The Leicestershire trophy cabinet has not had anything added to it since the 2006 Twenty20 Cup triumph at Trent Bridge.

On the other hand, young James Taylor’s personal collection is growing almost by the week.

He ended the season with the award of his County cap and being handed the Foxes’ supporters Player of the Year Award.

At the same time he picked up the Roger Goadby Trophy for his fielding, then landed a double whammy as he was named Young Cricketer of the Year by both the Cricket Writers Club and the Professional Cricket Association.

And if Taylor isn’t named Leicestershire’s Player of the Year on Wednesday, there needs to be a stewards’ enquiry.

All well and good, and all thoroughly deserved. The most significant indicator of Taylor’s progress, though, came this week when the 19-year-old was named as part of the England Performance Programme for the winter.

Taylor was listed among the B category players, which the ECB describe as indicating those who are perceived to be one to three years away from the England side.

Given that Taylor has just completed his first full year on the county circuit, that might be pushing things a little. But whether or not that proves to be the case, his selection shows just how highly thought of Taylor is at national level.

One thing is for sure, though. No amount of awards or accolades will change the youngster’s approach. Whether he is batting in the nets, in a club match or at first-class level, Taylor just wants to play cricket.

Leicestershire have benefited from that attitude this year, hopefully England will do so, too, whether that is one, three or even five years away.

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The inaugural Twenty20 Champions League, currently being argued out in India, has provided further evidence that the short form of the game is no longer all about batsmen dismantling bowling attacks and sending supporters scurrying for cover as the ball is repeatedly deposited over the boundary.

The World Twenty20 in England during the summer demonstrated that bowlers were hitting back and now the club/state/franchise competition in India is doing the same.

There were some horrible low scores in the opening exchanges of the 12-team tournament, while Sussex Sharks came unstuck in a Super Over, T20’s version of the penalty shoot-out, at the expense of Boeta Dippenaar’s Diamond Eagles.

Chasing 10 runs to win, the Sharks didn’t even get on the board. CJ De Villiers flattened the off-stumps of Dwayne Smith and Rory Hamilton-Brown with his first two deliveries to chalk up one more to the bowlers union.