English Cricket in 2008

As the England cricket team look forward to the challenges that will face them during the summer of 2008, we take a look at the key players and what is expected of them.

England returned from their winter tour to New Zealand with a 2-1 series win but with some question marks against some key players and the team as a whole. The reality is that the Kiwis have been struggling in recent years and that a series win was the minimum requirement.

England's defeat in the first Test Match had led to the dropping of two stalwarts of the side, Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison.

As we look ahead to the coming summer, the question of whether those two players have a future in the England side is a key one. Will they be part of a side that returns to its best?

Of the two, Hoggard has more sympathy with many fans. The Yorkshire bowler may lack the pace of Harmison, but he more than makes up for it with his effort and his ability to swing the ball.

Having been one of England's most reliable performers over the past few seasons, Hoggard can count himself unlucky. Harmison, on the other hand, appears to have been living on borrowed time.

His inability to bowl a consistent line and length has been disappointing, while some suggest that he lacks the heart to tour with the national side.

There's no doubt that the psychological effect of his disastrous first ball in the 2006 Ashes series has also taken its toll.

Will these two bounce back, or will the likes of Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson permanently replace them in the team.

It all remains to be seen but 2008 should be a defining year for English cricket.



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