01/02/2010

Napier targets more Twenty20 glory

All-rounder Graham Napier is looking forward to competing in the Champions League after helping Central Districts to the HRV Cup on Sunday.

Napier played his part with two wickets as CD wrapped up a comfortable 78-run win over Auckland in New Zealand’s domestic showpiece.

In the process, he removed his Essex county colleague Ravi Bopara for just three in a devastating opening burst with the new ball.

CD’s triumph means Napier has already secured himself a spot in the next Champions League tournament, although he also has further opportunities to reach the lucrative Twenty20 competition with Essex and IPL team Mumbai Indians.

The 30-year-old also added a personal landmark to a successful day when his two dismissals took him into the outright lead as the highest wicket-taker in Twenty20 cricket, with 88.

Napier spoke to his official website, www.grahamnapier.com, after the game:

Napier on his bowling spell of 2-17 and the dismissal of Ravi Bopara:

We had a dream start with the ball with myself and Michael Mason reducing Auckland to 9-4. Within that came the wicket of Ravi [Bopara], which came as a huge delight because I knew better than anyone just how dangerous he can be. It was a quick pitch and I felt in-form going into the game. I made a statement with my first ball when I hit New Zealand opener Martin Guptill on the head, smashing his helmet. Then to bowl Ravi was a key moment in the game. It was a straight ball that nipped back and clipped the top of off-stump – a dream delivery for a fast bowler.

With all the celebrations and sponsor obligations afterwards I didn’t get a chance to speak to Ravi but hopefully we’ll catch up before I head home so I get his thoughts on the dismissal!

Napier on qualifying for the Champions League:

Obviously Essex would be my first choice if they qualified and then Mumbai Indians would be next. Unfortunately CD would get last call [if all three teams qualified] but I’m now in a nice position. Essex are a good bet in Twenty20 cricket so it could be an interesting summer.

Napier on being the leading wicket-taker in Twenty20 cricket:

It’s a great feeling to be top of the list. I might not stay there for long, as Tyron Henderson [who is third in the list] is playing some Twenty20 matches shortly, but it is a great honour to have been there at all. There are a lot of class cricketers around so I am pleased to have had so much success in this format.

Napier on losing CD coach Dermot Reeve for the next few weeks:

Dermot has injured his foot and needs to rest it for four to six weeks otherwise he could do serious damage. It will be unfortunate not to have him around during that period but hopefully we can cheer him up with some victories.

Napier on finishing off his spell in New Zealand in style with victory in the 50-over tournament:

That’s the idea. We are sitting third at the moment and the top four qualify for the semi-finals. It would be nice to stay involved until the end and finish off my stay here in style.

Missed one of Graham's diary entries? Check out the listings below:

New Zealand bound (09 December 2009)

Essex’s season may have long since ended but any thoughts of an extended break ahead of going to New Zealand were never going to last long.

Firstly, I went out to Mumbai [early October] for a training camp to get myself familiar with Indian conditions ahead of the next IPL. It was extremely hot out there so that was a fresh challenge in itself. I also got to meet a lot of younger players, and a few coming back from the ICL, who are all hoping to break into the final squad. We played three Twenty20 matches, had a few net sessions and some general practice – all of which has given me a little taste of what I have to look forward to in March.

To actually get the opportunity to play in India will be a totally different experience to that of the last IPL in South Africa. Playing in front of all those passionate fans will be an exciting and fantastic opportunity. 

Following on from that, I then had the small matter of the Three Peaks Challenge, which
I found extremely hard and challenging (now I know why they give it that name!). It was totally different to the Everest Base Camp walk that I had done a couple of years before, when I walked 100 miles in 10 days but was at least able to rest overnight.

This time it was a case of walking for around six hours at a time and then having long drives of three to four hours to each new destination. Mentally and physically it is a tough ask, with certain sections particularly arduous. Scafell Pike was the toughest to climb out of the three ‘peaks’ and that part was made all the harder for walking it through the night, when it was difficult to see more than 10 metres in front you. That kind of experience in particular has to strengthen you mentally, if knackering you at the time!

Reaching the final peak at Snowdon was an almighty relief for everyone, but just as we were looking forward to the ‘treat’ of taking a tram back down we were told they weren’t working that day. So that meant another three-and-a-half-hour walk back down to complete our task!

Everyone in our group had booked into a hotel in Manchester afterwards but we were all too tired to do much celebrating of our achievement. It was a case of a meal and then an early night – there was no more energy left for anything beyond that!          

As a result I went to Hong Kong for the ‘Sixes’ feeling fit and healthy, but that tournament proved to be another tough challenge. We didn’t play as well as we had done in the past and ended up getting beaten by every opponent on the last day. There were no excuses and we were beaten by better teams on the day.

I’ve been flat out over the last month since then, working on my fitness with Essex’s Strength and Conditioning Coach (Ant Sharp) and I’ve also been practicing hard on my cricket with Graham Gooch, Graeme Welch and Paul Grayson.

I’ll now be heading out to New Zealand earlier than scheduled (Thursday December 10) so that means I’ll be playing in a couple more one-day matches than originally planned as well as the 10 Twenty20 games (and hopefully a few knockout matches should we get to the latter stages in either tournament).

I’ve been keeping up-to-date with the Central Districts results in their four-day matches to see who is in form. Matthew Sinclair has been a stalwart batsman for them for years and he seems to have started his campaign off well. 

I am extremely excited about the prospect of playing against Ravi Bopara, who is also playing out in New Zealand for Auckland this season. I have always played my cricket with Ravi, as an Essex team-mate and part of the World Twenty20 squad last summer, so to take on the challenge of bowling to him will be something different. We should both know each other’s game inside out but it will be interesting to see if either of us surprises the other with something we may have picked up since we last had contact. I’ve been checking his scores and he seems to be making a few runs and has also bowled a fair few overs – which was something he was keen to do out there.

They have scheduled their Twenty20 competition well so that the international players will be available. Playing against the best from New Zealand and some high-profile overseas signings will be a good test.

My next blog will be from New Zealand so I would like to thank everyone for continuing to follow this website and wish you all a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year.

Going Up! (12 October 2009)

What can I say about the climax to our Championship season? What’s the best superlative to use here? Thrilling? Fantastic?

Ultimately it’s great to know that we will be up in Division One next year and the style we did it in (a big run-chase at Derby) means we deserve to be there.
There seem to be a few sour grapes flying around Northants (who missed out on promotion after our win) but they have short memories. A few years ago they decided to have their end of season dinner at the end of day three of their final match with Worcester. Their defeat the next day (after a dramatic collapse) effectively cost us promotion.

