his own mind as to how the future may play itself out.

He is a man from a relatively modest background in Natal but with a big ambition which doesn’t always sit easily within the class structure of the English society.On the other hand, his noteworthy ambition seeems to fit in perfectly with much of modern society, where ostentation and celebrity profile seem to be celebrated by adoring ‘fans’ who obviously have a void in their own lives that they are transfixed by what is happening in the lives of people with profile. Maybe Pietersen has aspired to be in a world which he is now realising doesn’t actually exist. What is fame exactly? Being recognised in public can have many downfalls, especially once an individual gets married and becomes a family man like Pietersen recently has. Intrusion can be an unwelcome visitor on a day off when there is a need for privacy and quiet reflection.

Sometimes, it appears like he is trying too hard to be liked, which can lend itself to rejection by others. He is respected as a player and while he is performing at his best, he is tolerated by those who don’t think this South African should be playing for England, let alone been appointed as Captain. He strives for greatness but doesn’t appear to understand that greatness is something others bestow upon you, and that the true greats never strived for it – their greatness emerged naturally.

He seems to want to be loved by others, especially by the rich and famous, which in turn may create rejection from some of his contemporaries. Developing genuine friends in a team, or in sport generally, is an important aspect of enjoying a meaningful career.

His former team-mate and fellow celebrity Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff, has now departed the 22 yards of the England Cricket scene to enjoy his love of family, and a life of celebrity endorsements and personal appearances. The stage has been clear for Pietersen to dominate, but in the process, he has under-performed beyond all previous recognition, and now finds himself out of the team. Such is the paradox of life.

When one’s potential is at its greatest, we are short of experience and a history of top performances to back up others predictions. Yet, when we gain the experience and produce top results, our potential decreases because there is less time to achieve. Pietersen’s potential as one of the greats of the game was never greater than after 2005 when he had scored three consecutive centuries on his ODI debut Tour in his homeland of South Africa and after he made his breathtaking 158 to help save the match at The Oval against Australia and win the Ashes back after 18 barren years for English Cricket.

Last summer he was vilified for his ‘soft’ dismissal at Cardiff in the 1st Ashes Test when appearing well set. In the second innings he left a straight ball and was bowled, leaving England deep in the mire and facing a sixth successive Ashes defeat until Paul Collingwood, James Anderson and Monty Panesar performed their heroics to save the day. The media and public reaction to his disappointing first innings dismissal appeared to shock him at the time. It was a sign that he was easily cast as a villain.

After the 2nd Test at Lord’s KP limped out of the series to go under the knife for an Achilles operation. With Flintoff announcing his end of series Test retirement before the same game, it was perceived that the two were competing for the same headlines. However, Flintoff’s heroic bowling performance which secured the first England Ashes victory at Lord’s for seventy five years ensured that ‘Fred’ remained the darling of the masses.

Emotionally, Pietersen must have been shattered by his injury but it gave him time off to reflect on a tumultuous few months. His wife, Jessica, announced she was pregnant and a life of family bliss appeared on the horizon. However, anyone who knows anything about professional sport will confirm that living with an injured sportsman, or worst still, being an injured sportsman is very difficult. The fact that England went on to win the Ashes without Pietersen in the team was a victory for the unity and team spirit engendered under the impressive leadership of Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss.

However, it is only human nature for Pietersen to have possibly experienced some pangs of discomfort that the team had enjoyed success without his contribution. No player is ever indispensable, but ‘star’ players can develop a tendency to believe that they are, especially when their name has been an ever-present on the team sheet for a number of years. The quote ‘The King is dead, long live the King’, springs to mind.

A poor return from the South Africa tour last winter was followed with a couple of good performances in Bangladesh and a player of the series award at the ICC World T20 event in West Indies. To play a key role in England’s first ever ICC one day success and become a father simultaneously, capped a special few days for England’s talismanic batsman. However, on his return to UK for the English season, it has been a miserable experience for him culminating in feeling the selectors’ axe yesterday. If ever there was a signal as to who holds the balance of power in the relationship between players and management in this current England team, Andy Flower and his fellow selectors have clearly left no one in any doubt that playing for England is a privilege within their gift and not the other way round.

From a form perspective, his returns have not been representative of his quality. His last ODI century was in November 2008, and his average as quoted in ‘The Times’ today since that century is 17.81. He has made only 112 runs in six ODI’s this summer. His last Test Match century was in March 2009, and he has only made six 50’s in 16 Test Matches since.

Whether or not Pietersen will be able to find some semblance of ‘nick’ in ten days of Cricket, encompassing some CB40 one day Cricket and a couple of County Championship Division Two fixtures remains to be seen. What I would say, is that the opportunity to spend time in ‘the middle’ for Surrey and bat for hours in second or third gear, as opposed to needing to be batting in top gear for a short period of time in One Day Internationals, or Twenty20 games, may be the best option to rediscover his ability to make centuries in Test Cricket. Time out of the international spotlight may also be part of the rehabilitation process.

The thought processes for playing longer innings need to be trained and maintained by spending time in ‘the middle’ in competitive matchplay situations, rather than in simulated practice sessions at one’s own convenience. Getting used to the rhythm of a match and dropping down a level to re-establish one’s credentials can be an extremely beneficial experience in the long run.

By his own admission, (in a Sky Sports interview with Michael Atherton before the Lord’s Test) Pietersen revealed some of his inner turmoil which is very rare and many would say unwise for a sportsman to do when he said:
‘‘I try and drag my confidence levels up. They have been absolutely hammered in the last eighteen months. I am nowhere near the person I used to be.’’

