Off the Pace

Mmmm. I like this guy. He is, without doubt, a class act. His batting is great; gently pushing the ball through mid-wicket in an effortless fashion; pulling across the line on length alone and his text-book cover drive all show that Virgil is an excellent timer of the ball. On Friday it was excellent to see him in the runs. He and Ian Bell played very well for that 2nd wicket. Any concerns that the mad Hussain had about both being in the top three of the batting order because they are 'touch' players are unfounded.

And Virgil was the first to admit that the real problem on Friday was that either he or Bell should have gone on to score 80 or even a ton. That was where we fell down. Freddie & Collingwood did what they have done before and retreat inside the comfort of batting within themselves. The plan failed. Playing that way infects the incoming batsmen. They see the lack of self-confidence and it seeps into their own game. Whilst I will always maintain that Hussain is a complete idiot, he does have a small point that is worth bringing up; We need at least one bat at the crease all the time who will be willing to take the opposition on. Good Cop, Bad Cop. What should have happened is when KP went Fred & Colly should have had a chat and one of them should have said ok I'll keep the strike and hit the rope and the other should have played the anchor.

Next week when we take on the Kiwi's we will have to be ready to adopt such tactics. Fleming is equal to Virgil in his captaining skills. There can be no doubt about his ability to lead a side and certainly no doubt over his batting and determination. The English top order need to be inspired by MV and the way he has come back from injury to score runs. It's true that Virgil likes the slower WI pitches, it helps his timing. But that aside he must inspire if we are to progress.

On the bowling front I'm not sure what to say. Wicket to wicket and look for bowled, LBW and inside edges is one plan. Monty & JD looping it up outside off stump is another. One thing is certain that unless Mahmood can hit the pitch without going wide he will be of no use. We need to support our batsmen by bowling well, and our batsmen need to support our bowlers by not playing within themselves and giving away silly wickets. I would rather see Freddie out hooking for six than playing the wrong line to a straight ball.