England have won their second warm up match, with the Pakistan Cricket Board XI crumbling to a 100 run defeat at the hands of the-best-team-in-the-world(TM). The big story from the game concerns Monty Panesar, who certainly put forward his case for test selection with 8 wickets in the match. Monty hasn't played tests since THAT game at Cardiff in 2009, but has he given himself a shot at getting into England's XI for the first test starting on Tuesday?
Common cricketing logic dictates that a team touring the subcontinent (yes, this isn't actually the subcontinent, but the pitches will be close enough) play two spinners, which England probably want to do. However, the selectors lives are made much harder with the lack of a genuine all-rounder. If there was a Flintoff style player who is good enough to bat in the top seven as well as being a test-class bowler, then Monty would happily slip into the team alongside Swann, Anderson and Broad, with Eoin Morgan the unlucky batsman to miss out. Sadly this is not the case. England's selection policy has been reserved to say the least over the past few years, with Andy Flower still bearing the mental scars of the horrific Ashes test at Headingley in 2009 where England played five bowlers, had no backbone to their batting, and collapsed miserably. Broad has developed as a batsman (the most recent game against Pakistan where he got 169 is testament to that) but doubts remain as to whether he's consistent enough as a test number seven. While he did score runs against India, that was the first time in a long while that he done anything with the bat, and moving him up the order (especially given Panesar's notorious inability with the blade) could be a recipe for disaster. Seeing as the closest thing England have to a proper all-rounder in Tim Bresnan will be watching the series from the comfort of The North, Flower will be very reticent in vastly altering the shape of the team to accommodate an extra spinner.
Another option would be to play only two seamers, with the dual spin of Panesar and Swann, as they did in the warm-up game (with Tremlett and Onions playing the roles of Anderson and Broad). While there would be a lot of testing spin, rotating the two fast bowlers would be tricky, especially in the new-ball period which seems to offer a lot out in the UAE. England no longer have the handy holding overs of Paul Collingwood to toss the ball to, which would make this option a no-goer as well.
The third way to get Monty back into the England team would be to play him instead of Graeme Swann. Dissenting voices of Swann have mentioned his lack of wickets over the last 12 months, but surely dropping the-best-spinner-in-the-world(TM) would be wrong? Yes, Swann hasn't taken many wickets recently, but that's mainly because the fast bowlers have done the majority of the damage on pretty green pitches. When Swann has needed to step up on a final day (Adelaide v Australia, The Oval v India), he's made match-winning performances to seal victories. Besides, dropping a key player would be very un-England, where the success has come from consistent selection, backing their players, and allowing those in poor trots to come good. Swann may not be in a bad trot, but he hasn't dominated a series in a while, but on the first tour with turning pitches since he decimated Bangladesh two years ago, Swann has the chance to tear them apart, again.
All in all, Monty Panesar won't play. As much as playing two spinners is important in these conditions, there isn't really any way (short of calling up Samit Patel, which they should have done in the first place) of getting two spinners into the team without sacrificing a batsman or a fast bowler. While Panesar took the wickets to win the game, the most important wicket of the match was that of Fawad Alam, who was caught Trott bowled Pietersen. If England go in with only one frontline spinner, Kevin Pietersen will have to turn his arm over a fair bit, and that wicket will give Flower, Strauss and the selectors confidence that he can do his bit. Whether or not they think that after the first test remains to be seen...
Showing posts with label Bunny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bunny. Show all posts
Friday, 13 January 2012
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Stuart Meaker Picked For England
It's sort of an odd one, yet not an odd one. Meaker's List A pedigree is far from great - not many games (21), even fewer wickets (19) and a lofty average of 38. Indeed he barely got into Surrey's CB40 winning side all year, which makes the decision to take him on tour a surprise one. (Certainly surprising to Graham Onions who labelled the decision [on Twitter of course] "bizarre").
However, from what I've seen of Stuart Meaker, he is a very, very talented bowler. He has serious pace (supposedly topping 96 mph), and at 22 he's only going to get quicker. He can reverse it, and again, at a young age, he's only going to become more experienced on how to use and exploit such a dark art of bowling. He will eventually be an England bowler, so why not give him a taste of a subcontinental tour to get used to what being an international entails, pick the brains of the bowling coaches and work alongside some of the best bowlers in the world? And who knows, with Stuart Broad injured and Jimmy Anderson rested he might even get a game against the World Champions, which can hardly be bad for his development.
Yes, there is the almost inevitable elephant in the room of the fact that he was born in Durban which has kicked up quite a debate on Twitter, but I've grown tired of all of that, and it's probably quite irrelevant. Stuart Meaker is a hugely promising fast bowler who learnt his trade in England, is committed to England, and will probably take bagfuls of wickets for England. While I'd have liked to have seen a more experienced young buck getting a go, the selection of Meaker is certainly very exciting. We might be seeing the start of a very long, and very good international career.
However, from what I've seen of Stuart Meaker, he is a very, very talented bowler. He has serious pace (supposedly topping 96 mph), and at 22 he's only going to get quicker. He can reverse it, and again, at a young age, he's only going to become more experienced on how to use and exploit such a dark art of bowling. He will eventually be an England bowler, so why not give him a taste of a subcontinental tour to get used to what being an international entails, pick the brains of the bowling coaches and work alongside some of the best bowlers in the world? And who knows, with Stuart Broad injured and Jimmy Anderson rested he might even get a game against the World Champions, which can hardly be bad for his development.
Yes, there is the almost inevitable elephant in the room of the fact that he was born in Durban which has kicked up quite a debate on Twitter, but I've grown tired of all of that, and it's probably quite irrelevant. Stuart Meaker is a hugely promising fast bowler who learnt his trade in England, is committed to England, and will probably take bagfuls of wickets for England. While I'd have liked to have seen a more experienced young buck getting a go, the selection of Meaker is certainly very exciting. We might be seeing the start of a very long, and very good international career.
Monday, 15 August 2011
Bunny's Back
Way back in September 2010, I wrote this about Graham Onions. Bunny's always been a personal favourite of mine, whether it's for smearing Aussie stumps with fine swing bowling or defiantly blocking out to save games in South Africa. Onions had forced his way into the England side thanks to some excellence at county level, and had just about got himself into England's first choice test eleven. But disaster struck in the form of a back injury that ruled him out for a season just before the Bangladesh tour, and England moved on since then.
It's fair to say that since Onions last donned an England shirt things have changed. First came Steve Finn, who raced to 50 test wickets in the fastest time possible. Then Chris Tremlett, who's international redemption has seen him become one of the most feared fast bowlers in the world. And then Tim Bresnan, who has turned from bits and pieces seamer to a genuine test all-rounder who averages 45 with the bat and 24 with the ball. And while Onions has been out injured, England moved from also-rans to Ashes winners and World Number Ones. He couldn't have picked a worse time to miss, as England had quite clearly moved on from him.
But, they haven't. With the fourth test against India being quite the dead rubber, it seems that Jimmy Anderson's slight niggle won't be risked. So into the squad comes Graham Onions, the forgotten man of England's success.
A similiar sort of situation happened back the last time England were any good - the heady days of the 2005 Ashes. Simon Jones, who'd been a key quarter of England's fearsome fast four broke down in the fourth test at Trent Bridge, with what proved to be a quite serious injury. In the time it had taken for Jones to get back on a field and prove his fitness, England had moved a long way from the Welshman, and he remained just a memory as England floundered in the post-2005 failures.
Luckily for Onions, he hasn't been forgotten, and is back in the squad for the test starting on Thursday. He may or may not get selected, as the pecking order system used probably has Steven Finn still ahead of him, but it shows he is right back on England's radar. At a time when England's fast bowling pool couldn't be stronger, if Onions comes in and seizes the opportunity as Finn, Tremlett and Bresnan have, there could be quite a few headaches for Andy Flower between now and England's next test appointment in the UAE in the new year.
