Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Monday, April 09, 2007
Putting Things Right
Where do we start? Let's, for the moment, push the World Cup out of our minds. Take a look at this coming English summer: Two nPower Test Series against West Indies & India. Both sides are having struggles of their own. But that is the present. The past shapes up like this: West Indies have played 74 tests against us in Blighty and only won 29 of them. Their heyday of the 1980's has long past. And, depending on how they fare in the rest of the World Cup they could be coming here with their tails between their legs, probably with a new skipper and looking to establish themselves back into Test cricket. Currently they stand in 8th position in the ICC Test Rankings. They can only really improve. And I suspect they will be looking to start that evolution at Lords on 17th May.
By that time we ourselves should be clearer about Team England. Trescothick is playing again, Jones is playing again. Interestingly enough, both players are still on central contracts until the end of the forthcoming season. The ECB will be looking for a return on that investment. It is hard to tell whether Tressy will ever play again but he did score 256 the other day against Devon. And regardless of the strength of the opposition it was a big score and good to see. I suspect Jones' return will take a little longer but he will surely be included in the squad for training if nothing else. Now, I am not one for relying on individuals to change the fortunes of a team. Simply, we should work with what we have got. The Selectors however have had a tendency to gamble on unfit players like they did in the Ashes recently. I don't think there is any need to do that this summer.
Let's look at the bowlers:
Both Harmison & Hoggard enjoy the greentop wickets of England and have both found success at Lord's. Hoggard has taken 37 wickets in 10 matches there and Harmison has taken 30 in 7 matches. However, they haven't played for a longtime now and so are unlikely to be match fit.
Then's there is Freddie, who I think is carrying an injury. Certainly they will look to play him. But who else? Mahmood? Plunkett? Time to turn to Broad me thinks. If Hoggy, Harmy & Freddie are fit what better way to introduce new blood into the side?
Obviously Monty will play. At Test level he is great. He has struggled on the flat, slow pitches in the West Indies but give him a track with a bit of purchase on it and he's away. So, things can start to shape up a little:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Freddie
6.
7.
8. Hoggard
9. Harmison
10. Broad
11. Monty
But, wait up. Got to have a wicket keeper. So there is Nicco and oh, what were the names of these other two...eh? Surely we can't be thinking about playing Nixon at Test level? No, we can't. But then the toss up between Jones & Reed has never really been resolved. And add to that that neither of them have played for sometime we are starting to look at a series that begins in 6 weeks with very few match-fit players. Let's put Jones in For now.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Freddie
6.
7. Jones
8. Hoggard
9. Harmison
10. Broad
11. Monty
Batting then. Tressy? yes. Strauss? Yes. Virgil? Yes? Bell? Yes. KP? Yes. Collingwood? Yes. But wait. we only have 5 slots left. I suspect that Tressy will lose out for the first 2 tests until we have a dreadful collapse or someone hits a poor run of form. And so, here's what we should have left:
1. Strauss
2. Virgil
3. Bell
4. KP
5. Freddie
6. Colly
7. Jones
8. Hoggard
9. Harmison
10. Broad
11. Monty
Not perfect, but it's a start and when Jones and Tressy are ready they can slot back in nicely! Now discuss!
By that time we ourselves should be clearer about Team England. Trescothick is playing again, Jones is playing again. Interestingly enough, both players are still on central contracts until the end of the forthcoming season. The ECB will be looking for a return on that investment. It is hard to tell whether Tressy will ever play again but he did score 256 the other day against Devon. And regardless of the strength of the opposition it was a big score and good to see. I suspect Jones' return will take a little longer but he will surely be included in the squad for training if nothing else. Now, I am not one for relying on individuals to change the fortunes of a team. Simply, we should work with what we have got. The Selectors however have had a tendency to gamble on unfit players like they did in the Ashes recently. I don't think there is any need to do that this summer.
Let's look at the bowlers:
Both Harmison & Hoggard enjoy the greentop wickets of England and have both found success at Lord's. Hoggard has taken 37 wickets in 10 matches there and Harmison has taken 30 in 7 matches. However, they haven't played for a longtime now and so are unlikely to be match fit.
Then's there is Freddie, who I think is carrying an injury. Certainly they will look to play him. But who else? Mahmood? Plunkett? Time to turn to Broad me thinks. If Hoggy, Harmy & Freddie are fit what better way to introduce new blood into the side?
Obviously Monty will play. At Test level he is great. He has struggled on the flat, slow pitches in the West Indies but give him a track with a bit of purchase on it and he's away. So, things can start to shape up a little:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Freddie
6.
