All hail Tendo!

On Thursday night, I was at the Golden Fleece, Chelmsford, for a gig that I was promoting. It wasn't a particularly busy night but among the punters were Essex's two best performers this season.

Dutch all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate and Zimbabwean batsman Grant Flower were enjoying a pint or two after Essex has secured a draw in the final day of their Championship game against Kent.

Essex had done well to avoid defeat after letting Kent had posted a forboding 474 in their first innings.

Alastair Cook's 72 in his side's second innings was pivotal, but once again ten Doeschate proved his worth to Essex, taking four wickets in Kent's first innings and pitching in with 66 runs in Essex's reply.

Following on from his remarkable, match-winning century against Derbyshire in the Clydesdale 40 competition last Monday, it elevates the Dutchman to the top of the PCA Most Valuable Player rankings in county cricket.

After almost two solid weeks of cricket, ten Doeschate is rested for the tour match with Bangladesh in which Grant Flower is captaining Essex. Other first team players have also been rested for the game, but it's a chance for some who have been lacking form to rack up some runs.

That's true of John Maunders who has struggled to build a big innings so far this season. Opening for Essex in reply to Bangladesh's 231, Maunders compiled an impressive 126 off 188 balls including 16 fours and three sixes... in other words, 82 of his runs were scored from boundaries. Essex coach Paul Grayson reckons Maunders has been hitting the ball well in the nets all season and this would seem to bear that out.

Let's hope he can carry that confidence into their next round of matches, starting with the 40 over match against the Netherlands at Amstelveen. This is an interesting game, with a foreign, national team competing in a domestic English competition.

Of course, it's an especially interesting one for Ryan ten Doeschate, as he'll be playing for his club against chis ountry. The 29-year-old was actually born in South Africa but qualifies for the Netherlands through family heritage and is their star player.

Alastair Cook has been rested for the Essex vs Bangladesh match as well and been picked as captain for the England Lions game against the tourists at Derby, starting on Wednesday, May 19.

With England's first Test against Bangladesh beginning on May 27, it's likely the left-hander has played his last game for his county until the end of the season. Which will make the form of John Maunders even more important from here on in.