The road to the top is tough, but the descent can be a bruising experience. The road back up to the top is considered to be the toughest of journeys. Scaling the peak initially is fuelled by ambition and naiievety, while the road back is filled with potholes and banana skins one never saw on the way up, first time round. I wish him well and believe that he has the talent and hope he has the desire to overcome all the setbacks he will encounter as he sets off in pursuit of his lost status.

Despite his propensity for alienating himself from others because of his actions, such as his profanity and indiscretion on Twitter announcing his demotion from the England team yesterday, I feel for the man. In the space of two years he has gone from having the world at his feet, to feeling the sands move beneath his feet.

The current situation may be a mere blip in a career with many more peaks to come. Or, this may be the beginning of the end of what promised to be a long and distinguished career which suggested the name of Kevin Pietersen would reside alongside the names of Hammond, Hutton, and Compton, as a batting great of English Cricket.

Personally, I hope the best of Kevin Pietersen is still ahead of us, and that the brash young man I first played against (and liked for his straight-forwardness) for Leicestershire against Nottinghamshire in 2000, can mature into a player of the highest order, and a man whose quality of personal example inspires everyone.

If he is looking for a role model in modern sport, he should look no further than the greatest tennis player Roger Federer, or the grace of the golfer Tom Watson, if he wishes to be held in the highest esteem. Both men exude quality on and off the field of play, and are an inspiration to all who follow them.

One can argue that the time factor is the only apsect of life where man is equal.

No matter who you are, how rich one is, or how much influence one has in society, the challenge of dealing with the impact of ageing, and facing one’s own mortality as a player and man, is something which sportsperson faces.

As a retired sportsman, I know how difficult it can be to come to terms with life after professional sport. Being without the sense of purpose to train and practice one’s lifelong habits in pursuit of sporting excellence, can impact considerably on one’s day to day life. The desire to become a sportsman from a tender age creates a discipline and a foucs in a person’s life, which means that when this focus disappears, it can be very unbalancing, and can cause turmoil in a man’s life.

Essentially, a sportsperson goes through a grieving process for what they had, or what they promised to achieve, but never accomplished. If there is a sense of unfulfilment, such as when injury prematurely ends a promising career, the pain can affect a person for a very long time. Some turn to alcohol to numb the emotional pain, but without access to proper support to work through the difficulty, it can be a precarious time in an individual’s life.

The challenge after playing top sport, is to find meaning in other activities, and to pursue the activity of physical training as an instrument to enhance one’s health, emotional well-being, and levels of self-respect.

Tragically, over 100 former First-Class Cricketers have been unable to face the ongoing challenge of life, and decided to take their own lives. Cricket historian David Frith’s chilling book, ‘Silence of the Heart’, is about the individuals who ended their lives prematurely, and is a fascinating insight into the characters, and their individual circumstances, which led to the sad deaths.

Tomorrow is the birthday of one of the most recent and high profile examples, the late David ‘Bluey’ Bairstow, former Yorkshire and England wicket-keeper, who would have been 59, but for his untimely passing in 1998. I went to ‘Bluey’s’ memorial service at York with my great friend Paul Johnson from Nottinghamshire, and found it a very very sad experience. Part of Bluey’s legacy to Yorkshire Cricket is that his youngest son, Jonny, continues to show great promise in Yorkshire’s first team and is carrying on the family tradition of wicket-keeping and batting. I also played golf recently with Bluey’s eldest son, Andrew. We were both guests at our close mutual friend Paul Sampson’s wedding in Spain to the beautiful Kirsty Gallacher. Andrew also played First-Class Cricket for Derbyshire and now works in the sports clothing business for the Canterbury brand, and like his father before him, is a competitive, sociable, and all-round good guy. Our round of golf (befitting of the Gallacher family) before the wedding at Arcos Gardens, near Jerez, enabled us to talk about his Dad, and how life after sport can present so many different challenges to one’s temperament. I still find it very sad that ‘Bluey’ is no longer with us and able to enjoy the company of his family, especially his two fine sons.

One of my contemporaries from England Schools Coaching courses and regional teams, Danny Kelleher from Kent, also took his own life after a promising career failed to deliver against his own expectations. A short trial period with Surrey offered some hope shortly after his Kent career, but within a couple of years I and his former team-mates joined his family and friends at a funeral service to commemorate his relatively short life. It seemed that after Cricket, Danny was unable to find a purpose in his life to sustain him. Thankfully, the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) has now put in place a confidential helpline for cricketers in distress.

Coaching, and developing others, enables a sportsperson to have a vehicle for sharing the accumulated wisdom and experience of one’s past, but for many, life after sport can be a chastening experience.

Sport never likes to see its’ greats reduced to shadows of their former selves, and prefers to remember its famous protagonists at the peak of their powers.

Most recently sport has lost former World Snooker Champion, Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins, (who was known as ‘The People’s Champion’),  to ‘the great pavilion in the sky’ after the ravages of cancer reduced him to a tiny frail man. The latter stages of his life saw him living in poverty (as he began his life), and representeda sad end to a world famous sportsman’s life. A BBC TV documentary is due to be screened tomorrow on Higgins’ rise and fall. It promises to be a harrowing tale of the ups and downs of a life in top sport.

