AT 10AM, India and Pakistan will begin a series for which the biggest cricket trophy made will be awarded. The Friendship Cricket Cup is 45in high, weighs 45kg and is studded with diamonds. Whether Rahul Dravid or Inzamam-ul-Haq has to pick it up, expect to read soon about an international captain having to retire with strained arm muscles. The day begins with a laser show and ends with fireworks.
An hour later at Old Trafford, the captains of Lancashire and Hampshire will start the quest for a more illustrious title, but with less of a fanfare. Never mind fireworks, they’ll be lucky to get a full day’s play; the only cups will be filled with hot tea and maybe studded with HobNobs.
County cricket may be unglamorous but it is the bedrock of the nation’s summer sport. Without these early-season freezing fixtures, there would be no Andrew Flintoff, no Ashes and no opportunity to smile smugly at Australians. From Old Trafford, and continuing at Trent Bridge, Canterbury and Hove tomorrow, the journey towards the defence of the Ashes has begun.
The 2006 season has already had highlights: the initial first-class hundred, by Ian Westwood, the 23-year-old Warwickshire batsman, against Cambridge UCCE, and a compelling contender for the Walter Lawrence Trophy for the fastest hundred from Mark Ealham, thrashed off 45 balls for Nottinghamshire against MCC.
One man on the way up, the other on the way down. Neither will be on the plane to Australia this winter, not unless the spate of injuries and illnesses that afflicted England in India turns into something biblical this summer, but the beauty of the county championship is that it makes instant heroes out of the most surprising characters.
Who would have expected Shaun Udal to shine for England at the age of 37? Or Alastair Cook, his chin barely needing a shave, to make a hundred on debut? Or Owais Shah, for so long overlooked, to get his chance and seize it? Those were winter success stories brewed in the county championship.
Last season belonged to Nottinghamshire. Three years ago, the heroes were at Hove when the unlikely names of Richard Montgomerie and Robin Martin-Jenkins succeeded where Ranjitsinhji and C. B. Fry couldn’t and won Sussex their first title.
Who will be the heroes this year? Perhaps our First XI guide on these pages can help you to spot them.
What the bookmakers think (best prices available to win the division yesterday)
Hampshire: 9-2
Lancashire: 5-1
Warwickshire: 13-2
Nottinghamshire: 13-2
Middlesex: 10-1
Kent: 10-1
Sussex: 12-1
Yorkshire: 12-1
Durham: 20-1
PATRICK KIDD
DURHAM
1. Who is the captain?
Dale Benkenstein, a “calming presence” in the dressing-room, according to Martyn Moxon, the coach
2. Who are the overseas players?
Jimmy Maher, who scored 223 in the Pura Cup final last month against a Victoria side including Mick Lewis, Durham’s other overseas player. That completed a bad couple of weeks for Lewis, who had analyses of nought for 113 for Australia against South Africa and one for 156 against Queensland
3. Who has arrived?
Ottis Gibson (Leics), Lewis, Maher, Garry Park
4. Who has left?
Gavin Hamilton (Scotland), Michael Hussey (Australia), Nicky Peng (Glamorgan), Andrew Pratt
5. What’s their nickname?
Dynamos. It’s a bit more sparky than Dominoes
6. How did they do last season?
Their best season, promotion in both the championship and the totesport League
7. What are their prospects?
Victims of their own success as last year’s leading lights have begun to shine on the international stage. Hussey will be missed for his leadership as much as his runs and much will depend on how often Paul Collingwood and Liam Plunkett are required by England
8. What are their strengths?
If Plunkett, Lewis and Mark Davies are in harness, their pace attack will be a handful at the seam-friendly Riverside. On the odd occasion that Stephen Harmison plays, it will be the best in the country
9. What are their weaknesses?
The batting could be over-reliant on Maher, especially if Collingwood retains his Test place
10. Remember the heroes
From 1976 to 1982, Durham went 65 matches unbeaten, still a Minor Counties record. One fifth of that would do nicely this season
