Cardiff is the place to be on Sunday. One of the greatest cricketers of this generation will be making a return to county cricket against Glamorgan. A treat is on the horizon for all cricket lovers and the press box will be unusually full for this Second Division contest.
Yes, Kumar Sangakkara is making his debut for Surrey at the start of a season when an unusually high proportion of international stars are dipping into domestic cricket.
Sangakkara is expected to bat at three. After him comes Kevin Pietersen. Will this be his last appearance in Cardiff, which has somehow managed to be chosen as the venue for the first Test against Australia? Or not? If the pitch there is as benign to batsmen as many seen in this parched April, the Glamorgan bowlers may feel a tad persecuted. In fact they are privileged to pit their skills against two great batsmen.
The assumption is that Pietersen will bat at four but since he is currently in the mood to pick up gauntlets wherever they are tossed, perhaps he will volunteer to open the batting. In Antigua the England middle order has functioned well enough with centuries for Ian Bell and Gary Ballance plus two fine contributions from Joe Root. This trio have done their best to post “No Vacancies” signs but at the top of the order things look less certain.
On arrival at The Oval Sangakkara poured praise on the Surrey coach, Graham Ford, who was briefly in charge of Sri Lanka and who has been Pietersen’s great mentor over the years. “He really cares for his charges,” said Sangakkara. “He gives a lot of love, hard work and knowledge.” The assumption is that in his second season with the county Ford will produce a promotion as well, such is the strength of Surrey’s squad.
Surrey currently have no international calls to disrupt Ford’s plans – unlike Yorkshire. This hardly hampered them in their first match at Worcester, which they won by 10 wickets. On Sunday at Nottingham they can at least welcome back the club captain, Andrew Gale, after suspension. At this rate once Adam Lyth, Adil Rashid, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Plunkett return from the Caribbean they will have a problem reducing a vibrant squad to 11.
Worcestershire and Hampshire, the promoted sides, both lost their first matches and eyes will be kept openkeeping an eye open for evidence of a widening gulf between the two divisions. On Sunday Worcestershire play Sussex, whose reinvigorated pace attack was effective in round one. Plenty is known of the new signings, Ajmal Shahzad and Tymal Mills, but the 22-year-old local Matthew Hobden also impressed.
Hampshire are at Edgbaston. There they will encounter one of the brightest young things on the horizon. Sam Hain, just 19, who played 12 Championship matches for Warwickshire last season and averaged over 50. He was born in Hong Kong of English parents, who settled in Australia where Hain turned out for the national under-19 side. But there is no doubt that he is committed to playing for England.
The selectors, whoever they may be as the summer progresses, will be keeping an eye on Hain. In fact, James Whitaker, the current national selector, is more likely to station himself in Birmingham this week than in Cardiff.