Higgins delighted and frustrated snooker fans in equal measure with his mercurial talent. In doing so, he helped put snooker in the forefront of the sporting public’s consciousness, making it a television spectacle in the 1970’s and 80’s, as well as inspiring the likes of Jimmy White and Ronnie O’Sullivan to take up the sport and add to its glamour and glorious uncertainty.

Last week one of sport’s most famous characters passed on too. Bobby Thomson, the man who hit an epic home run with the so-called ’shot heard round the world’, for New York Giants against the Brooklyn Dodgers on October 3rd 1951,  died at the age of 86. Thomson achieved legendary status in sport, with his home run to win ‘the pennant’ and claim baseball’s iconic moment in the history of the sport. Bobby Thomson’s remarkable strike snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for his team and left the player with an indelible memory:

“I can remember feeling as if time was just frozen,” Thomson once said. “It was a delirious, delicious moment.”

Today, it was announced that the only remaining survivor of the first-ever Football World Cup Final, when Argentina lost 4-2 to hosts Uruguay in 1930, had died at the ripe old age of 100. Argentina’s Francisco Varallo, who scored 194 goals for his club side Boca Juniors was known as ‘Canocito’ ( Little Cannon) for his immensely powerful shot. In a recent interview on FIFA.com to celebrate his 100th birthday, Varallo said:

 ’I achieved a lot of nice things in my career. I represented the national team and was Boca’s record goalscorer. However, in my life I’ve never felt such a bitter pain as losing that World Cup final against Uruguay in 1930. How I cried that day. Even now when I look back it still makes me angry.”

For me, these quotes illustrate how significant one’s sporting experiences can be in one’s life, and the long-term effect some of them have on one’s psyche.

In my many hours spent in conversation with some of the legends of sport I have had the privilege of spending time with, it is fascinating for me to see how retired people come alive when I have been able to tap into their historical perspectives of players or events. Their eyes seem to light up and their body language changes as if they have transported by tardis back to the time and place of the experience. To witness the recall of some of these people, with regard to the detail into historical parts of their life, is an amazing experience for the listener too.

Recently, I met up with former Surrey Captain, Cricket Manager and President Mickey Stewart, who was also England’s first-ever Cricket Manager and led England into two consecutive World Cup Finals (1987 & 1992). I was interested in Mickey’s perspective on modern coaching, and asking him about the elements of sport from yesteryear which he felt we should never lose sight of, if we want to protect the future of sport, especially the games we love, which in this particular instance is football and cricket - passions we both share.

Mickey was recalling how he would go to Lord’s just to watch the legendary Denis Compton and Sir Len Hutton practise in the nets on The Nursery Ground. His face lit up and he sounded almost like a little boy as he spoke about how he got up close and personal to his heroes just to see how they moved their feet and what typwe of equipment they used, in the hope that he would discover more about why they were the greatest of their era. He then said how he couldn’t wait to get home in the evening and go out and practise what he had seen in the hope that one dya he could become ‘a  real player’ himself.

One of the most significant meetings in my sporting life took place with Sir Alec Bedser in 2005, and one which was kindly set up by Mickey himself. Sir Alec shared some wonderful wisdom with Dr Ken Jennings, Dr Ken West and myself at his family home in Woking where he and twin brother had helped their father build the house as young boys, before living the remainder of their lives in the same house. The recall of his role in helping his father build the house and his duels with Sir Donald Bradman was a great privilege for me to be able to listen to.

A the Dunhill Links at St Andrews in 2007, Steve Waugh kindly introduced me to Sir Bobby Charlton and his charming wife Norma one evening. The following day I happened to bump into Sir Bobby at breakfast and we engaged in conversation about Manchester United’s fixture that day against Wigan. He was surprisingly nervous about the match and it turned out that the source of his nervousness was the possible injury and unavailablility of Paul Scholes to play that day. He waxed lyricalabout Scholes as a player and as a man, who he said was born into the wrong era and said he would have fitted in perffectly with his own contemporaries. When he said this I too advantage of the opportunity to ask Sir Bobby about the legendary Duncan Edwards who my father told me was a superb player, and saw him play in his last match in England against Arsenal at Highbury before the disaster of the Munich Air Crash which decimated Manchester United’s Busby Babes on 6th March 1958. Sir Bobby shook his head in disbelief about the tragedy of Duncan Edwards and in doing so, brought alive some vivid memories about a player the football world held in great esteem. With his understated nature and his rich historical perspective, when Sir Bobby talks in reverential tones about a player, you know he must be something special. It was incredible to be part of such a conversation and witness Sir Bobby’s emotion about a player who he last played with, and saw, fifty years ago.

With increased knowledge about diet, supplements, and training methods, it is no surprise to see some of modern sport’s leading players continue to excel when they reach the veteran stage. Surrey’s Mark Ramprakash continues to score runs for fun while Manchester United’s Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have been at the forefront of their team’s successful start to the new football season.

What is it that sustains these great players?

I proffer the hypothesis that a deep love for their game and a personal pride in performance is the catalyst to their longevity in sport. However, just like the legendary WG Grace who made his final First-Class Century (166 for London County v MCC) on his 56th birthday, great players can go on  for longer than the mere mortals, because their experience and exceptional skill sets them apart from their contempraries.

However, ultimately Old Father Time comes knocking on their door and says it is time to move on. We all have our time to achieve our sporting dreams. The key is to make sure that the experiences one has, offer the individual a narrative to be proud of in future years.