11. One to watch.
Gary Pratt: out to prove that he is more than a super sub
JOHN WESTERBY
HAMPSHIRE
1. Who is the captain?
Shane Warne. No explanation needed save to say that he is one overseas player any team would want and worth a large salary. So attached to the county, it has become his prime residence
2. Who are the overseas players?
Warne and Dominic Thornely, a batsman, medium-pace bowler and brilliant fielder from New South Wales who appeared briefly for Surrey last year and scored 154 runs in two innings
3. Who has arrived?
David Balcombe, Michael Carberry (Kent), Richard Morris, Thornely
4. Who has left?
Derek Kenway, Alan Mullally, Lawrence Prittipaul
5. What’s their nickname?
The Hawks, soaring over the Meon Valley and swooping down over the opposition at the Rose Bowl
6. How did they do last season?
Came second in this division in the championship and were relegated in the totesport League but won the C&G Trophy
7. What are their prospects?
Will challenge strongly for the league title and are likely to do well again in the C&G Trophy
8. What are their strengths?
Warne and Kevin Pietersen (when available) are awesome, but they also have a good stable of improving young players and pitches on a much-criticised square
9. What are their weaknesses?
Warne might suffer from a surfeit of international cricket, Pietersen will play infrequently, Chris Tremlett’s body is ever fragile
10. Remember the heroes
Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie, who died last month and who led Hampshire to their first championship in 1961. He was President at the time of his death and his positive attitude impressed all the players, including Warne
11. One to watch.
James Bruce, a fast bowler who spent part of the winter at Paul Terry’s academy in Australia
IVO TENNANT
KENT
1. Who is the captain?
Robert Key, the forgotten man of the England team. The extra responsibility could help him to win back his place
2. Who are the overseas players?
A pair of South Africa all-rounders in Andrew Hall and Justin Kemp, both of whom are ideally suited to one-day cricket and who performed well last year. Kemp should slaughter most Twenty20 attacks
3. Who has arrived?
No one
4. Who has left?
Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Alamgir Sheriyar (Leicestershire)
5. What’s their nickname?
The Spitfires: the Battle of Britain over the Garden of England and all that
6. How did they do last season?
Mid-table in the championship first division after challenging earlier in the season. Bottom but one of the one-day league and very limited in the limited-overs cups
7. What are their prospects?
Will again be up there in the championship and should finish third or fourth. Will challenge for promotion in the Pro40 league
8. What are their strengths?
The batting, with Key, Martin van Jaarsveld and Darren Stevens to the fore, is capable of running up large first-innings totals
9. What are their weaknesses?
Their one-day performances are simply not good enough at present and their quicker bowlers tend to be injury-prone
10. Remember the heroes
The sides of the 1960s and 1970s, which included four world-class cricketers and numerous others who played Test cricket, will probably never be matched again. But they remain the yardstick for their successors
11. One to watch.
Sam Northeast, a talented 16-year-old batsman who will become the second youngest player in Kent’s history if, as expected, he makes his debut this summer
IVO TENNANT
LANCASHIRE
1. Who is the captain?
Mark Chilton, a dependable batsman and a consensual captain in his second season in the job
2. Who are the overseas players?
Brad Hodge, who had a mediocre first season, is the lone overseas signing after Andrew Symonds declined the offer of a full season
3. Who has arrived?
Karl Brown, Luke Sutton (Derbyshire)
4. Who has left?
Steven Crook, Warren Hegg, Muttiah Muralitharan, Tim Rees, Symonds
5. What’s their nickname?
The Lightning, brightening the gloom at Old Trafford with a dazzling strike-rate
6. How did they do last season?
Won the second division of the championship, but that was nothing more than was expected. Yet again almost won the one-day trophies, losing in the semi-final of the C&G Trophy and the final of the Twenty20 Cup
7. What are their prospects?
The expectations will still be there, but last season they did not look like a side on the verge of great things. Mid-table, at best
8. What are their strengths?
The batting line-up still looks, on paper, like one of the strongest around, especially if Chilton and Iain Sutcliffe, the openers, can protect Hodge, Stuart Law and Mal Loye from the new ball
9. What are their weaknesses?
Age. Has their time come and gone? Law is 37, Dominic Cork almost 35. But Nottinghamshire won the title with an ageing team last season
10. Remember the heroes
That championship-winning side of 1934 still casts a shadow over the modern generation (O my Tyldesley and my Paynter long ago!). It is extraordinary such a big club has not won the title since