It's fair to say that since Onions last donned an England shirt things have changed. First came Steve Finn, who raced to 50 test wickets in the fastest time possible. Then Chris Tremlett, who's international redemption has seen him become one of the most feared fast bowlers in the world. And then Tim Bresnan, who has turned from bits and pieces seamer to a genuine test all-rounder who averages 45 with the bat and 24 with the ball. And while Onions has been out injured, England moved from also-rans to Ashes winners and World Number Ones. He couldn't have picked a worse time to miss, as England had quite clearly moved on from him.
But, they haven't. With the fourth test against India being quite the dead rubber, it seems that Jimmy Anderson's slight niggle won't be risked. So into the squad comes Graham Onions, the forgotten man of England's success.
A similiar sort of situation happened back the last time England were any good - the heady days of the 2005 Ashes. Simon Jones, who'd been a key quarter of England's fearsome fast four broke down in the fourth test at Trent Bridge, with what proved to be a quite serious injury. In the time it had taken for Jones to get back on a field and prove his fitness, England had moved a long way from the Welshman, and he remained just a memory as England floundered in the post-2005 failures.
Luckily for Onions, he hasn't been forgotten, and is back in the squad for the test starting on Thursday. He may or may not get selected, as the pecking order system used probably has Steven Finn still ahead of him, but it shows he is right back on England's radar. At a time when England's fast bowling pool couldn't be stronger, if Onions comes in and seizes the opportunity as Finn, Tremlett and Bresnan have, there could be quite a few headaches for Andy Flower between now and England's next test appointment in the UAE in the new year.
Friday, 17 June 2011
Time to Banish Broad?
England have a dilemma, and his name is Stuart Broad. 37 tests into his test career, and Broad is averaging a very average 36 with the ball. Given leeway in terms of his average and fairly poor return with the ball for the early part of his test career due to his young age, England will have wanted Broad to have kicked on by now to become one of the world's best. Put simply, he hasn't done that.
Three and a half years in test cricket (and almost five years in international cricket) should mean he's able to adapt to conditions and consistently take wickets. Yet still he belies his 142 international appearances by mindlessly banging the ball in short irregardless of match conditions, pitch conditions, or batsman weaknesses.
Broad was preferred in this game to Steven Finn - a bowler who does have a wonky radar, but bowls a hell of a lot of wicket taking balls. This afternoon (Day 2) at the Rose Bowl, Broad bowled nigh on every ball short of a length, and didn't even look close to taking a wicket. Broad isn't at all threatening with the short ball, which makes his tactics seem all the more odd. Broad appears to believe that just because he is a tall man, he has to bowl at the batsman's head and stare him down each time the batsman dare swipe at one. It's all becoming rather tedious.
If Broad wants a lesson on how a tall player can take test wickets, he should look down at the other end to see Chris Tremlett. Tremlett is a full two inches taller than the dwarf sized Broad, yet doesn't resort to attempting to break the batsman's face every ball. Instead, Tremlett bowls a full length in order to get the batsman coming forward, and takes wickets because he naturally gets extra bounce which is often all too good for the batsmen. Tremlett has only played 8 tests. It should be Broad who is showing Tremlett how it's done, not the other way around.
For three years, there wasn't a hint of Broad being dropped at all. However, if England are aiming for number one, they have to recognise when player's aren't pulling their weight, and act. That means that batsmen have to score runs, and bowlers have to take wickets. Broad just isn't taking enough wickets - he hasn't taken more than two in an innings since the tour of South Africa over 18 months ago - which quite simply is nowhere near good enough. There's no doubt that he can do it - the Ashes winning spell at the Oval in 2009 is testament to that. But those sorts of performances are becoming increasingly distant, and can England afford to have someone who isn't performing to the required level anywhere regularly enough? The key at the Oval was that Broad bowled full and attacked the stumps, with four of the five victims either being bowled or trapped lbw. If Broad returns to bowling that sort of length, he can be a very potent bowler, but he hasn't really done that since that heady day back in 2009.
Dropping Broad from the test team may seem odd when he starts his stint as an England captain next week, but it's not as if there's a shortage of test quality replacements available to come in. Finn, Bresnan, Shahzad, Onions and even Dernbach are all more than good enough and at the moment only loyalty is keeping Broad ahead of them. Broad's injury during the Ashes was unfortunate, but the fact that England won two games by an innings after he went home has proved that he is indeed a dispensible player. If England really do want to become the number one team in the world, they have to start by putting out a team of their best players. That means the batsmen who are to score the most runs, and bowlers who are going to take the most wickets. Quite simply, Stuart Broad does not take enough wickets to justify his place in the test team, and as harsh or ruthless as it may be, shouldn't be in the England test team
And if you head over to The Short Midwicket Facebook page, you can vote on who should replace Broad (if anyone) - and while you're there you could 'like' us too!
Three and a half years in test cricket (and almost five years in international cricket) should mean he's able to adapt to conditions and consistently take wickets. Yet still he belies his 142 international appearances by mindlessly banging the ball in short irregardless of match conditions, pitch conditions, or batsman weaknesses.
Broad was preferred in this game to Steven Finn - a bowler who does have a wonky radar, but bowls a hell of a lot of wicket taking balls. This afternoon (Day 2) at the Rose Bowl, Broad bowled nigh on every ball short of a length, and didn't even look close to taking a wicket. Broad isn't at all threatening with the short ball, which makes his tactics seem all the more odd. Broad appears to believe that just because he is a tall man, he has to bowl at the batsman's head and stare him down each time the batsman dare swipe at one. It's all becoming rather tedious.
If Broad wants a lesson on how a tall player can take test wickets, he should look down at the other end to see Chris Tremlett. Tremlett is a full two inches taller than the dwarf sized Broad, yet doesn't resort to attempting to break the batsman's face every ball. Instead, Tremlett bowls a full length in order to get the batsman coming forward, and takes wickets because he naturally gets extra bounce which is often all too good for the batsmen. Tremlett has only played 8 tests. It should be Broad who is showing Tremlett how it's done, not the other way around.
For three years, there wasn't a hint of Broad being dropped at all. However, if England are aiming for number one, they have to recognise when player's aren't pulling their weight, and act. That means that batsmen have to score runs, and bowlers have to take wickets. Broad just isn't taking enough wickets - he hasn't taken more than two in an innings since the tour of South Africa over 18 months ago - which quite simply is nowhere near good enough. There's no doubt that he can do it - the Ashes winning spell at the Oval in 2009 is testament to that. But those sorts of performances are becoming increasingly distant, and can England afford to have someone who isn't performing to the required level anywhere regularly enough? The key at the Oval was that Broad bowled full and attacked the stumps, with four of the five victims either being bowled or trapped lbw. If Broad returns to bowling that sort of length, he can be a very potent bowler, but he hasn't really done that since that heady day back in 2009.
Dropping Broad from the test team may seem odd when he starts his stint as an England captain next week, but it's not as if there's a shortage of test quality replacements available to come in. Finn, Bresnan, Shahzad, Onions and even Dernbach are all more than good enough and at the moment only loyalty is keeping Broad ahead of them. Broad's injury during the Ashes was unfortunate, but the fact that England won two games by an innings after he went home has proved that he is indeed a dispensible player. If England really do want to become the number one team in the world, they have to start by putting out a team of their best players. That means the batsmen who are to score the most runs, and bowlers who are going to take the most wickets. Quite simply, Stuart Broad does not take enough wickets to justify his place in the test team, and as harsh or ruthless as it may be, shouldn't be in the England test team
And if you head over to The Short Midwicket Facebook page, you can vote on who should replace Broad (if anyone) - and while you're there you could 'like' us too!
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
What We Can Deduce from the England Lions Squad
The England Lions twelve man squad to take on the Sri Lankans has been named. Theoretically, if the first choice test eleven were to all mysteriously disappear and / or die, the Lions would be the ones to step into the breach. On a slightly less morbid level, games for the Lions are excellent opportunities for fringe players, those still cutting their teeth at international level, or those yet to make their full debuts a chance to impress selectors and push for regular games in the full squad.