”Make the most of your time son, it’s over before you know it”  is a piece of advice the great Denis Compton shared with the Middlesex debutant Peter Parfitt many decades ago. Never has a truer word been spoken about life as a professional sportsman.

The Jamaican was a fast bowler of the highest order and, in my opinion, is a man of the highest quality. As a cricketer, I had the privilege of playing against him (even though it was thoroughly unpleasant facing him!), but more significantly, it gave me the opportunity to come to know him as a man.

Mikey’s deep Jamaican accent has contributed to his cult following as a commentator, but for me, the quality of his contributions on air for the past twenty years, make him the game’s outstanding pundit. His deep love of Cricket comes through in his voice, and his respect for the game emerges in his every comment. He has a wonderful sense of humour, and a humility not often present in elite sportspeople, some of whom attempt to cultivate an image to trade off, purely for personal gain.

Mikey’s voice is one of reason, logic and impartiality. He is a principled, honest, and highly intelligent man.

It has been my great pleasure to have enjoyed his company on several occasions over the past few years. I recall fondly a breakfast we shared at The Wanderers Hotel in Johannesburg, on the day of the ICC World Cup Final in 2003. Afterwards, we walked to the ground together, and amongst other topics, discussed the 1983 World Cup Final at Lord’s, when India surprisingly beat the mighty West Indies (who were bidding for their third consecutive World Cup triumph) in a low-scoring match. I could sense how hurt Mikey still was by this chastening experience, but also how empowering it was subsequently.

The complacency that West Indies felt at the halfway stage of that game led them to believe that victory was a formality. It led to their downfall, and complacency is not a word anyone could ever associate with Mikey Holding, the man, or the fast bowler. He continues to live his life with the principled nature of the best of men, and a self-discipline and personal integrity which I admire so much in a man.

Three years ago, during one of London County’s conventions for elite coaches and Professional Mentors, Dr Ken Jennings, former South Africa Coach Eric Simons and I, breakfasted with Mikey in London on the morning of the late Bob Woolmer’s Memorial Service in St John’s Wood. The range of topics we discussed was fascinating. The respect and love for the game, and the need for Cricket’s leadership to display the vision and values necessary to ensure its’ future is healthy, was the essence of what I took away from our invigorating conversation, re-inforcing what I already believed to be true – that a commitment to values is the foundation for success.

Every person involved in the game has a huge responsibility to ensure that we pass on a legacy of the game to the next generation in a more healthy state than we received it. Players will come and go, but it is the game which remains. However, it is the health of the game which is the critical factor, and its leadsership is vital in this process.

In recent years, Mikey has been an outspoken critic of the ICC, the West Indies Cricket Board, and Allen Stanford, long before others questioned the intentions and quality of this individual or these bodies to lead the people they are charged with the responsibility of serving.

He resigned from ICC’s Committees, and was the first to resign from Allen Stanford’s ‘Legends’ Board because he did not believe that the intentions and behaviour were healthy. He has been a critic of the West Indies Cricket Board too, and refuses to participate in groups or processes which he does not believe in. In short, his principles lead to controversial actions, but his love and respect for Cricket have never diminished. He acknowledges the impact the great game of Cricket has had on his wonderful life, and is passionate about the importance of the game’s role in society. He leads by quality personal example, and the congruency of his words and actions make deafening statements about how he believes the administration of the game needs to respond better, in order to protect the best interests of the game, and thereby avoid future crises.

I watched the Sky satellite television coverage of the final moments of the 4th Test between England and Pakistan, and witnessed the gloom which surrounded Lord’s after the damning allegations of ’spot-fixing’ against some Pakistan players published in the News of the World today. Pakistan’s players were ushered into Lord’s via a back entrance, and chose not to practice this morning. There was even some doubt about whether they would take the field today.

Pakistan Captain Salman Butt (who was dismissed last night) has been implicated in the allegations along with his opening bowlers Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Aamer, who both walked out to bat in silence, except for some ‘boos’ from the crowd.

For Mohammed Aamer, the 18 year-old left arm fast-bowling sensation, the present situation is a travesty. He was dismissed for a ‘pair’ on his Lord’s debut, after batting for only five balls today, and left the iconic arena uncomfortably. He will face a very challenging period in his life from this afternoon onwards. If he is proved guilty, I cannot believe his actions are those of a commercially-minded and greedy individual who is seeking out ‘the main chance’ of making a ‘fast buck’. What I believe is more possible, is that (if he is proved to be guilty) then he may have been ‘encouraged’ to get involved in this criminal activity by people with more life and cricket experience than him. 

Aamer is the youngest international bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and in taking 6 England wickets in the first innings at Lord’s, he earned the right to have his name inscribed on the Bowlers’ Honours Board in the visitors dressing room. His spell of four wickets for no runs in the space of 8 balls ripped the heart out of England’s top order batting and will go down in history as one of the great exhibitions of fast bowling seen at Lord’s. His name will sit alongside the greats who also achieved the distinction a five wicket haul in a Lord’s Test Match, including the great Mikey Holding, who took 6-67 for West Indies against England in 1980.

For the sake of the game, and this highly talented young man’s life, I can’t help but think that if only he could have enjoyed access to the likes of Mikey Holding as a senior player and mentor, he would be experiencing a totally different emotion presently. I believe that the quality of example in one’s life set by one’s elders is a significant factor in one’s personal and professional development. In Cricket, the quality of the senior players is key to the evolution of successful teams. One of world cricket’s brightest lights is in danger of being cast into the shadows forever. My over-riding emotion is one of sadness right now.