There was no way Derby offered us what was labelled a ‘fairly generous’ declaration because they didn’t want to gift us the match after performing so well themselves for much of it. It was good captaincy on Mark Pettini’s part to force Derby’s hand with some part-time overs from himself and Alastair Cook. We needed to do anything we could to try to win the game and I’m sure the TV cameras were also keen to see a result.

The last round of matches were a good advert for two-division cricket with our dramatic win and Sussex’s relegation only being confirmed in the latter stages as well. There used to be a lot of dead games when there was just one division but a number of matches towards the end of the second division season showed how exciting four-day cricket can be.
There is no doubt the gap has widened between the two divisions and the sides that have stayed up for several years have got stronger as time has gone on. As a result we are going to have to be better than this season to have a chance of staying up next year.  
Now the season’s over it’s holiday time (amidst the continuing work such as preparing for the Three Peaks Challenge, the Hong Kong Sixes and playing in New Zealand).

What has now become an annual trip to Puerto Banus is always a highlight of the close season. Joining me will be former team-mate James Middlebrook, ‘Manuel’ (aka Chris Maylon), ‘Flymo’ (aka Nick Bradford) and Dicky (aka ‘Chauffeur). No doubt there will be plenty to enjoy while we are over there but we are particularly looking forward to returning to the Hermosa restaurant in Puerto Cabopino – somewhere I’d recommend to anyone planning a trip to the area.

As I mentioned above, I’ve been selected to take part in the Hong Kong Sixes for England again. Naturally I would have liked to have been part of the ODI and Twenty20 squads going to South Africa but if this is the England recognition I’m going to get for now then I have to make the most of it. The Sixes is a shop window for those taking part and Tim Bresnan has since played in Tests and ODIs after performing well in last year’s tournament.  

It’s almost time for my latest expedition to raise money for the PCA Benevolent Fund. The Three Peaks Challenge may not be quite as daunting as walking to Everest Base Camp but I’ve been warned by people who have done it that it’s not going to be an easy 24 hours.

Thanks a lot to all those who have already sponsored me. There’s still time to get on-board so anything you can contribute will go to a worthy cause.
My sponsorship page is: www.justgiving.com/Napier3peakschallenge/

I’ll be back to tell you how I got on just ahead of my trip to Hong Kong!

Napier's England Focus (16 September 2009)

With the 2009 season nearing its end, Graham looks back over a rollercoaster last few months for county and, almost, country. 

It’s been a tough season for Essex, particularly in one-day cricket. Sides have caught up with us from last season (when we had so much success) and we’ve struggled to combat that at times. Losing Ravi [Bopara] and Alastair Cook for the first-part of the season cost us in the Friends Provident Trophy but we had to learn to cope without them as they were always destined for better things [with England]. In general we’ve not been good enough to protect scores in the FPT/Pro40 on enough occasions. A major factor in that is down to our fielding not being up to the level it has been in recent years, which is something we can all work on.

As I write this we are hoping for better weather over the final three days of the Championship match with Northants at Chelmsford [after a first day wash-out]. A couple of positive results over the next fortnight can secure our promotion back to the top-flight after what has been far too long away from Division One.

From an individual point-of-view I came back from the IPL at the start of May with a great deal of confidence. Over the course of the season there has been a consistency to my game with bat and ball without quite going on to hit the big scores or take big-wicket hauls.

At one stage it seemed there was going to be the prospect of playing at another level [for England in the World Twenty20] but I didn’t get an opportunity during the tournament. Now the selectors have their eyes set on a group of players for the current ODI series with Australia and the Champions Trophy and I’ve been overlooked from that group for whatever reason. When squads are picked you hope the selectors stick to their guns, so as long as they give those players more of an opportunity than just the odd match then you can’t ask for anymore.   
     
I’m not in the frame right now but I’m determined to keep going out to play and maintain a decent level of performance with the intention of making it to the highest level at some point. It’s a great bonus for me to be wanted by an overseas team during the winter [Central Districts] because it gives a feeling of being wanted and good enough to perform at that level.

I’m looking forward to three months of rest, once the English season ends, through until Christmas. Having had an intense schedule in recent times it will be good to get away from cricket for a while before heading out to New Zealand.

During that time I’ll be doing the Three-Peak Challenge to raise funds for the PCA Benevolent Fund. It’s a tough challenge and even the fittest of people struggle on it so I’ll need to make sure I’m in the right shape for when the time comes. Other than that I’ll try to get a bit of sunshine on holiday as well as no doubt finding a bit of time to continue my interest in photography.

But hopefully there will be some promotion celebrations to fit in before all that!

Indian Premier League Part 2 (22 April 2009)

My first experience of the IPL was pretty much like Twenty20 Cup Finals Day – except this was for the opening matches! All the hype before the tournament was justified by what I can only describe as a carnival of cricket. To throw a tournament together in three weeks and come up with this is so impressive. 

I received the disappointing news that I wouldn’t be playing in our first match [against Chennai Super Kings] during a team meeting the night before. Sanath Jayasuriya and JP Duminy were certainties in the batting line-up and it was felt that Lasith Malinga had recovered sufficiently after his injury problems to lead the attack. That left one overseas spot for an all-rounder and Dwayne Bravo was given the nod after a successful IPL campaign last year.

Mumbai’s victory was a bit of a double-edged sword for me. Obviously I want to see my team-mates do well but the more success they have the less likely the side will get changed. I’m only due to be here for six games and two of those have now gone (after Tuesday’s rained off game against Rajasthan Royals).

There is a practice match scheduled for Thursday against an Inland team (which is like a Minor County ) so I have got to do well in that game. Twenty20 cricket is about instinct and taking hunches on who will be the best selection for any particular game – I need to make sure the coaches have me in mind for the next fixture.

It has been a fantastic experience to be around Sachin Tendulkar [Mumbai’s captain] over the last week. Sachin is very meticulous in the way that he practices so even getting an opportunity to watch his approach in the nets is instructive.     

Much of the time has been spent training and moving from venue to venue but every side has been asked to host an after-dinner party so they give everyone a chance to mix.

There were plenty of Bollywood stars - including the owner Shah Rukh Khan - at the Kolkata Knight Riders event but I was also delighted to bump into my former Essex team-mate Andy Bichel, who is their bowling coach.

The IPL really is a who’s who of international cricket so to watch them and hear their theories on playing the game is an experience that would be impossible not to benefit from.

I read that South Africa’s Albie Morkel had said that he had been told not to reveal any of his secrets to his team-mates from other nations during the IPL (especially with the ICC World Twenty20 coming up). Luckily for me I don’t have any secrets to rely on! Having said all that I believe the best way to learn is from watching rather than listening anyway.

My first experience of the IPL was pretty much like Twenty20 Cup Finals Day – except this was for the opening matches! All the hype before the tournament was justified by what I can only describe as a carnival of cricket. To throw a tournament together in three weeks and come up with this is so impressive. 

