Thoughts on Palladino

While a worthy cricketer who always gave of his best, Ian Hunter has struggled over recent summers. In that respect his departure from the club, with a year to go on his current contract and by mutual consent, was perhaps not entirely unexpected.


To be fair, when his rhythm was right and the ball was swinging, ‘Sticks’ bowled some good spells and most of us will remember times when he looked a bowler of talent. Sadly, a constant battle against injury meant that the fight for rhythm became increasingly elusive, as ultimately did the fight for fitness itself. Last season he effectively missed the whole campaign and there were major question marks against his ability to fulfil that contract in 2011.

There is always a degree of sadness when a decent cricketer and good man leaves the club and this is no exception. Yet John Morris has moved quickly to fill the vacancy and has signed Essex bowler Tony Palladino on a two-year deal. The move was rumoured a couple of weeks back and mentioned on this blog, so thanks to the Essex fan who got in touch about it. Remember, Essex didn’t release him, so are well aware of his merits.

On the face of it, with Jones, Footitt, Clare, Turner, Sheikh and Groenewald we were not too badly off, but Sheikh is unproven at this level and Jones cannot go on forever. If injuries hit we would once again have been down to the bare bones. One would assume that Steffan Jones retains a coaching role (he may even have bowlers to coach this year) and will play mainly one-day matches, leaving the seam attack as Footitt, Clare, Turner, Palladino and Groenewald. They are less experienced than Hunter and Lungley, though cynics might say it was of little use when the latter were infrequently fit to play. Crucially, there are reputations to be made, and hungry cricketers of talent are worth their weight in gold.

Palladino comes in, as Mark Footitt did last season, with a few injury absences to his name, but that goes with the territory - name me a seam bowler in the modern game who hasn’t. It is hard work and they’ve also to dive around in the field and contribute a few runs. Changed days from the Jackson/Gladwin era and before, when an outstretched boot was the concession to agility from the bowlers and all that was expected of them.

Critics say he can be expensive and loses his radar from time to time, but I tend to take a more pragmatic view. Five-an-over in List A and seven-an-over in T20 is hardly cafeteria bowling. In addition, Palladino, like Footitt and Mark Turner, takes wickets with impressive regularity. Eight four-wicket and two five-wicket hauls in 52 matches is impressive, as is a career record of 117 wickets at 34 with limited opportunity. Comparisons may be odious, but Lungley took three five-wicket hauls in ten years, as did Hunter and neither took four in a Championship innings.

Palladino is thus more penetrative and crucially four years younger. With opportunity he can get better, which realistically wasn’t going to happen with the other two. All things considered, John Morris has again strengthened the squad. Two aging bowlers of questionable fitness have been replaced by two who are not yet at their peak.

If we can get them all fit and keep them that way, we have a nucleus of attacking bowlers with the ability to take wickets. That inexperience may see them expensive at times, but their strike rates suggest that we could take the wickets required to win Championship matches next season.

For me, that’s progress.

A top overseas star in the Spring, after IPL and international commitments are known and we’ll do all right.