It might be the close season as far as English cricket is concerned, but Essex County Cricket Club is staying firmly on the radar.

First, there was the appointment of Alastair Cook as England captain for the forthcoming tour of Bangladesh.

And now there is the exploits of Graham Napier and Ravi Bopara in New Zealand.

The pair are set to go head-to-head in the HRV Cup Final (New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 competition) on Sunday.

And Napier, playing for Central Districts, will be looking to stand alone as the world’s highest Twenty20 wicket taker, after drawing level with Pakistani Yasir Arafat on 86 wickets.

For the full story see today's Gazette.