I received the disappointing news that I wouldn’t be playing in our first match [against Chennai Super Kings] during a team meeting the night before. Sanath Jayasuriya and JP Duminy were certainties in the batting line-up and it was felt that Lasith Malinga had recovered sufficiently after his injury problems to lead the attack. That left one overseas spot for an all-rounder and Dwayne Bravo was given the nod after a successful IPL campaign last year.

Mumbai’s victory was a bit of a double-edged sword for me. Obviously I want to see my team-mates do well but the more success they have the less likely the side will get changed. I’m only due to be here for six games and two of those have now gone (after Tuesday’s rained off game against Rajasthan Royals).

There is a practice match scheduled for Thursday against an Inland team (which is like a Minor County ) so I have got to do well in that game. Twenty20 cricket is about instinct and taking hunches on who will be the best selection for any particular game – I need to make sure the coaches have me in mind for the next fixture.

It has been a fantastic experience to be around Sachin Tendulkar [Mumbai’s captain] over the last week. Sachin is very meticulous in the way that he practices so even getting an opportunity to watch his approach in the nets is instructive.     

Much of the time has been spent training and moving from venue to venue but every side has been asked to host an after-dinner party so they give everyone a chance to mix.

There were plenty of Bollywood stars - including the owner Shah Rukh Khan - at the Kolkata Knight Riders event but I was also delighted to bump into my former Essex team-mate Andy Bichel, who is their bowling coach.

The IPL really is a who’s who of international cricket so to watch them and hear their theories on playing the game is an experience that would be impossible not to benefit from.

I read that South Africa’s Albie Morkel had said that he had been told not to reveal any of his secrets to his team-mates from other nations during the IPL (especially with the ICC World Twenty20 coming up). Luckily for me I don’t have any secrets to rely on! Having said all that I believe the best way to learn is from watching rather than listening anyway.

Indian Premier League Part 1 (16 April 2009)

Today was my first real experience of the glitz and glamour of the Indian Premier League. All the franchises met at our hotel in Cape Town to get on security-led buses to a meeting point in the centre of the city. There we were joined by Bollywood stars and dignitaries of the IPL such as Lalit Modi to get on board our respective floats to take us round the Central Business District of Cape Town.

The streets were lined with people wanting to see the stars make their appearance – there were certainly plenty of those on show. This was the first time I’ve been given the superstar treatment of being part of such a procession. Now I’m beginning to get a feel for the razzmatazz of the IPL!

I must admit to not knowing too many of the Bollywood stars but some of my Indian team-mates were getting very excited and pointing out to me who was who. One face that I did recognise was Shilpa Shetty, who part-owns Rajasthan Royals.

It was inevitable that the build-up in South Africa has been a lot quieter than it would have been in India but this is the point where it all kicks off in terms of the media coverage. All the players bar the South Africans and Australians – who have been taking part in an ODI series – were present this afternoon.

Prior to this, everyone has slipped in under the radar in terms of press coverage, which has given us time to formulate our plans quietly.

Much of our preparation has been done in Durban and it’s been a real mixture with a bit of fitness work and some cricket-specific training. I don’t want to give anything away in terms of our tactics but [coaches] Shaun Pollock and Jonty Rhodes have been very thorough.

I’ve already learnt a lot from those two in terms of looking at my game and how to approach what I do. At the moment it’s just for playing in Twenty20 cricket but it can definitely be adapted for longer forms of one-day cricket and, further down the line, in four-day run-chases.

Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar has been keeping a very low profile up ‘til now but I’m due to meet him for the first time at a training session tomorrow, which will be a very exciting moment for me.

I’ve enjoyed bowling to Sanath Jayasuriya in a couple of practice matches as you learn a lot about your own game when up against a player of that quality. I’d never really bowled to him in a competitive match but you quickly have to wise up or suffer the consequences. Facing Lasith Malinga as a batsman is another great learning experience and that’s the way it’s been going for me all the time I’ve been here.

So far I’ve played in three practice matches, which have been a bit of a mixture in terms of my performances – which is the nature of Twenty20 cricket.

Our first game was amongst the Mumbai Indians squad, when I hit 42 and took 3-13. Then we played against an Inland side, when I got 0 but managed to bowl well at the death. Finally we faced the Dolphins franchise – with me on the opposition – and that wasn’t so good as I got carted around the park!

Our first IPL match is the opening fixture of the competition, against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday.

I’m not sure if I’ll be playing as we have 10 overseas players for only four spots. Sanath Jayasuriya is a superstar – so he will be one of those – and JP Duminy is also likely to play. So that leaves eight people fighting for just two spots – likely to be for an opening bowler and an all-rounder. Fellow all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Ryan McLaren have both performed well at some stage in the warm-up games so I just have to hope that I will get the nod.

I was told today about the proposed seven and a half minute breaks scheduled for the 10-over mark of each innings in the IPL.

Innovations always occur in cricket and this one will give the sides a breather to either re-think their tactics or confirm what they are already doing.

With just a couple of days before it all gets underway I am just trying to take everything in and get as much out of the experience as I possibly can. It feels awe-inspiring to be surrounded by so many superstars in one space. As an example, once we finished training today we were replaced by Kings XI Punjab and all of their own big names. Among them was Ravi Bopara so it was good to have a quick catch-up with him then as well as just before we boarded our floats for the parade. Ravi’s looking in good spirits after his recent Test hundred and being part of the England ODI squad that beat West Indies. It would be a proud moment all-round if we faced each other on April 29 when Mumbai Indians play Kings XI Punjab.

I will finish by admitting that I’m just pleased to be available for selection at all after almost coming a cropper during the parade this afternoon. As the floats were quite high there was a little way to surmount from the steps up to the platform. It was a near-thing that I avoided falling into the gap between but I’m pleased to report I managed to scramble to safety!

By comparison the cricket might be easy! 

Reunions and Farewells (02 April 2009)

There’s been a lot said about it but the time has almost come for the action in the Indian Premier League. In a few days time I will be heading out to South Africa to begin the most exciting cricketing adventure of my life.

It will have been a very busy time up until then during the fortnight I would have been home. I’m happy with my fitness levels – after the work done over the winter in New Zealand and some topping up since returning to England – and now it’s all about cricket skills again. This week has seen the Essex team netting outside at Chelmsford for the first time this year, having just come back from their tour of the Emirates. I’ve missed the lads over the last few months so it’s been good to catch up on each other’s respective winters. Everyone is looking forward to the summer ahead after our great achievements in 2008.

A couple of players have particularly impressed me during those net sessions.

Jaik Mickleburgh has come on even more over the winter and is a very good prospect. Our new signing, Matt Walker, is another who seems eager to perform. Matt had a long career at Kent and seems intent on proving he still has a lot to offer at this level. 

