Onions Making Me Cry

I've always liked Graham Onions. Maybe it's the funny name. Maybe it's the fact that he looks a lot like Mark Watson, a comedian I like. Maybe it's because I'm partial to Geordie accents. Maybe it's his defiant blocking batting. More likely it's because I like his swing bowling.

Back a few years ago I also liked Simon Jones. He too had a fun accent (Welsh). He too ripped through the Aussies with lethal swing.

Sadly, just like Onions, Jones was rather injury prone.

Life for a fast bowler has it's ups and downs, and as Iain O'Brien told me in one of my podcasts, injuries are never too far away. Simon Jones picked up a knee injury in the fourth 2005 Ashes test. There was a race against time to get him fit for the fifth test, a week later. Jones hasn't played for England since. Other than this year for Hampshire, Jones hasn't played with any real regularity since that heady win at Trent Bridge.

Onions got injured in training out in Bangladesh ahead of the tests. His injury was also first thought to be minor, but it soon became obvious that wasn't to be the case.

Like Jones in the intervening years since 2005, Onions has set himself targets of getting back playing. He's missed all of those targets. And today the news was announced that he's having a back operation which rules him out for 9 months. Officially ruling him out of an Ashes tour he still held increasingly faint hopes of making.

When Jones first got injured, people started to fill in for him, but as time went on, made the position their own. Onions' third seamer position went to Steven Finn, who appears to have it nailed down for the foreseeable future. He's seemingly slipped down the pecking order behind Bresnan and Shahzad.

Like Jones, Onions could well recover from his serious injury to play at a good level. However, like Jones, the cut throat nature of international cricket means Onions may have played his last for England. This makes me sad. You could say that Onions is making me cry.

Twenty20 in 20 words - North Group

So here we are, at the halfway stage of the FPt20 groups. Yes, it's been constant every day cricket for the last month, but we are only half way. So purely to take my mind of the other big game of the day, here's each county team's T20 campaign so far. In 20 words.

North Group

Notts (W7 L1): Fired by Nannes and Hussey, have strength throughout. Should make quarters easily; perhaps even trip to Rose Bowl?

Lancashire (W5 L3): Quietly useful side missing international attack. Will miss Katich but could have enough wins already to progress further.

Warwickshire (W5 L3): Very strong team with great new ball attack. Luckily better than awful kit suggests. Woakes FTW.

Yorkshire(W5 L4): Have mix with experience and a youthful captain. Just need to check registration of players.

Derbyshire (W4 L4): Unglamorous, but inconsistent. Have powerful middle order hitters, but will need a bit of luck if they are to progress.

Northants (W4 L5): Team without many flair players but very capable. Have missed Sehwag (haven't we all), but not out of running.

Durham (W3 L6): Disappointing start for County Champions; possibly strongest batting line up compromised by weakened attack leaking runs. Pity.

Leicestershire (W3 L5): Prodigious Taylor keeping them together, captain Hoggard's unorthodoxy can be both a help and a hindrance. Doubtful to qualify.

Worcestershire (W2 L6): Winter departure of key players left poor squad, will need to rally spectacularly just to save face at this stage.

Table correct as of June 27

Captain Colonel

If Middlesex winning two county games in a row wasn't shocking enough, today's big county story is as equally surprising. Well, to me anyway.

Durham captain and punster's dream Will "Fresh Prince" Smith has been removed as captain of the champions, and has been replaced by equally as fun Phil "Colonel" Mustard. In their Pursuit of Happyness, the Men in Black have accepted Smith's resignation in the wake of their innings defeat to Nottinghamshire. It is reported that Durham's supporters are seeing today as Independence Day, and that a collection for Smith has raised only Seven Pounds. Durham's Switch in captaincy is somewhat surprising, as it is the only first class game Durham have lost in the last 21, but Smith's form has suffered; only averaging 16 this year. In a press conference, Smith proclaimed "I am Legend", before departing to applause from fans of the Wild Wild North-East county.

Anyone got any more puns to stick in?

(And The Short Third Man would like to wish Phil Mustard the best of luck as Durham captain. Just not when they're playing Middlesex)