County crusaders on duty at the IPL

Hampshire are used to coping without Kevin Pietersen, currently on duty with the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the IPL. Since 2005 he has spent just 13 days playing for his county, appearing in eight one-dayers, one Twenty20 match and one in the County Championship. Should England's fortunes fail to blossom under Andy Flower the value of county cricket will come into question yet again, but if it is a poor testing ground for the international game that is hardly surprising, given that England players of the future have so few opportunities to compete against the best. Paul Newman has more in the Independent on Sunday.

Steven Smart in the Observer feels Graham Napier is the wide-eyed joker in the IPL's elite pack after he was in danger of becoming just another ­unfulfilled county player.