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andrew-flintoff
Australia v England, 3rd Test, Perth, 5th day
2 years ago, mid-DecemberI’ve a feeling England won’t last until lunch. Andrew Flintoff has forgotten how gifted he is in simply hitting the ball; Geraint Jones is far too desperate to impress anyone and there begins the tail. Kevin Pietersen’s still in though, the freak, so how about he gets his fourth score of 158 and puts on 220 with Monty Panesar, who ends up 121*?
Yeah, ok. Chat away.
Warne’s little jab
2 years ago, mid-DecemberThe whole debate about the English team selection and who is responsible for it is music to Australian ears, and Shane Warne must be finding the possible conflict between captain and coach to be an especially sweet tune.
In his Times column, Warne has obviously backed Flintoff against his old foe Fletcher.
A few of the England players stayed with us until the early hours. I think the spirit of 2005 lives on. I feel for Andrew Flintoff at the moment as he’s copping some unnecessary flak. It was the right choice to make him captain and I’m not sure if he’s getting the side he wants.
As a captain, you should get the players you want in the XI. If you’re looking around the field at 5pm and you’re not going to bowl a guy, then he shouldn’t be in your side. Having said that, England’s selection issues don’t really interest me, to be honest. To go 2-0 up in Adelaide was our aim at the start of the second Test, but a win for either side looked highly unlikely on the fourth day.
That sort of support is like when the Chairman of a football club issues a press release expressing full support of the manager. Warne might be pals with the likes of Flintoff off the field but that won’t stop him playing any head games necessary to win back the Ashes.
A rift through the English team?
2 years ago, at the start of DecemberThis can not be a positive for England:
A MAJOR internal rift is brewing in the England camp following the revelation that coach Duncan Fletcher has been wrongly blamed for snubbing spin bowling cult hero Monty Panesar.
Fletcher is privately fuming at being held accountable for omitting Panesar from the Adelaide Test, a match where England’s No.1 spinner Ashley Giles took just 2-149 to leave his career hanging by a thread.
The Courier-Mail has learned that at team selection meetings in Adelaide, Fletcher leaned toward Panesar to play in the Test but captain Andrew Flintoff went for his Lancashire teammate, swing bowler Jimmy Anderson, who went on to perform poorly and may not play another Test on tour.
Flintoff won out after the issue was discussed by a committee of senior players including Geraint Jones and Andrew Strauss.
The fallout over the omission of Panesar has become so great in England that it is threatening to undermine Fletcher’s future as England coach and also drive a wedge between Fletcher and Flintoff.
It is remarkable England performed as well as they did in the Second Test given this dispute, and it is hard to imagine what the mood is like in the English camp now. These relevations make things work; the British media will be on to them like a pack of dogs on a three legged cat.
Don’t hang Duncan
2 years ago, at the start of DecemberReading through the comments on yesterday’s post, I’m getting a distinct sense that Duncan Fletcher is going to be made the scapegoat for England’s defeat at Adelaide, unless England can turn around the series.
That would be grossly unfair to Duncan. England’s batsmen got themselves into this hole. It wasn’t Duncan Fletcher that came out and pushed, prodded and poked for half an hour while Warne got his rythm and line- it was Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell.
Strauss, for a former England captain, is particularly deserving of censure since he should know better. He certainly should not have had to be told that he needed to get a move on, and if he did need to be told, then it is the captain that had to tell him to get a move on.
England’s whole approach smacked of poor preparation. They had batted well enough last night, and presumed that was enough. However, batting for a draw requires a subtle change of mental approach, requiring new goals to be set without sacrificing that sense of positive play that keeps the opponents off balance.
Australia went into day five with the goal of bowling England out during the day- not to win the Test, just to let England know that they weren’t to be dominated so easily. England do not seem to have entered day 5 with a specific goal in mind.
And that’s the captain’s fault, not Fletcher’s. It must be something in England that Flintoff is too big a hero to be held to account for this defeat, but it seems pretty obvious to me that it is Flintoff, and his players, who has stuffed up.
