Cricket Collective - Has The Hundred Auction Made The Competition Any Better?

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You're listening to following on with me and Neil Manthup along with former England fast

bowlers, Steve Harnesson.

Well, the richest auction in professional sport in England has taken place this week and

we'll discuss some of the big stories out of the hundred and we'll get the thoughts

of ESPN Crick Infos assistant editor Matt Roller, who was all over the subject.

But first, Tommy, let's deal with the headlines.

James Coles, obviously top of the list, £390,000.

Jacob Bethel, £340,000, or Captain Birmingham Phoenix, he was pre-signed, of course.

We're looking at the big numbers.

I do find that so many of the smaller numbers provide the bigger stories.

You look at some of the guys who are making £80,000, £70,000, they're all equally fascinating.

But let's begin with one of your favourite topics.

Zach Crawley, our producer, Scott Taylor, produced a long, long list of very big names

who are earning a lot less than Zach Crawley's £180,000, who went to Sunrise's Leeds £180,000.

Zach Crawley, not a T20 specialist.

There was a few.

Matt Roller is going to come on and give us his view in it and he was across it a lot

more than I was.

I sat and watched it for about 50 minutes, to be honest.

I mean, 10 in the morning, till three in the afternoon, I think it was on TV, the auction.

I think I got bored after the third auction, auction player.

Nothing made sense.

I really looked at it and I looked at all the players and I got the long list when it was done.

And you put them in categories and I'm going, there's no continuity of what makes sense

and what the high player, the sort of the big market players go for and the licking market.

Yeah.

No, it wasn't even sort of even the overseas players were on the financial point of view.

And we are right to highlight the one that somebody says something in Whiteball cricket

for Zach Crawley because England took him to New Zealand before the Ashes and didn't

play him.

England took him to Sri Lanka after the Ashes, played him once, never seen him again.

And I mean, I love Zach.

He's a great kid and I really want him to do well in Test Match cricket.

I just keep thinking we're setting it up for a fall.

We've given him opportunity after opportunity after opportunity.

We setting him up for a fall is supposed to, let's keep it quiet, go and play six games

for Kent.

Get to us 300s, get yourself in a position to be ready for the start of the summer against

New Zealand, go score some runs and then all of a sudden let's talk about Zach Crawley

and a positive.

It really started to get me down a little bit because largely down the fact that I know

the board personally and they could not to wish to meet a nicer person, a nicer human

being than Zach Crawley.

But somebody keeps setting him up for a fall and it really annoys me a little bit.

So I'm not bothered about the money situation or anything like that.

But we seem to be looking to put him in such a place where he's either not ready for

or potentially not good enough for a lot or not got the confidence from what he's done

before to get him in a position or he's simply not good enough for.

And again, you look at the next list of the names, the likes of Storinus, Paul Rand,

I've felt what Finn Allen did, Ratchet and Revindra, I mean lucky Ferguson's a fast

baller.

Johnny Berser.

Rashid Khan.

Rashid Khan.

Tristan Sturves, David Miller.

All these players have gone for less than £180,000 and Zach goes for £180,000.

So there was a lot in that auction.

I did not see any kind of new attorney, any reasons why people went for what prices and

pleased for the boys.

A whole lot of them.

I mean, I've talked about money in generations, what we made before and the one before that

and the one before that I was always, it was all, you always sort of got better with each

TV deal that coming.

It's correct that the money's in the game now.

My big question about this whole auction thing is, what is convincing me, that's convincing

Andy Flowers, somebody who I totally respect and I think the world of, that he could sit

there two weeks ago and say, this is going to be a great, great tournament.

This is going to be a great competition.

When we have it, we play a competition once in, once in 12 months for a month.

We don't, nobody else around the world plays it.

We don't really understand that format of it and we've injected $500 million to go from

James Coles who got 31,000 last year for Southern Bridge to now, £390,000 off the back

of an academy trip on a tour or a Lions tour to Australia and has he become a £300,000

better player, working with Andrew Finns off for the last six months, what is, why is

this tournament going to get me off my feet, get me off my soapbox to stop criticizing

what it is until it goes to a T20 competition.

That's my only concern about this and that auction actually made me feel worse about

the competition than actually felt better about the competition when I did months ago when

there was a lot of money injected into English cricket.

I don't know if you remember, but when we started this programme, Sussex were rebuilding

on the field and James Coles was making his championship debut and he hadn't taken his

GCSEs and here he is at the age of 21 earning £300,000.

It seems to me that, in some cases, players have been bought on the basis that we might

be able to turn them into a good player, like Gus Ackinson, like top, top, top, test match

player, has a very modest record in T20 and I reckon there's, well we've got a bit

of money left over, let's buy Gus for £70,000 and see if we can help him to develop a slower

goal.

Yeah, I mean, I'm not focusing the same position as unfortunate Ack, they're test match

players and to be fair, of course, it came into the test match arena off the back of

Whiteball games and now it seems as always Whiteball struggled off the back of being a test match

line in Lensbowler.

So again, have they gone for, well we'll let's buy an England player because the other

image of an England player and our team looks good.

I hope the Coles one, I really do, from the bottom of my heart, hope that this works for

the young man.

I hope he goes like that because that's a lot of money on the head of a young player

who has just had a decent six months with S820 and Lions and if there's a bit of pressure

that comes on in the middle of this summer because at the end of the day, if you're gone

for £390,000 and you've just had a very, very good S820 and a good Lions trip, you should

be knocking on Brendan McCulloughman rubbed his door to say, why am I not playing for England

against India in the one-deers or the T20s or why am I not playing against Sri Lanka in

the one-deers in the T20s come the end and that hopefully is the next step for GM's Coles.