Now I’m counting down the days until I head out abroad once more, but there is a lot to pack in before then.

Today (Thursday) was another net session, followed by a fielding session with a baseball coach. Friday is press day, which is always a very busy day, with everyone wanting to know what’s going on ahead of the season. On Saturday a few of the squad will be parading the Friends Provident Trophy around West Ham United’s ground.

Then on Sunday I’m due to fly out to Durban to meet up with my new Mumbai Indians team-mates to settle in with the squad ahead of the IPL (which starts on April 18). At the time of writing it is still to be decided exactly when I will be returning to Essex, but I am expecting to be back in time for the bulk of our Friends Provident Trophy campaign. As I’ve mentioned before, that’s a competition we are particularly keen to do well in again – after last year’s triumphant campaign – and we know that our opponents will be coming at us even harder as holders. 

You can read my thoughts on some of my Mumbai Indians team-mates elsewhere on this website, so I’ll discuss here a couple of players who I am particularly looking forward to facing on opposing sides in the IPL.

Indian batsman Virender Sehwag is one of my favourite players to watch and is in fantastic form. It will be a tough challenge to bowl to him but you have to test yourself against the best if you want to play at the highest level. Former Essex team-mate Dale Steyn will also be a tough prospect in Twenty20 cricket with his pace and swing.

And then, of course, there is my Essex team-mate Ravi Bopara, who will be lining up for King’s XI Punjab. 

It would be a very strange experience if I got to play against Ravi. We both know each other’s strengths and weaknesses so will be trying to exploit more of the latter! I’ve not had the chance to speak to Ravi since both of us were recruited for the IPL – I’ve been in New Zealand and he’s been with England – but it will nice to hook up with him in South Africa, albeit as rivals on this occasion!

That’s all from me for now – my next diary entry will be coming to you from South Africa just ahead of the start of the IPL!

Napier in New Zealand (Part 4 - 05 March 2009)

It’s been a long wait to go on my second England Lions tour, having gone to Malaysia and India in 2004. Not many players would get a second opportunity at this stage in their career but I think the whole reason I have got to this point again has been that I’ve not given England much thought over the last couple of years. Perhaps the thought of wanting to break into the full England side began to distract me a few years back so I decided to just relax and have fun in the middle.

It’s got me back to this point so now it’s up to me to make the most of this second chance.        

This call-up has capped a good (New Zealand) summer for me and gives me an opportunity to show my stuff for England in the one-day and Twenty20 format during the build-up to a busy summer.  

I’m very pleased to have a 60-point lead in the MVP (Most Valuable Player) rankings as a finishing point to my season with the Wellington Firebirds. My success has been predominantly due to my efforts with the ball in all competitions. Confidence breeds confidence in cricket and I know exactly what I want to bowl with every ball – and seem to be achieving it most of the time. Using the knowledge and experience I have gained over a decade in professional cricket is clearly bringing its rewards.

My batting has not been up to where I want it to be but I felt I was finding my form towards the end of the Twenty20 competition, which is a good sign for things to come. Perhaps I’ve been a little impatient with my batting – expecting everything to happen at once. There is more time than you think – even in Twenty20 cricket – and my attempts to dominate too early were not coming off. The key for the future is to give myself a little more time.

Sides early on in the (New Zealand) season were pleased to see the back of me – on the strength of my batting exploits back home – but as time has gone on the expectation of ensuing fireworks has died down. As I wrote earlier, though, my timing seems to be returning and that augurs well for getting involved with the England Lions set-up.

Although I have gained more media attention in England with my batting it has been my form with the ball that has contributed most to this call-up. Opening the bowling and taking wickets with the new ball is something I’ve done on a consistent basis over the last year. I’d love to get the chance to continue that role with the Lions but I know there are already some established bowlers in the squad so anywhere will suit me.         

After a hectic playing schedule it is nice to have a couple of weeks in between my last game for Wellington (February 22) and the time I meet up with the England Lions (around March 5).

I’ve already enjoyed a nice couple of days in Waiheke, where I was looked after exceptionally well by my cousin and her family. Sadly there were no fishing expeditions on that occasion but I’m planning on returning to Lake Taupo before getting back to playing matters.

After that I’ll be meeting up with the Lions during their second Test with New Zealand ‘A’, as a way of fitting into the squad ahead of the one-dayers.

The last Twenty20 match takes place on March 19 so it might be a little tight, time-wise, to get out to Dubai for Essex’s pre-season tour – that’s being looked into by the ECB at the moment.

With regards to my participation in the Indian Premier League, I am none the wiser from the last time I wrote on this website. At the moment everything is in the hands of Essex and Mumbai Indians to negotiate exactly how long I will be there. I am very confident that I will get the opportunity to go to India – it’s just the finer details that need to be confirmed.

Napier in New Zealand (Part 3 - 28 January 2009)

My January was filled with trying to help Wellington qualify for the knockout stage of the State Shield (50-over) competition. Unfortunately things didn’t go well for us as we could only manage four wins from 10 games to finish up fifth out of six teams in the group table. Such underperforming was very disappointing considering the squad we have. At times there were up to three or four players missing (due to international commitments) that meant we didn’t have a settled team – but that’s not much of an excuse as other sides had the same problem and coped with it.

Having done well in the opening half of the State Championship it would appear that we have a bit more depth to our four-day side compared to limited-overs cricket at the moment. We lacked experience in the middle order at times during the Shield and that can be costly in the one-day game.

I have to take part of that responsibility with the bat as I was very disappointed with my form in the Shield – just one score over 50, in a game that was already gone. I was given the opportunity to open the batting three times but was unable to contribute any significant total despite making two starts of over 20.

My bowling was a different matter, however, as I took more wickets than any other bowler in the group stage – 21.

There is one silver lining to the State Shield cloud as the early exit gives us a week’s advantage on the other teams in terms of preparation for the upcoming Twenty20 games. Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming will join our squad for that competition, which will give us a major boost. Fleming’s experience of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) will no doubt offer us some fresh ideas on how to approach the 20-over game.

An extra incentive for winning New Zealand’s Twenty20 competition is the possibility that it might earn that side a place in the Champions League towards the end of the year. Nobody is 100% sure whether that will be the case but it nevertheless gives me another possibility of reaching that prestigious tournament should Essex not get there.

If things go to plan there is a chance I could be representing three teams in domestic Twenty20 competitions over the next few months – all with ambitions of reaching the inaugural Champions League.

Wellington in February and Essex in May/June are definites and I am getting closer to finalising a deal to sign for Mumbai Indians to play in the IPL. Mumbai are still in the process of agreeing my release from Essex for the duration of the competition but hopefully that will all be agreed soon – more news of which will appear on this website when available!