The twelve men who have been selected for the game at Derby next week are as such:
James Hildreth (Somerset, captain)
Jimmy Adams (Hampshire)
Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire, wicket keeper)
Danny Briggs (Hampshire)
Ravi Bopara (Essex)
Jade Dernbach (Surrey)
Steven Finn (Middlesex)
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex)
Graham Onions (Durham)
Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire)
Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire)
James Taylor (Leicestershire)
There's a fair bit we can work out from who's been picked.
The selectors haven't chosen their replacement for Collingwood
... or if they have, they haven't made it at all obvious. In the podcast I did the other day I spoke about how there are four men all vying for the vacant spot in the test batting order. The fact that all of them (Morgan, Bopara, Taylor and Hildreth) are all in this team suggests that selectors are encouraging a "shoot-out" (sorry for using a massive cliche) for the spot. While the selectors may have preferences as to who gets in, if their man makes a duck whereas someone else makes a triple ton, it will be very hard to not pick them.
Samit Patel has lost weight
Samit Patel is a big lad, and his weight issues are very well documented. However, after a couple of years of apathy towards fitness, he spent the winter on the treadmill, and has lost a bit of weight. While he will never win any sort of bathing suit competition, the fact that Patel has been able to make the holy grail of Level 12 on the Bleep Test (a prerequesite of being an England player) shows that he is finally taking it all much more seriously. And the fact that he's been named in the Lions squad shows the selectors definitely rate his talents, and want to welcome him back into the fold. While he is probably a fair way off test cricket, if he chips in with runs and wickets (mmm, chips) he could force his way back into the ODI team by the end of the summer.
The selectors don't like Adil Rashid
The numbers certainly stack up for Adil Rashid, as both a spinner and as a handy lower order batsman. Arguably the second best spinner in the country (behind Swann, obviously), and in top form this year, Rashid must be mystified about why he continually keeps being ignored by the powers that be. Nothing against Danny Briggs, who also has an awful lot of potential, but the prolonged invisibility of Rashid is beginning to smack of something sinister. It isn't a talent based snub - so is it a clash of personality?
Bunny's back
I've always liked Graham Onions, and it's great to see him back in the fray after his long lay-off. The fact that Onions has been selected shows he's firmly in the selectors minds, and can be added to the incredibly strong pool of fast bowlers that includes Anderson, Broad, Tremlett, Finn, Bresnan, Shahzad and even Dernbach.
Competition for Keepers
As well as extraordinary strength in fast bowling and batting, England have a reserve of top wicket-keepers ready to step up if required. Steve Davies and Craig Kieswetter have both had excellent starts to the season and have had international success, but neither have made the squad behind new double centurion Jonny Bairstow. This added competition can only be good, and any of the three could step up if Matt Prior got injured. Wicket keeping is in rude health at the moment.
English cricket is doing pretty well
All across the board the Lions side is very strong. Quite feasibly all of that squad could represent England this summer, which both shows the strength in depth that county cricket is producing at the moment. With the fixture congestion and burnout that many have been complaining about, the 'fringe' players may be getting more and more international cricket, and England certainly wouldn't be let down by any of these players.
There's a lot we can learn from this squad announcement - and it will be interesting to see how they do against the Sri Lankans. A strong performance from a player, and it may not be the last time they play against Sri Lanka this summer...
The twelve men who have been selected for the game at Derby next week are as such:
James Hildreth (Somerset, captain)
Jimmy Adams (Hampshire)
Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire, wicket keeper)
Danny Briggs (Hampshire)
Ravi Bopara (Essex)
Jade Dernbach (Surrey)
Steven Finn (Middlesex)
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex)
Graham Onions (Durham)
Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire)
Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire)
James Taylor (Leicestershire)
There's a fair bit we can work out from who's been picked.
The selectors haven't chosen their replacement for Collingwood
... or if they have, they haven't made it at all obvious. In the podcast I did the other day I spoke about how there are four men all vying for the vacant spot in the test batting order. The fact that all of them (Morgan, Bopara, Taylor and Hildreth) are all in this team suggests that selectors are encouraging a "shoot-out" (sorry for using a massive cliche) for the spot. While the selectors may have preferences as to who gets in, if their man makes a duck whereas someone else makes a triple ton, it will be very hard to not pick them.
Samit Patel has lost weight
Samit Patel is a big lad, and his weight issues are very well documented. However, after a couple of years of apathy towards fitness, he spent the winter on the treadmill, and has lost a bit of weight. While he will never win any sort of bathing suit competition, the fact that Patel has been able to make the holy grail of Level 12 on the Bleep Test (a prerequesite of being an England player) shows that he is finally taking it all much more seriously. And the fact that he's been named in the Lions squad shows the selectors definitely rate his talents, and want to welcome him back into the fold. While he is probably a fair way off test cricket, if he chips in with runs and wickets (mmm, chips) he could force his way back into the ODI team by the end of the summer.
The selectors don't like Adil Rashid
The numbers certainly stack up for Adil Rashid, as both a spinner and as a handy lower order batsman. Arguably the second best spinner in the country (behind Swann, obviously), and in top form this year, Rashid must be mystified about why he continually keeps being ignored by the powers that be. Nothing against Danny Briggs, who also has an awful lot of potential, but the prolonged invisibility of Rashid is beginning to smack of something sinister. It isn't a talent based snub - so is it a clash of personality?
Bunny's back
I've always liked Graham Onions, and it's great to see him back in the fray after his long lay-off. The fact that Onions has been selected shows he's firmly in the selectors minds, and can be added to the incredibly strong pool of fast bowlers that includes Anderson, Broad, Tremlett, Finn, Bresnan, Shahzad and even Dernbach.
Competition for Keepers
As well as extraordinary strength in fast bowling and batting, England have a reserve of top wicket-keepers ready to step up if required. Steve Davies and Craig Kieswetter have both had excellent starts to the season and have had international success, but neither have made the squad behind new double centurion Jonny Bairstow. This added competition can only be good, and any of the three could step up if Matt Prior got injured. Wicket keeping is in rude health at the moment.
English cricket is doing pretty well
All across the board the Lions side is very strong. Quite feasibly all of that squad could represent England this summer, which both shows the strength in depth that county cricket is producing at the moment. With the fixture congestion and burnout that many have been complaining about, the 'fringe' players may be getting more and more international cricket, and England certainly wouldn't be let down by any of these players.
There's a lot we can learn from this squad announcement - and it will be interesting to see how they do against the Sri Lankans. A strong performance from a player, and it may not be the last time they play against Sri Lanka this summer...
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Flower's Five Big Calls for 2011
With the news that Andy Flower has extended his contract as England team director, and with a busy summer of cricket ahead, there are a few decisions to be made about English cricket. While English cricket is certainly not at a crossroads, decisions do have to be made in order for England to succeed in the long run, and it's imperative that Flower gets them right. So I've had a look at what the 5 biggest decisions that Flower has to make this summer are, and how he should make them.
1. ODI captaincy
Andrew Strauss has been an excellent leader of England since taking the captaincy full-time 2 years ago, and he's also performed very well in ODI cricket. However, with an ever growing amount of international cricket taking it's toll, and Strauss knowing he won't be around for the 2015 World Cup, now appears to be the time to either stick or twist. If Strauss wants to stay on and play ODI cricket, it would make sense to have him in as captain, but if he decides to hang up his blue pads in order to prolong his test career, Flower needs to name a replacement. FEC Alastair Cook isn't currently in the England ODI side which may hold him back from getting the nod, and there are pros and cons for a number of candidates. There's a growing clamour for a return for Kevin Pietersen, as well as Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson, Ian Bell and even Graeme Swann. Flower has to get this decision right, as consistently chopping and changing the captaincy in the lead up to the 2015 WC can only be a negative issue.
2. Replacement for Collingwood
Paul Collingwood was a big part of England's test middle order for a number of years, and probably rightly retired from the format following the Ashes. While the bowling has been mixed and shaken about over the past few years, England's top seven has been incredibly settled, and now Flower needs to choose a replacement for Collingwood. The "man in possession", Eoin Morgan (who deputised for the injured Ian Bell against Pakistan) is probably more of a one-day player than a test batsman, perhaps something that could also be levelled at one of the other contenders Ravi Bopara. James Hildreth is a dark horse, but has no international experience which could count against him. Whoever is selected will need to perform immediately against very strong opposition in Sri Lanka and India, so Flower will have to get the selection spot on.