Right, we're going to carry on dissecting and having a look at the 100 auction and how

the competition is shaping up with somebody who studies it a little more closely than

me and Harmie and actually does know really what he's talking about and that of course

is Matt Roller, assistant editor at ESPN Crickin for, Matt, you've been writing some brilliant

stuff about the auction, I mean it's fair to say that Harmie and I are not alone in

being bewildered by quite a lot of it.

Give us your opening gambit, I mean before we ask you specific questions, obviously the

James Cole's story is truly extraordinary but there's at least 50 extraordinary stories

as far as I can tell.

Yeah, I mean there's a hell of a lot of money being thrown around at this auction and there's

some sort of interesting conclusions I suppose in terms of where it's been spent,

how it's been spent and why that is how it's worked out.

I think this sort of general assumption would probably have been when a lot of money comes

into a competition and when salary caps go up a long way that the main increases and the

main beneficiaries would be overseas players and the main idea would be to try and attract

the best players in the world to the hundred.

I don't necessarily think that there's been a sort of massive jump from last year in terms

of the quality of overseas players, I think it's been pretty strong for both last season

and this season looking into the auction but where there has been a massive obvious uptick

some of the money that good county players are getting rather than necessarily top international

overseas players, so Cole's as the obvious example.

I think he was on 31 grand at Southern Brave last year, he's obviously had a breakout winter

and has ended up getting rich beyond his dreams really from this one day of bidding.

It was a surprise of sorts to me that the level that he went but I did expect that there was

going to be demand for him and I think this is one of the weird things that auctions end up

producing rather than drafts which is that because there are certain players who have seen

to have very valuable skill sets and very rare skill sets that teams want to build around.

They end up spending a lot of money on players on a select handful of players and then filling

out their squads elsewhere. You see London spirit for example have five players out of 14 on

31,000 pounds and they have Cole's who's up there on 390,000 Livingston who they'd pre-sign on

350,000 and it does lend itself to those extreme results and I think to be honest the best way to

understand that or to understand how that happens is that when the teams are at the auction table

they're not really thinking about this in terms of the money and the salaries that they're paying

to individual players. They're all spending the same total number really on wages so there's not

a huge difference in terms of you know we have to pay this guy more so we can do something else

here. It's more about sort of almost like chips or tokens that you're putting in to try and make

sure that you're beating someone else set. The repercussions are obviously very very good for players

because someone like James Cole's you know because of the fact that he has this rare skill set being

able to bat on the top five and bowl pretty good left arm spin means that he's highly rewarded

whereas you know a right handed opening batter who doesn't bowl and doesn't keep wick it is going

to get far less because there are way more of those but yeah it's it is a very strange thing and

you have these very long days which which is very odd outcomes. Yeah the very long deer is the one

that got me I think I watched about two or three players get sold and I mean it was good because

I got me six months grandson to watch it with me and he was asleep after about two minutes so

over the moon by that but I just couldn't get me head round and I'm not bored about the money I

think the money's great for the game. We had Andy Flower on a few weeks ago did me manage and

and Andy was saying it was going to be great it was going to be the best this and it's going to be

the best that. I'm still going to be convinced it comes back to my my argument it's been from the

very start which is it's a competition that for 11 months of the year nobody plays it's a competition

that nobody really I even think the players struggle sometimes to understand so what has your

because you've been all over it what is do you think is going to be the one thing that's going to

make it better with the introduction of half a billion pound dollars whatever to make this

competition better because I don't see any better overseas we're giving a 31 ground to play

our last year to 390 grand for the CM player who's possibly got a little bit better during the winter

but we're still playing a format I think which from a 2020 point of view was there any conversations

that this goes to T20 because I still think the the reason why we're not talking about this is one

of the best competitions around the world outside the IPL there's largely down to the the 100 format

is there was there any conversations in that from a month when the money was being brought in

because I'm not seeing too much other than eight fat cat owners have thrown a fortune into possibly

the same product yeah I think the biggest difference in terms of the oh I think the timing of the

format will be interesting to see what happens there I think as per my understanding of it the

100 ball format was pretty much built into the current set of broadcast rights which it

expires in a couple of years time and I wouldn't be a tall surprise to see the 100 become there

after a T20 competition but I think by that point if it's had seven or eight seasons I could

definitely see it keeping the same name but being a T20 competition I do think the quality is

going to be good this year that there's each team has a fourth overseas player which is I think

significant change I mean you look through some of the sides it was sort of trying to work out who

might play where you look at you know am I London for example potential top four or five of James

Vince Will Jack Sam Kerr and Nicholas Purand Shafane Rutherford I think that's you know that's a

quality side that could compete at international level you look at Manchester Super Giants with

Cyford Marker and Butler Classen these are strong sides but I think I suppose the big change that the

owners may sort of see will be the sort of in stadium product I suppose and so people are already

talking about stuff like how they're going to spend far far more on all the event presentation

staff the fireworks how it actually looks and feels for fans in the grounds and presumably that will

also translate to TV but I think you're right Harmy I think it'll be incremental change this year

other than that that will see team colors change of brand identities change and the owners will be

much more visible but I think in terms of the actual cricketing product it will be broadly similar

and I also think I don't know if you guys have got into this but I think there was a missed

opportunity for some of the teams in that given that the counties or the host counties are now

for the most part majority owners of these teams I think it's really surprising that a lot of them

haven't lean more on on local talent in their squads and I think that's that's something that

I would imagine a few fans would be quite disappointed about I mean well five for example have

gone down that route they've got Phil Salt who's who's from North Wales as they're captain and they've

signed two Glamorgan players in Ben Keloay and Acey Tribe but you look through for example the

Southern Brave Squad the only player who's going to play for both Hampshire and the T20 Blast and

Southern Brave and the 100 is Tristan Stubbs so you don't have that flavour in that connection that I

think has often been lacking in this competition and I think that the teams who have done well in

it actually so over invincible in the men's competition and maybe someone like Southern Brave and

the women's both of those have relied heavily on local players and have been successful as a result.