7.
8. Hoggard
9. Harmison
10. Broad
11. Monty
But, wait up. Got to have a wicket keeper. So there is Nicco and oh, what were the names of these other two...eh? Surely we can't be thinking about playing Nixon at Test level? No, we can't. But then the toss up between Jones & Reed has never really been resolved. And add to that that neither of them have played for sometime we are starting to look at a series that begins in 6 weeks with very few match-fit players. Let's put Jones in For now.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Freddie
6.
7. Jones
8. Hoggard
9. Harmison
10. Broad
11. Monty
Batting then. Tressy? yes. Strauss? Yes. Virgil? Yes? Bell? Yes. KP? Yes. Collingwood? Yes. But wait. we only have 5 slots left. I suspect that Tressy will lose out for the first 2 tests until we have a dreadful collapse or someone hits a poor run of form. And so, here's what we should have left:
1. Strauss
2. Virgil
3. Bell
4. KP
5. Freddie
6. Colly
7. Jones
8. Hoggard
9. Harmison
10. Broad
11. Monty
Not perfect, but it's a start and when Jones and Tressy are ready they can slot back in nicely! Now discuss!
Decline & Fall
The eternal optimism that I have long possessed for English cricket is fading fast. Long has it tortured me into believing that we will come good. And has the sun rises here with it hope is evaporating. I'm not sure where we can now change our fortunes. Bangladesh are no walk-over. Certainly SA are beatable but I'm sure our batting will be shown to be inadequate against Pollock, Ntini & Nel. Even the out-of-form West Indies look like a daunting prospect.
Yesterday was painful; yet another emotional roller coaster as we lurched from being on top of them to being well short. It is had to draw out the positives but there were a few; Bell looked good as an opener. He and KP played some excellent cricket on a slow pitch. Flintoff bowled tight as did Colly for most of his part. Apart from that all I see is failure. Failure by Vaughan & Strauss to take on Tait. Bell seemed to be playing on a different track to those two. He targeted McGrath well. The World Cup seems to be a watershed for all the main teams. Reshuffle time for coaches and captains. Virgil is the best captain we have had for many years but unless he can get his troops to raise their game to the levels we know they can play at then he is wasting every one's time. I can feel the winds of change gathering pace.
Yesterday was painful; yet another emotional roller coaster as we lurched from being on top of them to being well short. It is had to draw out the positives but there were a few; Bell looked good as an opener. He and KP played some excellent cricket on a slow pitch. Flintoff bowled tight as did Colly for most of his part. Apart from that all I see is failure. Failure by Vaughan & Strauss to take on Tait. Bell seemed to be playing on a different track to those two. He targeted McGrath well. The World Cup seems to be a watershed for all the main teams. Reshuffle time for coaches and captains. Virgil is the best captain we have had for many years but unless he can get his troops to raise their game to the levels we know they can play at then he is wasting every one's time. I can feel the winds of change gathering pace.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
England v Australia
Another one lost. Blame must be apportioned to some poor batting. Yet another collaspe. Hats off to Bell & KP for a sterling effort. Time for a rethink. Regroup. Lick the wounds. We know that the Aussies are class but against their towering shadow we look very ordinary. No real depth to our bowling. Seem to lack wicket takers and people to make partnerships. Very dissapointing. Bangladesh, South Africa & West Indies to come. Pack your bags lads. Get on the next flight home.
England v Australia
Looking at our batting, and the decision to bat first, I would have to say that it was right to bat first. The pitch is slowing up. Virgil obviously had faith enough to post a total. 247 wasn't enough at the time. 275 would have been better and 300 would have been comfortable. But in the last few overs on a slower pitch 247 is starting to look defendable. Freddie is bowling tight and Colly seems to unsettle both Ponting & Clarke. Just need to strangle the runs. The required rate is 5.4. We need to make that around 6.5 to make them sweat a little.
England v Australia
Typical. Turn my back for a minute and a part-timer gets the on-form man out! The golf is looking just as dire...
England v Australia
This is dire...reckon I might watch the golf to see if the Brits are doing any better in Augusta
England v Australia
A wicket at last. About bloody time. Poor bowling from the two openers. We know how to get these two out even on flat tracks like this one. Freddie is not 100%. Surely he is carrying some niggle. He doesn't look right...troubled, wrinkled brow.
Let's see what Monty can do...
Let's see what Monty can do...