3. Fast bowling
England have the luxury of having a real strength in depth of fast bowlers, with Anderson, Broad, Finn, Bresnan, Tremlett and even Onions all vying for a probable three places in the team. Anderson and Broad appear definites, leaving the others fighting it out over the remaining place. All have impressed in the past year, and this selection could be one of Flower's toughest assignments.
4. ODI openers
We saw in the World Cup (and the Australia series immediately preceding it) that England struggled to get the right formula in terms of an opening partership. Strauss, Pietersen, Prior and Bell were all used, and with none of them guaranteed of their place in the team going forwards (and only Strauss being a "natural" opener) picking the two men at the top must be a real worry for Flower. Should be stick with the tried and trusted of Strauss and Cook or Davies, or look outside the box to a Hales or Chopra? The future of Strauss will help him decide, but changes will be needed if England are to succeed as an ODI team.
5. T20 captaincy
Currently Paul Collingwood is England's T20 captain. While it was only 12 months ago that he was hailed as the inspiration behind England's World T20 win, Collingwood's international career appears to be over, so as such will need to be replaced as the T20 skipper. While Flower's decision can be made much easier if Strauss steps aside from limited over cricket, leaving space for a joint captaincy, a real headache will be created if he decides to stay, with Flower needing to give someone the T20 captaincy. Again, the same candidates for the ODI captaincy will be in the running, and this decision could potentially be very awkward if Strauss wants to keep playing ODIs.
1. ODI captaincy
Andrew Strauss has been an excellent leader of England since taking the captaincy full-time 2 years ago, and he's also performed very well in ODI cricket. However, with an ever growing amount of international cricket taking it's toll, and Strauss knowing he won't be around for the 2015 World Cup, now appears to be the time to either stick or twist. If Strauss wants to stay on and play ODI cricket, it would make sense to have him in as captain, but if he decides to hang up his blue pads in order to prolong his test career, Flower needs to name a replacement. FEC Alastair Cook isn't currently in the England ODI side which may hold him back from getting the nod, and there are pros and cons for a number of candidates. There's a growing clamour for a return for Kevin Pietersen, as well as Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson, Ian Bell and even Graeme Swann. Flower has to get this decision right, as consistently chopping and changing the captaincy in the lead up to the 2015 WC can only be a negative issue.
2. Replacement for Collingwood
Paul Collingwood was a big part of England's test middle order for a number of years, and probably rightly retired from the format following the Ashes. While the bowling has been mixed and shaken about over the past few years, England's top seven has been incredibly settled, and now Flower needs to choose a replacement for Collingwood. The "man in possession", Eoin Morgan (who deputised for the injured Ian Bell against Pakistan) is probably more of a one-day player than a test batsman, perhaps something that could also be levelled at one of the other contenders Ravi Bopara. James Hildreth is a dark horse, but has no international experience which could count against him. Whoever is selected will need to perform immediately against very strong opposition in Sri Lanka and India, so Flower will have to get the selection spot on.
3. Fast bowling
England have the luxury of having a real strength in depth of fast bowlers, with Anderson, Broad, Finn, Bresnan, Tremlett and even Onions all vying for a probable three places in the team. Anderson and Broad appear definites, leaving the others fighting it out over the remaining place. All have impressed in the past year, and this selection could be one of Flower's toughest assignments.
4. ODI openers
We saw in the World Cup (and the Australia series immediately preceding it) that England struggled to get the right formula in terms of an opening partership. Strauss, Pietersen, Prior and Bell were all used, and with none of them guaranteed of their place in the team going forwards (and only Strauss being a "natural" opener) picking the two men at the top must be a real worry for Flower. Should be stick with the tried and trusted of Strauss and Cook or Davies, or look outside the box to a Hales or Chopra? The future of Strauss will help him decide, but changes will be needed if England are to succeed as an ODI team.
5. T20 captaincy
Currently Paul Collingwood is England's T20 captain. While it was only 12 months ago that he was hailed as the inspiration behind England's World T20 win, Collingwood's international career appears to be over, so as such will need to be replaced as the T20 skipper. While Flower's decision can be made much easier if Strauss steps aside from limited over cricket, leaving space for a joint captaincy, a real headache will be created if he decides to stay, with Flower needing to give someone the T20 captaincy. Again, the same candidates for the ODI captaincy will be in the running, and this decision could potentially be very awkward if Strauss wants to keep playing ODIs.
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Onions Making Me Cry
I've always liked Graham Onions. Maybe it's the funny name. Maybe it's the fact that he looks a lot like Mark Watson, a comedian I like. Maybe it's because I'm partial to Geordie accents. Maybe it's his defiant blocking batting. More likely it's because I like his swing bowling.
Back a few years ago I also liked Simon Jones. He too had a fun accent (Welsh). He too ripped through the Aussies with lethal swing.
Sadly, just like Onions, Jones was rather injury prone.
Life for a fast bowler has it's ups and downs, and as Iain O'Brien told me in one of my podcasts, injuries are never too far away. Simon Jones picked up a knee injury in the fourth 2005 Ashes test. There was a race against time to get him fit for the fifth test, a week later. Jones hasn't played for England since. Other than this year for Hampshire, Jones hasn't played with any real regularity since that heady win at Trent Bridge.
Onions got injured in training out in Bangladesh ahead of the tests. His injury was also first thought to be minor, but it soon became obvious that wasn't to be the case.
Like Jones in the intervening years since 2005, Onions has set himself targets of getting back playing. He's missed all of those targets. And today the news was announced that he's having a back operation which rules him out for 9 months. Officially ruling him out of an Ashes tour he still held increasingly faint hopes of making.
When Jones first got injured, people started to fill in for him, but as time went on, made the position their own. Onions' third seamer position went to Steven Finn, who appears to have it nailed down for the foreseeable future. He's seemingly slipped down the pecking order behind Bresnan and Shahzad.
Like Jones, Onions could well recover from his serious injury to play at a good level. However, like Jones, the cut throat nature of international cricket means Onions may have played his last for England. This makes me sad. You could say that Onions is making me cry.
Back a few years ago I also liked Simon Jones. He too had a fun accent (Welsh). He too ripped through the Aussies with lethal swing.
Sadly, just like Onions, Jones was rather injury prone.
Life for a fast bowler has it's ups and downs, and as Iain O'Brien told me in one of my podcasts, injuries are never too far away. Simon Jones picked up a knee injury in the fourth 2005 Ashes test. There was a race against time to get him fit for the fifth test, a week later. Jones hasn't played for England since. Other than this year for Hampshire, Jones hasn't played with any real regularity since that heady win at Trent Bridge.
Onions got injured in training out in Bangladesh ahead of the tests. His injury was also first thought to be minor, but it soon became obvious that wasn't to be the case.
Like Jones in the intervening years since 2005, Onions has set himself targets of getting back playing. He's missed all of those targets. And today the news was announced that he's having a back operation which rules him out for 9 months. Officially ruling him out of an Ashes tour he still held increasingly faint hopes of making.
When Jones first got injured, people started to fill in for him, but as time went on, made the position their own. Onions' third seamer position went to Steven Finn, who appears to have it nailed down for the foreseeable future. He's seemingly slipped down the pecking order behind Bresnan and Shahzad.
Like Jones, Onions could well recover from his serious injury to play at a good level. However, like Jones, the cut throat nature of international cricket means Onions may have played his last for England. This makes me sad. You could say that Onions is making me cry.
Sunday, 30 May 2010
New Ball Blues
Tim Bresnan's been called many things in his time. Portly. Roly-poly. Tubby. Fat. Carrying some timber. But England's new ball bowler shouldn't be one of them.
Steven Finn has been picked for this test ahead of Stuart Broad in order to give the young Watfordian some test match experience, ahead of the Ashes this winter. Fair enough. But surely England see Finn as an opening bowler, with his pace and height being perfect for when the ball's at it's hardest. So why isn't Finn bowling first up against the Desh?