Okay I've got a half volley for you and 150 kilometer an hour bouncer which one do you want first?

Let's put away the half volley manners. Women's auction then Danny Gibson let's talk about that

that's I don't know why it is but harming I seem to be finding uplifting emotionally and spiritually

when we see the women being paid big bucks lots of really interesting stories and and did you

see Lauren Winfield Hills interview with with Wisden? Absolutely brilliant I thought it was one of my

favourite most honest accounts that I've ever for the last 10 years I mean she said it was awful

awful she's such a hated experience and she talked about you know the realities that men don't

talk about publicly which is it's difficult when you've got one bloke sitting in the corner on

250,000 and another bloke who's played more for his country on 31,000 and they're on the same team

yeah absolutely and I mean that that was even more exacerbated in the women's auction by the

fact that I think 30 England players at the moment are over in Pretoria for a training camp

so I think they'd literally arrived that very morning we're in the cafe and then we're all sort

of peeling off the different rims in the hotel I mean I heard Devene a parent who was actually the

first player sold was talking about her experience watching it with I think she was watching with

Tilly Cortine Coleman and then Rihanna Southby who's a young wicket keeper and Cortine Coleman was

sort of jumping on the bed she's 18 years old and signed for 105,000 pounds so incredible money

that it just wasn't you know has never been in the women's game in England and Wales for domestic

players but then Southby was was unsolved first time around it went at base price second time so

a very different experience there so clearly as I said at the start or auctions do lend themselves

these extreme outcomes but yeah I think when you look at some of the some of the deals obviously

Gibson is that the obvious 190 grand top paid English women in the competition despite not having

a sort of huge body of evidence at international level behind her but I was even looking at someone

like Kira Chattley who's the the Surrey 50 over captain she's 26 years old never played international

cricket but signed for for my London for 80,000 pounds and you know when you bear in mind the

domestic contract on top of that she's earning a comfortable six-figure salary when a player who

is in the same situation you know 26 not captain international level 10 years ago would have been

at best semi-professional so yeah it does show how quickly the women's game in this country is transformed

yeah she also said you could you could be worth 50 grand more if you use your left limb

that's the nature of the beast okay ready for the bouncer let's talk Abra Ahmed

and Sunrise's Leeds. Sunal Gavascar wrote a column I don't know whether you've seen it in which

he said he was he was appalled he said that there's still time for sense to prevail that Sunrise's

Leeds are contributing to the loss of Indian lives and he said don't be surprised if there are

protests by Indians outside every game every stadium that Sunrise's Leeds play he was I mean

it sounded like he was calling for protests to be honest that cannot be avoided if people

like Sunal Gavascar are prepared to come out so strongly others will follow and I don't know

whether this is a fire that can be put out before it turns into an inferno. Well that's a great

question man as yeah I think fairly this was such a big talking point heading into the auction

BBC had reported they'd seen evidence that stuff like this wouldn't happen

ECB have always maintained that there would be interest in Pakistani players from all the teams

and as I understand it all of the franchises nominated at least one player in a sort of long list

that they had to submit before the auction it will be very very interesting to see how it plays out

from what I understand that the Pakistan cricket board are planning to give a no objection

certificate and I think other than the political element that you've already mentioned there I think

Abra himself as I understand it is sort of a particularly notable player to be caught in the

eye of the storm that was opposed to made on social media that I think Indians took to be mocking

an Indian fighter pilot who was captured by Pakistan a few years ago so that probably hasn't

helped the identity of it. I suppose the curiosity of all these things is that for all of the backlash

that may or may not be there Dan Vittori who's the head coach came out and explained it solely

as a cricketing decision after the auction he said well we missed out on that over a sheet because

the number went too high on the first set we needed a spinner we considered various overseas

options and we decided Abra was the best bet. Now you'd hope and what should be the case really

in an ideal world is that Abra is able to fulfill his contracts that everyone is able to

understand that the cricketer is doing a job he's not anything to do with the geopolitical

tensions between the countries but it's clearly something that as you say is going to be

front of mind throughout the competition and let's hope everything goes off without a hitch.

