Monday musings

Chez Peakfan hasn't been a noisy place this weekend, as both Mrs P and I have been struck by an especially virulent bug that left us both, quite literally, speechless. Meanwhile both offspring have been hit by it in different ways, so the mood has been subdued, albeit for a short time.

The next couple of days should see everyone restored to full health, so I've taken the chance to catch up with a few outstanding blog tasks, such as adding a season countdown timer, which you will see on the left. Amazing the free things you can find out there on the web...

In common with most bloggers at some point, there has been a few issues with spammers in recent days. I haven't yet got to the point of having all comments approved before they go live, which will undoubtedly stop them, but I'll be monitoring the situation closely. Rest assured that if I do need to go down that path that your much appreciated comments will still appear - it just won't be immediately.

It has been a quiet few days for cricket fans, with the main news being the move to Sussex of talented but under-performing Surrey all-rounder Chris Jordan. He follows his former team mate and skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown to the south coast and could be a sound signing. At his best he can bowl quickly and hit cleanly, but someone needs to help him rediscover his mojo, Austin Powers style.

That someone could be Neil Burns, who Cricinfo reported recently had worked closely with Monty Panesar and Nick Compton. The former Essex, Somerset and Leicestershire wicket-keeper/batsman runs a cricket mentoring service, which helps players with the mental side of their game and enables them to perhaps open up more than might be the case with a county coach. The article says that Burns is now working with our new signing Billy Godleman, which, based on his recent track record, augurs well.

In the international game our former all-rounder Shahid Afridi has been dropped by Pakistan. Afridi is one of the game's most enigmatic players, at times capable of genuine brilliance which can just as easily be followed by mediocrity, depending on his mood. His talent is undeniable, but no one has managed to get sustained performance from him, which is a shame for the player and the sides he has played for.

One of my favourite players played another fine hand for the West Indies today against Bangladesh. Marlon Samuels was one of the few successes of the last West Indies side to tour England and has turned into a very consistent performer for them. Issues with his bowling action and a two-year ban in the light of match-fixing allegations disrupted his earlier career, but at 31 he is now a fine and perhaps underrated batsman who also bowls useful off spin.

I can see him being a valuable commodity in next year's IPL and the nine sixes in his 43-ball unbeaten 85, together with a tidy spell of off-spin, made him an easy choice as man of the match.

Finally, and staying on the subject of T20, Travis Birt continues to show his skills in the format in the Big Bash over in Australia for the Hobart Hurricanes. His unbeaten 57 from 40 balls saw them to an easy win over the Brisbane Heat and maintains his reputation as one of the more dangerous batsmen in the format.

Birt's career has never risen to the heights that at one point seemed possible when he played for us with mixed results, but he has found a niche in T20 as a solidly-built player who can muscle the ball to and over the boundary on a regular basis.

It's a handy asset for any side to have.

See you soon.