Middlesex CCC

As was feared, Ravi Patel will leave Middlesex at the end of the 2018 season as his contract will not be renewed. It had long been hoped that he could have sustained a position as the number one spinner at the club, which is a position I think he actually reached at a couple of points. However, inside the club, he hasn’t been helped by the presence of Ollie Rayner (who is able to contribute with the bat and in the slips in addition to with the ball) and Nathan Sowter, or by the signing of Ashton Agar for our Twenty20 campaign in 2018 (although he ended up playing only 6 of the 14 matches for which he was signed), while the emergence of Thilan Walallawita poses an additional threat. Outside the club, the way the County Championship is now scheduled has proven to be bad news for spin bowlers across the country, as it seems that teams are more likely to require the presence of no spinners for a particular match than they are to require the presence of two spinners.

I feel pessimistic about the possibility of Patel finding another county, as he is now aged 27, and most counties prefer to give opportunities to players who came through their own system, plus there seems to be fewer opportunities for spinners for the reasons I stated above. However, Patel is clearly rated highly, as he participated in the North v South series in the spring just gone. Hopefully he will find something.

On Twitter, Patel has written "Since the age of 9, all I've ever known is Middlesex. Playing for this club meant a lot for me and importantly than the cricket, over the last 18 years, I feel I have become a better person through being a part of this club. I've had so many great memories that I will never forget both on and off the field. Playing professionally for 9 years for this club is something I'm highly proud of and is something I will always look back at with pride. I would like to thank everyone I've ever worked with at the club, including my teammates and support staff as it has been a great environment to be a part of for so long. I would also like to thank the fans who have always supported me and wished me well. From now on I will always support the club and wish the boys all the best moving forward. As for me at 27, I feel there is a lot of cricket in me, I am excited to see what the future holds and am ready to embrace the challenges ahead".

[edit to correct errors when I copied the message written by Patel]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 17/09/2018 23:15 by Jonathan Winsky.

I am sad, but not very surprised, at this news. I do find this wording in Angus Fraser's statement very interesting; “He is an extremely capable bowler and it is a shame that all of us have been unable to consistently get the best out of him.”

It seems to imply that there is some sort of problem, I have no idea what. Certainly in my business dealings, I would normally assume that such a comment would indicate frustration that someone with talent had something that was stopping it from flourishing, despite a lot of effort from others.

I think there have been continuing concerns about his physical fitness.

Shame. Middlesex through and through and a nice chap but sadly I am not surprised

First saw Ravi play for Lufbra Uni years ago, always looked capable and it's been disappointing that he's not been able to maintain a place. Unfortunately, with the championship marginalised and division 2 especially seemingly played on green tops all the time, there's little space for 2 spinners. Hope he finds a new county!

I think he should have left a couple of years ago as his career with us was quite clearly going nowhere. Now aged 27 and with limited experience, I'd have thought it'd be difficult to find a job within the game let alone another county. I hope things work out for him.

This is a sad but not totally unexpected announcement.

Ravi Patel has been a highly popular and talented slow left-arm orthodox bowler. He does not appear to have fully fulfilled his undoubted potential which we hope will change, when he secures another opportunity at a new county club.

The sad thing is he seemed to have worked at (and improved) his fielding and batting (which is why Ollie Rayner generally got the nod ahead of him).

Maybe Ravi was too loyal, and should have moved on earlier.

Ravi Patel joins a long line of MX players who have headed down the MEXIT Road since 2009.

The first I think was Owais Shah. On the plus side, practically all are playing 1st class cricket elsewhere. So hopefully he can follow in their footsteps.

His high water mark I think, was England Lions selection in 2014. The Scott regime of the time, obviously were not impressed.

Checked Playfair for the years 2014 to 2017. Patel's total red ball appearances number 7 in that period.

Liked his tweet.Spin options for 2019 anyone?

Rayner, Sowter, plus a first deal for Luke Holman (not confirmed yet, but as he has played for England U19 it will probably come to pass) and, home office permitting, Thilan Walallawita.

Quote:

chunkyinargyll
Rayner, Sowter, plus a first deal for Luke Holman (not confirmed yet, but as he has played for England U19 it will probably come to pass) and, home office permitting, Thilan Walallawita.