Yeah fingers crossed I mean there are all the stories and all the noise

about the Pakistan players taking part in this competition once I think Shane Schafer really pulled

out there wasn't many others that were standing out on the pitch that I was looking at thinking

would he be good for and he'd be good for and so I think the two that were selected possibly far

hand the the open batter he would have beaten somebody I think I'd have looked at but

Abra's Rizwan Shane Schafer really pulled out there the two they're not playing well enough

not many Pakistani players are playing well enough so I mean from a cricket decision

I'm pleased that common sense is prevailed and we've got Pakistan players in that

but what we have got is some of our under 19 players and that is is good to see and I think

like you know from a two questions in one it's great to see the under 19 players getting rewarded

from being in that knockout and staging an into the final of the of the World Cup and is this

World Fire's Year because they've spent an awful lot of money and they've actually think

the players out in the last few years and they'll look so they might have out of decent side this

year. Yeah a few questions in one there I mean yeah I think you're right about the Pakistan players

I think one of the interesting dynamics as well with Pakistan and to sort of I suppose follow on

from Manor's this question as well is that obviously you know the PCB is occasionally

pool players out of tournaments that lay notice they do also have a test series

that clashes and Abra hasn't played test cricket for a couple of years but you never know

might get a recall. On the under 19s yeah brilliant to see I think Caleb Faulkner and Tom Rue both

went to Southern Brave and Ben Mays at Trent Rockets as well it'll be interesting to see how that

develops because from a holistic point of view I would say some of those players might well be

better serve playing 50 over cricket for their counties but there is still a level of interaction

at least in theory between the two competitions so if those those guys aren't selected at the

start of the competition they should be released and back to go and play for their counties so

let's hope that happens even when new owners are sort of more keen to keep control of their players

I suppose. And yeah Welsh fire very interesting I think salt was a great signing for them pre-alction

they invested a lot of money in him but I think to have someone I think the key thing for the

Welsh fire as far as I'm concerned whether or not they win it this year is that they have some

kind of identity because I feel like Welsh cricket it feels like their trajectory is good

for the first time in a long time it feels like it's been pretty stagnant for a world and Morgan

went through some pretty tough off-field financial situation for a period of time or as it feels

like there's sort of starting to be on the right path back so I think having a Welsh captain

is helpful in having a couple of Glamorgan players in the squad too as for whether they'll win it

I think that you probably won't bowl a lot of spin when your home ground is carded but they do

look a bit short on spin to me and I think probably slightly top heavy in terms of they have a

lot of top-order batters and maybe not not quite so obvious to me who's going to bat four or five

but yeah you know I think if anyone can deal with some pretty turgid pitches that we often get a

card if you think Joe Root should be a pretty good candidate so I think that was a smart signing

first up for them Matt Roller there's a reason they call you the heavy roller because you're all

over it you're all out thank you very much indeed for your time and great work all the writing

that you've done we I mean I wouldn't know anything without reading what you've managed thank you

thanks for your time really appreciate it oh it's all thank you guys that's a Matt Roller

assistant editor at ESPN Crick Info you're listening to following on with me in your

mouth up along with former England fastballer Steve Harmason next up we'll continue to build up

to the start of the county championship season and we'll speak live with Leicestershire head coach

Alfonso Thomas as they prepare for their first season back in division one of the county championship

okay seven stops to write this best man's speech hi I'm Liam and I've got nothing

stop funny funny is good I beat her he'd never forgive me what about friendship is a journey

crained come on that's it in year five Dan had the bright idea tracking the best best man's speech

on the train you can hi this is Pablo Tore from Pablo Tore finds out and today I want to talk to you

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you're listening to following on with me Neil Manthorpe alongside former England fast

bolder Steve harmison and if you have missed any of the show or you wish to catch up you can

download the podcast out now on the following on podcast feed right it's time to talk

County Championship once again looking forward to Leicestershire's well deserved thoroughly

as a place in division one of the County Championship and we're joined live by head coach Alfonso

Thomas Alfie how is preseason we just had a quick chat off air you have said that it is very

cold you weren't supposed to be in Abu Dhabi or Dubai or anything were you have been as preseason

being affected by that yeah no unfortunately our budgets doesn't allow us to go to the wonderful

places like Abu Dhabi or desert springs in Spain or Cape Town but we managed to get away for

a team building trip we've gone to Turkey and we got our just in time we did Cyprus a couple of

years ago for for the last two years and we've just found that it worked really well I'm not a

massive fan of going to warmer climates believe it or not because I don't think it just quite prepares

you for County cricket come the start of April so we've been blessed with the weather the last

couple of years and it's worked well for us you know I just think being out in the cold but soft

underfoot I think that's the perfect way of going into our first game on the third of April

yeah I always found it I've always found it quite strange when teams went abroad for their preseason

we played we played Suri one year and they literally landed in Newcastle airport straight from

somewhere somewhere exotic and nice and by lunchtime on day one we had we had them seven down six

recorded first live big boom and drives because we've been on flat pitches for the last year fortnight

and they're all standing there with Bollywood will he hats on it Durham I mean it is cold

but it's going to be cold and that's what you've got to get your head round that the first two

three weeks of the championship there are going to be passages over four days where it is going to

be cold and you know how have how have the boys getting you know getting themselves around you say

you've been outside for the first time but I know the surface has been fantastic and I've

ground stop have done a hell of a job they've got us out of the nets as well so they've given us a

middle they've got the nets going and they've been also just this to me is the perfect prep

it is the perfect prep yes of course we all want to go to the summer climates and the warm

climates and play golf and do that but we've done that in Turkey we've had some good checks in

Turkey and I just think in terms of prep if I had it in my ideal world if my CEO would give us the

cash I would love a mocky because that will allow us to get outside earlier but just as far as

this is concerned the last couple years we've just thought that this has been the perfect prep

because it's wet underfoot it's a bit damp the wickets are doing a little bit and the bowlers

are enjoying it as you can imagine I will probably have a lot less bowlers come come July August

September when it's a bit dry and it's a bit flatter you know but yeah now in terms of prep

the boys have been good we got outside for the first time on Friday and to be fair to them it was

a bit wet and was a bit cold but then just cracked on and and and it's just been awesome to see

are this squad has developed over time and just the change of mindset and they've just become

a lot more professional but yeah so hopefully that will stand as in good stead going into the season

