The next new Ian Botham

So the search for the new Ian Botham (or the new Andrew Flintoff depending on your point of view) is about to begin. Top of the list seems to be Sussex's Luke Wright, currently in red-hot form, and surely a certainty for the winter's touring parties. Another good option will be Yorkshire's Adil Rashid.

However, maybe England should be looking for a new star allrounder much closer to home. New boy Jonathan Trott, a hard hitting batsman with a first class average of 77 for Warwickshire this season, once took 7-39 against Kent in 2003. That's right, 7-39.

Trott isn't the only batsman in recent years who quickly abandoned the second string to his bow. Who now remembers the once-impressive bowling of the recently-retired Mark Butcher or even the 'right arm fast bowling'* of Ravi Bopara? Maybe the search for an allrounder isn't to do with talent, but more to do with mental application.

* The Cricketers' Who Who 2003