"He's made a bit of an error in hindsight"
Worcestershire’s South African signing Beyers Swanepoel, whose urgency to reach New Road led him to leave for the airport with seven overs remaining in a domestic one-day final (a match his team lost off the penultimate ball while fielding only ten men), has now created difficulties for his new club as well.
Cricket South Africa has withheld his No-objection certificate and charged him with bringing the game into disrepute and breaching his contract. In response, Worcestershire have secured Warwickshire’s Olly Hannon-Dalby on a two-week loan to cover the vacancy.
“Beyers would probably say he’s made a bit of an error in hindsight,”said Worcestershire chief executive Ashley Giles.
Surrey to Win It...Lancashire and Durham to Be Promoted
Fixtures - Round One
- Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Yorkshire
- Taunton: Somerset v Nottinghamshire
- The County Ground: Derbyshire v Worcestershire
- Lord’s: Middlesex v Gloucestershire
Good morning! The sky is slate, the grass is lush, there’s a spot of rain on my cheek – welcome back!
And hello to readers new and old, it’s lovely to have you with us.
Fifteen Championship rounds lie ahead (sixteen if you count Surrey’s one-off game against Hampshire). The first seven rounds will take place before England commence their Test summer in June, although there are some interspersed white-ball matches against New Zealand. So many runs to score, wickets to take, careers to make. Hearts to break. England say the door is open, who will push hardest?
I’m at Grace Road (or at least I will be soon, only I forgot to change trains at Nuneaton) to watch an injury-plagued and points-deducted Sussex, while my colleague Ali Martin is at Edgbaston to monitor his tip for the top, Warwickshire, and the fancied Surrey. We’ll be here every day until the end of the season on Sunday, September 27. The kettle’s on, grab a mug. It’s going to be fun.
