The new Alan Knott

The goblin-like features; the constant fidgeting; the pickpocket's stealth; the sshh-you-know-who effervescence. No, Alan Knott has not made a comeback but Niall O'Brien, the Dublin-born keeper dumped into the front line when Geraint Jones became otherwise engaged, has a horrid habit of invoking his memory - not bad considering he has been keeping for only two years.

"He's more like Geraint," says the chief coach Simon Willis. "He's made a hundred for Ireland but he's not a natural keeper. He's at a similar stage to Geraint three or four years ago. You look to a keeper to make something happen, and Niall has that buzz. He's always up to something in the dressing room. He probably needs to keep his enthusiasm on an even level, but it's a major strength."

It was not solely an adjusted trigger movement that put Rob Key back on the Yellowbrick Road. Bringing the right leg across for balance has broadened and enlivened his range, hence the 1,000 runs by early June, but the maturation process, says Willis, was no less germane. "He's on more of an even keel, doesn't get carried away with the highs. Sometimes, as a young player, you score a hundred and fix the world. Rob has learnt otherwise. He's realistic: he's focusing on a tour place. I reckon he needs 1,800 runs to nail that. Mind you, the goal we set was 2,000."

Moment of the month Rob Key's 199 against Surrey right, hailed by Jon Batty as "one of the finest innings I've ever seen".