I feel let's talk spinners for a while can we there was a quite rightly a bit of a fanfare

greeting for Keshev Maharaj is signing and now Cricket Salaferger have pulled him out citing

workload management that's a very uncrickets Salaferger thing to do because they know that

that players you know need need to maximise their any potential putting it politely so

so that was a big surprise to me and he's a big loss I know that you've you've signed

Ajas Patel as a replacement but continuing with the spinners theme let's talk about Rian Ahmed

after you've mentioned the spinners because because England don't seem to know what they've got

what he is what he does I mean he scored 500s over 700 runs at 50 for Leicester you battered him

at three yeah he took he took lots of wickets but he can't seem to get a game for England but they

they want him they want him along for the ride but they they don't know what to do with him maybe

they should talk to you and I'm hoping Harmie gets a selector job and maybe he can put it all

right for us as well I've tried twice there's no chance they'll give me what I've been seeing

about in the last six months after there's no chance of me getting a job on the ectb I'm going to

enjoy it honestly just to come back to Rian I just think it's such a wonderful talent and I just hope

that he can get the backing if you look at the young players in that England setup at the moment

you look at a Jacob Bethel you know for me if you give a young Rian Ahmed the same opportunities

the same backing and bowl the team just around these youngsters coming through and you mix them

with some good senior players like your Joe Roots and those kind of guys I just think they will

get the best out of it and and I just can't believe that A he didn't crack the nod to go to the

Escher squad just purely on what he did last year for us battered at three got five first

course hundreds took some important wickets for us I mean the average under 20 with a ball last

you know so he was a genuine all-rounder and I just hope that I'm going to see him a bit more

this year but I would also like from his point of view to not be with us and hopefully see him playing

for England and especially in the test team as well because I think there's a massive opportunity

for him with the Jacob Bethel to be blooded into that test team and bowl the test team around these

guys that's going to be there for the next five to ten years yeah I agree we I mean a lot of

people are looking at him as an adult Rashid replacement he's not an adult Rashid replacement no

bad near and I get what you're saying about the the Asher squad I would have had him in around that

I think if England could find a way to keep her that bats number six then I think Rian Ahmed could be

a different type of all-rounder to what Ben Stokes is but when Ben Stokes leaves international

you know Rian will be about 26 27 then and then he fits in his number seven and then you'd have

a natural all-rounder and a backup second spin-bola which I think would work perfectly in in

test match cricket especially if you go and play around the world man has mentioned Maharaj there

that's a big loss for you that one I know you've got Ijez Bethel but you've got some young bowlers

who I'm quite excited about especially young Green but Maharaj I think would give you that not

just the experience but give you a chance of them young fast bowlers to really you know really

flourish because of the experience that Maharaj would have given you but Ijez is just not

as just as good because he's not but he's got experience yeah no I mean we were obviously excited

about Keshe joining us then we've got we had a phone call with a doc Arden Sanafika with Keshe

in his agent and they were kind of looking to limit his forwarder cricket and for us he's

going to be you know he was going to be massive us because I just felt that you need a quality

left home spinner going into division one and also knowing the wickedness that you're going to come

up against I mean you're going to Chomsford is probably going to turn at some point there was a

possibility that we were going to Tornton going Southampton going to Birmingham you know so we just

felt that we needed a quality left home spinner but we've got the replacement and Ajez Ajez is

really yeah so he was keen to come over he'll be with us for the whole season which is important

because we just felt that just to have a continuity knowing who your overseas players are they're

going to be here for the whole season but it also means that it gives us options because I don't

think Ajez is going to play a key role at the start of the season but we'll definitely come

into the mix once we get those four day games in the block of the t20s and towards the end of

the season as well I think he's going to be really key for us. I'll see what's the extent of

Leicestershire's ambitions this summer and are you prioritising white ball over red ball or are you

giving both equal priorities I mean would you you know there's conventional wisdom would suggest that

you know a solid consolidating season sort of mid-table in division one make sure that everyone's

comfortable and the new surroundings but but I know you I've known you for long and that

don't think that's your style. That's definitely not my style and I think if you speak to my chief

exact who's a lovely lady says in Yorkshire last she doesn't mention words and she wants top four

she wants to make finals there the t20s and she wants the one day trophy so is that all?

yeah yeah so you can have your mark you can have your mark if you get that

well yeah for me I think it's it's just important that we stay competitive I certainly don't want

to be coming up and just be a year your team so for me it's important that we consolidate just

getting to see what the vision one cricket is all about but I think we'll be okay I don't want to

sit here and say that we're looking to stay up because I think that's just the lack of ambition

but it's important that we start well because we've got two games and then we've got a bi-week

so the first two games is Sussex first up and then we've got sorry at the oval you know so that's

going to be two soft games so ask me again after those games where we are then I'll be giving you a

clear answer and in terms of just going into division one but I think an area where we feel as a

club that we can make a massive improvement on is the t20s now I don't want to sit here and say

that we're going to win the t20s because we've not even qualified for the knockout stages in a good

couple of years yeah so if we can make the knockout stages of the t20s I think that'll be a good

solid point for us and then as we know in t20s anything can happen and hopefully on the day

there's a guy that has a day out and we've done some we've we've got some guys in that's

has got a very good record in all formats we've got Steve S. Kenazi who's joined us from

