County Championship 2010: Signings suggest success is likely at Somerset

County Cricket / Paul Moon / 25 March 2010 / 1 Comments

New captain Tresco is looking forward to the new season at Somerset

"Somerset's chances of success in the Twenty20 competition have dramatically improved with the news that explosive West Indian Kieron Pollard and Australia all-rounder Cameron White joins Murali Kartik as three of the four overseas players allowed for the domestic competition."

Marcus Trescothick's captaincy can herald a new era of success at Somerset, says Paul Moon

Captain Will Smith and Durham are bullish about their chances of winning a third successive County Championship title despite the impending absence of the county's England players. Should they do so they will become the first county to win a hat-trick of titles since Yorkshire between 1966-68. Latest Betfair prices show: Durham [2.98], Hampshire [7.0], Nottinghamshire [7.4], Kent [8.6], Lancashire [11.0], Somerset [11.0], Warwickshire [15.5], Essex [16.0],Yorkshire [20.0].

Despite the odds, the team most likely to foil them could be Somerset They have been extremely busy during the close season and have decided on a new radical approach. The biggest news from Taunton is that the old docile strip has been ripped up and a newer bowler- and result-friendly one has been laid. Head groundsman Phil Frost has been made redundant after 22 years and this might not be coincidental. No one can be sure of the nature of the changed wicket and we might have to wait until the sun beats on it to formulate an opinion but rest assured a change has taken place.

Marcus Trescothick replaces Australian Justin Langer as captain this year. Initially the departure of Langer appears as a huge loss but on closer inspection less so. It would not surprise anyone in the Cider County should Trescothick surpass the achievements of his predecessor. He has been associated with the club for 17 years since his school days and he is Somerset to the core. He is not just the archetypal clubman he is the biggest thinker in the game and has his own ideas on how to win matches and achieve success. At training this week Trescothick has been busy imparting his ideas and values to the side.

With the absence of Langer the batting was strengthened with the signing of the grandson of Denis Compton, former Middlesex man Nick Compton, born in South Africa but England qualified will bat in the top three.

But perhaps the signing of 33-year-old slow left-armer Murali Kartik as their overseas player for next season was more important. He has made eight Test appearances and 37 one-day games for India. He is a cricketer who guarantees a county 50 wickets in a season even on slower wickets and adds depth to the bowling attack. If the experiment with the flat Taunton wicket fails his wealth of experience on slow wickets will be invaluable!

Other new faces have been brought in to add an extra dimension. The chances of success in the Twenty20 competition have dramatically improved with the news that explosive West Indian Kieron Pollard and Australia all-rounder Cameron White joins Kartik as three of the four overseas players allowed for the domestic competition.

Director of Cricket Brian Rose was purring with delight when saying: "With Kieron in the side along with the likes of Cameron, Marcus Trescothick, Craig Kieswetter and Peter Trego, we had better order a bigger supply of cricket balls."

Further good news for the county came when Ricky Ponting expressed a burning desire to play for Somerset again. He had a short stint in 2004 where he averaged 99.0 in four first-class innings including two centuries. Originally he was determined to captain an Ashes-winning side in England before he retires but recently there has been hints that he may go sooner!

So as Somerset go into the new 2010 season they appear upwardly mobile and if they can secure the services of an overseas seamer/fast bowler the squad will have a complete look about it. With good young players waiting in the wings the the signs are good that the county can win a trophy this year.

Comments (1)

1. Haroon RAza | 06 December 2010

   Dear Sir!
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   I am waiting for your reply.