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From the Lord's website
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) today announced that the England batsman, Alastair Cook, will captain perhaps the strongest MCC side in recent memory when it takes on the Champion County (Sussex) in the opening match of the first-class season at Lord’s, from 13th-16th April.
The team, which has been chosen in association with the England selectors, also includes the England bowlers Stephen Harmison and Matthew Hoggard, to give them valuable match practice ahead of the two npower Test series, which will begin in May and July against West Indies and India respectively.
Alastair will be representing MCC in this fixture for the fourth season running. He is joined in MCC colours by Alex Gidman, the Gloucestershire all-rounder who was an MCC Young Cricketer from 2000-2001, and Zoheb Sharif, who is currently studying at the Cambridge MCC University Centre of Cricketing Excellence.
Keith Bradshaw, Secretary & Chief Executive of MCC, said: “I am delighted that Alastair has accepted MCC’s invitation to captain its first representative side of the 2007 domestic season. He has demonstrated great commitment to the Club over the years, as well as turning in some excellent performances at the Home of Cricket. He scored a century here in the corresponding fixture two years ago, and emulated that achievement in his second Test appearance at Lord’s, in July 2006. I am sure that he and his team mates will get MCC’s season off to a great start.”
Alastair Cook said: “I was very pleased to be asked to captain MCC against the Champion County. I have enjoyed starting my domestic season at Lord’s for the past three seasons, and it is a ground on which I have historically done well. I hope that the 2007 game will prove to be similarly successful for me and the rest of the MCC team.”
Guy Jackson, the National Academy Manager who will be managing the side, said: “This match provides an ideal opportunity for some of the young England ‘A’ players to continue the good work they began on the hugely beneficial tour to Bangladesh earlier this year. We were greatly impressed with the attitude of the squad, both on and off the pitch, and this match will enable them to demonstrate how they have developed since returning to their counties in preparation for the domestic season. It also gives some of the senior players who have not been involved in the World Cup the chance for some early season competitive match practice.”
The MCC squad in full:
Alastair Cook (Essex) captain
Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire)
Nick Compton (Middlesex)
Steven Davies (Worcestershire)
Alex Gidman (Gloucestershire)
Steve Harmison (Durham)
Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire)
Will Jefferson (Nottinghamshire)
Graham Onions (Durham)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Owais Shah (Middlesex)
Zoheb Sharif (MCC Universities - Cambridge)
Gates will open at 10.00am on all four days, with play beginning at 11.00am. Ground admission prices are £12 for adults and £6 for U-16s and over-65s. Ball-by-ball commentary will be streamed live on this website.
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) today announced that the England batsman, Alastair Cook, will captain perhaps the strongest MCC side in recent memory when it takes on the Champion County (Sussex) in the opening match of the first-class season at Lord’s, from 13th-16th April.
The team, which has been chosen in association with the England selectors, also includes the England bowlers Stephen Harmison and Matthew Hoggard, to give them valuable match practice ahead of the two npower Test series, which will begin in May and July against West Indies and India respectively.
Alastair will be representing MCC in this fixture for the fourth season running. He is joined in MCC colours by Alex Gidman, the Gloucestershire all-rounder who was an MCC Young Cricketer from 2000-2001, and Zoheb Sharif, who is currently studying at the Cambridge MCC University Centre of Cricketing Excellence.
Keith Bradshaw, Secretary & Chief Executive of MCC, said: “I am delighted that Alastair has accepted MCC’s invitation to captain its first representative side of the 2007 domestic season. He has demonstrated great commitment to the Club over the years, as well as turning in some excellent performances at the Home of Cricket. He scored a century here in the corresponding fixture two years ago, and emulated that achievement in his second Test appearance at Lord’s, in July 2006. I am sure that he and his team mates will get MCC’s season off to a great start.”
Alastair Cook said: “I was very pleased to be asked to captain MCC against the Champion County. I have enjoyed starting my domestic season at Lord’s for the past three seasons, and it is a ground on which I have historically done well. I hope that the 2007 game will prove to be similarly successful for me and the rest of the MCC team.”
Guy Jackson, the National Academy Manager who will be managing the side, said: “This match provides an ideal opportunity for some of the young England ‘A’ players to continue the good work they began on the hugely beneficial tour to Bangladesh earlier this year. We were greatly impressed with the attitude of the squad, both on and off the pitch, and this match will enable them to demonstrate how they have developed since returning to their counties in preparation for the domestic season. It also gives some of the senior players who have not been involved in the World Cup the chance for some early season competitive match practice.”
The MCC squad in full:
Alastair Cook (Essex) captain
Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire)
Nick Compton (Middlesex)
Steven Davies (Worcestershire)
Alex Gidman (Gloucestershire)
Steve Harmison (Durham)
Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire)
Will Jefferson (Nottinghamshire)
Graham Onions (Durham)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Owais Shah (Middlesex)
Zoheb Sharif (MCC Universities - Cambridge)
Gates will open at 10.00am on all four days, with play beginning at 11.00am. Ground admission prices are £12 for adults and £6 for U-16s and over-65s. Ball-by-ball commentary will be streamed live on this website.