Developments in English cricket are happening at a dizzying speed, and it’s not yet officially summer!

Darren Maddy, late of the Leicestershire Foxes, has been appointed captain in Warwickshire in the wake of Heath Streakâ?(tm)s sudden resignation. This must be nearly overwhelming for Maddy in light of having left his home county only a few weeks ago, not to mention that it occurs just as Warwickshire seem to be quickly moving up the ranks in the LV Champsionship.

Speaking of the Foxes, they produced – albeit perhaps unintentionally – a last minute thriller in their match against Scotland, just shortly after scraping by with a draw against Gloucestershire. Sundayâ?(tm)s match gave Paul Nixon yet another chance to shine, as he snatched 65 from 56 with a quick succession of fours before being bowled in the next-to-last ball of the final over with Leicestershire two runs short of victory. Batsman Dan Rowe secured victory for the Foxes with two runs off the last ball, allowing Leicestershire a four-wicket win.

Marcus Trescothick smashed a stunning 185 for Somerset against Northampton, but has quickly denied any possibility of his returning to England for the upcoming test against the Windies; nevertheless, it’s awfully good to see him playing so well again. On the other hand, Michael Vaughan, after making a strong (and most welcome) beginning towards a return to form, broke his finger in a Yorkshire game, leaving Strauss as the favourite for captain should Vaughan not heal in time for the upcoming test series. And now disaster strikes England again, as Kevin Pietersen tore a calf muscle in the Hampshire game against Ireland, forcing him to not only miss his next county match against Lancashire, but putting him in doubt for the Windies test as well.

Shake-ups continue in the revisionist England camp; Peter Moores has replaced assistant coach Matthew Maynard with Andy Flower (formerly Zimbabwe) and there will surely be more changes to come. Some commentators have written that Fletcher should still be at the helm sharing his experience with Moores throughout a period of transition, but it’s rather useless playing the ‘what if’ game at this point. Meanwhile one can only surmise that Moores has chosen Flower to compensate for his own lack of international experience.

Other random thoughts … West Indies will be playing without Brian Lara for the first time in more than 15 years, and emotions must surely be mixed for this team as they arrive in England today. Iâ?(tm)m not sure how I feel about the Gilchrist/Sri Lanka controversy; admittedly, Iâ?(tm)m more than a bit uncomfortable with his use of the squash ball, but he made no effort to hide it and Iâ?(tm)ll be the first to confess that I donâ?(tm)t know all the ins and outs of the massive rule book where cricket is concerned.

Lastly, despite all the negatives, itâ?(tm)s still a wonderful time to be a fan of this most beautiful sport. Even Kingdom found the fictional solicitor Peter Kingdom waxing lyrically about the game this past Sunday night: “Pugilism isn’t really my sport, you know? Iâ?(tm)m more of a cricket man … the sound of leather on willow, the light spattering of applause, lemonade … maybe a slice of sponge cake …”

Hereâ?(tm)s wishing you a brilliant summer of the cricket.

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