Middlesex we've got Ben Green who's going to captain our t20 team yeah so he's going to be a great

addition we've got Josh Davy who was a stalwart at Somerset that's played big games for Scotland

in the World Cup they've got Johnny Tethasoul who's come from Yorkshire who for some reason just

fell out of favour but you're talking about a guy who's captain Yorkshire 18 months here you know

so we've got experience we've got some really good quality cricketers and if you mix them

those guys both the players we had lost here I'm hoping for an exciting season ahead

I'll be talking about some of the younger bowlers and how how you after how they get looked after

which sometimes that scratched me head at with where the where some of the young bowlers

get looked after at this moment in time but I look at Somerset like Joshua who I really enjoy

and England England through me in the deep end to see what he's like because I left arm has

haven't enough time it is so important is it about him now standing up in the first division

against the big boys and showing that England selection was warranted as well as young green

who really excites me and is he in the Josh Hall last year where we might have to manage his

work loads to make sure throughout six months period the boy we have him we haven't for a large

part of the season rather than if he you know if we don't manage him right we might get him a bit

yeah now if you start on Holly and we we had a chat myself Neil Colleen and we sat with

Freddie as well we just felt that it was better for Holly to just spend the winter year with us

just get some good technical work done because we felt that there was too much focus on white ball

cricket and we got a good volume in with him this winter so he didn't go to the UAE with the

lads he stayed here that that was a decision that we all took we just thought if he gets the

fundamentals right get some volume technical work done and to be fair if he can transfer what I've

seen over the last couple of weeks if he can transfer that into the season is going to be a

halive exciting talent and you touch a little bit on a young Alex Green he's chomping at the

best he's really got that fast bowler mentality competitive he believes that he should be playing

right now you're not a but a fantastic attitude he's the kind of guy that I would best describe

as a labrador dog he just wants to please you as a coach he's just go coach give me the ball up

the hill into the wind Daniel all I want to do is play that's a fantastic attitude to have

you know so I'm going to look to use him at some point I think he'll definitely come into

the reckoning for a wideball stuff because he's got this knack of picking up wickets and that's

always a good knack to have us a bowler I mean he played in a 50 over comp last year and he took 35

isn't that yeah then he's gone with England at 19 I've had a chance with Mike Yardy when he came

back and he said mate he's been awesome first yeah so it's just a case of just making sure that he

learns about his action he pulls his engine up as you can imagine yeah so he's going to play a

lot of his red ball cricket at the moment just playing in the second team just kind of build that

engine and then hopefully he'll play a part for us at some point in the season but I can certainly

see him playing some wideball stuff for us healthy I need to let our listeners and viewers into a

secret here your boys are all outside in the freezing cold at Grace Road and we have hauled you

inside to a warm office we need to know whether you're feeling guilty yet I am feeling a little

bit guilty because I can see some of our other coaches outside the inside and as well as I'll

probably have to go and help out at some point but yeah no it's not very pleasant but at the same

time you sitting at Cape Town bathing in the sunshine so you know so let them know that as well

of course we all let them know that

Alfie go on then you you're suitably wrapped up thanks so much for your time very very best

of luck in the season and we'll definitely get you back on a couple of times during the summer

definitely guys thank you very much onto some new stories army that may have caught your eye caught

my eye caught scots eye and that hence they're on the running order the ECB have lifted a ban on

players talking about the ashes that was interesting it was a story broken by Chris stocks in the

eye paper who and the ECB fortunately did not try to pretend that it wasn't it didn't happen

because it did happen the England there's a round of media days traditionally takes place

on the county circuit before the start of the season and the ECB said that anybody was in Australia

would we not talk about the ashes was it an edict was it a ban anyway it's been lifted now

but that really was a bit ham-fisted and clumsy and we've all known that those things don't work

army they don't work don't work lying about how he broke I mean all these things they don't work

you're lying in the media you know trying to cover things up you know the cover up of the cover

up of the cover up and then you have to then put your hands up and at some point you have to come

up and say a fair cop it's it it is what it is then I mean I've been in that position before

where 2006 seven as a senior player it went so wrong we lost five nil then by the way I was

Freddy's captain our Strauss captain our Vaughn captain we lost five nil I bolded the first

ball you know a little bit we're towards second slip at the end of the day when it come to the

conference at the end of it how much rather ask answer questions right so sorry I've got there

this week so they'll be asking Jamie Smith Ollipop two players and go seconds and three players who

are a little bit of pressure didn't know the best best tour and much rather answer them questions

at the press conference at Durham then on the than were two days rather than two days before the

first test and much rather answer them now because the end of the day the answer is going to be the same

we didn't play well enough we lost preparation what was we can't do anything about it that was

a management decision but I didn't have the best of tools I'll get better I'll learn from the bad

experience it was a tough time blah blah all these one lineers that go out but they go on don't

put pressure on the test first test match against New Zealand don't put pressure on players hang

it over them get it out now it seems a hurry broke one damned if you do damned if you don't unfortunately

just get it out and at the end of the day what what's the worst thing that anybody can ask

it's something that they'll be ready for it's something that if they've got a good media man which

they've got the best and Danny Rubin they've got the best so they'll have a line they'll have what

they've been you know roughly what the what they want to say and the questions will come in

they'll answer them it'll be on the front page of the the cricketers website the front page of

the wisdom's website we'll have a little bit on talk sport five live will have their little bit

and five by Monday morning will be fission chip blah blah that will it'll be fission chip paper

and we'll move on but it makes more of a story when you say we're not going to let them speak

their ground blocks let them speak let them invent their fission let them come out and say

