Cheers Ramps

25 years in FC cricket! What an achievement! If he played in today's era he certainly would have fared better in England colours.

Surrey experiment with Pietersen

Surrey obviously felt that Kevin Pietersen was worth the risk to team unity, despite the fact that he might only play a game or two during next season. But they will also be looking closely at tickets, shirt sales and other merchandise to see what impact he has there.

It's interesting too that this news came out after Mark Ramprakash picked up his injury - no doubt talks were already in progress, but I wonder if the Surrey might have discussed his early season availability with the ECB before agreeing this. England's first Test v Sri Lanka isn't until 26th May so although I can't find a 2011 fixture calendar (surely this is in place by now?!), Pietersen could play an important role for Surrey if he can help fill the void left by Ramprakash until the first Sri Lanka Test.

Ramprakash injury

Surrey will have their work cut out at the start of next season after Mark Ramprakash did himself serious damage playing football - he won't be available until mid-season at best now. Cruciate ligament damage is meant to be serious and good on Ramprakash for not throwing the towel in - at his age I think I probably would have retired....

Ramps just misses out on century 112

Sounds like a scoreboard operator's worst nightmare....wrongly attributing 3 runs to Ramprakash, seeing him celebrate his hundred only to realise that he was actually short still, and then watching him get out for 99.

Ramps is meant to be a little calmer these days, but I still wouldn't have liked to have gone anywhere near him if I'd been the scoreboard operator!

Ramprakash's 100th Hundred

Amidst the mass resignations over the weekend, Mark Ramprakash quietly achieved his hundredth hundred against Yorkshire. It has been mentioned that he will probably be the last player to achieve this memorable feat and I am delighted that he has done so.

He was my first batting hero, primarily as he was a local boy to me (his school was 'just round the corner'). He was also someone who I could quite easily find an excuse for, for not cutting it in the international arena (dropped too many times, played with a tail which started at 7 too many times etc).

I am certain that if he was 5 years younger he would have benefitted from central contracts and would been taken under the wing of Duncan Fletcher (without the baggage of the early 90s) and would have become a true international star and not just a county great.

But rather than reflecting on the woulds and ifs, Ramprakash will still have a memorable and deserved place in cricket history.

Well done!

1 to go for Ramprakash

I had the pleasure of making my first visit to Hove yesterday morning to watch Mark Ramprakash make his 99th century, leaving him just one away from a hundred 100s.

I'll be interested to see how many people make it along to watch him score his hundredth 100 - there wasn't a particularly big crowd given that he was on 60 odd over night and it wasn't a working day, but locally the league season started yesterday, so players possibly didn't have the option. One man in front of me shouted "one more" as the crowd politely applauded but several people seemed completely unaware that it was Ramprakash's 99th, a few turning up just after he'd made his 100.

A little bit of pressure seemed to be created with Ramprakash on 84 and 85 off the bowling of Ollie Rayner, with Chris Adams using a slip, short-leg and silly-point to create some doubt from Ramprakash and his batting partner Mark Butcher who also looked fluent before edging behind off Rayner. But having made it to 90, Ramprakash put Rayner over mid-wicket for four and then came down the wicket to hit him straight for 4 two balls later. In Rayner's next over, a short ball allowed Ramprakash to step back and cut for 4 (see photo above), leaving Ramprakash one away from the hundred 100s landmark.

His next opportunity is versus Hampshire at the Rose Bowl but many Surrey supporters will be hoping that they get the chance to watch him make his next hundred at The Oval against Yorkshire. You can see Surrey's fixtures here.

Why is Ramps washing dishes?

I got this email from The Daily Telegraph about their Fantasy Cricket today. All very nice - not sure if I'll take part or not, but anything that drives more involvement in cricket is great as far as I'm concerned....

You can see the Fantasy XI picked by Mark Ramrakash himself here.

What intrigues me is why Mark Ramprakash is pictured washing up with his batting gloves on? Can anyone shed any light or even make any suggestions as to the thinking of the designer? Am I missing something really obvious?