The powers that be are trying to be nice to Jimmy Anderson after not playing him in the World T20; making sure he bowls the most, and gets to choose what end he would like. And as England's leader of the attack, Anderson is well within his right to pick the Pavilion End to have his first hurl from. Much has been made of Finn's reluctance to bowl from the Nursery End, but Andrew Strauss should have given him two words if he complained. Man up.
If the selectors want to give Finn test match experience, the best experience for him will be bowling from an 'unfamiliar' end (or as unfamiliar as an end can be at one's own ground). Evidently, it was decided that Finn shouldn't have the new-ball from the Nursery End, so Bresnan got to have his go.
While Bresnan's stock has risen in the England team on the back of a successful tour of Bangladesh, and winning the World T20, he won't be England's new ball bowler on the first morning at Brisbane. Put simply, he is not an international new ball bowler. Despite experimentation, it's been decided that Broad is not either. Barring an incredibly unlikely return for Steve Harmison, the honour of sharing the cherry with Anderson will be a straight shoot-out between Finn and Graham Onions. A Graham Onions who won't have played much cricket. And a Steven Finn who won't have done much new ball bowling for England.
Surely it would make sense for Finn to take the new ball, regardless of end until the end of the summer, so his discovery of experience is extended further. If England are using this Bangladesh series as a way of formulating plans for this winter, (which the resting of Broad and Collingwood certainly suggests), it would certainly make sense Strauss to throw Finn the ball first. And if Finn bowls as well as he did in the first innings, he's going to earn his place on merit (and not just because others have been rested).
Steven Finn has been picked for this test ahead of Stuart Broad in order to give the young Watfordian some test match experience, ahead of the Ashes this winter. Fair enough. But surely England see Finn as an opening bowler, with his pace and height being perfect for when the ball's at it's hardest. So why isn't Finn bowling first up against the Desh?
The powers that be are trying to be nice to Jimmy Anderson after not playing him in the World T20; making sure he bowls the most, and gets to choose what end he would like. And as England's leader of the attack, Anderson is well within his right to pick the Pavilion End to have his first hurl from. Much has been made of Finn's reluctance to bowl from the Nursery End, but Andrew Strauss should have given him two words if he complained. Man up.
If the selectors want to give Finn test match experience, the best experience for him will be bowling from an 'unfamiliar' end (or as unfamiliar as an end can be at one's own ground). Evidently, it was decided that Finn shouldn't have the new-ball from the Nursery End, so Bresnan got to have his go.
While Bresnan's stock has risen in the England team on the back of a successful tour of Bangladesh, and winning the World T20, he won't be England's new ball bowler on the first morning at Brisbane. Put simply, he is not an international new ball bowler. Despite experimentation, it's been decided that Broad is not either. Barring an incredibly unlikely return for Steve Harmison, the honour of sharing the cherry with Anderson will be a straight shoot-out between Finn and Graham Onions. A Graham Onions who won't have played much cricket. And a Steven Finn who won't have done much new ball bowling for England.
Surely it would make sense for Finn to take the new ball, regardless of end until the end of the summer, so his discovery of experience is extended further. If England are using this Bangladesh series as a way of formulating plans for this winter, (which the resting of Broad and Collingwood certainly suggests), it would certainly make sense Strauss to throw Finn the ball first. And if Finn bowls as well as he did in the first innings, he's going to earn his place on merit (and not just because others have been rested).
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
England Team of the Year 2009/10
As a cricketing nation, England haven't had a bad last 12 months. After losing three consecutive series (and three consecutive captains) in the previous summer - summer window, not much was predicted for a team low on confidence, ability or form. 12 months later, all has changed, with an Ashes urn and World T20 trophy safely in the Lord's Trophy Room. And as it's awards season (with Graeme Swann picking up player of the year last night), I've decided to look at who would make England's across-all-formats best eleven of the last year.
1) Andrew Strauss (captain)
Man of the series in the Ashes win, Strauss led England to victory against Australia, and an unlikely draw in South Africa. Also returned as a one-day force, being the only English batsman to come out of the Australia ODI series in any credit, as well as a strong Champions Trophy. But for missing out on runs in South Africa (and literally missing out in Bangladesh) would have run Swann close for Player of the Year.
2) Alastair Cook
While 2009/10 was not his best year in an England shirt, Cook answered his critics with a gutsy knock in Durban after calls for him to be dropped after an indifferent Ashes. However, doubters should not forget his classy 95 in a winning cause at Lord's. Also made two hundreds in the away Bangladesh series.
3) Ian Bell
While I will never be Bell's biggest fan, and have called for him to be dropped as much as any, it's impossible to not pick Bell in the team of the year. Bell has the annoying knack of always doing enough to justify being in the team, and three hundreds on the tour of South Africa and Bangladesh do enough to get him into the middle order. Bell's class does shine through his lack of mental fortitude, and his gritty 80-odd at the Oval is often overlooked, but was vital in England bringing the Ashes home. Begrudging applause from the Short Third Man.
4) Paul Collingwood
Gritty. Nuggety. Determined. Defiant. Stubborn. Generic northern cliche. But for Paul Collingwood, England would have lost three tests which they drew (Cardiff, Centurion and Cape Town), meaning England would not have won the Ashes, and would have lost 3-1 in South Africa. This, if nothing else, shows Collingwood's importance to the team. Collingwood is the bedrock of the England team, with dramatic diving catches, dibbly-dobbly seamers and defiant defence firmly planting him into the team of the year. Firmly part of all three codes, Collingwood is England's highest ever ODI appearance maker (and he took a century on the day he broke the record). And he's the only man to captain England to an ICC event win. Which can't be bad.
5) Eoin Morgan
Morgan completes England's ginger middle order twosome, and is the only player in the team of the year to not have played test cricket. However, by being far and away England's one day player of the year, he will undoubtably have played a bit of test cricket by this time on Thursday. Morgan has been used in a variety of roles in the limited over middle-order, as a master-blasting "finisher", a middle-over "anchor", and a run-rate "accelerator". Morgan has fulfilled all of these roles with aplomb over the past 12 months (don't forget; this time last year he'd only ever played internationally for Ireland), with an unbeated T20 85 against South Africa, and his first international century against Bangladesh being further highlights. Morgan was also one of many English heroes who won the World T20, and fully deserves his place in the team of the year.
6) Matt Prior (wicket-keeper)
England have used four wicket-keepers this past year, but only one has been able to firmly grab hold and keep his place in the team. Matt Prior. Prior's much-maligned keeping has improved no end, being able to take some real blinders in the Ashes win. While he did not flourish with the bat, he was often on hand for some useful quick runs (Lord's being a prime example) throughout the 12 months. While he may be sweating over the emergence of Craig Kieswetter, Prior knows that for the moment, the gloves are in his court.
7) Andrew Flintoff
Can you really make England's team of the year on the back of one completed series? And on the back of (ultimately) one good bowling performance? While Flintoff's stats and averages will not support it, as someone who was at Lord's on that Monday morning where he blew Australia away, something special was happening. The God and after-God that is Andrew Flintoff was superb, and his prescence, even if it wasn't him scoring the runs or taking the wickets like it was in 2005, the fact that he was there whipped the crowd and team into such a fervour that England had to win. It's no coincidence that the one game he missed, England were crucified. It's also no coincidence that as the crowd were beginning to lower their volume, he produced an outstanding pick-up and throw to run out Ricky Ponting in the fifth test. Flintoff's personal performances were not as outstanding, but simply having him in the team would give it an unprecedented aura. While we may not see Flintoff in an England shirt again, he makes it into the English team of the year.
8) Tim Bresnan
Tim Bresnan started last year as a bit-part one day player who hadn't made the previous few squads. He starts this as a one-day new-ball bowler, and an important part of the team for all three codes. Forcing his way back into the test team after being ousted for the Ashes, Bresnan has proven with his high level of one day performance that he is a capable international player. Bresnan has also showed a comittment to his fitness by trimming down, and while he is not the most athletic, he can swing the ball and score useful lower order runs, which should see him on the plane to Australia this winter. And it also sees it into my team of the year.