England v Australia - Preview
Yep, big as they come this one. A must win, or at least a must compete. We started to show signs of what we are capable of against SL. Just need to step it up a gear or two. Antigua is a good wicket which has seen some interesting results so far in the Super 8s. West Indies won the toss against Aus and decided to field. Hayden was obnoxiously brilliant with 158 and WI could not respond; Then NZ won the toss against WI and also chose to field. WI were scuttled for a paltry 177 which NZ knocked off easilyin under 40 overs; Aus won the toss and fielded against Bangladesh and destroyed them; and then NZ won the toss and fielded again and also destroyed Bangladesh; Then England won the toss and also chose to field against SL in possibly the most exciting match of the cup so far...we lost by 2 runs. What does this tell us? Well, it means that none of the captain are really sure what a good score is on this track. The weather is set to be overcast with a 30% chance of rain which will suit our seamers but this series has seen sides overcome their betters with the use of slow bowling from part-timers.
So then. If Virgil wins the toss he should put Aus into bat. If we can restrict them to under 250 then we will give ourselves a chance. 200 would be fantastic. Our advantage is that once again the Aussies have written us off and we know them. In fact we have played more cricket against them in the past 2 years than against any other side. We have undone Gilchrest, Hayden & Ponting enough times to know what the plan for each of them is. Then all we have to do is bat well. Here's my line up:
1. Vaughan
2. Strauss
3. Peitersen
4. Bell
5. Flintoff
6. Collingwood
7. Bopara
8. Nixon
9. Mahmood
10. Broad
11. Panesar
So then. If Virgil wins the toss he should put Aus into bat. If we can restrict them to under 250 then we will give ourselves a chance. 200 would be fantastic. Our advantage is that once again the Aussies have written us off and we know them. In fact we have played more cricket against them in the past 2 years than against any other side. We have undone Gilchrest, Hayden & Ponting enough times to know what the plan for each of them is. Then all we have to do is bat well. Here's my line up:
1. Vaughan
2. Strauss
3. Peitersen
4. Bell
5. Flintoff
6. Collingwood
7. Bopara
8. Nixon
9. Mahmood
10. Broad
11. Panesar
Friday, April 06, 2007
England Vs Sri Lanka
The thing with SL is that always fight. It is hard to say the same of England at times. The shoulders drop, the chat in the field stops and the game runs away from them. This game, however, was different. I have to say that the England performance in the field was the best I have seen in this competition. To restrict a team like SL to 235 is a great feat. And to bowl them out is massive. But...(there seems to always be a but when talking about and England performance)...as I said in my previous post, there is trouble at the top.
If you had offered Virgil 235 all out and a decent(ish) pitch to bat on he would have bitten your hand off. So what went wrong? First we need to look at the top order. The general consensus is that you put your best suited batsmen in first. Ok, so why isn't KP opening? He is certainly in form and obviously a class above Joyce. Why not open with him and Strauss? Then Virgil, Freddie and Bell. Leave Collingwood & Bopara as pinch-hitters down the order. When batting is tough England have a middle-order that withdraws inside their shell. I know that when I play at the weekends if we are facing a bowler who is taking the pace off the ball and restricting runs then the thing to do is to take them on. Hit them out of the bowling attack. But once again we saw part-time spinners like Jayasuriya and Dilshan hold us up. Things need to change. Virgil needs to find form. I know he has a good record batting against Australia but stats won't help on Sunday. Drop Joyce (for now - we will need him later) call up Strauss. Anderson doesn't look on top of things so bring in Stuart Broad - who really should have played from the start.
Sunday is a must-win. We know how to beat these guys. We just need to step up our game.
If you had offered Virgil 235 all out and a decent(ish) pitch to bat on he would have bitten your hand off. So what went wrong? First we need to look at the top order. The general consensus is that you put your best suited batsmen in first. Ok, so why isn't KP opening? He is certainly in form and obviously a class above Joyce. Why not open with him and Strauss? Then Virgil, Freddie and Bell. Leave Collingwood & Bopara as pinch-hitters down the order. When batting is tough England have a middle-order that withdraws inside their shell. I know that when I play at the weekends if we are facing a bowler who is taking the pace off the ball and restricting runs then the thing to do is to take them on. Hit them out of the bowling attack. But once again we saw part-time spinners like Jayasuriya and Dilshan hold us up. Things need to change. Virgil needs to find form. I know he has a good record batting against Australia but stats won't help on Sunday. Drop Joyce (for now - we will need him later) call up Strauss. Anderson doesn't look on top of things so bring in Stuart Broad - who really should have played from the start.