I was able to pick the brain of Dimitri Mascarenhas about the IPL over the weekend as he’s over in New Zealand playing for Otago – a team who we met in our last Shield game on Sunday. ‘Dimi’ told me just what a fantastic event the IPL is to be involved in -  when we had dinner the night before our game – to confirm all my beliefs on why I am so keen to be part of it myself.

Monday was my first full day off from playing, training or travelling for several weeks so I took the opportunity to make the four-hour drive to Taupo. Once there I booked in with a fly-fishing guide called Bryce Curle who took me out onto one of the world’s most famous fly-fishing rivers - Tongariro. Our trip was a huge success and my prize catch was a four and a half pound brown trout on ‘dry fly’ (fishing enthusiasts will know what I mean there!).

Unfortunately that’s my fleeting holiday over now though, as there’s not much rest for the wicked! It’s back to the gym and a skills session with the Wellington squad on Tuesday.                 
   
I’ve been keeping an eye on the progress of Essex team-mate Jahid Ahmed - who is out here playing club cricket – and he seems to have now settled in with his club side. Upper Hutt faced my own club side, Hutt Districts, last weekend and he bowled very well by all accounts. It’s been a few weeks since I played for Hutt but I will be having my first game of club cricket for six or seven weeks over the weekend to tune up ahead of Wellington’s opening Twenty20 game the following Wednesday.

I’ll be back with you shortly with an IPL update!

Napier in New Zealand (Part 2 - 29 December)

My state side, Wellington, can be very happy with their start to the domestic campaign as they go into the last few days of 2008. To be second – and unbeaten – in the State Championship and off to a winning start in the one-day campaign is very impressive. Our good opening sets us up nicely for a busy schedule ahead.

So far I’ve had more opportunities with the ball than the bat and I can be very pleased with the way my bowling has gone so far. Sharing the new ball with Mark Gillespie, the New Zealand international, has felt like the same type of partnership that I share at Essex with David Masters – applying pressure from both ends to the early batsmen.

Bowling is my main job and I consider my batting as a bonus. I took just short of 50 wickets in ‘List A’ matches for Essex and Wellington in 2008 so I can be extremely proud of such a haul considering I struggled with injury at the start of the English season.

That said; I am hoping to get a few more opportunities with the bat now that the one-day season is here. Wellington’s plan is to save me for the last 30 overs when I can go in and push the score on from around number seven in the order. As some of my Twenty20 innings at Essex showed; there is a greater emphasis upon me with the bat in that form of the game so I’ll be looking to move up the order when the 20-over competition starts over here.
   
With everything that has happened in 2008 there is little doubt that this has been my best season in cricket since becoming a professional nearly 11 years ago. I believe a career is measured by the trophies you win as a player and with your teams.

This year from a team perspective I helped Essex to the Friends Provident Trophy and NatWest Pro40 Division Two title and England win the Hong Kong Sixes.

My batting efforts saw me finish top of the SKY Sports Sixes League as well as winning the Walter Lawrence Trophy for the fastest century (along the way to my 152 not out against Sussex Sharks in the Twenty20 Cup). To cap it off I was also named as the ‘Most Valuable Player’ in the Twenty20 Cup according to the PCA rankings.

Next year promises to be just as exciting for me.

Talks are continuing to progress with the Mumbai Indians over a contract to play for them in the Indian Premier League. I understand a national newspaper in England suggested recently that I was reconsidering whether to go to Mumbai in light of the terrorist attacks there.  

The reality is I am not having any second thoughts whatsoever. As things stand I am still in talks with the Mumbai franchise and just as keen as ever to play in the Indian Premier League.  

As someone who lives close to the capital of England; Londoners go about their daily lives under threat of a terror attack but it is something they have to deal with.

I am prepared to live under those conditions to play at the highest level of club cricket, just as England did when they returned to India for the Test series.

I also understand there is a possibility some of the Indian Premier League matches could be played at Lord’s next year, which would be a great spectacle to participate in. Those are the type of experiences that you should value highest as a professional cricketer.  

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has followed grahamnapier.com for their support over the past six months since the re-launch of the website. I trust you had a Merry Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year – I look forward to updating you all in what I hope will be a similarly exciting year in 2009!

Napier in New Zealand (Part 1 - 5 December)

Graham has continued his excellent form with the ball since arriving in New Zealand in the second week of November. His early-season stats for Wellington are listed at the bottom of his latest diary entry.

“I returned to Wellington for a second winter in the knowledge that I could be required to play in the four-day State Championship at some point. It came as a pleasant surprise, however, to learn that I would be needed from the off due to several of their players being included in the Black Caps squad for the tour of Australia.

Such was my early success with the ball that I’ve since kept my place despite some of the internationals returning. Wellington’s policy is to blood as many of their home-grown youngsters as they can, but coach Anthony Stuart explained to me that my experience on the field can be useful in their development.

Wellington have one of the strongest batting sides in the competition so my chances with the bat have so far been limited. Skipper Matthew Bell recently broke the record for the highest number of career hundreds for one domestic team in New Zealand. Meanwhile, James Franklin – who many in England will know better as a bowler –  worked so hard on his batting while he’s been injured that he’s come back with a double hundred and 160 in our opening three matches.

I’ve certainly got more overs under my belt than I had planned at this stage but bowling in match conditions is a good way to build up form and consistency. In addition, my economy rate has been very good and that should stand me in good stead as we head into a series of one-day matches around Christmas.

I was able to enjoy three weeks off from playing when I came out to New Zealand last winter, for a spell of club cricket, but state cricket is a good way to entertain the public over the festive period so there will be no time for holidaying this time!

Today (Friday December 5) is my first full day off since arriving in New Zealand as it’s been full-on with either playing or travelling. Being involved in a winning side always helps to shake off the tiredness though, so it’s reassuring to see Wellington top of the State Championship near the halfway point.

Essex team-mate Jahid Ahmed also recently arrived in Wellington and he came along to watch one of the days of our Championship match against Northern Districts at the Basin Reserve this week. Jahid will be getting involved in net sessions when available so hopefully he can benefit as much from his time out here as I have.

Graham’s stats
Wellington v Canterbury – State Championship (Nov 17-20)
0/12-3-19-0 & 22-6-44-3

Auckland v Wellington – State Championship (Nov 24-27)
5 not out/32-9-52-4

Wellington v Northern Districts – State Championship (Dec 1-4)
0 not out/22-6-51-3/22-10-38-2

Wellington v Central Districts – State Championship (Dec 12-15)
20/27-4-90-2

Northern Districts v Wellington – State Shield (Dec 21)
DNB/7.3-1-24-1  

Napier triumphs in Hong Kong (10 November)

England defeated Australia in a thrilling Final as they finished the competition with a record of six victories and just one defeat over their weekend in Kowloon (November 8-9). 

