Comments from the boards

There's a few ideas and comments around the message boards today and I'm duty bound to give you my thoughts on them!

First up, there are suggestions that we should make a move for Jason Brown, just released from Nottinghamshire. Have to say that I don't go with that one myself. Brown has been a decent bowler and has taken a number of wickets over the years for Northamptonshire, but I would be surprised - no, make that astonished - if he was the answer to our search for a spinner. I could understand a move for James Middlebrook, as he would bring a few runs and decent fielding to the mix, but Brown is a bowler - period. I don't think he is what we need at present and - well, you know my feelings now.

Another comment suggested that we make a move for Chris Schofield now that Surrey have signed Piyush Chawla and Gareth Batty. I'd see that one as very unlikely. One is that he is not a good enough spinner. He was voted the Surrey Professional Cricketers Association Most Valuable Player (rolls off the tongue that one) and is a decent player as a batsman who takes a few wickets, but not as a specialist spinner. As such he will almost certainly be under contract and I would have thought would make their team as a third spinner even when the others were in the side. I can't think he'd rush to sign for a county who declined the chance to sign him when he trialled here either. No, just don't see this working guys.

Another comment suggested that while an outstanding batsman, Chris Rogers isn't a brilliant captain. I would agree, but would say that he was a solid skipper who may continue to improve with experience. Outstanding captains are, understandably, a rare breed. I can think back to Eddie Barlow, Mike Brearley and Ray Illingworth as captains of real brilliance. Others, like Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor, Clive Lloyd and Jeremy Coney were good - very good - skippers who had a strong set of players, which always helps. I reckon I could have captained the West Indies of the late 1970's and 1980's to success. Bowl two quicks, change them after six overs each for two more and repeat until the end of the day. I know that does Clive Lloyd a disservice as a fine player, but I hope you take my point.

Kim Barnett was a decent skipper, but had some good players under him for a lot of his tenure. Barlow took some very average players and turned them into cricketers. Harry Cartwright, Tony Borrington, Phil Russell, Ashley Harvey-Walker, Fred Swarbrook and Colin Tunnicliffe were moulded into good players who knew their role in the side and took inspiration from a skipper who produced moments of magic from nowhere.

Rogers is skipper of a young side who will benefit from his performances. His batting last season was an object lesson in quality and a skipper who sets good examples is better than one who doesn't. When things weren't going our way in the field, Barlow could take the ball and produce a golden spell, something beyond Rogers' expertise. Then again, Barlow also had Mike Hendrick and Geoff Miller in his side, bowlers of very good quality. Rogers doesn't have that luxury at this stage, but who knows what the future may bring?

No, Rogers is perhaps not YET an outstanding captain, but he needs a more experienced side to help him to get there. What he is, beyond doubt, is an outstanding batsman, a totally committed professional and a man who will grow with the role, beyond any doubt the best option that is available to us.

Elsewhere today, Trinidad and Tobago reached the final of the T20 with an impressive batting display against Cape Cobras. I was again impressed (fleetingly) with the 19 year old opener Barath, while Dwayne Bravo showed what a terrific cricketer he is, especially in the short games. I'd be astonished if he wasn't in our Twenty/20 this summer for one county or another, together with his colleague Keiron Pollard.

It was nice to see Charl Langeveldt back bowling for the Cobras, but he could do little to stem the tide as Bravo and his team mates batted beautifully. Nonetheless, Charl was by a distance the Cobras best bowler. He's still as good a one day bowler as there is, in my opinion, though I'd have to say that Justin Ontong had a bit of a nightmare game, batting, bowling and fielding.

For the record, when I bracketed him with AB de Villiers as a "Monopoly Money" signing for Twenty/20, I meant that he was a cheaper alternative, not remotely in the league of the Proteas star batsman.

After today I'm reckoning his price will have gone down a bit, while Dwayne's will almost certainly have increased.

You can only say Bravo to that....