ESPNcricinfo previews Division Two of the County Championship and those chasing promotion

07-Apr-2011Usman Khawaja could prove a clever signing for Derbyshire if he can adapt to conditions•Getty ImagesDerbyshire (FLt20: North Group; CB40: Group A)
Captain Luke Sutton Coach John Morris Overseas Usman Khawaja (Aus), Martin Guptill (NZ)It was a tough time for Derbyshire in 2010 as they battled limited resources along with injuries and loss of form for key players. Luke Sutton, who rejoined his former club from Lancashire, was named captain during the winter and has a tough job although the club have been shrewd with their overseas signings. Usman Khawaja, especially, will be fascinating to what as he adapts to early-season English conditions after his Test debut in the Ashes. However, their bowling resources appear very thin with a huge amount resting on the experienced Steffan Jones. Andrew McGlashanPlayer to watch Greg Smith: important with bat and ball (both offspin and medium pace) but contract talks stalled in the winter so his future is in some doubt.Prospects Tough to see them maintaining a promotion challenge unless some of the younger players develop rapidly.Essex (FLt20: South Group; CB40: Group C)
Captain James Foster Coach Paul Grayson Overseas TBC
After one season in the top flight, Essex were dumped back into the second division of the Championship in 2010, but if Alastair Cook starts the new campaign with the same drive that he showed in the Ashes, they could go a long way to bouncing back before the end of May. He will be available for the first six Championship fixtures after a long break since January, and with the new signing Owais Shah (post-IPL) slotting in alongside Ravi Bopara and the new captain James Foster, Essex certainly have the batting to make an impact this season. The loss of Danish Kaneria leaves them short of a quality spinner, and a replacement overseas player has been hard to come by, amid rumours of a call-up for the Afghan Hamid Hassan. But with a £75 million redevelopment plan in the offing as well, optimism seems the order of the day out east. Andrew MillerKey man Ravi Bopara: Cook’s presence will be a coup for the early weeks of the season, but Bopara is the real king-pin at Chelmsford. After breaking into the World Cup squad as a replacement, he knows he’s back in favour with the selectors, but that’s all the more reason to turn in a command performance for his county.Prospects With a threatening range of strokemakers in the middle-order, Essex ought to be right in the mix in all competitions.Alviro Petersen has a tough job at Glamorgan after a winter of discontent•AFPGlamorgan (FLt20: South Group; CB40: Group C)
Captain Alviro Petersen Coach Colin Metson Overseas Alviro Petersen (SA), Mark Cosgrove (Aus – t20)After slugging through a traumatic off-season, Glamorgan’s players will be relieved to finally get on the field again. It has been a shambolic winter. Out went last-season’s captain Jamie Dalrymple when he learned that Alviro Petersen had been recruited and installed in his position. Following him went coach Matthew Maynard, when he learned Colin Metson had been made director of cricket. Unamused with the whole shambolic process, president Peter Walker quit. Finally Tom Maynard, the promising batsman, followed his dad through the ‘out’ door, furious with what had happened. Somehow Petersen will have to unite the dressing room and stiffen the resolve of a shaky top-order. Sahil DuttaPlayer to watch Michael Powell: suffered a life-threatening blood clot two years and struggled last season on his return. But he remains a talented batsman – once on the fringes of England – and Glamorgan need him to prosper.Prospects Having missed on promotion on the last day of the season Glamorgan will be keen to go one better. Worcestershire showed that anything is possible but it’s difficult to see Petersen galvanising the troops to mount a serious challenge.Gloucestershire (FLt20: South Group; CB40: Group C)
CaptainAlex Gidman Coach John Bracewell Overseas Kane Williamson (NZ), Muttiah Muralitharan (SL – t20)
Having spent the first half of the winter banging the dour drum of austerity, Gloucestershire suddenly announced enough savings had been made to allow spending spree. John Bracewell reached for the county credit card and signed Muttiah Muralitharan for the FPt20. His presence, injuries-permitting, will be a lift but resources remain slim and Alex Gidman has a young side to try and guide through the season. Sahil DuttaPlayer to watch Kane Williamson: the focus on youth was very much apparent in his signing. It’s also a product of John Bracewell’s close links to New Zealand but 20-year-old Williamson is a serious prospect. He has a Test hundred already and proved an excellent player of spin. But so early in his career will he or the county benefit more from the experience?Prospects A challenge for promotion in the Championship looks unlikely so a competitive in the shorter-formats is the best Gidman can expect from a youthful squad.Kent(FLt20: South Group; CB40: Group A)
Captain Robert Key Coach Paul Farbrace Overseas None