After the match, in keeping with the sombre nature of the day, the usual on-field presentations did not take place to commemorate the end of the Test Series. Instead, a low-key ceremony was conducted in The Long Room by ECB Chief Executive David Collier.

Meanwhile, in the Media Centre, David Gower was busy anchoring a post-match reflection for Sky Sports in the company of Mikey Holding and Nasser Hussain. The topic of conversation was dominated by the crisis the game now faces, and the quality of contribution Mikey offered was full of good reason, based on sound principles, and a heartfelt passion for Cricket. He was unequivocal about what needs to happen in Cricket to root out this cancer. Better leadership is needed to navigate the sport away from its current difficulties.

The leadership of Cricket must never become self-serving for the individuals in key positions. The wider interests of the game need to be served.

Mikey Holding, known as ‘Whispering Death’ during his career (due to his balletic long run-up followed by extreme, hostile pace), has never spoken so loudly as he did on screen today. His sadness and disappointment at the present circumstances surrounding world cricket, could be seen in his slumped body language, and regular shaking of his head, when considering the mess the game faces, and his lack of faith in the decision-making bodies, based on their previous form.

I propose a solution: let respected Cricket people lead our game towards a brighter future, not the  ’professional’ administrators whose polliticking seems to know no bounds. Career politicians are regularly proposed as ICC Presidents. What happened to the Cricket people? The best Cricket people know the game, and cherish its place in life. They have an empathy with the modern players and the officials. For me, administrators should ensure the details are followed through on, but the vision, strategy and integrity of the game needs to be put in the hands of Cricket’s best men.

People who know me well, will be aware that my respect for Steve Waugh, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Andy Flower is of the highest order. They all achieved in the ultimate form of the game, often in challenging circumstances, and are deep thinkers about the game. In short, they value Cricket highly.

I believe that the best attract the best in life, and if a top man in Cricket were to be placed in charge, he would be able to corrall others of similar ilk, to play their part in defining the future of a game which so many people care about so deeply.

A better future will require identifying the right people, looking at the leadership process, and addressing the underlying processes properly.

If he is available, I suggest we all vote for Mikey Holding to help run Cricket, if we want to enhance the possibility of it remaining a genuinely great game.

I was at Lord’s yesterday to witness one of the best day’s play for a long time. In warm sunshine, and amongst a near capacity crowd, I was entertained by Stuart Broad and Jonathan Trott’s world record partnership for the 8th wicket of 332 runs (beating the previous record of 313), and by Broad, James Anderson, Steven Finn and Graeme Swann’s excellent bowling in taking 14 Pakistan wickets before the close of play.

The legendary Australian commentator and former Captain, Bill Lawry, loved to describe a player or a team as being ‘‘on fire’’. England were ‘‘on fire’’ yesterday, but by the time I got home late last night, the breaking news revealed that several of Pakistan’s players had been implicated in a ‘spot-fixing’ scandal during the Test. 

Potentially, Cricket is on fire and it needs to do more than fan the flames because the integrity of the game has been challenged. The experience that I, and thousands of others at Lord’s, had been lyricising about in the various bars around Lord’s, has been severely compromised by unfolding events.

Instead of the game being ‘‘on fire’’ metaphorically, it could be on fire literally, unless the authorities can deal effectively with the ‘fixers’ once and for all. Otherwise, the joys of watching the glorious uncertainty of the sport will be met with suspicion and cynicism at every turn. If one cannot look at the game through pure eyes, then the experience of watching Cricket is not what it could, or should be, and people will turn their eyes in other directions in favour of other sports and alternative entertainment.

If today’s news contribute to the unthinkable, and it is the ashes of modern Cricket’s credibility, the irony is that on the 29th August 1882, ‘the Ashes’ was born. On this day in 1882, it was the climax of one of the most famous Test matches in history. Set only 85 to win at The Oval, England were 51 for 2 before WG Grace was out. After that, Fred ‘The Demon’ Spofforth bowled Australia to an amazing win by seven runs, with 7 for 46 and 7 for 44, and a mock obituary of English Cricket was written in ‘The Sporting Times’ the following day.

To wake up this morning, and to read the shocking newspaper headlines, and see the News of the World’s expose on the subject acting as the supposed middle-man between the players and the ‘fixers’ has left me feeling very sad, but not completely surprised. Rumours circulated around the game about some of Pakistan’s cricket matches in Australia last winter which suggested that the under-performance of Pakistan was not just due to the quality of Australia’s cricket. Today’s news will add grist to that particular mill.

Whilst the matter is now in the hands of the Metropolitan Police at Scotland Yard, I imagine the official comment from Cricket will be ‘no comment’, but the game is in some strife as a consequence of today’s revelations, and will be in terminal decline if the authorities do not deal with this situation quickly and effectively.

In keeping with some of the finest players to have graced the game at Lord’s, Stuart used the full face of the bat to maximum effect throughout his wonderful innings. He played some breathtaking strokes which found the boundary with ease, and wrested the initiative from Pakistan’s bowlers in the process.

England’s cherub-faced opening bowler played like a proper middle order batsman, revealing the childhood batting ability which saw him open the batting for Oakham School, and Leicestershire’s age-group teams. He will return to the home dressing room tonight, safe in the knowledge that his name will soon be inscripted on the Lord’s Honours Board, amongst Hammond, Hutton, Compton, Cowdrey, Boycott, Gooch, Gower, Botham and other greats of English Cricket, who have also scored centuries at ‘The Home of Cricket’ for England.

