Ilford's answer to Murali

A couple of weeks ago the ECB staged their first 'spin match' at Derby where a collection of the most promising young spinners in the country pitted themselves against promising young batsmen in a range of set-up situations. Only one of the spinners involved, 22-year-old Sachin Vaja, does not have a county - but that probably won't last long. He styles himself on Muttiah Muralitharan and has already bowled at some of England's top batsmen in net sessions and has excited many coaches. Matthew Pryor chatted to him for The Times.

The 22-year-old from East London has travelled far since last August. He was discovered by Neil Burns, the chief executive of London County Cricket club, and could be at the beginning of a successful career.