11. One to watch.
Sajid Mahmood, the fast bowler, faces a crucial season after taking 11 championship wickets last year
JOHN WESTERBY
MIDDLESEX
1. Who is the captain?
Ben Hutton. Son of Richard, grandson of Sir Len, but very much his own man. Determined to improve on a difficult first season in charge
2. Who are the overseas players?
Johann Louw, the South African fast-medium bowler who made a big impression in two seasons with Northamptonshire, and Scott Styris, the New Zealand all-rounder
3. Who has arrived?
Mohammad Ali, Louw (Northamptonshire), Chris Silverwood (Yorkshire)
4. Who has left?
Nantie Hayward, Paul Hutchison, Peter Trego (Somerset)
5. What’s their nickname?
The Crusaders after the famous seaxes on their badge, but not quite sharp enough to win the league title last season
6. How did they do last season?
Sixth in this division in the championship and second to Essex in the first division of the one-day league
7. What are their prospects?
Should finish high up in the championship, maybe third, and likewise in the Pro40 League. Can expect a run in the knockout cups, if not a trophy
8. What are their strengths?
The depth of their batting will give them a chance in all competitions. Hutton, Ed Joyce, below, and Ed Smith can each score more than 1,000 runs
9. What are their weaknesses?
Lack of a match-winning spinner. They need Jamie Dalrymple and Chris Peploe to fulfil their potential — unless John Emburey, now the director of cricket, makes a comeback
10. Remember the heroes
They will never live up to the legend of Compton and Edrich (the golden summer of 1947 and all that) but they could emulate the championship-winning side of 1993
11. One to watch.
Eoin Morgan, like Joyce another talented left-hander from Dublin
PAT GIBSON
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
1. Who is the captain?
Stephen Fleming, when he gets back from masterminding a Test series against South Africa
2. Who are the overseas players?
Chris Cairns returns for a valedictory game or two before Fleming, his New Zealand captain, takes up a post. David Hussey, the Australian batsman, tries to live up to his brother Michael’s rapidly growing reputation
3. Who has arrived?
No one
4. Who has left?
Richard Hodgkinson, Younis Khan
5. What’s their nickname?
The Outlaws, leeching off the Robin Hood legend rather than Nottingham’s horrendous gun-crime record. Don’t expect too much giving away of points to the needy at Trent Bridge, though
6. How did they do last season?
Winners of the championship for the first time since 1987. Fifth in the first division of the one-day league
7. What are their prospects?
Going to push hard for a repeat triumph. Showed their grit under pressure against MCC on Sunday. Will probably be mid-table in the first division of the Pro40 League
8. What are their strengths?
Team spirit. Any side that can tell Kevin Pietersen to sling his hook and then win the championship must be more than the sum of its parts. Return of Charlie Shreck, the fast bowler, is a boost
9. What are their weaknesses?
Not great in the spin-bowling department, especially if Graeme Swann were to get injured
10. Remember the heroes
To Larwood and Voce in the 1930s and Rice and Hadlee in the 1970s and 1980s, can we start to add some of the 2005 heroes, such as Fleming and Gallian?
11. One to watch.
Chris Read is still believed to be the best wicketkeeper in the country and his burgeoning batting skills will put immense pressure on the embattled Geraint Jones
PATRICK KIDD
SUSSEX
1. Who is the captain?
Chris Adams, the dynamic leader who took them to their first championship in 164 years in 2003, would dearly love to do so again
2. Who are the overseas players?
Mushtaq Ahmed, the enduring Pakistan leg spinner who has taken 277 wickets in three seasons at Hove, and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, below, the Pakistan fast-medium bowler who took 54 wickets in nine championship matches last season
3. Who has arrived?
Andrew Hodd (Surrey), Tim Linley, Ollie Rayner, Duncan Spencer
4. Who has left?
Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire), Mark Davis (now coaching alongside Mark Robinson), Ian Ward
5. What’s their nickname?
Sharks was a bit of a misnomer until they showed their teeth in the one-day league second division last season