Sunday is a must-win. We know how to beat these guys. We just need to step up our game.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Trouble at the Top
We have looked on in wonder over the past 6 months at the spectacle that is English cricket. From the lows of a 5-0 Ashes whitewash to stuffing Australia at their own game, on their own turf. And now, we stand bemused by a thus far lacklustre performance in the World Cup; still waiting for them to shine. Perhaps they won't.
It could be that they are at the top of their game already. That we are simply a poor ODI side. Or it could be that we have been holding back. Whatever it is, today we have a fight on our hands. I read with interest Mike Selvey's attack on the team in today's Guardian. He says that we rely too much on Collingwood and Figjam for batting and that without Monty & Freddie our bowling is poor. To some extent I will agree; we do lack depth in our bowling and even those two much esteemed ball flingers seem off colour. But I am more convinced that this is down to poor preparation. Everyone knows that West Indian pitches are slower but I don't think we realised how much slower. It has been fascinating to watch part time spinners doing damage across the matches. It seems to work too. Today, against one of the best batting lineups in ODI's, we will need to take the pace off the ball. We need to bowl with intelligence. Bowling length balls like we did on our last outing will only mean alot more fetching the ball practice as the likes of Jayasuriya & Tharanga pierce our in field defences. It really is time to step up to the plate.
Ok, so what's wrong? Well, to start with we must acknowledge that the ODI success of other teams is mainly down to how their perform with the ball. Batting first and getting a big score on a flat wicket is no guarantee to winning. SL's run rate is impressive. They attack bowlers. They also know us well. So it's time to mix it up a little. Get Jimmy boy to pitch it up. Don't give their batters time to adjust. It's a shame that Mahmood hasn't come good because his slower ball is great. Let Virgil & KP bowl their tweakers. SL won't have seen much of either of them. Attack them from the off. We know where Jayasuriya & Tharanga score their runs so strangle their supply. Take catches. Save the 1s. And most importantly, BOWL THEM OUT.
Our top order is in trouble. My bet is that Strauss will come in today for either Joyce or Bell. This is good. Not for his batting so much but because Strauss has a decent cricket brain and Virgil will need to turn to him in the field. But our batting still needs sorting. Strauss & Virgil open. KP at 3 and Colly at 4! That should put the cat among the pigeons. Freddie & Bopara to follow. At this level we shouldn't need anymore than that. These are impressive players who can all hurt bowlers. Today's the day to hit them with maximum pain.
It could be that they are at the top of their game already. That we are simply a poor ODI side. Or it could be that we have been holding back. Whatever it is, today we have a fight on our hands. I read with interest Mike Selvey's attack on the team in today's Guardian. He says that we rely too much on Collingwood and Figjam for batting and that without Monty & Freddie our bowling is poor. To some extent I will agree; we do lack depth in our bowling and even those two much esteemed ball flingers seem off colour. But I am more convinced that this is down to poor preparation. Everyone knows that West Indian pitches are slower but I don't think we realised how much slower. It has been fascinating to watch part time spinners doing damage across the matches. It seems to work too. Today, against one of the best batting lineups in ODI's, we will need to take the pace off the ball. We need to bowl with intelligence. Bowling length balls like we did on our last outing will only mean alot more fetching the ball practice as the likes of Jayasuriya & Tharanga pierce our in field defences. It really is time to step up to the plate.
Ok, so what's wrong? Well, to start with we must acknowledge that the ODI success of other teams is mainly down to how their perform with the ball. Batting first and getting a big score on a flat wicket is no guarantee to winning. SL's run rate is impressive. They attack bowlers. They also know us well. So it's time to mix it up a little. Get Jimmy boy to pitch it up. Don't give their batters time to adjust. It's a shame that Mahmood hasn't come good because his slower ball is great. Let Virgil & KP bowl their tweakers. SL won't have seen much of either of them. Attack them from the off. We know where Jayasuriya & Tharanga score their runs so strangle their supply. Take catches. Save the 1s. And most importantly, BOWL THEM OUT.
Our top order is in trouble. My bet is that Strauss will come in today for either Joyce or Bell. This is good. Not for his batting so much but because Strauss has a decent cricket brain and Virgil will need to turn to him in the field. But our batting still needs sorting. Strauss & Virgil open. KP at 3 and Colly at 4! That should put the cat among the pigeons. Freddie & Bopara to follow. At this level we shouldn't need anymore than that. These are impressive players who can all hurt bowlers. Today's the day to hit them with maximum pain.
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