As I write this, my man Ramps is resting peacefully on 174* in the latest instalment of his drive to take Surrey back into the first division of the County Championship.
It's been a tremendous season for one of the finest batsmen England has ever produced, and I'm starting to wonder if he can't go on and beat his own personal best from back in 1995. That year he scored something like 2250 runs, with 10 centuries. The performance stands out in memory because the only other person to top 9 centuries in a county season that I can recall in the last couple of decades was the South African Jimmy Cook. Cook had that stupendous season in 1991, the year in which Ramps made his Test debut, scoring nearly 3000 runs with 11 centuries. Brian Lara had 9 centuries in 1994, one of them the trifling 501*, and Rob Key hit 9 two seasons ago, and that's about it.
As things currently stand, Ramps has 1624 runs and 7 centuries, at an average of over 100. With games against Worcs, Gloucs, Essex, Glamorgan and Derby to come, he's probably got about 7 or 8 innings remaining this year. I wonder - if he reaches 12 centuries and 3000 runs, will he be headed over to Australia this winter?
I've got my Ashes seats secured, and there's nothing I'd like to see more than Ramps taking on Lee and Warne in Perth. He averages 40+ against the Aussies, and he once took the wicket of Justin Langer, at the WACA, so why not?
3 comments:
Ashes seats secured? Which game(s) are you headed to? I'll be at the MCG (certainly from days 1-4, as that was all that was being sold) for the Boxing day test. Can't wait.
Not so sure if Ramps still remains in the reckoning, especially given the English batting depth now. A lot of youngsters have stood up, and I think the likes of Bell and Cook are going to be perservered with, rather than someone being axed to give Ramps a go when he doesn't have too long left in the game.
How's Owais Shah doing, btw? Remember him looking quite impressive when he came to India with half the side injured.
Salil,
Going to the WACA this time around - haven't yet seen a Test there, and I'd like to see Harmison and Lee causing some trouble.
If you haven't been to the MCG before, you'll absolutely love it. I've watched Australia take on South Africa and India in Test series down under, and the atmosphere was fantastic in both cases.
As for Ramps - there's no way he will be or should be picked. Those who know me from way back when know that I was once the most rabid of Ramps fans. Doing the commentary on his hundred in the WI was one of my greatest days :-)
Yep, quite looking forward to it.
[BTW - browsed around, like the blog. Just added it to my bloglines (run a cricket blog myself too).
And I see you're a fellow rscer. (Salil on there).]
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