Steve Harmer's and Michael Vaughn were talking absolute nonsense now so you're saying Michael

at it and whoever was out there I can't remember who's out there Matt prior had a little bit of a dig

they're talking absolute nonsense they don't know what they're talking about if somebody wants to

pick that fight brilliant brilliant you know because the show is that you know that possibly

taking in some of the criticism that was was on offer but to tell them not to speak I think that

I just don't think the ECB have helped themselves again by keep coming out with

oh we've got that bit wrong we've got that bit wrong we've got that bit wrong there's far too

many things coming out the ECB of we've got that bit wrong because to stop players from talking

to the media when they're eventually going to speak to them at some point when the question

starts with what was it like when you got told to not speak well that's that that question should

never ever come yeah because your ground blocks that's the thing that really annoys me about

the the gagging order for one for a better word that came out okay it would just to come to other

things because we've got quite a tasty final word section this week so very quickly ravi

papara has probably played his last professional game in england apparently turning down the chance

to represent north ants in what would have been is 24th t20 blast campaign looking towards coaching

now I think he coached in the PSL last year Sri Lanka appointed Gary Kirsten as their new head coach

take over from sanath gyrosuria we're going to have him on next week he's promised to talk to us

and South Africa's tour of New Zealand the men played their first of five t20 internationals

just 10 days after the t20 world cup semi final that may be one of the least consequential

tours in history as far as results are concerned but I think army there is a possibility that it

might be remembered in years to come maybe many years to come as a really big turning point because

historically this doesn't happen very often it's a double header the whole thing the men's t20

is appreciated by women's t20 so five match series between men and women all on the same pitch

the same venue I think that's absolutely brilliant no surprise that it's New Zealand doing it

you will know this of course the history is your one of your great pet subjects New Zealand was

the first country in the world to give women the right to vote in parliamentary elections in 1893

and they've been at the forefront of sporting equality first country to offer equal pay to men and

England and Australia did play a couple of t20 double headers in 2011 13 and 14 but let's be

honest they were in order to try and attract an audience to the women's game so that they weren't

playing in front of sparse crowds the game in the women's game has now improved and jumped ahead

so exponentially that now South Africa and New Zealand are offering double the entertainment

not you know buy one get one free so I that that's absolutely I love that so Ravi Bapara and New

Zealand and South Africa yeah I mean Ravi I mean Ravi that a brilliant career I was actually quite

surprised to know how much Ravi loves playing the game that if he has turned the chance to play

for an all hands down and he isn't going to make it play in his 24th campaign he'll be a brilliant

coach he will be a brilliant coach he's played all the formats and he's played them all at the top

level he is and he was an elite performer with Ravi played with him very early on but as talent goes

I mean my one of my last West Indies tours he was on he didn't he played in Barbados he's a

he's a fantastic young man and I'm so pleased that he's gone to the level he's got four years old

and I think he'd be a brilliant coach and a great asset and I think somebody I think he'd be

somebody I think I'll be trying to fast track from an ECB point of view through the coach and system

to try and get him in with our under 19s and our Lions and our Passwear group because he is a

lovable character is Ravi he's a brilliant person to have around the dressing room he's a very very

infectious fun-loving human being who I think would be very very good in that in that middle ground

of you know players coming out of first-class cricket so then trying to get into an international

cricket and Ravi seen it all whether it's been the disappointment or the elation of playing test

matches in one day as in T20s internationally or all around the world and every single franchise

so for me watch this bit so I would have Ravi pushing towards you know from a coaching point of

view and trying to get him into that pathway if I was in charge of the ECB because I think he'd be

a very very good coach alongside the likes of Moanali who is being fast track Ben Stokes who

else is being fast track Mark Woods doing them level three's I think they're the characters I would

want teaching my kids at a player cricket because they understand the disappointments they've had

huge you've had huge adulation and they've also seen cricket play in all around the world and

they've got great experience as for Gary Kirsten I didn't see that I don't know about you you are

you're very close to a with Gary and he's a friend of our show I didn't see that at all I didn't

see him go into Sri Lanka but good for him and I can now we look forward to speaking to him

to him next week and you're right 100% right on the New Zealand having men and women's games

together I think it's something even this country and England you know can you imagine if England

played India just won t20 at the biggest venue whether it's whether it's at lords or at the

oval our old traffic where you had the women's women's ODI and t20 and amends t20 on the CMD

like what we have in the hundred I think it would it would be it would be magnificent because

you sell men's cricket out anywhere and you start and sell men's cricket out anywhere but that's

not the point it's not to put bombs on seats I think it's remote the game I think it would be massive

if we did that just once once a year in this country I think if we had that we'd start some

special and I think it would be it would be great entertainment for for every fan absolutely

yep right final word we've got a couple of minutes left well bandages against Pakistan is the

gift that never stops giving there's just something every single time they play and it was the

second ODI of the three match series bandages won it to one by the way but just extraordinary

Pakistan Samar Ali Agha at the non-striker's end ball driven back Mehdi Hassan tries to field it

Salman Ali Agha finds himself in the way abends down to pick it up himself is out of his crease