9) Graeme Swann Player of the Year
Quite simply England's best player over the past 12 months. Swann took crucial wickets, scored crucial runs and told not-as-crucial jokes in interviews. After getting the West Indies out for fun, Swann turned his attention to the Australians, and was as important player as any in the Ashes win. His "ball-of-the-century 2" to Ponting at Edgbaston was "one for the grandkids", as, no doubt, was taking the final Ashes winning wicket. South Africa was next, and his 85 runs and 5 first innings wickets kept England in the game in Centurion. He then took an unprecedented 9 wickets in Durban as England closed the decade with arguably their best away performance of the noughties. While the series in South Africa ended on a sour note, Swann took a maiden ten-wicket haul in the first Bangladeshi test as England took an easy series win. Away from tests, Swann was England's tightest ODI bowler, and took a maiden fivefer in the most important ODI against Australia (the '1' in the 6-1). His guile was crucial in the Caribbean, alongside Michael Yardy, as he bowled England to a World T20 victory. Overall, Swann was clearly England's best player of the past 12 months, and clearly deserves his place in the team of the year.
10) Stuart Broad
Broad's spell in the final Ashes test won the urn, but he has contributed more than that. He's the only fast bowler to have consistently appeared in all formats of the game, and has been England's best ODI bowler. Offering swing, seam and bounce, as well as sometimes crucial late-order runs, Broad has again improved through the last 12 months, and hopes to move on further over the next year.
11) Jimmy Anderson
At times the only bowler who scared Australia, Anderson has developed an ability to threaten even when the ball is not swinging. Unlucky to have missed out as England won the World T20, Anderson is still England's flagship test fast bowler, and will continue to fulfil that role over the next 12 months.
So - that's my team of the last year, what do you all make of it? No Pietersen, Trott or Onions...
1) Andrew Strauss (captain)
Man of the series in the Ashes win, Strauss led England to victory against Australia, and an unlikely draw in South Africa. Also returned as a one-day force, being the only English batsman to come out of the Australia ODI series in any credit, as well as a strong Champions Trophy. But for missing out on runs in South Africa (and literally missing out in Bangladesh) would have run Swann close for Player of the Year.
2) Alastair Cook
While 2009/10 was not his best year in an England shirt, Cook answered his critics with a gutsy knock in Durban after calls for him to be dropped after an indifferent Ashes. However, doubters should not forget his classy 95 in a winning cause at Lord's. Also made two hundreds in the away Bangladesh series.
3) Ian Bell
While I will never be Bell's biggest fan, and have called for him to be dropped as much as any, it's impossible to not pick Bell in the team of the year. Bell has the annoying knack of always doing enough to justify being in the team, and three hundreds on the tour of South Africa and Bangladesh do enough to get him into the middle order. Bell's class does shine through his lack of mental fortitude, and his gritty 80-odd at the Oval is often overlooked, but was vital in England bringing the Ashes home. Begrudging applause from the Short Third Man.
4) Paul Collingwood
Gritty. Nuggety. Determined. Defiant. Stubborn. Generic northern cliche. But for Paul Collingwood, England would have lost three tests which they drew (Cardiff, Centurion and Cape Town), meaning England would not have won the Ashes, and would have lost 3-1 in South Africa. This, if nothing else, shows Collingwood's importance to the team. Collingwood is the bedrock of the England team, with dramatic diving catches, dibbly-dobbly seamers and defiant defence firmly planting him into the team of the year. Firmly part of all three codes, Collingwood is England's highest ever ODI appearance maker (and he took a century on the day he broke the record). And he's the only man to captain England to an ICC event win. Which can't be bad.
5) Eoin Morgan
Morgan completes England's ginger middle order twosome, and is the only player in the team of the year to not have played test cricket. However, by being far and away England's one day player of the year, he will undoubtably have played a bit of test cricket by this time on Thursday. Morgan has been used in a variety of roles in the limited over middle-order, as a master-blasting "finisher", a middle-over "anchor", and a run-rate "accelerator". Morgan has fulfilled all of these roles with aplomb over the past 12 months (don't forget; this time last year he'd only ever played internationally for Ireland), with an unbeated T20 85 against South Africa, and his first international century against Bangladesh being further highlights. Morgan was also one of many English heroes who won the World T20, and fully deserves his place in the team of the year.
6) Matt Prior (wicket-keeper)
England have used four wicket-keepers this past year, but only one has been able to firmly grab hold and keep his place in the team. Matt Prior. Prior's much-maligned keeping has improved no end, being able to take some real blinders in the Ashes win. While he did not flourish with the bat, he was often on hand for some useful quick runs (Lord's being a prime example) throughout the 12 months. While he may be sweating over the emergence of Craig Kieswetter, Prior knows that for the moment, the gloves are in his court.
7) Andrew Flintoff
Can you really make England's team of the year on the back of one completed series? And on the back of (ultimately) one good bowling performance? While Flintoff's stats and averages will not support it, as someone who was at Lord's on that Monday morning where he blew Australia away, something special was happening. The God and after-God that is Andrew Flintoff was superb, and his prescence, even if it wasn't him scoring the runs or taking the wickets like it was in 2005, the fact that he was there whipped the crowd and team into such a fervour that England had to win. It's no coincidence that the one game he missed, England were crucified. It's also no coincidence that as the crowd were beginning to lower their volume, he produced an outstanding pick-up and throw to run out Ricky Ponting in the fifth test. Flintoff's personal performances were not as outstanding, but simply having him in the team would give it an unprecedented aura. While we may not see Flintoff in an England shirt again, he makes it into the English team of the year.
8) Tim Bresnan
Tim Bresnan started last year as a bit-part one day player who hadn't made the previous few squads. He starts this as a one-day new-ball bowler, and an important part of the team for all three codes. Forcing his way back into the test team after being ousted for the Ashes, Bresnan has proven with his high level of one day performance that he is a capable international player. Bresnan has also showed a comittment to his fitness by trimming down, and while he is not the most athletic, he can swing the ball and score useful lower order runs, which should see him on the plane to Australia this winter. And it also sees it into my team of the year.
9) Graeme Swann Player of the Year
Quite simply England's best player over the past 12 months. Swann took crucial wickets, scored crucial runs and told not-as-crucial jokes in interviews. After getting the West Indies out for fun, Swann turned his attention to the Australians, and was as important player as any in the Ashes win. His "ball-of-the-century 2" to Ponting at Edgbaston was "one for the grandkids", as, no doubt, was taking the final Ashes winning wicket. South Africa was next, and his 85 runs and 5 first innings wickets kept England in the game in Centurion. He then took an unprecedented 9 wickets in Durban as England closed the decade with arguably their best away performance of the noughties. While the series in South Africa ended on a sour note, Swann took a maiden ten-wicket haul in the first Bangladeshi test as England took an easy series win. Away from tests, Swann was England's tightest ODI bowler, and took a maiden fivefer in the most important ODI against Australia (the '1' in the 6-1). His guile was crucial in the Caribbean, alongside Michael Yardy, as he bowled England to a World T20 victory. Overall, Swann was clearly England's best player of the past 12 months, and clearly deserves his place in the team of the year.
10) Stuart Broad
Broad's spell in the final Ashes test won the urn, but he has contributed more than that. He's the only fast bowler to have consistently appeared in all formats of the game, and has been England's best ODI bowler. Offering swing, seam and bounce, as well as sometimes crucial late-order runs, Broad has again improved through the last 12 months, and hopes to move on further over the next year.
11) Jimmy Anderson
At times the only bowler who scared Australia, Anderson has developed an ability to threaten even when the ball is not swinging. Unlucky to have missed out as England won the World T20, Anderson is still England's flagship test fast bowler, and will continue to fulfil that role over the next 12 months.
So - that's my team of the last year, what do you all make of it? No Pietersen, Trott or Onions...
