Cricket Diary: Yorkshire's T20 poser

By Richard Gibson

Yorkshire face the prospect of being without both their overseas stars if they extend their impressive Twenty20 Cup form beyond the group stages.
 
Australian Mitchell Starc, whose 15 wickets in seven matches make him the most prolific bowler in this year’s Friends Life t20, and explosive batsman David Miller, of South Africa, are both required for international duty with their respective countries in the latter half of this summer.
 
Left-armer Starc is in Australia A’s 17-man squad for the ‘Test’ tour of England, and is required to join up a few days in advance of the first warm-up match against Derbyshire on July 27 for a strength and conditioning program. So unless Yorkshire can negotiate a day’s release, he would effectively be ruled out of the quarter-final stage of the competition, played on July 24 and 25.
 
Even with a combination of Australian co-operation and continued success, the 22-year-old’s availability for Finals Day on August 25 in Cardiff could be further complicated by his fine current form – the Australian selectors are sure to have taken note of his performances, including an economy rate of under six an over.
 
Those kind of statistics, added to the variation he provides as a leftie, make him a decent shout to make Australia’s pre-World Twenty20 camp, which runs through the latter stages of August.
 
Miller has guaranteed his return for the quarter-finals should they progress from the North Group they currently top with five wins from six completed matches.
 
Left-handed batsman Miller, capped 24 times by South Africa in limited-overs cricket, is also on A team duty for the Proteas’ second string in Ireland. He is booked on a flight back to his native Durban on July 10, but will return ahead of the last-eight contest should Yorkshire advance.
 
However, his availability problem would materialise if the county progresses to its first ever Twenty20 Finals Day. South Africa A have two fixtures against Ireland sandwiching Finals Day, a 50-over contest on August 23 and a Twenty20 encounter on August 27. “I would have to look at that,” admitted Miller. “We will see what we can do.”
 
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Next season is potentially Steve Harmison’s last in professional cricket and Durham are considering awarding the former England fast bowler a benefit in 2013 as reward for his long service.
 
Harmison, 33, is in his 17th campaign as a first-class cricketer, having made his bow for his native county in 1996, and has just one more year left on his current four-year contract.
 
A catalogue of injuries have restricted the man dubbed 'Grievous Bodily Harmison' in his pomp to just nine County Championship appearances over the past two seasons.
 
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Two of county cricket’s Australian imports are on the move over the winter after opting to quit New South Wales to enhance their 2013 Ashes prospects.
 
Worcestershire’s Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja, of Derbyshire, both featured in last year’s final Test between Australia and England in Sydney but are not currently in contention for Test cricket. Hughes has switched to South Australia while Khawaja is to head north alongside another international outcast, spinner Nathan Hauritz.
 
The two young batsmen will hope the changes of scene have the same effect experienced by Peter Forrest and Ed Cowan in recent years – the duo prospered elsewhere after quitting the SCG and earned Australia call-ups over the 2011-12 winter.



Date: 02/07/2012 10:54:47 by Richard Gibson
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