“I played every game and although I didn’t fire with the bat I did well with the ball (bar one bad game against Pakistan, which turned out to be our only defeat).

The Final against Australia was an incredible game. To score 121 in five eight-ball overs, as we did, was an amazing effort. Yet Australia’s run-chase was so good that they ended up needing just two to win off the last ball. Tim Bresnan bowled a very good yorker which the batsman managed to squeeze to Darren Maddy at mid-on, who sent in a very good throw to the wicketkeeper to keep them down to a single. Having lost only one wicket to Australia’s five that meant we won the trophy by virtue of losing fewer wickets – a deserved triumph.

Maddy and Dimitri Mascarenhas led the way with the bat and myself and Bresnan were the keys to our bowling, managing to tie up the last two overs of each innings. I had a bit of experience of what to expect, having played in the Hong Kong Sixes once before, but I would say the crowd over the two days was even better this time around – particularly during our tight matches against Pakistan and Australia, when they really got into it.

Now I’m at the airport waiting to board my flight to Wellington to begin the second leg of my winter adventure.

My first game (a four-day match) starts on the 17th November – selection permitting! There is every possibility that I will be a regular in Wellington’s four-day as well as one-day side this season so my weekend in Hong Kong was ideal preparation for the months ahead.

Bowling one over spells is not ideal but it was good to get back into ‘match-mode’ for the first time since I was stretchered off at Kent in mid-September.

“I’ll be back to post once I’m settled into life down under again!”        

Graham Napier in Hong Kong (6 November)

Graham signs off from England for 2008 in his latest diary entry where he looks ahead to the Hong Kong Sixes.

Graham is part of the England side who will compete in the ‘Bradman Pool’ against Pakistan, South Africa and India in the group stage on Saturday (November 8). The top two sides in each of the Bradman and Sobers Pools will then play-off on the Sunday, with the bottom two teams in each section contesting the Plate. 

“Leaving for Hong Kong on Wednesday (November 5) began the start of a jet-setting ‘close season’ for me. I’m greatly excited about the prospect of playing cricket all winter long at a top level, starting with the Sixes, then playing for Wellington and finishing with Essex’s pre-season tour to Dubai.

This will be my second experience of the Hong Kong Sixes as I also played in it in 2004.

A side full of all-rounders is better than specialist batters or bowlers in a competition such as the Sixes - as every fielder has to bowl - and that’s the type of selection that England have gone with.

With the likes of Dimitri Mascarenhas, Darren Maddy, Tim Bresnan and Ed Joyce in the team; only myself and Graham Wagg are without international experience. As a result we can go into the tournament full of confidence.

The ground in Kowloon is not particularly big square but it is quite long straight.

As we play right in the heart of Kowloon’s business area it means we are surrounded by skyscrapers – not necessarily your usual cricketing backdrop! From my previous visit there should be a very enthusiastic crowd made up of locals and ex-pats – all there to be entertained with a regular flow of fours and sixes.

It was around this time last year that I jetted out to Wellington for what started out as a stint of club cricket but finished with me playing – with some success – for their state side in one-day cricket.

Much has happened to me over the course of the last year but I’m still the same person and the same player. My feats of the 2008 summer have created different expectations upon me and my aim is to produce the goods at all the levels of cricket that I play in.

“Naturally I’ll miss my family and friends while I’m out of the country for such a long time but these are the sacrifices you have to make in trying to become a better cricketer.”

Click back next week for Graham Napier’s review of the Hong Kong Sixes.

Graham Napier in India (24 October)

It’s been quite a period for picking up silverware over the last few weeks, with my Friends Provident Trophy and NatWest Pro40 medals being supplemented by several individual honours.

The latest one was given to me at the Twenty20 Champions League Awards on Thursday night [October 23] in Dehli. 

I took the trophy for the best batting strike-rate in Twenty20 cricket in 2008 of 195.2. Unfortunately only tournaments feeding the Champions League counted, otherwise my strike-rate would have been even higher, what with my efforts in New Zealand’s Twenty20 competition for Wellington.  

The Australian touring side are staying in the same hotel as the ceremony, so I was presented with my award by Matthew Hayden. As a result all of the questions in the subsequent press conference were directed at Matthew!

The award is pretty impressive looking but I’m a bit worried about how I’m going to get it through customs! It’s like a rounders bat that’s been chopped at an angle with a ball and set of stumps on top.

It was a pleasure to be involved with the Champions League Awards, along with such esteemed company as some of the Australian tourists, Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and the IPL organisers.

John Stephenson, MCC Head of Cricket, invited me on to their table so I was fortunate to be sitting on a table of legends such as Mike Gatting, Derek Underwood and Steve Waugh. To my immediate right was the former South Africa batsman Barry Richards, with whom I chatted about how a balance can be restored between bat and ball.

I stayed in Dehli for a second day [Friday] in which time I wandered round a couple of markets and fitted in a bit of ‘R and R’ around the hotel pool.

In my absence there have been rumours in the media that I, along with several other English cricketers, am in negotiations to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year. For my part, I can confirm those rumours are true but that there is a long way to go before anything is finalised.

The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) have been helping me with talks that will potentially allow me to participate in the IPL, providing Essex agree. The PCA provide a very good service for players, past and present, and this has been a good opportunity to use them to represent me.

Having had a little taste of the way India is promoting Twenty20 cricket [at the Twenty20 Champions League Awards this week] it is clear there is potential for a great opportunity to be provided to myself and other players to show our skills off on a grand stage.

Essex has, and always will be, my first side but this is a chance that has arisen and will offer me a great opportunity to further my career. I’m still contracted to Essex and look forward to helping the Club win more silverware next year.

Pro40 Glory! (18 September)

Another month, another trophy for the Essex Eagles!

Our NatWest Pro40 title-clinching win at Kent was a hugely eventful encounter played in front of a very partisan Canterbury crowd.

It will be a game that I’ll never forget as my participation ended with me being carried off on a stretcher.    

The ball was hit back to me off the last delivery of my spell and I managed to stop it. But in trying to avoid standing on the ball in my follow-through I landed on the side of my right foot. I felt immediate pain and heard a crunch – which was obviously a worry. I wasn’t concerned there was a break but the ligaments connected to the ankle can play havoc further down the line if the injury is not immediately treated properly. Umpire Ian Gould insisted I was carried off on a stretcher as a precaution to make sure there was no further damage – that wasn’t my choice but it was the sensible one!

Kent’s physio managed to arrange for an x-ray to be taken at a local hospital straight away and that ruled out a break. On Monday I had an MRI scan to check the ligaments and that showed a small tear but no major damage.

Over the next few days I’ll undergo some physiotherapy with a view to putting myself back in contention for our final Championship game at Gloucestershire next week.      