Monday, 10 May 2010
What England owe Ravi
Kevin Pietersen, star of England's World T20 win over South Africa has flown home. In his place comes the black sheep of English cricket Ravi Bopara. Bopara, scapegoated and slaughtered for four indifferent tests on the back of three successive hundreds, has been dropped out of the one day side, and become an unloved, unwanted pariah.
But it wasn't too long ago when Ravi Bopara was the great hope of English cricket. A mainstay of the one-day team (having been part of some fantastic innings - Sri Lanka and India in 2007 to name two), Bopara made English cricket history by scoring three successive test hundreds against the West Indies last year. Bopara was fast-tracked into the test team as a specialist number three (a position he is unfamiliar with) for last summer, but after a few failures he was bombed out for the final Ashes test for the untried Jonathan Trott. Bopara didn't even make the squad for the tour of South Africa, in either the test or one day squad, but was surprisingly named in the World T20 squad. Some would say to simply justify his central contract. But who would be that controversial?
England owe Ravi Bopara. Big time. Ravi is one of our most talented batsmen, and there is no way there isn't a place for him in one of the codes. After those three hundreds (albeit against a West Indies team who had no idea why they were there), Bopara should have nailed on a place in the team for the next five years. Ian Bell has carved out a career from making a score every 10 tests, and he keeps his place. Yes, Bopara had a poor Ashes, but there's no way that Bell deserved to play in that final test ahead of Ravi. Bopara had a poor four tests, Bell had a poor four years. Bell's England career seems to be based on the principle that "he's due runs". What's to say Bopara isn't due runs? Players go in and out of form, and as any cliché-enthusiast will tell you, form is temporary but class is permanent. (Copyright every blog about Dimitar Berbatov ever). Can the selectors really justify Bell over Bopara, when Ravi is clearly the better batsman?
Ravi is definately owed one by the ECB. For the final day at the Oval, where the Ashes was clinched, every England player who played in the series got a medal, lap of honour, and a mention in Andrew Strauss' speech. Monty Panesar, who played in one test, got a special mention. Bopara's imput into England winning was slight, but at least he was part of a test winning team at Lord's. Panesar played out a draw. Bopara's cumulative score of 1-1 was the same as Steve Harmison and Graham Onions, and was equal to Panesar's 0-0. But Onions and Panesar (along with Kevin Pietersen) were all out for the lap of honour, basking in the reflective glory of an Ashes win. Bopara was playing for Essex at Chelmsford.
Bopara didn't make the squads for the tours to South Africa and Bangladesh, or the squad for the T20 tour of Dubai against Pakistan. He made a solid fifty in the T20 warm-up game before this tournament, before he was again dropped. England do owe Ravi Bopara, but ultimately, Ravi Bopara owes England a few scores. If he can make a few match-winning contributions as England win the World T20, Bopara can force himself back into the selectors reckoning for further test and ODI honours. Bopara owes it to himself to make runs. Hopefully starting tonight against New Zealand.
But it wasn't too long ago when Ravi Bopara was the great hope of English cricket. A mainstay of the one-day team (having been part of some fantastic innings - Sri Lanka and India in 2007 to name two), Bopara made English cricket history by scoring three successive test hundreds against the West Indies last year. Bopara was fast-tracked into the test team as a specialist number three (a position he is unfamiliar with) for last summer, but after a few failures he was bombed out for the final Ashes test for the untried Jonathan Trott. Bopara didn't even make the squad for the tour of South Africa, in either the test or one day squad, but was surprisingly named in the World T20 squad. Some would say to simply justify his central contract. But who would be that controversial?
England owe Ravi Bopara. Big time. Ravi is one of our most talented batsmen, and there is no way there isn't a place for him in one of the codes. After those three hundreds (albeit against a West Indies team who had no idea why they were there), Bopara should have nailed on a place in the team for the next five years. Ian Bell has carved out a career from making a score every 10 tests, and he keeps his place. Yes, Bopara had a poor Ashes, but there's no way that Bell deserved to play in that final test ahead of Ravi. Bopara had a poor four tests, Bell had a poor four years. Bell's England career seems to be based on the principle that "he's due runs". What's to say Bopara isn't due runs? Players go in and out of form, and as any cliché-enthusiast will tell you, form is temporary but class is permanent. (Copyright every blog about Dimitar Berbatov ever). Can the selectors really justify Bell over Bopara, when Ravi is clearly the better batsman?
Ravi is definately owed one by the ECB. For the final day at the Oval, where the Ashes was clinched, every England player who played in the series got a medal, lap of honour, and a mention in Andrew Strauss' speech. Monty Panesar, who played in one test, got a special mention. Bopara's imput into England winning was slight, but at least he was part of a test winning team at Lord's. Panesar played out a draw. Bopara's cumulative score of 1-1 was the same as Steve Harmison and Graham Onions, and was equal to Panesar's 0-0. But Onions and Panesar (along with Kevin Pietersen) were all out for the lap of honour, basking in the reflective glory of an Ashes win. Bopara was playing for Essex at Chelmsford.
Bopara didn't make the squads for the tours to South Africa and Bangladesh, or the squad for the T20 tour of Dubai against Pakistan. He made a solid fifty in the T20 warm-up game before this tournament, before he was again dropped. England do owe Ravi Bopara, but ultimately, Ravi Bopara owes England a few scores. If he can make a few match-winning contributions as England win the World T20, Bopara can force himself back into the selectors reckoning for further test and ODI honours. Bopara owes it to himself to make runs. Hopefully starting tonight against New Zealand.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
The Wisden Five
Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year have been published. An annual honour of the highest degree; being named as one of the Wisden Five is the pinnacle of a cricketer's career, and is awarded to those who have made the biggest impact on the previous English cricketing summer. This year, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, Matt Prior, Graham Onions and Michael Clarke have been chosen. Clarke and Swann aside, it's difficult to argue for their inclusion.
Over the English summer, England played the West Indies, the World T20, and the Ashes against Australia (as well as ODIs against both of the touring nations). Graham Onions made his international debut against the West Indies. Yes, he took five wickets on debut (a fine achievement), but this was against a very disinterested West Indian side, who were upset that they were not still playing in the IPL. Onions did not feature in the ODI series, or the World T20, or indeed the opening Ashes test. When he did come in, for tests 2, 3 and 4, Onions bowled well (when the ball was swinging), but you couldn't argue that his bowling won any games for England. His Australian counterparts Hilfenhaus, Siddle and Johnson all outbowled him, and would have been better candidates for inclusion in the list.
Stuart Broad did take an Ashes winning 5 for at the Oval, and should be applauded. But we shouldn't forget the first four tests, where he looked as threatening to batsmen as a bumble-bee; it could sting you but it probably won't, and is easily swatted away. His inability to bowl remotely dangerous balls made him very much the scapegoat of the England attack, and there were large calls for him to be dropped ahead of the 5th test. Arguably, his batting outperformed his bowling, but a Wisden Cricketer of the Year should not be made due to batting exploits at number 8. Again, the fifth test aside, Broad was outbowled by Hilfenhaus and Siddle. But Broad did make the impact of winning England the Ashes, so my argument against him is basically me being very awkward.
The inclusion of Matt Prior is an interesting one. It can't be denied that Prior's keeping has improved, but the words "polishing" and "turd" do come to mind. If we are to judge Prior as a specialist number 6, he was outscored by Marcus North, and if we are to judge him as a wicket keeper - batsman, he was outplayed by Brad Haddin. Prior didn't even make the World T20 squad; and was rubbish in the one dayers, so he clearly didn't make that much of an impact on the English summer.
The announcement of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year are always going to create debate, seen most clearly when Claire Taylor was on the list last year. It's hard to argue with Swann (who was England's best player over 2009), and Clarke, who Strauss aside was the player of the Ashes. However, while England did defy the odds to win, Prior and Onions were only supplementary players to the victory, and statistically, there should have been more Australians on the list than Englishmen. However, Wisden's rules state that a player cannot win the award twice, meaning it would have been impossible for Strauss, Anderson, Flintoff, Harmison and Collingwood to be on the list. And Onions, Broad and Prior were the only players left. Well, they weren't going to pick Ravi Bopara.
