Bopara's outstanding form extends his lead at the top of MVP '08
The PCA MVP goes beyond traditional averages. It tells you about the key performers on the county circuit: the men who are impacting the game and winning matches for their team.
At the end of week two the man who is not just winning matches but setting a ferocious pace in this year's race for the coveted title of MVP is Ravi Bopara. The Essex all rounder has been on fire with the bat scoring 499 runs from his first four matches and chipping in with useful wickets and catches, too. His knock this week of 137 against Derbyshire was more than half his side's total and amazingly he has scored over a third of Essex's Championship runs so far this season.
Kent have yet to win a game in 2008 but they do have three men in the top five, Azhar Mahmood, Martin van Jaarsveld and Yasir Arafat. Azhar has contributed 193 runs and 8 wickets, which included second innings figures of 5-30 against Sussex this week. His strong second place showing in the LVCC sees him into second place overall. Van Jaarsveld, whose performances this week see him climb one to number three in the overall MVP, has a total of 338 runs, 177 of which have come at better than a run-a-ball in the FPT. Arafat has been consistent with bat and ball across both competitions reflected in the fact he is ranked tenth in each and fifth overall. He has taken 11 wickets and chipped in 91 runs, 46 of them coming from number 11 against Sussex.
Matt Prior's determination to win back his England place has been evident for all to see already this year. Sussex's batsman/wicket keeper has taken 4 catches and two stumpings as well as having amassed 276 runs. He has scored fifty or more on each occasion he has batted and has contributed more than a quarter of Sussex's Championship runs. He splits Van Jaarsveld and Arafat in fourth position overall.
Nicky Boje, the Northants captain, is a new entry at number six after a fine all round game in the Championship against Warwickshire where he scored a hundred and took 4-26 in the Bears' first innings. He has 147 runs and nine wickets overall.
Andrew Strauss drops two places to seventh but hangs on to top spot in the FPT MVP by virtue of having scored 196 runs in the competition at better than a run-a-ball. Middlesex, indebted to Strauss' contribution, are two wins from two in the FPT but have yet to register a win in the Championship.
Strauss' county colleague Tim Murtagh is a new entry into the top ten at number eight after a stunning week for his adopted county. He took 7-95 in Glamorgan's only innings in the Championship and followed that up with 4-29 against Kent in the FPT at Lord's, which included three wickets in a nail-biting final over to wrap up the win.
Those big-hitting bowling all-rounders Neil Carter and Tim Bresnan make up the top ten. Opening up for the Bears in the FPT, Carter smashed 30 off just 20 balls with typical gusto against Northants before taking three wickets albeit in a losing cause, while Bresnan returned astonishing FPT figures of 2-9 from four overs in a rain-reduced game against Derbyshire. Carter has scored 104 runs and nine wickets to take ninth spot. Bresnan has 79 runs and 8 wickets.
|
