Redemption song
Stephen Brenkley, in the Independent on Sunday , reveals how county cricket has offered solace to Marcus Trecothick and Steve Harmison after both endured tough times after the highs of the 2005 Ashes triumph.
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
Stephen Brenkley, in the Independent on Sunday, reveals how county cricket has offered solace to Marcus Trecothick and Steve Harmison after both endured tough times after the highs of the 2005 Ashes triumph.
It might have been that only playing for Somerset, and knowing that was all he [Trescothick] had, would lead to inexorable decline. But he responded with the unmistakable sledgehammer of his bat. His 1,238 runs, making him the leading scorer in the competition, have taken Somerset to the brink of their first title. He is at home again in every sense.
Harmison needed county cricket badly. He had to learn to bowl again and has taken 50 wickets for Durham. It has been the remaking of him. He recognised it by insisting he play in the last round of matches. He is a sensitive man and he knew he owed it to himself and to Durham to play. Both men realised what their counties had done for them.
Meanwhile, Simon Wilde, in the Sunday Times, looks at the decline of Surrey, who, despite being one of the richest clubs in England, are on the verge of being relegated to Division Two of the County Championship.
The contrast between the commercial and cricketing sides is stark. Not long ago, Surrey were the main provider of players to the England team. That river has long since run dry. Figures produced by Leicestershire’s chairman, Neil Davidson, reveal Surrey as among the worst offenders when it comes to giving opportunities to young home-grown players. It is five years since a Surrey player won a first Test cap for England. Even though they own one of the best county academies, there is no sign of that drought ending. Surrey have an unhappy knack of turning stars into black holes. Witness the fates of Rikki Clarke, Scott Newman and James Benning.
Ashok Ganguly is an editorial assistant at Cricinfo