He’s been playing in division two, which of course doesn’t count. That’s what Steven Davies has been doing.

He has had a good time recently though. Worcestershire are in the first division of the Pro40 league and played two matches last week.

Against Somerset, Davies hit a quarter of the balls he faced for four and finished with 92 off 60 balls. The match was tied. Against Gloucestershire he did even better, hitting 119 off 87 balls. Unfortunately, his keeping’s not getting rave reviews. We say ‘unfortunately’ but it isn’t really fortune, is it? It’s to do with concentration, co-ordination, athleticism and stamina.

At least Worcestershire should find themselves in the top division next year, so Davies, along with team mates Kabir Ali and Simon Jones, can give a truer indication of how good they are.

Tags: Steven Davies, county cricket, ones to watch by King Cricket
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Please let Steven Davies be the end to the to-ing and fro-ing of England wicketkeepers.

At 21, he’s got years on most of his rivals and he’s virtually matching all of them for runs and wickets. If he can improve and stand head and shoulders above everyone as the standout candidate, cricket writers the nation over would rejoice and put their poison pens back in their desk tidies.

Davies bats at five and has a top score of 192. Nobody’s said anything particularly bad about his wicketkeeping yet. We don’t own a poison pen, but our Quill Of Wicketkeeping Appreciation is drying up and needs dipping in The Ink Of Optimism.

Don’t make us use The Tipp-Ex Of Hindsight-led Revisionism, Steven. Don’t let it come to that.

County cricketers to watch in 2008.

Tags: Steven Davies, county cricket, ones to watch by King Cricket
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