Back to the Kent game and the successful run-chase that took us to the NatWest Pro40 title…

Our Physio taped up my ankle so that, together with painkillers, I was not in too much discomfort. As the game got tighter I got padded up and was ready to contribute to the cause if needed – although I wasn’t very mobile so James Foster was ready to act as my runner.

In the end I wasn’t needed as Grant Flower produced another matchwinning innings against the Spitfires. It’s amazing what a difference a few weeks can make – as I know myself. Grant has proved his class and experience on at least four occasions in recent one-day games to bring the Eagles home to victory.

The St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury is a Kent stronghold and a very one-sided crowd. But on this occasion I was disappointed to hear a football element creeping in with some of the chants being subjected towards me after my injury and our side in general throughout the match. Our summer game is more family-based so it would be disappointing to see a football mentality being adopted by cricket fans. 

All being well I’ll be able to make one last appearance in what has been a memorable campaign from both a personal and team perspective. Either way I’ll be back at the end of the month to look back on the season that was and reveal my plans for the winter.  

FPT Final Review ( 31 August)

On the face of it a Championship game at Edgbaston immediately before our Friends Provident Trophy Final did not appear to be ideal preparation for the big day.

As it turned out, however, with the first two days washed out we got in just enough practice to be ready and raring to go for the weekend! 

Danish Kaneria and Chris Wright bowled superbly to dismiss Warwickshire for 154, which left all of the attack full of confidence going into the Final.

Our reply was always going to be a struggle, on a wicket that was a little up and down with cracking in it, and so it proved.

Although he only got 26, Grant Flower watched the ball extremely well to see off the steepling bounce of the 6ft 8in Boyd Rankin.

Ryan ten Doeschate and I then joined together to get us into the lead and what I thought would be some good practice for the weekend (little was I to know I wouldn’t be needed with the bat!).

With all the time lost there was never going to be much prospect of an outright result, which meant the game could be called off early on the last day.

It was nice to be back on the coach and on the road by around 5.00pm so the excitement and buzz of making our way to Lord’s could begin!

In truth, the coach journey was pretty quiet as most of us had a little nap and dreamt of FPT glory!

When we arrived at the hotel our masseuse, Amanda, was waiting to get her elbows into various parts of our anatomy to make sure we were nice and loose for the next day’s exertions.

I chose to have a quiet night in with room service – a lamb kebab with rice for the record! – and then it was time for a good night’s sleep.

On the morning of the Final some of the players chose to come down for breakfast already dressed in their new Hugo Boss suits that we’d had arranged especially for the day. I opted to be one of the more sensible ones who ate in training gear as I didn’t want to run the risk of getting egg on my tie (although that would have gone well with the MCC version!).

Our coach journey to the ground took only five minutes and we arrived to see the queues outside Lord’s – the anticipation was building!

We made our way into the dressing room to get changed and a few people had some early pics taken on the balcony…not for the last time during the day!

And then to the game…

It proved to be a very good toss for our Captain Mark Pettini to lose. Although we, like Kent, would have chosen to bat, with 10.45am starts you always feel the ball will do a little bit early on.

Me and my new ball partner Dave Masters knew we had to target their opening pair Joe Denly and Rob Key in the same way they had done us in the Twenty20 Cup semi-final a few weeks before.

To win the war you have to win a lot of battles and that’s what we did as Dave had Key caught behind and I bowled Denly – the tables were well and truly turned from the Rose Bowl.

After watching the replays later on it seemed I was a bit unfortunate not to get Martin van Jaarsveld [who went on to make a half-century] leg before without scoring. You should never ask an umpire why he didn’t give a decision – if he thinks it’s not out you can’t change his mind – so you accept it and get on with the job.

Danish Kaneria and Chris Wright then kept the pressure on and it took some good batting from their lower order to get Kent up to a decent total – but we never felt it would be enough.          

In reply I felt we got off to a steady start and it took some good bowling from Robbie Joseph to rattle us.

I was caught by the television cameras taking a few snaps of my own from the balcony during our innings but, as it has also done in the past, my picture taking coincided with an Essex wicket falling.

Therefore if anyone sees me taking pictures on a matchday in the future they are welcome to tell me to put it down!

Grant’s partnership with James Foster steadied the ship and then Ryan came in and finished the game off – which is what he does best.

Grant’s innings was a monumental knock but it’s something we know he is capable off after seeing him do something similar on a number of occasions before. 

Once Grant hit the winning boundary it was ‘bring on the celebrations’ and champagne for everyone!

Alastair Cook chose to waste a very nice bottle of Veuve Cliquot on me rather than spraying it at the cameraman but there was plenty more to go round!

That victory had been a very long time coming for me as I was part of the 1997 and 1998 cup-winning squads before playing in a losing final in 2002.

Being an Essex lad all the way through my career it was a real privilege to be part of a winning side this time.

We all enjoyed ourselves in the dressing room and back in the hotel after the game with a few glasses of champagne and swigs out of a leaking Trophy! But there was a mystery to be solved when the trophy lid went missing.

After a lot of searching it was found to be on Dave Masters’s head, who was pretending to be the Friends Provident Trophy himself [look at his picture on my home page and you’ll know what I mean]!

After the celebrations came the realisation that there was still a lot of hard work to be done over the remainder of the season…

We don’t rest there!

FPT Final Preview ( 15 August)

Although a great admirer of birdlife it’s rare that I get to handle such a magnificent specimen as I did on Monday!

As part of our media commitments ahead of the Friends Provident Trophy Final an eagle called Boris was brought along from Billericay Bird Sanctuary for a photo opportunity.

To be up close to and to see such a beautiful creature, tuned into its environment, was a real honour.

There were five players asked to take part in the shoot but only four obliged as Danish Kaneria wasn’t overly keen on handling Boris. There are some quite ferocious looking birds in Danish’s homeland, Pakistan, such as the kite, so I expect he’s seen them in action and thought that all birds of prey were best left alone!

After an early morning round of interviews it was then all aboard the coach to Edgbaston for what should have been a four-day game against Warwickshire.

Unfortunately the first two days were washed out, which meant our dressing room was a hive of activity.

Our team managed to devise a game of indoor cricket in the spacious away dressing room with a particular emphasis on perfecting the ‘one hand, one bounce’ dismissal. There was also the inevitable card school as well as an impromptu game of ‘keepy uppy’ with punishments for those who let the ball drop to the floor! 

Then we had the Olympics to watch on the TV, with the women’s beach volleyball being especially popular via the ‘red button’!

On the second rained off day we mixed things up a little with a gym session taken by Strength and Conditioning Coach Trent Hacking, who set up a half-hour circuit for us.

Trent leaves Essex to move into rugby after this weekend’s Final so I would just like to pay a little tribute to him for all his help during his time at the Club.