6. How did they do last season?
Rallied at the end of the year to earn third spot in the championship and won the second division of the one-day league. Reached the quarter-finals of the C&G Trophy
7. What are their prospects?
Will be solidly mid-table in both of the leagues and will fall a couple of hurdles out in the one-day cups
8. What are their strengths?
The ability to bowl out sides, especially if Rana carries on the way he left off last season
9. What are their weaknesses?
They have the smallest squad in the championship (18 full-time players), which makes them vulnerable if there are injuries to key players
10. Remember the heroes
The county’s history is spattered with great names from Ranjitsinhji and C. B. Fry to Ted Dexter and John Snow but they never won the championship like most of the present players did
11. One to watch.
Mushtaq, as enthusiastic as ever at 35 and worth paying the entrance fee for every time
PAT GIBSON
WARWICKSHIRE
1. Who is the captain?
Heath Streak. The Zimbabwean, an experienced leader with an easy-going nature, was an imaginative choice to replace Nick Knight and could prove a shrewd one if he stays fit
2. Who are the overseas players?
Streak, an inspirational all-rounder in both forms of the game, and Daniel Vettori, a top-class left-arm spinner who also bats usefully. The New Zealand player is joined by a Kiwi great in Mark Greatbatch, the new coach
3. Who has arrived?
Tim Ambrose (Sussex), Lee Daggett, Tim Groenewald, Nick James, Navdeep Poonia, Vettori, above
4. Who has left?
Keith Piper, Trevor Penney, Tom Mees, Dewald Pretorius, Makhaya Ntini
5. What’s their nickname?
The Bears, after the county symbol. Prone to grizzling
6. How did they do last season?
Decent showing in the championship (fourth), gained promotion in the one-day league and lost in the C&G Trophy final
7. What are their prospects?
They have a good enough squad to challenge in all four competitions
8. What are their strengths?
Strong batting with lots of all-rounders. Plenty of potential match-winning bowlers in a well-balanced attack
9. What are their weaknesses?
Over-dependence on Knight, the only player to pass 1,000 runs last season. Bowlers are injury-prone, with most the wrong side of 30. None have genuine pace.
10. Remember the heroes
1994 will for ever remain the club’s most glorious year. Brian Lara scored a shedload of runs, although a remarkable team effort brought three trophies and a runners-up medal in the NatWest final
11. One to watch.
Alex Loudon was almost anonymous in Pakistan but he will get further chances to state his case as an England all-rounder
GEOFFREY DEAN
YORKSHIRE
1. Who is the captain?
Craig White, who will lean heavily on Darren Lehmann, his brother-in-law. Surprisingly, given White’s injury record, there is no nominated vice-captain
2. Who are the overseas players?
Lehmann, 36, was the leading batsman in Australian domestic cricket this winter, averaging 89 in the Pura Cup. Jason Gillespie, his team-mate with South Australia and now Yorkshire, has much to prove to English crowds after the barracking he got last summer
3. Who has arrived?
Gerard Brophy (Northamptonshire), Christopher Gilbert, Gillespie, below, Ajmal Shahzad
4. Who has left?
Ismail Dawood, Ian Harvey (Gloucs), Phil Jaques (Worcs), David Lucas, Chris Silverwood (Middlesex)
5. What’s their nickname?
Yorkshire Phoenix, but having risen last season will they turn to ashes?
6. How did they do last season?
Promotion in the championship just about rescued an indifferent season. A semi-final place in the C & G Trophy did not mask their otherwise woeful one-day form
7. What are their prospects?
Yorkshire would never admit as much, but just staying in the first division would probably be a satisfactory achievement
8. What are their strengths?
They were a hard side to beat last year, losing only once in the championship, with plenty of depth to the batting
9. What are their weaknesses?
An injury to one of the senior seam bowlers would leave a gaping hole.
10. Remember the heroes
It is 100 years since George Hirst achieved his unique feat of the “double double”: in 1906, he scored 2,385 runs (average 45.86) and took 208 wickets 16.50) in the championship
11. One to watch.
Tim Bresnan: he will not score 2,000 runs or take 200 wickets, but much is expected of the 21-year-old all-rounder
JOHN WESTERBY