Stuart’s presence on those famous boards will be a sense of great pride in their family, as father  Chris, never managed to achieve the distinction himself at Lord’s, despite scoring 6 Test centuries, including 3 in a row, during England’s successful Ashes Tour of 1986/7.  Today Stuart and Chris became the first father and son combination to have scored Test centuries for England.
More poignantly, today will be a special moment for a family in mourning, as Stuart lost his stepmother Miche, (Chris’ second wife) to motor neurone disease only a few weeks ago. On Tuesday, the Broad family hosted a special fund-raising dinner for the Motor Neurone Disease charity in The Long Room at Lord’s, which touched heaerts and raised important awareness of a terrible illness.

I imagine Stuart’s performance has touched many more hearts today, and has gone some way to assisting in the family’s healing process.
His century is the best performance (in terms of number of runs scored), by an England number nine batsman, surpassing Gubby Allen’s 122 v New Zealand, also at Lord’s in 1931, and only the third Test century scored by an England number nine.  He still has some way to go to beat the world record score by a number nine batsman, which is 173 by wicket-keeper Ian Smith for New Zealand versus India, in 1990.

Enland were in strife at 47-5 (with the unique event of England’s number 4,5, and 6 batsmen all making ‘ducks’), and 102-7,  but Broad and Trott have navigated their team away from disaster, and a potential match loss and a possible drawn Test Series, by mixing attacking instint with judicious strokeplay. Pakistan’s 18 year-old left-arm opening bowler Mohammed Amir took 6 England wickets to become the youngest ever player to be on the Lord’s Honours Boards, which record players scoring centuries or taking 5 wickets in an innings or ten wickets in a match in a Lord’s Test. Remarkably, some of the most famous names have been unable to write their names into Lord’s history, despite many attempts. They include Shane Warne, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar!

As Stuart Broad entered the arena at 102-7, he was probably focused on surviving his first ball and trying to build a small partnership with Jonathan Trott to avert disaster. To end the day on 125 not out and Trott on 149 not out as part of an undefeated partnership of 244, with England clsong in the ascendancy on 346-7 a few hours later.  As he reflects on his dream performance, he will never forget the 27th August for as long as he lives.

For good measure, when he looks at Cricket history, he will realise that his special day also co-incides with the birth of two others who have displayed a broad bat throughout their careers. Sir Donald Bradman (1908) and Mohammed Yousuf (1974). Yousuf is in the opposition at Lord’s today, and is best known for his world record-breaking year of 2006, when he scored 1788 runs with nine centuries in the calendar year to beat the great Sir Vivian Richards’ 30 year record, while Bradman’s feats and Test average of 99.94 speaks for itself.

To add further gloss to Stuart’s special day is that on the very same day in 1973, the greatest all-round cricketer ever, Sir Garry Sobers signed off his Test career at Lord’s with a century and a world record in Tests of 6 catches in an innings to go with his century (the last of his 26 Test centuries) which led to  huge win by an innings and 225 runs. His Lord’s performance was the most stylish of farewells to the iconic venue by the world’s best and most stylish cricketer.

Sir Garry finsihed with 8,032 Test runs at an average of 57.78, and also took 109 catches in his 93 Tests, to go with 235 Test wickets. 

In reality, Stuart Broad is only beginning his career at international level despite his success in England colours since his debut three years ago. He may evolve into a genuine all-rounder over time himself. If he continues to drive the ball through, and over the covers like he did today, and pull to the legside with a swivel off his back foot, he may draw further comparisons with the greatest cricketer who ever lived.

Tonight, I have been watching a CB Pro40 League match between Derbyshire and Middlesex. At the end of the match, former England batsman, Nick Knight, interviewed both Captains for Sky Sports Television, who were broadcasting the game live for satellite viewers.

Losing Captain Neil Dexter explained away his Middlesex team’s woes while the winning Captain from Derbyshire, Greg Smith, was suitably magnanimous in his post match comments. No problem there then…. Good content, very professional contributions….

However, more disconcertingly, both of these Captains of English County Cricket Clubs are from South Africa! The stand-out batting performance came from Derbyshire’s Wayne Madsen from Natal, South Africa!

This season, Derbyshire have also employed South African born Tim Groenewald, Garry Park, Robin Peterson as ‘Non-Overseas’ players as well as Loots Bosman from South Africa as an Overseas Player.

Meanwhile, as well as Captain Dexter from Durban, Middlesex had Dawid Malan (Cape Town), Gareth Berg (Cape Town), playing key roles in their team. Additionally, Middlesex had Pedro Collins (Barbados) and Tom Scollay (Australia) in their team. I may be out of step with the times, but what happened to English County Cricket?!

