It is amazing the difference a bit of rain and cold can make to a couple of sides. If you cast your mind back just a couple of months to the sun soaked pitches of the Caribbean, England were battling against a buoyant West Indies, embodied by their talismanic leader Chris Gayle who seemed to have discovered a way to temper his natural aggression just enough to become hugely effective. They were energetic and lively. They were everything they haven't been in early English "summer" weather.
The ODI series has followed the same format as the Test series with England dominating from start to finish. Andrew Strauss's men have played some excellent cricket in both forms of the game but they have hardly broken sweat at any stage so far this summer. The only thing these games have offered them is a chance to hone a clinical style of victory, and it is a chance they have grasped with both hands.
The games themselves have been dictated by how England have bowled with the new ball. Whether bowling first or second they have been able to pick up the key wickets of Gayle and Sarwan relatively cheaply. Gayle's wicket in particular is of tremendous value, and it was great to see Strauss take a gamble by giving Swann the ball when it was just 9 overs old (and still in the powerplay). His first ball nearly went out of the ground but the second skidded off the big opener's thigh and clattered into the stumps. It was the sort of calculated gamble that quality captains take, and the sort of bowling that only those with unshakable self-belief can execute.
In many ways that single delivery was a metaphor for how England have been since their hard winter. The innovative risk taking has been seen in selecting Onions and putting Bopara at 3, both decisions which have paid off handsomly. Both are slightly enigmatic and will no doubt have days they frustrate, but they both have the class to change games in the favour of their side. For Bopara, it is his easy style which means he can accumulate runs quickly, accelerating England towards competitive totals. For Onions, his ability to swing the ball late at speed will pick give him wickets at all levels, although in less friendly conditions he will need to show more of the control of basic line and length.
The long break before the first Ashes Test is a frustration but should do little to effect the morale or momentum that the group has done well to discover over the last month or so. With so few of the Test squad involved in the T20 World Cup, any negative results should have little effect and a month or so away from the glare of international duty will give the players the chance to hopefully collect enough runs and wickets to ensure they are in peak form, condition and confidence come the first exchanges with Australia.
Wednesday 27 May 2009
Thursday 21 May 2009
Solid England reclaim Wisden Trophy
It is difficult to temper emotions in an Ashes year, but England's latest destruction of the beleaguered West Indies side was solid rather than spectacular. It showed a more grimly determined side, focused on winning by graft and craft than impatience and inconsistency that has been on display throughout the winter and indeed for a couple of years.
The two clearest exponents of these traits were Alistair Cook who accumulated a beautiful century and James Anderson who is starting to look like a finished version of the starlet who took the World Cup by storm in South Africa.
For Cook in particular this was a welcome return to the hundred club after over a year in the wilderness. At the start of his innings he yet again looked scratchy and his footwork was lax, but from tea onwards he started to show glimpses of the touch play that is his hallmark when playing at his best. His return of a career best 160 will do wonders for his confidence in the last Test Match before the first Test against the Australians but he may be disappointed to have failed to record a first double hundred against a West Indian attack that was there for the taking.
In contrast to Cook, Anderson has hardly been short of form. In the absence of Andrew Flintoff he has become the spearhead of the England attack and has shouldered the added responsibility manfully. It was tough to not be impressed with how he stuck to the simple principles of line and length bowling in batsman-friendly conditions in the Caribbean and is now deservedly in amongst the wickets under kinder skies. The ability to create dramatic late swing in both directions will make him a challenge for the Australians and if he is firing with the new ball the talented players in the Baggy Green top three can expect a tough going over.
