“I was gutted for Jack, but
hopefully we will be out there
together one day in a Test match”
DOM BESS, SOMERSET OFF-SPINNER
SOMERSET
Dominic Bess says his taste of Test cricket has
got him dreaming of lining up alongside his
Ciderabad sidekick Jack Leach for England.
O -spinner Bess, 20, was the benefi ciary of slow left-
armer Leach’s broken fi nger for the Test series against
Pakistan, and with next winter’s international tours to Sri
Lanka and West Indies it is feasible that the partnership
that fi rst came to prominence on Taunton’s spinning
pitches might be viewed a level up overseas.
“I know he was very happy for me – to be honest, I
was gutted for him – but hopefully we will be out there
together one day in a Test match,” Bess said.
“Once you get a taste of Test cricket you defi nitely
want more. I have now got to prove myself in the County
Championship again and hopefully when it comes to
selection I have had a few good performances with the bat,
ball and in the fi eld.”
Although he did not take his maiden Test wicket,
Imam-ul-Haq, until the second innings of the victory at
Headingley, Bess had already hit a half-century, followed
by a 49 as a nightwatchman and a stunning diving catch.decision contributed to Dwayne
Bravo, the most prolifi c bowler in
Twenty20 history, being allowed
to switch to crosstown rivals
Melbourne Stars.
Nabi, a veteran of more than 150
international caps, is eighth in the
ICC’s T20 international bowling
rankings and is second among
allrounders behind Australia’s
Glenn Maxwell. His batting average
of 29.33 and strike rate of 139.68
were both superior to the statistics
of colleagues Pollard, Bravo and
Aaron Finch while his economy rate
with the ball was as low as 5.76
runs per over.
The Renegades are looking for a
fast bowler as their second global
acquisition with Derbyshire’s
Pakistan international left-armer
Wahab Riaz favourite, and Yorkshire
and England star Liam Plunkett also
on the radar.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
Steven Crook’s T20 ProAm
venture has spread its
wings beyond Northampton.
The ProAm has been a side project
for Crook, 35, who is in the last
year of his contract at Northants,
though he has turned in some
useful performances, including
four wickets and 92 against
Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
Crook conceived the idea, which
gives promising club cricketers
underneath the radar the chance to
train and play alongside fi rst-class
players on county grounds. The fi rst
tournament ran last summer at
Wantage Road, and on the back of
it, eight club players were offered
trials at Northants.
“It gives the chance to play
on professional grounds with
professional players and mix with
legends,” Crook told The Cricketer.
“As a pro you sometimes experience
what it’s like to be in a draft in big
T20 tournaments, and we wanted to
replicate that.
“You play under lights, in a
pressure situation, and are
exposed to nutritional advice and
psychologists, training camps –
all the opportunities that pros get.
“Rips [Northants head coach David
Ripley] came along last year, sat in
the crowd and identifi ed a couple
of players worth looking at.”
This season, three separate
ProAms will be held in the North
(Derby), Midlands (Northampton)
and South (Ageas Bowl). Each
tournament is staging a draft where
the teams – bearing the name of
sponsors Greene King IPA, Travis
Perkins, Pukka Pies, the Barmy
Army and Hop House Lager – select
amateurs and pros for training
sessions with the ProAm Legends,
ahead of T20 fi nals days on the
county grounds.
This year’s legends are Simon
Jones, Devon Malcolm, Monty
Panesar and Marcus North. The
pros for the South fi nals day on
July 1 are Hampshire quartet Liam
Dawson, Chris Sole, Chris Wood and
Reece Topley.
It has so far been a diffi cult
campaign for Northants. Ben
Duckett has struggled for runs
and strike bowler Richard Gleeson
suffered an untimely elbow injury.
Northants lost four out of their fi rst
fi ve Championship matches, with
the other abandoned, and skipper
Alex Wakely lamented a Royal
London Cup campaign where “we
kept making the same mistakes”.
James CoyneNOTTINGHAMSHIRE
Cricket coaches are not
averse to spending the
day at their local football clubs to
shape their own philosophies on
management and training methods- but roles were reversed at Trent
Bridge this month.
Notts County assistant manager
Richard Thomas was a guest of
Peter Moores at an Outlaws net and
training session during the business
end of the Royal London Cup group
stage. Thomas, who arrived in the
city from Leyton Orient alongside
Kevin Nolan last year, observed
the way internationals like Alex
Hales, Jake Ball, Ross Taylor and
Samit Patel prepared for must-
Dom Bess took
three late wickets
at HeadingleyDevon Malcolm is among
the T20 ProAm legendsthecricketer.com | DIARY | COUNTY