Dexter in awe of Middx CCC coach Ramprakash

NEIL Dexter is so excited by new batting guru Mark Ramprakash he wishes the former Middlesex legend had hung up his gloves much sooner.

Dexter admits he is still in awe of Ramprakash, who moved into the seat on Middlesex's coaching staff vacated by Mark O'Neil over the winter.

However, the chance to get inside the head of the former Seaxes' legend is something the right-hander would have loved to have benefited from much earlier in his career.

He said: "I don't know how to take him yet - I certainly have a lot of respect for him, so I am almost a bit shy around him because of the player he was and what he has done in the game. He carries something of an aura about him, but the more you get to know him the more you can talk to him. It's good just to pick his brain as much as you can and I wish I'd had him around as my coach when I was first starting off to learn how he did things."

The true test of Ramprakash's coaching credentials will be whether he can turn the much talked about potential of Middlesex's top five, Dexter included, into hard runs on the board.

"The mid-innings wobble in the recent county Championship win over Derbyshire suggests he will need a little more time to make his mark."

Dexter admits the batsman will need to join the party, if the Lord's tenants are to mount a sustained and credible title challenge.

He added: "We need to make a few more runs collectively in the front five. I think our bowling attack has been exceptional the last few years and to win the title you have to have a strong bowling attack who are going to get you those 20 wickets and I believe we have that. But as a batting unit we have all got to put our hands up a bit more. We have got in good positions and then lost a few wickets in quick succession to let a few teams back into it and that has got to stop now.

"Guys have got out the same way within the space of a few overs and that has put us on the back foot - we must learn from each other's mistakes. We need smarter cricket from the batsman to get through those tough periods and then the runs do come."