No club has felt the squeeze of the global credit crunch quite like Kent, whose grandiose plans to refurbish the ancient St Lawrence ground ran slap-bang into the recession. As a consequence, the club’s playing staff has been reduced to the barest of bones, while the bulldozers move in all around them. A refurbished pavilion, retractable floodlights, an electronic scoreboard and a new housing developments where the nets once stood are among the features in Canterbury, which means a lot of clanking and banging while Rob Key and his men attempt to restore their team to the top flight. A lot will depend on the solidity and professionalism of Kent’s old-timers, because with a 20-man squad, there’s not much scope for an injury crisis. Andrew MillerPlayer to watch Rob Key: will be enjoying a benefit year, which means that he at least should be in the black come the end of the season. His wise old head and professional attitude will be invaluable.Prospects If the club’s circumstances galvanises the squad, then promotion is on the cards, and they already have an established pedigree in the t20s. But injuries could wreck the season at any stage.Another consistent season and James Taylor will be pushing for England honours•Getty ImagesLeicestershire (FLt20: North Group; CB40: Group B)
Captain Matthew Hoggard Coach Phil Whitticase Overseas Andrew McDonald (Aus)
Despite the off-field turmoil last season when chairman, chief executive and coach all resigned during a summer of infighting the young players continue to develop with both James Taylor and Nathan Buck earning England Lions honours. The problem for a county of Leicestershire’s size is keeping hold of them with bigger counties sniffing and having made a loss of £400,000 money is short at Grace Road. However, Matthew Hoggard has proved himself an impressive captain with a style that suits the younger players and will hope for more maturing from the likes of Tom New and Josh Cobb. Andrew McGlashanPlayer to watch James Taylor: didn’t suffer second-season syndrome so his career is well on the way. Don’t rule him out making a dip at the vacant England batting spot before the season is out.Prospects With a small squad injuries will prove costly and the onus is on Buck and Hoggard to lead the attack. A young side should compete in one-day cricket.Middlesex (FLt20: South Group; CB40: Group A)
Captain Neil Dexter Coach Richard Scott Overseas Chris Rogers (Aus)
The heady days of the 1980s, when Emburey and Edmonds used to spin the county to trophy after trophy, are a thing of the distant past. Though they picked up the Twenty20 Cup in 2008, Middlesex remain stuck in the second division of the County Championship, where the true nature of the Lord’s wicket conspires against their bowling attack, given that it is their batting that has tended to be the weakest of their disciplines. Steven Finn, whose England place has been snaffled by Chris Tremlett, could well be available for the bulk of the season, which would be a boon, as he alone might need to take 50-60 wickets to give his team a chance of promotion. Andrew MillerPlayer to watch Chris Rogers: international recognition has passed him by, but Rogers has forged a formidable career in first-class cricket nonetheless, with 6819 runs at 58. Just the man to reinforce their top order.Prospects Promotion is the primary goal, but consistency is a close second.Northamptonshire (FLt20: North Group; CB40: Group B)
Captain Andrew Hall Coach David Capel Overseas Chaminda Vaas (SL), Johan Botha (SA – t20)
Northamptonshire have been pinned in Division Two for seven years and show little sign of heading up this time round. That said, if injury doesn’t get the better of Chaminda Vaas, he will be a canny operator and a pivotal wicket-taking option for Andrew Hall. On the batting front unless David Sales and Mal Loye revive the hunger of old it’s difficult to see where big totals will come from. Johan Botha’s presence for the t20 will help fill the hole left by Nicky Boje. Sahil DuttaPlayer to watch Stephen Peters: was by far and away Northamptonshire’s best player last season. His 1320 runs in the Championship was almost twice more than what second-highest-scorer Hall made. A repetition of that form, plus some help from the others, is essential for Northants’ fortunes.Prospects A Vaas and Botha-led inspiration could catapult Northants to the knockout stages of the t20 but a solid mid-table finish in Division Two looks most likely for the four-day season.Jade Dernbach will be key to Surrey’s chances of promotion•PA PhotosSurrey (FLt20: South Group; CB40: Group B)
Captain Rory Hamilton-Brown Coach Chris Adams Overseas Yasir Arafat (Pak), Shaun Tait (Aus – t20)
At the start of the 2000s, Surrey encouraged the suggestion that they were the Manchester United of cricket – a rich, glamorous metropolitan club with a thirst for trophies and a raft of star players. In recent seasons, however, they have begun to resemble Manchester City – beset by infighting and high-profile failures which have undermined their quest for silverware. The 2010 season was their nadir in many respects, with their ambitions torpedoed by a dreadful start under their new young captain Rory Hamilton-Brown, and by the end of it all, their balance sheet showed a record £500k loss that contributed to the departure of the CEO, Paul Sheldon, after 15 years at the helm. The only way is up, and first things first, they need to escape the Championship second division. Andrew MillerPlayer to watch Tom Maynard: left his home county Glamorgan under a cloud following the acrimonious sacking of his father, the head coach, Matthew. A young batsman with a mature outlook on the game, who could thrive in Surrey’s youth-orientated cultureProspects Promotion to the top flight of the Championship is a must, and a probability if they can start the new season with the same intent that they finished the old.