Results have not been going our way of late but we can take some comfort in the fact that we have reached the semi-final of the Friends Provident Trophy following our recent win at Grace Road.
That victory was dominated by Ravi Bopara who produced a very special knock to finish with 201 not out. Ravi’s been our stand-out player this season and I’m delighted that England are now playing him at No.4 in their ODI team. That’s where his strength is.
At Grace Road he came in at a very difficult time, after we lost a couple of quick wickets, but he seemed to strike the ball extremely well from the start. Everyone who witnessed his performance saw a very special innings that day. It was nice to see the umpires, opposition and home crowd giving an away player the type of recognition that Ravi got at the end.
I spent a lot of the innings at the end so got a perfect view of Ravi’s display – helping him to add a record fifth-wicket stand for Essex in the competition (190). When I came to the crease we were four down with not many on the board so it was important that I stayed with Ravi. My job was to pick up singles to make sure he got as much of the strike as possible while hitting any bad balls that came along.
I was pleased with the way I played – particularly against Claude Henderson, who is a very canny performer. It was crucial that I kept Ravi company for a long period because we didn’t want to expose the lower order to Henderson and their other spinner Jeremy Snape.
Now we go on to play Yorkshire in the semi-final and it will be very exciting to be on a cricket field with Darren Gough again – the first time since he left us. Darren was a huge influence on our side during the three years he was here and made a lot of friends. Having got to know him as a team-mate there is certain to be a lot of banter flying around on the day but, most importantly, he is an extremely good player so we need to be aware of what he can do. Their gain was certainly our loss when Darren joined them. Yorkshire have a lot of strength-in-depth but we’ve put in some good performances in the Friends Provident Trophy so can go into the game with every confidence.
And so to the Twenty20 Cup.
It’s been an interesting start to the tournament for myself as I’ve taken on the extra responsibility of captaincy. Mark Pettini took a knock in a vital area during our four-dayer at Lord’s and was in a fair bit of pain after that. Unfortunately he took another blow in our opening Twenty20 Cup match at the Oval and he’s been struggling ever since. We wish him a speedy recovery.
As a result I’ve taken up the mantle and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Twenty20 cricket is probably not the ideal start for a captain, as everything is quite rushed, but I’ve had good support from our experienced players. While Mark is laid low I’ll be doing the job for the foreseeable future so hopefully I can the team back into the winning habit.
Performing so well in our opening match at The Oval meant our subsequent two defeats against Middlesex were even more disappointing. Credit to Middlesex as they are a powerful Twenty20 unit with a lot of strength in areas where they can hurt you. One of their main plusses is the spin duo of Murali Kartik and Shaun Udal who are fine one-day bowlers and put a little of pressure on you as a batsman.
After those defeats it’s important to get back to winning ways at Sussex and at home to Kent to get some more momentum.
Off-the-field there has been little time for ‘fun and giggles’ behind the scenes of late because everything has been so hectic in terms of our schedule. No doubt a few wins will put the smiles back on our faces!
Comments
Posted by: Kitten at June 18, 2008 10:32 AM
Congratulations on a good game as Captain last night Fossie. Pushing Napier up the order as Pinch hitter was inspired. Why arent you the regular captain?
Posted by: Ranveer at June 18, 2008 10:41 AM
Oh..ravi bopara played fantastic inning..lets hope he wil play good ing at no 4..
Posted by: A_Star_Blue_Eaglefan4life at June 18, 2008 12:56 PM
Yes I agree with Dick Davies and the crew at BBC Radio Essex. I was at Hove last night to see a great all round display from the lads. Shame Tudor was only commentating but maybe he'll get his chance soon. Delighted to see no more Brookie up the order instead you used Naips who is in form and deserved his chance as pinch hitter(even though you'd have been even better). I think the most inspired choice however was bringing YOURSELF up the order ahead of Tendo who must have been livid lol Its about time you batted up the order. If you want England selection you have to show your batting skill and to do that you must be higher up the order to get your chance, as your wicketkeeping is already one of the best on the circuit you just need to show your batting skills to the selecters. Hope you give Kent a good hiding and I'll be there to cheer you on. From Fozzy's biggest fan;
COMMUN YOU EAGLES!
Posted by: A_Star_Blue_Eaglefan4life at June 18, 2008 12:57 PM
Yes I agree with Dick Davies and the crew at BBC Radio Essex. I was at Hove last night to see a great all round display from the lads. Shame Tudor was only commentating but maybe he'll get his chance soon. Delighted to see no more Brookie up the order instead you used Naips who is in form and deserved his chance as pinch hitter(even though you'd have been even better). I think the most inspired choice however was bringing YOURSELF up the order ahead of Tendo who must have been livid lol Its about time you batted up the order. If you want England selection you have to show your batting skill and to do that you must be higher up the order to get your chance, as your wicketkeeping is already one of the best on the circuit you just need to show your batting skills to the selecters. Hope you give Kent a good hiding and I'll be there to cheer you on. Oh and well done Ravi I was there to astonishingly brilliant innings. From Fozzy's biggest fan;
COMMUN YOU EAGLES!
Posted by: A_Star_Blue_Eaglefan4life at June 18, 2008 1:13 PM
Oh and I also have to congratulate Ravi Bopara as well. I was also at Leciester to see an astonishingly brilliant innings. Keep it up pup!
Posted by: akshay at June 23, 2008 1:54 PM
yes ravi bopara's innings was spectacular.with sixes and fours raining and it was a masterclass and a delight to watch.England are lucky to have a player like him
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The Contributors
James Foster was still a student for Durham University when he was called up to the England A squad in 2000-01, before progressing to full
international honours the following winter. However, he broke his arm in the nets early in the 2002 season which allowed Alec Stewart back into the side and he has played just one further Test, at Melbourne in 2002-03. But two strong seasons have put him back in the frame and he was part of the England Lions squad during the 2007-08 winter tour to India. He was appointed
Essex's vice captain in 2007.
Nick Compton, grandson of the legendary Denis, was raised in South Africa before moving to Harrow as a teenager. Like many young South Africans, he excelled at handball sports and, although he took some time to
cement his place, he's been a consistent and elegant batsman at the
top of the order for Middlesex ever since. This winter, instead of
spending it in the gym, he and Graham Napier trekked in the foothills
of Mount Everest to stage the world's highest ever cricket match.
Will Smith was 22 when he sparked Nottinghamshire's interest with a fine 156 for Durham Universities in 2005, and it was enough to earn him a
contract and three games with the county in their Championship-winning
season. A strong opening batsman, he had to wait until 2006 to hit his
maiden first-class hundred following a winter in which he had double
hernia and shoulder operations. He joined Durham in 2007 and has a
range of curious nicknames: Posh Kid, Smudge and Jiggy.
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