Graham Napier yesterday played an innings that could prove significant beyond
simply putting this Friends Provident Trophy semi-final out of Yorkshire’s
reach and Essex into their first Lord’s final in 11 years where they will
meet Kent on August 16.
Napier’s rousing innings of 61 from 34 balls, with six sixes, hoisted Essex’s
score to a formidable 285 for eight, which even on Chelmsford’s sublime
batting surface represented a stiff target, but also further elevated his
own profile at just the right time following his record-breaking 152 from 58
balls on this same ground 12 days ago.
Tomorrow Essex meet Northamptonshire in the quarter-finals of the Twenty20 Cup
and if – as rumoured – there are indeed scouts from the Indian Premier
League in attendance, Napier may be just one more six-fest away from a first
big-money contract at the age of 28.
He should have no qualms about making himself available for the whole of the
next IPL season because Essex have steadfastly left him out of their
championship side all season, even after his astonishing blitz against
Sussex (he spent last week in the second XI).
It would be hard for Essex to refuse to release him from the early weeks of
the 2009 season to play in India, if indeed Napier chooses to stay at the
county. He says he must play four-day cricket if he is to hope to gain
England recognition and he should not be short of offers come the autumn.
However, he could become the first county cricketer to specialise in
limited-overs cricket around the world.
Napier batted No 3 when he hit his world record 16 sixes against Sussex. Here
he came in at No 5 in the 39th over with Essex 180 for three and hon-ours
fairly even between the sides. Alastair Cook had just been run out for 95,
and moments later Ravi Bopara fell for 37, neither innings coming at the
liveliest of rates.
Something special from Napier was needed and he duly delivered. He says the
key to the Sussex massacre was that he played himself in first.
Here he waited until his eighth ball before opening up, drilling a ball from
Matthew Hoggard back over the bowler’s head and out of the ground. Hoggard
suffered the same indignity in his next over: another garden rearranged,
another ball lost.
Ably supported by Grant Flower, with a breezy 21 from 15 balls, Napier was
instrumental in the last 10 overs adding 101 and the last five 63.
His other sixes came off Richard Pyrah (two), Tim Bresnan and Darren Gough,
who went wicketless as he chased the dream of a Lord’s final in his last
season. The pick of the Yorkshire bowlers was Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, returning
to the side after six weeks out with hamstring trouble.
What was striking was the height Napier got on his big hits: evidence of a bat
with a low “middle” and a bot-tom-handed technique. All his sixes went
straight or over long on. Critics might argue that he ought to have been
sent in at No 3 but that would necessitate a different approach and when
Lance Klusener was in his pomp he rarely went in earlier than the 35th over.
Napier's failure to blossom since winning the Under19 World Cup with England
in 1998 owes much to his bowling. He took the new ball with David Masters
but was unable to make a breakthrough and although Masters removed Adam Lyth
in his first spell Yorkshire were handily placed at 89 for one after 20
overs, compared to Essex’s 82 for two at the same stage.
The test for Yorkshire was that they had been involved in fewer high-scoring
games in this competition than Essex. It showed. Moreover, the pitch was
offering turn and Essex had three spinners. While An-thony McGrath and
Andrew Gale were putting on 84, Yorkshire stayed in the game but when Danish
Kaneria and Ryan ten Doeschate joined forces scoring slowed to a near-halt.
One reason Napier had lost his championship place was that Ten Doeschate and
Bopara have improved as allrounders and they proved their worth as Essex put
on the squeeze.
It was telling that on such a bland pitch it should be two Pakistanis –
Naved-ul-Hasan and Kaneria – and a South African, Ten Doeschate, who proved
most effective. McGrath lashed out at Kaneria and was caught at the fourth
attempt by Ten Doeschate, who then claimed three quick wickets as Yorkshire
collapsed in a heap as they attempted to keep up with the spiralling rate.
In the end, the margin brooked no argument, 87 runs. Andrew Strauss was
dismissed for 29 but an unbeaten hundred from Eoin Morgan and 67 from Dawid
Malan helped Middlesex reach 311 for five on the second day of the tour
match at Uxbridge after South Africa declared at 359 for five.
The England batsman, to play his 50th Test this week at Lord’s, timed his
drives and flicks well enough to collect five fours – and have a six
prevented only by the ball striking umpire Michael Gough on his wrist at
square leg – before he was taken down the leg side in Morne Morkel’s second
over.
Morgan made his first century for Middlesex at almost a run-a-ball with 17
fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 109, during which he took readily to
the spin of Paul Harris and Hashim Amla and was confident enough to reverse
sweep.
Scoreboard
(Chelmsford, Essex won toss): Essex beat Yorkshire by 87 runs
Essex
J E R Gallian run out 28
A N Cook run out 95
*M L Pettini c Lyth b Naved-ul-Hasan 12
R S Bopara c Brophy b Naved-ul-Hasan 37
G R Napier c McGrath b Bresnan 61
†J S Foster c Brophy b Pyrah 10
R N ten Doeschate c McGrath b Pyrah 1
G W Flower c Lyth b Bresnan 21
J D Middlebrook not out 7
D D Masters not out 3
Extras (lb 2, w 8) 10
Total (8 wkts, 50 overs) 285
Did not bat: Danish Kaneria
Fall: 1-61, 2-82, 3-180, 4-182, 5-208, 6-216, 7-270, 8-274
Bowling: Hoggard 6-0-41-0; Bresnan 10-0-58-2; Gough 10-0-56-0;
Naved-ul-Hasan 10-1-41-2; Pyrah 8-0-52-2; Rashid 6-0350
Yorkshire
A W Gale run out 64
A Lyth lbw b Masters 21
A McGrath c ten Doeschate b Danish Kaneria 53
J A Rudolph b ten Doeschate 5
†G L Brophy lbw b ten Doeschate 0
A U Rashid c Foster b ten Doeschate 0
T T Bresnan lbw b Bopara 8
R M Pyrah st Foster b Danish Kaneria 13
Naved-ul-Hasan c ten Doeschate b Bopara 13
*D Gough lbw b Danish Kaneria 1
M J Hoggard not out 1
Extras (lb 6, w 13) 19
Total (42.5 overs) 198
Fall: 1-56, 2-140, 3-152, 4-152, 5-152, 6-155, 7-173, 8-189, 9-197
Bowling: Masters 9-0-38-1; Napier 6-0-30-0; Bopara 7-0-32-2;
Middlebrook 5-0-30-0; Danish Kaneria 8.5-0-32-3; ten Doeschate 7-0303
Umpires: P J Hartley and N J Llong