It will have been a relief to Tim Bresnan to get amongst the wickets but to me it looks like he may struggle to make the step up, particularly if Flintoff can get fit. He is a wonderfully honest bowler, a real workhorse and he will never go for too many runs given his consistency. While Onions is more unpredictable he is the sort of bowler who could pick up a few wickets and change momentum as he did to remove Sarwan and Gayle at the end of a long 4th day. I am unconvinced that Bresnan has that magic ball, and if you need to take 20 wickets to win a Test match then he may struggle to be an automatic selection. He is still young and may impress in the ODI's where his restriction of batsman may be more suited to the shorter format, but at the moment he is the clear choice to make way for the talismanic Flintoff. It is a harsh critique of a man who naturally exhibits the dependable qualities that England have returned to against the Windies, but sterner tests are around the corner, and with so much time before the start of the next Test match he (and any others looking to stake a claim for the Ashes) will need to maintain some phenomenal form in the county setup if he wants to be in the starting eleven in Cardiff.
The two clearest exponents of these traits were Alistair Cook who accumulated a beautiful century and James Anderson who is starting to look like a finished version of the starlet who took the World Cup by storm in South Africa.
For Cook in particular this was a welcome return to the hundred club after over a year in the wilderness. At the start of his innings he yet again looked scratchy and his footwork was lax, but from tea onwards he started to show glimpses of the touch play that is his hallmark when playing at his best. His return of a career best 160 will do wonders for his confidence in the last Test Match before the first Test against the Australians but he may be disappointed to have failed to record a first double hundred against a West Indian attack that was there for the taking.
In contrast to Cook, Anderson has hardly been short of form. In the absence of Andrew Flintoff he has become the spearhead of the England attack and has shouldered the added responsibility manfully. It was tough to not be impressed with how he stuck to the simple principles of line and length bowling in batsman-friendly conditions in the Caribbean and is now deservedly in amongst the wickets under kinder skies. The ability to create dramatic late swing in both directions will make him a challenge for the Australians and if he is firing with the new ball the talented players in the Baggy Green top three can expect a tough going over.
It will have been a relief to Tim Bresnan to get amongst the wickets but to me it looks like he may struggle to make the step up, particularly if Flintoff can get fit. He is a wonderfully honest bowler, a real workhorse and he will never go for too many runs given his consistency. While Onions is more unpredictable he is the sort of bowler who could pick up a few wickets and change momentum as he did to remove Sarwan and Gayle at the end of a long 4th day. I am unconvinced that Bresnan has that magic ball, and if you need to take 20 wickets to win a Test match then he may struggle to be an automatic selection. He is still young and may impress in the ODI's where his restriction of batsman may be more suited to the shorter format, but at the moment he is the clear choice to make way for the talismanic Flintoff. It is a harsh critique of a man who naturally exhibits the dependable qualities that England have returned to against the Windies, but sterner tests are around the corner, and with so much time before the start of the next Test match he (and any others looking to stake a claim for the Ashes) will need to maintain some phenomenal form in the county setup if he wants to be in the starting eleven in Cardiff.
Wednesday 13 May 2009
Gayle the Exception, Not the Rule
Chris Gayle has always been something of an enigma. I was in Barbados in 2007 when he disinterest lead to a number of fielding errors and refusing several catches against Bangladesh, an attitude which ended in torrents of abuse from a West Indian public that expects more. Equally, who can forget how electrifying he can be with bat in hand, smashing quality attacks all over the place in blistering knocks when at his best. However, it is his attitude rather than his bat that has been attracting the headlines so far this summer.
Firstly there was his decision to stay with his IPL franchise rather than join up with his team. It is impossible to say that coming back earlier and having some warm up games would have resulted in a better return at Lord's than 28 and 0 but those meager offerings did little to persuade anyone that he made the right choice. Of even more concern was his ambivalence as his team collapsed to a crushing defeat. If a captain can't stir the troops then who can?
His lack of preparation drew comment from Andrew Strauss, who was quick to point out that no member of the England team would have been able to stay at what is essentially a domestic tournament at the expense of Test Match preparation. Amazingly, this rather innocent comment stirred the sort of passion so lacking last week as he launched a scathing attack on Strauss and Test Match cricket.
