Top man Ramprakash emulates Bradman

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Surrey batsman Mark Ramprakash was named the Professional Cricketers' Association player of the year after a season in which he emulated the great Sir Donald Bradman.

Ramprakash scored 2,278 first-class runs at an incredible average of 103.54 to help Surrey win promotion back into Division One of the Liverpool Victoria County Championship.

He twice extended his career-best with innings of 292 against Gloucestershire and 301 against Northamptonshire - one of four successive matches in which he passed 100.

It was only the sixth occasion a batsman had averaged more than 100 in first-class cricket in an English summer.

Bradman first achieved the feat in 1938 and has since been followed by Geoffrey Boycott twice, Graham Gooch and Damien Martyn.

Ramprakash said: "I am delighted with the way things have gone this year. I really want to thank my Surrey team-mates and in particular the coach Alan Butcher, who has taken the time to get to know me.

"Things just clicked for me this year. I don't know why really. You work hard every year but sometimes things do just click and this was a good year."

Ramprakash beat fellow nominees Mushtaq Ahmed, the leg-spinner who took 102 wickets as Sussex won the championship, Hampshire's John Crawley and Ian Bell.

Ramprakash remains one of the most technically gifted English batsmen and he is mentally tougher now than during a 52-Test international career. Despite his best ever season, Ramprakash never appeared close to an England recall for the Ashes tour.

Instead, the responsibility will lie on the young shoulders of players like Alastair Cook, who took the PCA young player of the year award for the second season running.

The Essex and England batsman made his Test debut on the tour to India last winter and scored a century on his debut. Cook has already registered a double hundred against the old enemy while playing for Essex during a tour match at Chelmsford last summer.

And he is relishing the chance to get stuck into the likes of Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee on the bouncy surfaces Down Under. "Bring it on," he said. "I am sure we can bring the Ashes home."

Cook won the vote ahead of promising fast bowler Stuart Broad, wicketkeeper Steven Davies and new England cult hero Monty Panesar.

The England and Wales Cricket Board special award went to David English, who started the famous Bunbury Cricket Club 20 years ago and has seen the likes of Cook and Bell graduate to full Test honours.

 

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