A quick look at some of the other teams and some of the stand-out performers and it reveals a Southern African dominance in key roles. Durham’s former Championship-winning Captain and top batsman Dale Benkenstein (from Durban); Essex all-rounders Ryan Ten Doeschate (from Cape Town) and Grant Flower (from Harare); Hampshire’s batsmen Michael Lumb, Neil McKenzie and wicket-keeper Nic Pothas (all hail from Johannesburg); Kent’s best batsman Martin van Jaarsveld (Pretoria); Lancashire’s opener Stephen Moore (Johannesburg); Leicestershire’s most successful bowler, the spinner Claude Henderson (Cape Town); Northamptonshire Captain Nicky Boje (Bloemfontein) and key all-rounder Andrew Hall (Johannesburg); Somerset’s Nick Compton (Durban), Alfonso Thomas (Cape Town), Craig Kieswetter (Cape Town), Charl Willoughby (Cape Town); Surrey opening bowlers Andre Nel (Johannesburg) Jade Dernbach (Johannesburg), Stuart Meaker (Durban); Sussex’s  leading batsman Murray Goodwin (Harare); Warwickshire’s England batsman Jonathan Trott (Cape Town) and leading all-rounder Neil Carter (Cape Town); and Yorkshire’s best batsman Jacques Rudolph (Pretoria) plus wicket-keeper Gerard Brophy (Welkom, Free State).

When one factors in, HD Ackermann (Cape Town) who dominated Leicestershire’s batting for the last six years and also captained the County; Kent all-rounders Justin Kemp (Port Elizabeth) and Ryan McLaren (Kimberley); plus a number of young players yet to dominate County teams, and one realizes how much the English County salary structures are being stretched to fund ‘non-English’ players.

In some cases, players have left South Africa as teenagers and come to England to make it their home, such as Somersewt’s Craig Kieswetter, or Surrey’s Stuart Meaker, or Somerset’s Nick Compton who have been through the English schooling system, and in the case of Compton and Meaker played for England Under 19’s. There are other similar examples of Andrew Strauss and Matt Prior who were born in South Africa, but moved over to England with their families and have been educated for the best part of their school days in the UK, and would regard themselves as 100% English, and would never consider playing as a ‘local’ player in South Africa, just because their formative years were spent in a country where their parents were employed.

My biggest concern is that so much of this evidence reveals what I perceive to be an unhealthy system in Cricket. It highlights that, (in the apparent opinion of their employers) despite significant investment, young English players are not proving to be superior players to the foreign imports.

Or is it that young English players are not being given the chance to grow into the opportunity?

Is the short-term thinking, and perceived needs of the County Clubs (to win trophies or avoid relegation), getting in the way of player development?  When the England team effectively underwrite the rest of the game financially, my question is: are too many of the 18 County Clubs serving their own needs rather than those of the long-term health of the England team?

The influence of Southern African players in England also reveals an unhealthy system in South Africa. Otherwise, why would the players migrate to the UK? Money is a big factor with a weak Rand versus a (relatively) strong Pound, but fundamentally, I suggest the situation is flawed.

I love South Africa, and I continue to enjoy the company and generous hospitality of South Africans on my regular visits there. I am also fortunate to enjoy a valued, quality of friendship, with some of the people I have listed above.

However, in my opinion, English Cricket needs to take a closer look at how the distribution of its’ wealth. It appears to be invested in an unhealthy system which, if not addressed, may turn English County Cricket into the English Premier League (Football) where the teams are effectively global franchises, and no longer represent the communities in which they reside, or the collective interests of English Football. Recently, we have seen what this has done to the performance of the England team at the FIFA World Cup. If the England Manager has to observe matches in the second tier of the domestic League to identify talent then England could become another Scotland at international level if they aren’t careful in managing the process of player development better.

If English Cricket is unable to find sufficient players of the requisite quality to fill its domestic teams, isn’t it time to look at the structure of County Cricket, and reduce the number of teams? I am a traditionalist and wouldn’t like to see this, but the way the circumstances are unfolding, suggest that such a measure would be a pragmatic and wise decision. If County Cricket is underpinned by the commercial success of the England eam, then it has to be geared to serving the neeeds of the England team, and improving the quality and number of players available to succeed in England colours.

If the County structure was funded according to players developed to play for England, I am sure this would concentrate minds on the top priority: building a sustainable structure in each County and region to underpin the future success of the England team. At present, the County Clubs appear to be like a Post Office who receive income and then distribute it to players in order to put a decent team onto the field, irrespective of where the players come from or their suitability to be an England player of the future.

If the aspect of ‘the business’ which generates the income to feed the game is England’s success, then I believe that everything else must be aligned to that vision..

A culling of Clubs funding and a new commitment to focus the resources on the Clubs and geographical areas which are producing quality young cricketers to play for England has to be the way forward if Cricket is to emerge leaner and more commercially viable beyond the current economic crisis.

In Division Two, Sussex’s dominance should see them promoted as Champions with either Glamorgan (possibly), Gloucestershire (probably) or Worcestershire joining them in Division One for 2011.

The gap between the two divisions widens every year with some teams like Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Derbyshire looking like pereennial members of the second tier of English cricket. Middlesex may become another if they don’t arrest the decline in their fortunes, having spent only four seasons in the top tier since the two-divisional Championship came into being in 2000. They have now been out of the top tier in each of the last four seasons. Surrey, one of the other iconic names of English County Cricket, appear doomed at the bottom of the second division for a second successive season. Despite huge investment in playing and coaching resources, and an enviable, annual turnover in excess of £20million, (which dwarfs all their rivals), they have been unable to arrest a decline in their playing fortunes for several years now.

Kent and Essex were promoted last season and may be relegated at the first time of asking – a fate which befell Worcestershire the year before and several other teams including Warwickshire recently. One of the difficulties facing relegated Clubs is the desire for players to want to play in Division One to enhance their England credentials. Unless a County is able to produce a conveyor belt of talent from their own development system, losing good players is not an option. The prospect of relegation looks increasingly like a potential ‘meltdown’ for certain clubs’ cricketing future, whatever their heritage.