His outburst will have sent ripples of concern through the ranks of purists across the globe because for the first time an international cricketer has voiced their fears; that in the minds of some, Test Match cricket has been replaced by the shortest and most financially rewarding format. Fortunately, the majority of his fellow professionals don't think this way and Gayle has never been orthodox, but it is a genuine wake up call to those keen to push the T20 bandwagon and grab the cash: when you take the money you have to think what it will cost you. Test cricket needs preserving and protecting, and saturating the market with the cash cow format will do the sport no favours in the long term.
Firstly there was his decision to stay with his IPL franchise rather than join up with his team. It is impossible to say that coming back earlier and having some warm up games would have resulted in a better return at Lord's than 28 and 0 but those meager offerings did little to persuade anyone that he made the right choice. Of even more concern was his ambivalence as his team collapsed to a crushing defeat. If a captain can't stir the troops then who can?
His lack of preparation drew comment from Andrew Strauss, who was quick to point out that no member of the England team would have been able to stay at what is essentially a domestic tournament at the expense of Test Match preparation. Amazingly, this rather innocent comment stirred the sort of passion so lacking last week as he launched a scathing attack on Strauss and Test Match cricket.
His outburst will have sent ripples of concern through the ranks of purists across the globe because for the first time an international cricketer has voiced their fears; that in the minds of some, Test Match cricket has been replaced by the shortest and most financially rewarding format. Fortunately, the majority of his fellow professionals don't think this way and Gayle has never been orthodox, but it is a genuine wake up call to those keen to push the T20 bandwagon and grab the cash: when you take the money you have to think what it will cost you. Test cricket needs preserving and protecting, and saturating the market with the cash cow format will do the sport no favours in the long term.
Friday 8 May 2009
Swann and Onions Cook up a Storm
Well, it might not be as impressive as the various food based headlines that the red tops were thinking of this time yesterday, but it pretty well sums up the basis on which England won this test, certainly from a statistics point of view.
In truth the architects of the victory were the bureaucrats who scheduled a test match this early. It is hardly shocking that this West Indies side last warm up game and first test match ended in 10 wickets defeat. Imagine coming from the climate and wickets of the Caribbean to a cold and windy London. Even from a financial point of view it didn't make sense, with grandstands half full as fans firmly rejected the opportunity to journey to a very cold home of cricket.
The one thing it did do was give Graeme Onions a dream debut. He had a less than auspicious start, playing a poor shot to be bowled first ball and then seeing his first over eased around the ground. Credit to Andrew Strauss for persevering with his scatter-gun approach until he finally started to come good in his fourth over. He will need to work hard to tighten his lines on flatter decks, and the West Indian batsmen hardly provided a stern test, but although he rightly receives all the plaudits it should not be forgotten that he went at over five an over in the second innings. The biggest positive is not that he got his name on the honours board, but that he has the confidence to really assert himself this summer against sterner opposition.
The other debutant did little wrong, but Tim Bresnan will have to wait till Chester-le-Street to really showcase his talents. He took his catch in the gully beautifully and in his short spells he showed enough control to suggest that he will be a useful 4th seamer, but he will be hoping for a greater chance to impress the selectors in the North-East.
The performance as a whole will do wonders for a team that took a battering over the winter. Although it would flatter Chris Gayle's team to say they were lacklustre a 3 day win is a 3 day win and in international cricket, any 10 wicket victory is one worthy of celebration. The fielding standards showed a marked improvement from both India and the Caribbean, which I would suggest is largely down the fact that Andy Flower prefers cricket drills to the touch rugby favoured as a warm up by his predecessor. England started each day much faster than their opponents and this was key as they finally won the first test match of a series.
Ravi Bopara looked confident at 3. His selection surprised many (including myself) but he held the innings together and with Graeme Swann batted the Windies into submission on the second morning. He showed a mental steeliness which has been missing in his international innings to date and managed to reign in his easy style and play each ball on merit. Like Onions he had something to prove and came out of it with full marks.