Over the English summer, England played the West Indies, the World T20, and the Ashes against Australia (as well as ODIs against both of the touring nations). Graham Onions made his international debut against the West Indies. Yes, he took five wickets on debut (a fine achievement), but this was against a very disinterested West Indian side, who were upset that they were not still playing in the IPL. Onions did not feature in the ODI series, or the World T20, or indeed the opening Ashes test. When he did come in, for tests 2, 3 and 4, Onions bowled well (when the ball was swinging), but you couldn't argue that his bowling won any games for England. His Australian counterparts Hilfenhaus, Siddle and Johnson all outbowled him, and would have been better candidates for inclusion in the list.
Stuart Broad did take an Ashes winning 5 for at the Oval, and should be applauded. But we shouldn't forget the first four tests, where he looked as threatening to batsmen as a bumble-bee; it could sting you but it probably won't, and is easily swatted away. His inability to bowl remotely dangerous balls made him very much the scapegoat of the England attack, and there were large calls for him to be dropped ahead of the 5th test. Arguably, his batting outperformed his bowling, but a Wisden Cricketer of the Year should not be made due to batting exploits at number 8. Again, the fifth test aside, Broad was outbowled by Hilfenhaus and Siddle. But Broad did make the impact of winning England the Ashes, so my argument against him is basically me being very awkward.
The inclusion of Matt Prior is an interesting one. It can't be denied that Prior's keeping has improved, but the words "polishing" and "turd" do come to mind. If we are to judge Prior as a specialist number 6, he was outscored by Marcus North, and if we are to judge him as a wicket keeper - batsman, he was outplayed by Brad Haddin. Prior didn't even make the World T20 squad; and was rubbish in the one dayers, so he clearly didn't make that much of an impact on the English summer.
The announcement of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year are always going to create debate, seen most clearly when Claire Taylor was on the list last year. It's hard to argue with Swann (who was England's best player over 2009), and Clarke, who Strauss aside was the player of the Ashes. However, while England did defy the odds to win, Prior and Onions were only supplementary players to the victory, and statistically, there should have been more Australians on the list than Englishmen. However, Wisden's rules state that a player cannot win the award twice, meaning it would have been impossible for Strauss, Anderson, Flintoff, Harmison and Collingwood to be on the list. And Onions, Broad and Prior were the only players left. Well, they weren't going to pick Ravi Bopara.
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Steven Finn - 9/37!
While Middlesex are in trouble against Worcestershire at New Road, the performance of Steven Finn will give a lot of heart to fans, selectors, and Finn alike. 9 wickets in 15 overs; added to 5 wickets picked up yesterday both show that he is becoming of age as a bowler; certainly at county level, and perhaps at higher.
Yes, it was on a pitch and in conditions which offered much to the bowlers, but Finn's performance, where his pace and bounce unsettled the batsmen before he knocked over their stumps was special. And any bowler taking 9 wickets in an innings is always a remarkable feat.
As Finn fired his way into the 7th best bowling figures in Middlesex history, he may also have booked his place on the flight to Australia this winter. On a tour where pace and bounce is crucial, a 6 foot 8 fast bowler is vital for England as they look to defend the Ashes. While Finn did play in England's last two tests in Bangladesh, he and other new bowlers Tredwell and Bresnan were fully expected to leave the team to make way for Anderson and Onions. While Finn did not do anything spectacular on tour, picking up 9 wickets in the prescence of Geoff Miller will put him firmly in the minds of the selectors, and could very easily displace Onions (who is certainly not assured of his place in the team after being dropped for the final test in South Africa). Personally I would put Finn into the team, both to get test match experience, and confidence ahead of an Ashes tour where both will be needed. Finn is clearly in fantastic form (after one county game), but if he continues over the next few months, he could very easily be the dark horse who sneaks into England's Ashes Eleven.
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Finn's chance to beat England's bowling curse
With the news today that Ryan Sidebottom is going home from Bangladesh, with Stuart Broad and Graham Onions unlikely to play, England's bowling line up for the tests looks decidedly weak. With Jimmy Anderson also not playing due to a knee injury, England may well be forced into blooding three fast bowlers with only two test appearances between them. In light of the spate of injuries and withdrawals, Middlesex seamer Steven Finn has been added from the Lions squad, with Tim Bresnan joining the squad from the One Day team. Bresnan has only played twice in England whites, with Finn having never played at international level. They are due to be joined by Ajmal Shahzad, veteran of a sole Twenty20 game against Pakistan. With either Luke Wright or James Tredwell (both uncapped) also likely to play in the first Chittagong test, England could quite conceivably play a bowling attack with only one bowler (Graeme Swann) having played more then twice. So surely England will be rolled over against test cricket's weakest team?
In short, no. While England will miss their main three strike bowlers (and Ryan Sidebottom) from their attack, Graeme Swann proved that he is capable to take much of a batting line-up in South Africa, and Bresnan has proved in short form games that he is a perfectly good bowler. If Finn and Shahzad are added to this (or England's forgotten man Liam Plunkett), England should have more then enough to roll over a pretty poor Bangladesh team. The only remaining spot is debatable, between all-rounder Luke Wright, and off-spinner James Tredwell, both of whom will act in a supporting role to the main bowlers. So England should have enough about them (both in terms of wickets, and runs if both Bresnan and Wright play) to easily beat Bangladesh.
While England's bowling problems may appear to be cursed, this tour could turn into a blessing for England ahead of the Ashes. Steven Finn, the 6 foot 8 fast bowler has been lined up to become England's next great fast bowler. England have searched for a 'hit the deck' bowler who will worry batsmen with his bounce, and with the end of Harmison's international career, this search has become more critical. Finn is only 20, but if he gains the international experience in the fast-bowling desert of Bangladesh, he could be an outside shout for the first test in Brisbane. Finn will no doubt become a crucial part of England's team over the next few years, and with some question marks remaining over Graham Onion's ability when the ball isn't swinging, Finn could throw down the gauntlet to the selectors with wickets in Bangladesh. While Finn is certainly not guarenteed to start, it is worth looking at him and Shahzad, as Plunkett has already proved that he is not international quality. Even if Finn doesn't perform particularly well (or at all), being in and around the England squad will set him up for the future, as well as showing that he is very much part of the selectors plans.
I have long supported the rise of Steven Finn, and hopefully he can get the international recognition that he both craves and deserves.
In short, no. While England will miss their main three strike bowlers (and Ryan Sidebottom) from their attack, Graeme Swann proved that he is capable to take much of a batting line-up in South Africa, and Bresnan has proved in short form games that he is a perfectly good bowler. If Finn and Shahzad are added to this (or England's forgotten man Liam Plunkett), England should have more then enough to roll over a pretty poor Bangladesh team. The only remaining spot is debatable, between all-rounder Luke Wright, and off-spinner James Tredwell, both of whom will act in a supporting role to the main bowlers. So England should have enough about them (both in terms of wickets, and runs if both Bresnan and Wright play) to easily beat Bangladesh.
While England's bowling problems may appear to be cursed, this tour could turn into a blessing for England ahead of the Ashes. Steven Finn, the 6 foot 8 fast bowler has been lined up to become England's next great fast bowler. England have searched for a 'hit the deck' bowler who will worry batsmen with his bounce, and with the end of Harmison's international career, this search has become more critical. Finn is only 20, but if he gains the international experience in the fast-bowling desert of Bangladesh, he could be an outside shout for the first test in Brisbane. Finn will no doubt become a crucial part of England's team over the next few years, and with some question marks remaining over Graham Onion's ability when the ball isn't swinging, Finn could throw down the gauntlet to the selectors with wickets in Bangladesh. While Finn is certainly not guarenteed to start, it is worth looking at him and Shahzad, as Plunkett has already proved that he is not international quality. Even if Finn doesn't perform particularly well (or at all), being in and around the England squad will set him up for the future, as well as showing that he is very much part of the selectors plans.
I have long supported the rise of Steven Finn, and hopefully he can get the international recognition that he both craves and deserves.
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