New age Counties like Durham and Hampshire, have stolen a march over some their more famous rivals at a time when the landscape of Cricket is changing rapidly. For any Club stuck in a time warp, the consequences may be severe. Players demands are increasing financially and also from an achievement perspective. Players want to win trophies more than playing for a particular club and are prepared to move to chase the glory. The loyalty between players and clubs is a thing of the past and the sport is moving towards the footballing culture of a purely results-driven industry, with little job security for Coaches entrusted with player development. Twenty20 is playing a bigger role in a player’s career and the riches on offer from the Indian Premier League (IPL) are such that English players want to succeed in T20 Finals Day to market themselves for an IPL contract as much as they want to win the County Championship.

Kent's Vince Wells, Geraint Jones, Paul Carter, Darren Stevens, Joe Denly and John Shepherd at a London County Captains Golf Day

Kent are facing severe financial difficulty after three poor years commercially, and with it, the probability of losing several key players. It may be a long time before they return to the upper echeleons of County Cricket if they get relegated and lose the calibre of players needed to get them promoted again at the first attempt. It’s a sad reality of professional sport in 2010 that only those with the necessary financial muscle will be able to survive in an increasingly money-led world.

Relegation from Division One looks a likely proposition for Warwickshire and Essex, with Kent also looking precariously placed just above them presently. If reports are true, Yorkshire are among a number of other clubs facing financial difficulty too. It is a worrying time for many employed in Cricket, and for people who care about the County game.

Nottinghamshire will be regarded as Championship favorites, based on their experience of winning before, and the fact that Trent Bridge is a tough place for opponents to come and play well. The ball swings and seams, and Nottinghamshire have some very good bowlers aswell as some destructive batsmen who can change the course of a match in one session. 

Somerset, who have never won the County Championship in their 120-year history, have a pitch at Taunton which tends to produce drawn matches. This may prove to be their downfall plus a match away at Durham to finish the season which could be challenged by the weather.
Yorkshire have a talented young team but will probably have to do without seamers Ajmal Shahzad and Tim Bresnan who are likely to be involved in England’s upcoming ODI Series v Pakistan – an unfortunate case of a County being punished for producing home grown England players. However, it will offer other promising young cricketers from ‘the broad acres’ to stake a claim for a place in the first team and the chance to weave their name into the fabric of the Club’s history should they win the title.

At this stage of the season, the fixture list can play its part in the Championship pennant’s final destination. Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire have to play each other still, and any team due to play away to Lancashire may be thwarted by the rain as the season draws closer to autumn.

A fixture against one of the teams in freefall such as Warwickshire who have been unable to bat with any conviction at all this season may be a huge advantage as they may not have the collective resilience to put up too much resistance if they fall behind again in a match.

My money is on Nottinghamshire to win, but I have a sneaky feeling for one of my old clubs, Somerset, who appear to be playing some very good cricket at this critical stage of the season.

Indian spinner Murali Kartik’s performance will be key as they have two matches at Taunton, where seam bowlers traditionally find wicket-taking difficult. Somerset have the batting depth and firepower to score quickly, or chase down a target, with Captain Marcus Trescothick in prime form after his double century at Colchester against Essex last week, and James Hildreth looking a quality player too.

It would be wonderful to see Somerset break their Championship duck, and if they do, I am sure they will win it again and again like Sussex did after their first-ever success in 2003. Currently, only Somerset and Northamptonshire have been unable to be crowned County Champions, despite over 100 attempts each.

Somerset have an excellent infra-structure (on and off the field) built by Director of Cricket Brian Rose looks capable of under-pinning future success. They have some very talented young players like James Hildreth and Craig Kieswetter plus Jos Buttler and Arul Suppiah, all of whom will have realistic aspirations of succeeding at international level in due course, and a superb ground development to be proud of. Their crowds are amongst the best, both in terms of numbers, and loyal, vocal support.

Most  importantly, Somerset are well led. Brian Rose and Chairman of Cricket Vic Marks guide the Cricket policy and strategy, while Coach Andy Hurry and Captain Marcus Trescothick lead the way on a day to day basis on the field. Trescothick is passionate about Cricket, and Somerset in particular. To be the Club’s first-ever Captain to lift the Championship trophy will be a treasured moment in a stellar career for the popular left-handed opening batsman, and a fitting tribute to one of Somerset’s favorite sons. If they can win it, Australian legend, Justin Langer, deserves his share of the credit in turning Somerset’s fortunes around when he joined the County as Captain four years ago, and instilled a greater professionalism in the team’s approach.

Somerset has had some of the game’s greatest overseas players from Greg Chappell, Vivian Richards, Joel Garner, Sunil Gavaskar, Martin Crowe, Steve Waugh, Jimmy Cook, Mushtaq Ahmed, Jamie Cox, Ricky Ponting, Graeme Smith, and Justin Langer. None has been able to become Championship winner though. Can Murali Kartik write his name indelibly in the history of Somerset Cricket folklore?

If the good weather continues, and some more fascinating Cricket gets played, it can provide a wonderful climax to a Cricket season which has attracted much criticism for its convoluted schedule. However, a superb  T20 Finals Day, and a thrilling County Championship run in, can silence the critics and keep Cricket lovers’ hearts warm throughout another forthcoming winter.

Can Somerset do it?   I hope so…