Mehdi Hassan the bowler picks the ball up and tosses it onto his stumps runs him out and the headlines

are controversy again but at this time I kept thinking where's the controversy what's controversial

about that I mean I was torn I'm not about I'm not sure about you man as I was torn when I was

watching I was thinking is this another Johnny Bestow moment and think in this is Dozy Baton

and he just he's got himself in a position he's got himself in the way and thought but then I've

watched it time and time again and I'm thinking he couldn't get his back into the crease because

the bowler was in the way but he's tried to help him out because the bowler couldn't pick the

ball up because the batter was in the way so it was like right man I it's not a problem I'll pick

the ball up you pick the ball and let's get on with the game but he didn't quite get down the

bat I didn't get down I'm quick enough to pick the ball up and the bowler's decided I can run

him out here I mean I thought I thought I didn't think it was Dozy Baton I'm actually disappointed

that from a bowlers pipe him and also disappointed from an unpaid captain's point of view like he

didn't go up to him a bit like the poor Colin Wood one against New Zealand hopefully yeah I mean

in the afternoon of the later on somebody says to him and goes we got that horribly wrong

where a captain gets a chance of the umpire I remember I mean Colley tells the story about Mark

Benson going up to him and saying Paul do you really do you really want him run out and in the

emotion Paul couldn't see anything other than yeah I want him run out and then once you see it

again and the co-life there the calmness of the pressure situation it was oh no what have I done

I think Paul tried to explain that to the New Zealand dressing room and I think that the

the door got shut very quickly but I think that would have been common sense well it just didn't

look right didn't look good and it didn't it didn't nobody it didn't but the MCC are absolutely

clear about this batsman cannot touch the ball while it's live you don't don't do it it didn't

look right it was a bit messy but the letter of the law was applied and it was pretty clear

right did you know that qualification for the next t-20 world cup has started yes I did know

I did the American sub regional qualifier involves Argentina Mexico pseudonym and the Cayman

islands you know this is the kind of story that titillates yeah it does I do know because I think

I've seen Lee and Plunkett tweeting about it um because it's over in that part of the world isn't

I don't know he's on Instagram about it and there's because of the tournament going on that he's

playing in that Danny Morrison and Grave swan are commenting on Chris Gill I think is involved

but I think some of the employers had come from that tournament so that's the only reason I know

Argentina are the the form team there there have been there was seven seven times so far in that

quadrangular um the team hasn't managed to reach a hundred but Argentina put 215 for four on the

board against Mexico with Captain Pedro Barran top scoring with 65 from 38 balls but my favorite

harmy we do like a throwback to a golden era the Cayman Islands opener Vijay Hurlal in their

title of 85 for five in 20 overs ground out to sedate 24 from 48 balls do you think do you think

do you think he he's quite got the grasp of what t-20 cricket's all about I don't think he's

going to get an IPL contract I don't even think he's going to get you know a hundred contracts um

no I don't think he's quite grasp the fact that because when I seen that I was like he got the wrong

way around here he got the wrong way around and then I read read back and think 85 he can't have

it the wrong way around but no I mean that's that's Jeffrey Boycott if Jeffrey Boycott was playing

t-20 cricket I reckon Jeffrey Boycott would have walked off raised his back we're not getting

Argentina's 215 so I'm having a net you're very much it's Sonil Gavisca 1939 workup yeah Sunni's

I mean Sunni's have lots of difference so that would have been right as Sunni Shoe that's perfect

and the final final word this week goes to Sam and Darren Cheek the father and son duo produced a

590 run opening partnership for Adelaide um in the suburban cricket associations Karaman or sorry

for Adelaide and suburban cricket associations Karaman or cricket club against the Morphitville

at the weekend Sun Sam made 402 nod out from 132 balls and 63 year old dad Darren didn't do badly

175 nod out off 108 that's a decent club league 40 overs they finished 590 for none

we've have actually played that's where when we were in the in what was in it was a national

academy at the time Rod Marsh that's where first we played they played at park 25 which is on the

on you were into the Adelaide oval from from Glenel and they played at park 25 and that's where

the first time we met Troy Cooley when we were on and it was a flat flat pitch I mean what is dad

doing dad's 175 of 108 I know he's 63 but come on dad you better than that and your son's

smashing it everywhere and you're just you know I know you want to be there for his 100 and you

maybe he's want to be there for his 200 but did you have to chew up another you know 40 balls

they're there for his 300 and he's 400 as well I mean brilliant what a what a thing to do here a

chance to play at any level we also I mean it's it's a special special achievement I've got a

chance to play with Charlie when he's 11 it's something you cannot from a from a farthest point of

you the pride that you can have at any level walking out to the fields and I had a chance to bat

and bowl with my son to have a chance to do that is is something something special even even

know that you've played a level that son can never get to or you've played a level that son is

going to sort of go past when he's 12 or 13 if you've played like 3rd 11 or village cricket

then you get to play with your son who's like 10 11 12 and he's going for the first team when

he's 14 and you've dreamed to play for the first team but you've never been good enough

it's some point when you get a chance it's magnificent so I mean that is that's what dreams

are made of when you when you first start slowing tennis balls at your son in the back garden

to then walk out on the field and to have a partnership late that's fantastic brilliant that's

what I'm about Sam hit 34 4s and 46s in his 402 not out the back story there is that there were

renovations going on in the pavilion and consequently the boundary straight boundary was made very short

shorter than usual and Sam did admit afterwards the straight drive is my favourite shot

it sounds it the straight drive which should he should have said the aerial straight drive

you've been listening to following on with me Neil Mantholpe alongside former England fast

bottle of Steve Armason we'll be back at the same time next week as we continue to build up to

the start of the county championship season and a whole lot more besides but for now this has been

another edition of following on

okay seven stops to write this best man's speech hi I'm Liam and I've got nothing

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