McLaren: England aims
South African Ryan McLaren is hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow countryman Kevin Pietersen by qualifying for England.
Fast bowler McLaren joined Kent on a Kolpak deal at the start of 2007 and has proved a big hit at the county - taking a hat-trick in the final of the Twenty20 Cup final in his first season and leading the bowling averages this year.
And with his current contract keeping him at Canterbury until the end of the 2010 season, McLaren will soon be eligible to play for his adoptive homeland.
Pietersen has already gone down the same route to become a success in the England side, and McLaren could be the next to follow him - although he is keen to first maintain his fine form at Kent.
The 25-year-old told Sky Sports News: "Qualification is something I will do.
"I will try to qualify. It is a process of four years but that decision will be taken as and when it comes.
"At the moment I am trying to focus on playing good cricket."
Good cricket is something McLaren is certainly playing at the moment, having taken 27 wickets in the County Championship this season at an average of 17.44, and 12 in one-day games at 25.83.
The former Proteas Under-19s star is no slouch with the bat either, averaging 20.12 in the four-day game and 54.00 in the Friends Provident Trophy this year.
McLaren also topped the fielding records in last season's Twenty20 Cup, taking nine catches.
| Fixture |
|---|
| Monday 9th November |
| One Day Int Third Match |
| Pakistan vs New Zealand |
| Women's T20 Int First Women's Twenty20 International |
| West Indies Women vs England Women |
| Tuesday 10th November |
| One Day Int Second Match |
| South Africa vs Zimbabwe |
| Tour Match One Day Match |
| South Africa A vs England |
| Women's T20 Int Second Women's Twenty20 International |
| West Indies Women vs England Women |
| Wednesday 11th November |
| One Day Int Seventh Match |
| India vs Australia |
| Thursday 12th November |
| Int Twenty20 First Match |
| Pakistan vs New Zealand |
| Women's T20 Int Third Women's Twenty20 International |
| West Indies Women vs England Women |
| Friday 13th November |
| Int Twenty20 Second Match |
| Pakistan vs New Zealand |
| International Twenty20 |
| South Africa vs England |
| Result |
|---|
| Sunday 8th November |
| One Day International Series |
| South Africa vs Zimbabwe South Africa won by 45 runs. |
| India vs Australia Australia won by 6 wickets. |
| Tour Match |
| vs England England won by 8 wickets. |
| Saturday 7th November |
| Women's One Day International Series |
| West Indies Women vs England Women West Indies Women won by 1 wickets. |
| Friday 6th November |
| One Day International Series |
| Pakistan vs New Zealand New Zealand won by 64 runs. |
| Tour Match |
| Diamond Eagles vs England XI England won by 185 runs. |
| Women's One Day International Series |
| West Indies Women vs England Women England Women won by 13 runs. |
| Thursday 5th November |
| One Day International Series |
| Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe Bangladesh won by 1 wickets. |
| India vs Australia Australia won by 3 runs. |
| Wednesday 4th November |
| Under 19 One Day International Series |
| Bangladesh Under 19 vs England Under 19 Bangladesh Under 19 won by 8 runs. |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durham | 16 | 240 |
| 2 | Nottinghamshire | 16 | 193 |
| 3 | Somerset | 16 | 182 |
| 4 | Lancashire | 16 | 175 |
| 5 | Warwickshire | 16 | 174 |
| 6 | Hampshire | 16 | 169 |
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Comments (1)
Izak Van niekerk says...
What a pity to see all the young South African cricketers leave South Africa to play cricket elsewhere. Soon they will be playing against us - like Kevin Pietersen.
Posted 10:05 31st July 2008