After renewing his contract with the Durham County for two more years, the 33-year-old Ian Blackwell expects more out of his team.
The slow-left-arm bowler joined Durham after featuring for 9 long years in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Somerset-c843 County. For his consistent performances in his first season with both bat and ball he was named Durham’s player of the year.
In that particular season Ian registered his top performance with 801 runs and 43-wickets to his name, through displaying a promising bowling average of 23.53.
The year 2010 brought more fame and glory to the English national as he was honoured with the bowler of the year award for his out-standing bowling performances during that year.
In this season of the county championship, Blackwell has once again emerged as a potent bowler for his side, as till now he has claimed 20 vital wickets, complemented with an impressive batting average of over fifty.
His ability to give all-round performance has marked his presence as a match-winner in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Durham-c782’s side.
Blackwell, while talking to the media mentioned that he wants his side to successfully progress to the final stages of county championship, as reaching the later stages of the tournament would be a lucrative financial incentive for his side.
He said “There’s plenty of quality but sometimes you just need the team to gel, it’s not about buying in quality players”. But in order to achieve their stated goal Durham desperately needs to maintain their consistency levels in the game.
Durham kicked-off their ongoing season in a shaky manner but lately that they have bounced back with vengeance, claiming the top spot on the points table, a similar kind of form that led them to claim the championship in 2008 and then in 2009 as well.
Blackwell, who has featured in only one Test and 34 one-day internationals for his national side, England, failed to make an impact in the international arena as he was able to score only one 50 in 34 ODI’s.
Blackwell also recalled his side’s unsuccessful season last year and said, “No disrespect to our bowling line-up, but last year was probably the weakest it’s been for some time. Now they’re striking fear into the opposition again. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 recall. Taking 20 wickets is what wins you Championship matches, and we’re in good shape to do that again.”
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