Out of those chunky it will be Rayner. Sowter seen as white ball. The other two likely lads sound a bit ambitious and going from past experience, won't be risked.

And Wallalawita has the unpleasant habit of spinning the ball.

On an age basis. Wrong bloke is leaving.

Unfortunately Seaxe Man, our habit of overly long contracts for ageing players comes back to bite us once more. Rayner must have 1 or 2 years left (could check Chunkys excellent contract thread but I'm lazy).

As an aside, we must be saving plenty of cash with Compton and Franklin also leaving. It seems we will invest in contracts for our emerging talent and please, please top overseas player(s).

A pity. He took 6 wickets in 2 CC matches as against Rayner's 7 in 8 matches.

We are left without a quality spinner at the club. Unfortunately Rayner's bowling and batting have gone backwards and he is not at an age when he is likely to improve.

It is probably just an oversight, but the club have been doing some pruning of the squad page, and Compton, Franklin and Fuller have finally been expunged, but Ravi Patel is still there.

It has to be said Jack Davies is yet to be added (maybe awaiting a photo of him in Middlesex kit)

On the coaching page Johnson and Houghton have finally gone, although Law hasn't yet been added, (plus of course, batting and bowling coaches are still vacant)

But I only checked at the weekend, and Compton, Franklin and Fuller were still there then, and now they are gone.

A lifeline for Ravi?

Almost certainly a mistake- but for now he lives on!

There should be chunky. What is the logic of getting rid of a 27 year old spinner and retaining one aged 33 who has one year left on his contract without any experienced alternatives to our knowledge

Lines up with a few other recent rash decisions. Has Stuart said hang on a minute?

One week on, and Ravi Patel still survives on the squad page!

Maybe if no one else offers him anything, we'll give him a white ball T20 deal?

Probably still a mistake, but he continues to survive for now!

Patel now gone from squad page.

Just using on how often players who leave us go and prosper further west, - Compton, Johnson, e.g., and thinking that Leach and Bess have been recognised by England, were one of them to be injured and the other to be on England duty, then you'd want cover for your home fixtures at Cyderabad, wouldn't you...?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 31/12/2018 17:31 by Primrose Hillbilly.

If he was playing for that team he might even have an England cap by now.

Time to be a bit controversial- so I'll throw something in and see what response (if any) I get.

Muddlesex spend a lot of time and energy reaching out to communities, and trying to encourage black and asian players to get involved, but in terms of the professional squad with Ravi's departure, there is nothing to show for all this 'effort'.

Why would that be?

Well, get someone like Ravi, and it appears we want to make him 'english' in the sense that I have heard the club disapproved of his diet, because they clearly didn't feel he ate the right things, and wouldn't follow the recommended diet designed to make him as fit and strong as they thought he should be.

But the bloke took wickets.

Discuss (but only if you wish to).

We could get into a debate about a spinner who is a "good bloke" whatever that means and takes blinding catches at second slip but who is 33 and rarely scores any runs or takes any wickets. We could discuss why we see hardly any black players in English cricket any more, thinking back to Cowans Williams Ellcock Butcher Slack etc.

Quote:

Primrose Hillbilly
Just using on how often players who leave us go and prosper further west, - Compton, Johnson, e.g., and thinking that Leach and Bess have been recognised by England, were one of them to be injured and the other to be on England duty, then you'd want cover for your hoe fixtures at Cyderabad, wouldn't you...?

PH - Bess is rumoured to be unhappy at not being selected, even in home matches. For the most part, Somerset home pitches have not been bunsens this year (and have probably been better batting wickets than Lord's). The pitch for the Lancashire match was an exception which they blamed on lack of preparation time. That is slightly ironic because we had been told a year earlier that it takes a lot of groundsman's skill to produce wickets like the one for the Middlesex match in 2017! That one had to be deliberate but it would have been foolish in the extreme to produce a similar wicket deliberately for the Lancashire match as it could have resulted in a points deduction.

Leach is said to be a bit unhappy at not being picked for white ball cricket. I think he should be careful what he wishes for, given Gus's speculation in the Annual Review that the way Patel bowled (successfully) in the one day game reduced his confidence in himself to bowl "properly" in the four day game. If that it is the case it is a condemnation of the way the game is going - though some other spinners seem to manage both modes OK.


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