In fact the only point of concern would still be Alistair Cook. He seemed to have rediscovered his natural style in a warm up game against the Windies, but once again, in the international arena he looked bereft of confidence in places. His greatest strength is the depth of the crease he uses, which is why he is so potent off the back foot and his hip, but he plays front foot shots from the same depth and looks uncomfortable as a result against the fuller ball. It got him out in the first innings and could have cost him his wicket in the short second innings run chase had Fidel Edwards been a little luckier. If I were Andy Flower I would be working hard with him in the coming weeks or he will be a weak link against the stronger Australian attack.
Either way England will go to Durham full of confidence and almost certainly with an unchanged side. Chris Gayle will need to get his team focused and use Shiv Chanderpaul's experience at Chester-le-Street to get his batsmen and bowlers prepared. If not there is not reason to believe that England won't be able to muster a similar result. It will not be so easy for the English bowlers all through the summer, but with Flintoff to come back into that attack there is a lot more room for hope than there was two months ago.
In truth the architects of the victory were the bureaucrats who scheduled a test match this early. It is hardly shocking that this West Indies side last warm up game and first test match ended in 10 wickets defeat. Imagine coming from the climate and wickets of the Caribbean to a cold and windy London. Even from a financial point of view it didn't make sense, with grandstands half full as fans firmly rejected the opportunity to journey to a very cold home of cricket.
The one thing it did do was give Graeme Onions a dream debut. He had a less than auspicious start, playing a poor shot to be bowled first ball and then seeing his first over eased around the ground. Credit to Andrew Strauss for persevering with his scatter-gun approach until he finally started to come good in his fourth over. He will need to work hard to tighten his lines on flatter decks, and the West Indian batsmen hardly provided a stern test, but although he rightly receives all the plaudits it should not be forgotten that he went at over five an over in the second innings. The biggest positive is not that he got his name on the honours board, but that he has the confidence to really assert himself this summer against sterner opposition.
The other debutant did little wrong, but Tim Bresnan will have to wait till Chester-le-Street to really showcase his talents. He took his catch in the gully beautifully and in his short spells he showed enough control to suggest that he will be a useful 4th seamer, but he will be hoping for a greater chance to impress the selectors in the North-East.
The performance as a whole will do wonders for a team that took a battering over the winter. Although it would flatter Chris Gayle's team to say they were lacklustre a 3 day win is a 3 day win and in international cricket, any 10 wicket victory is one worthy of celebration. The fielding standards showed a marked improvement from both India and the Caribbean, which I would suggest is largely down the fact that Andy Flower prefers cricket drills to the touch rugby favoured as a warm up by his predecessor. England started each day much faster than their opponents and this was key as they finally won the first test match of a series.
Ravi Bopara looked confident at 3. His selection surprised many (including myself) but he held the innings together and with Graeme Swann batted the Windies into submission on the second morning. He showed a mental steeliness which has been missing in his international innings to date and managed to reign in his easy style and play each ball on merit. Like Onions he had something to prove and came out of it with full marks.
In fact the only point of concern would still be Alistair Cook. He seemed to have rediscovered his natural style in a warm up game against the Windies, but once again, in the international arena he looked bereft of confidence in places. His greatest strength is the depth of the crease he uses, which is why he is so potent off the back foot and his hip, but he plays front foot shots from the same depth and looks uncomfortable as a result against the fuller ball. It got him out in the first innings and could have cost him his wicket in the short second innings run chase had Fidel Edwards been a little luckier. If I were Andy Flower I would be working hard with him in the coming weeks or he will be a weak link against the stronger Australian attack.
Either way England will go to Durham full of confidence and almost certainly with an unchanged side. Chris Gayle will need to get his team focused and use Shiv Chanderpaul's experience at Chester-le-Street to get his batsmen and bowlers prepared. If not there is not reason to believe that England won't be able to muster a similar result. It will not be so easy for the English bowlers all through the summer, but with Flintoff to come back into that attack there is a lot more room for hope than there was two months ago.
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