He did a lot of work with me in the build-up to my walk to Everest Base Camp to get me fit for those particular rigours and we kept in touch while I was away playing in New Zealand to make sure I was doing the right type of fitness work to be fit for the season over here. Since I returned for the new campaign he’s always been available for recovery sessions and he’ll be deeply missed.

Now onto Saturday’s FPT Final against Kent.

My first thought is: please don’t rain! With the first two days of this week’s Championship game rained off it was useful to get some practice in during that period. But it was also good to go to Lord’s with some time in the middle under our belts over the final two days – allowing us to be fresh in our minds and ready for Saturday.

I’ve lost one Lord’s Final (2002 Benson & Hedges Cup) and been 12th man in two winning Finals (1997 NatWest Trophy and 1998 B & H Cup) so have experienced both sides. It’s a tough day when you lose but they don’t come often so you have to make the most of them.

I’m looking forward to getting out there in the middle and trying to make up for the disappointment of Twenty20 Cup Finals Day. This time we will be fresher in our minds, after a week off in the build-up, and freshness is the key element going into a game like that.

Bouncing Back ( 8 August)

Following the disappointments of Twenty20 Cup Finals Day it was vital we got back to winning ways as soon as possible. Our NatWest Pro40 match away to Derby two days’ later gave us that opportunity, although my experience of that trip will remain with me for more than just the cricket.

With the many different shirts we play in these days for the various competitions we participate in it can occasionally get a little confusing as to which is required for which particular day. Having travelled straight up from Southampton to Derby it had been necessary to pack everything needed for the two games on the Friday before T20 Finals Day.

Our Friends Provident Trophy and NatWest Pro40 shirts look a little similar and when I unpacked my gear at Derby I realised I’d brought the wrong one! After a great debate as to what I should do I borrowed Grant Flower’s number three shirt (who wasn’t playing) and, with the help of a bit of double-sided sticky tape, I tried to re-create my number 17 shirt in a Blue Peter-type manner.

I was quite happy with the end result and it was certainly preferable to wearing Grant’s shirt and confusing everyone into thinking he’d put on a lot of weight!

On the field the only chaos was caused by the six-hitting Ravi Bopara who, along with Jason Gallian, hit centuries to lift the spirits and take us to victory.

The Southend Festival followed, which is a great way to take cricket round the county and give different spectators a chance to see us play.

I set my career-best first-class figures of 6-103 in the second innings of our Championship match against Glamorgan, to keep my good form with either bat or ball rolling along.

The less said about the 202-run defeat in that game the better but our comprehensive win in the Pro40 game on the Sunday was a good way to bounce back. That result was cemented by a win against Surrey Brown Caps on a very damp Tuesday at Chelmsford to leave us sitting very nicely at the top of the Division Two table.

It was very nice to see Andre Nel up with us in the dressing room on Tuesday on his day off ahead of the Test match at the Oval. Andre’s presence took the noise level up a few decibels and he told us all how he was relishing the chance to give Alastair Cook some of his verbal antics over the next few days.

I’ll be getting the chance to watch at close quarters as I’ve been invited to the fourth day (Sunday) when I will be appearing on Test Match Special during the tea interval. 

Next week we are off to Warwickshire for our last match before the ‘big one’ at Lord’s so I’ll writing one final Diary entry ahead of our day out to Lord’s.

Twenty20 Finals Day Review (28 July)

From a team and personal point of view there was a lot of anticipation going into our first real big day of the season on Twenty20 Cup Finals Day.

We had performed well to get to this point and today was the day to step up to the mark. Unfortunately we were unable to do that against Kent in our semi-final.

On the upside we have the Friends Provident Trophy Final against the same opposition coming up to learn from our mistakes and to deal better with their strengths and weaknesses when we slog it out again.

When you look at both sides today it was plain to see the fielding was the big difference. They managed to run three of our batsmen out, all from good bits of fielding, and that was enough to give them the edge. Although we dropped three catches, something that is very unusual for us, it was more the ‘one percenters’ (the fact that when they dived to stop the ball they held it whereas most of our stops were palmed away for runs) that all added up in the final equation.

Clearly there was a lot of media attention on me ahead of the game and it was just unfortunate that I couldn’t live up to the heights. The stage was set but I missed my call on this occasion. Another good piece of fielding accounted for me before I’d had time to get going with the bat; I don’t think I’ve seen Rob Key run quicker than he did to take a good running catch after I skied a cover drive!

But the Twenty20 Cup has gone now and it’s time to look onwards, starting with Derbyshire in the NatWest Pro40 on Monday. Today was our first defeat in five weeks so the spirits should still be high.

Now we need to come hard at Derby and show that we remain a very good side.

Welcome back to grahamnapier.com (24 July)

We’ve been away a short while but now, with the help of Quintessence Design, we are back on-line – refreshed, revamped and revitalised with some big hitting!

With the focus on Twenty20 Cup Finals Day at the weekend it’s an exciting time for English cricket, so to be part of that with Essex is something I’m looking forward to. It’s a tremendous thrill to have the potential to show a worldwide audience just what Essex men are made of!

After my recent performances, expectations of me have changed from a crowd perspective. Now they expect fireworks every innings but it’s always tough to score quickly from the start. It’s good to know that sides now look at me as a dangerous player who can turn a match around in a very short space of time.

I was given the opportunity many years ago as a pinch hitter and some days it worked, some days it didn’t. I eventually lost that role, and concentrated more on being a bowler, but I’ve always been able to bat in an aggressive fashion. This year I was given the pinch hitting opportunity again with a few more years of experience and, hopefully, a slightly wiser head which I’ve been able to use to my advantage. It’s not going to work everytime but at long last I’ve found some consistency.

If you look at the players who are picked for England they are all consistent performers. England look for all-round players – not specialists. If you bat you have to field well too; if you bowl you have to be able to field and contribute something with the bat. For me it’s a constant cycle of working on all three aspects as well as improving my fitness. 

For now my personal focus is Essex and performing well on Twenty20 Cup Finals Day, in Championship games and Pro40 games and also in the Friends Provident Trophy Final. The way I see it is if I perform well in these competitions then I’ll be putting myself in the shop window – that’s as much as I can do.

When you look at our side we have a number of matchwinners with several players able to put in performances to win games for Essex. It only takes one player to perform well and we are one step ahead of the opposition. If two or three do well then we are looking at winning the game.

When it comes to our semi-final opponents, Kent, you can’t ignore Joe Denly, Azhar Mahmood or Ryan McLaren, who are all key players, and not forgetting their captain Robert Key, who is a key to their success (lots of keys!).

My second Diary entry will come over the weekend from the Rose Bowl when I hope to be able to report on the successful outcome of our semi-final!