Edit- That’s not to say that Fletcher hasn’t made some shocking decisions on this tour. However, at the start of this morning, England had what chessplayers would call a ‘book draw’ and they blew it. That wasn’t Fletcher’s fault.
Spin City
2 years ago, at the start of DecemberJohn Buchanan’s attempts to spin Australia’s bowling in the Second Test looked even more ineffective then Shane Warne’s leg-spinners.
Admittedly, the pitch offered nothing, and England batted superbly, but you can hardly say Australia have bowled well after taking only six wickets in nearly two full days.
McGrath spent time off the field fixing his boot in the opening session to ease a heel problem. Although he has not been complaining about the injury, his effectiveness was limited and his speed has dropped significantly on the flat surface. “He pounded down 20-plus overs,” Buchanan said, “so, so far so good.” He returned 0 for 103.
Warne gave up 167 runs for the wicket of Geraint Jones while Brett Lee also won praise from Buchanan for his 1 for 139. “I think Brett’s bowled exceptionally well,” he said. “He’s held his pace and bowled good lines. It’s encouraging for the second innings and the rest of the series.
“The measure of Shane’s bowling is how many bad balls there were. He bowled a couple late yesterday when he got tired and maybe a few today. His control has been excellent, he hasn’t got the rub of the green, a bit like Brett.”
Stuart Clark was the only bowler not to win compliments from Buchanan and he was the man who performed the best. Throughout the first two days he troubled England with short and full deliveries and added three victims to continue his strong series.
Excuse me while I roll my eyes at that one. McGrath was clearly not fully fit, and the Australian team heirarchy deserve censure for allowing him to play. Mitchell Johnson probably wouldn’t have fared any better but at least there wouldn’t have been a worry about him worsening an injury.
From an English point of view, the day belonged once again to Collingwood and Pieterson. They were, it has to be admitted, magnificent. They learned their lessons from Brisbane and gave England the whip hand. And it was good to see that Flintoff was prepared, late in the day, to lead aggressively from the front. Fancy declaring, and taking the new ball for himself. Full marks to Freddy on that one!
England can attack on day three. It will be interesting to see how Australia’s batsmen, and England’s bowlers, respond to the challenge.
Photos of England arriving in Australia
2 years ago, at the start of NovemberI’ve just put up Getty’s photos of England arriving at Sydney airport. Suddenly, it feels as though the tour really has begun. England’s mission now seems a lot clearer, if it wasn’t already abundantly obvious: bring that bloody urn home!
This. Is. Massive. See Flintoff here and the photo index of the tour here.
And here are some from Yahoo News courtesy of AP
Abandon all hope ye English that enter here?
2 years ago, at the start of NovemberAndrew Flintoff might not be able to avoid talking to the Australian media, but he’s best advised to avoid reading the media. As his team flies into Sydney today, the Sydney Morning Herald’s coverage takes on a traditionally gloomy (if you are English) tone.
Mark Waugh, never backward in coming forward with his opinion, thinks it’s going to be a 4-1 walkover.
I’m not sure if Flintoff is good at two-up but he needs to win four out of five tosses to give England hope.
Even allowing for some luck with the coin, I’m predicting a 4-1 victory for the Aussies. England might sneak a Test, with Adelaide the most likely venue for that.
They have a decent record there and Australia have not been so good recently. It’s a vital toss to win, with the wicket difficult to chase runs on or survive on during days four and five. With virtually no rain around Australia, the likelihood of a draw goes out the window.
England have brought a squad of 16, with plenty of question marks about many of them. Their form since winning the Ashes has been ordinary at best. They did a super job to draw the Test series in India, but performances against Sri Lanka and Pakistan were below par.
Waugh’s not being totally dismissive. He does have some nice things to say about the newer players.
England look a slightly weaker team on paper than last time, but fresh faces might give them hope. James Anderson and Sajid Mahmood look useful pace bowlers who can swing the ball. Anderson has had an interrupted career bowling a full length, giving him a chance. Mahmood is raw but talented and could be a trump card.
Panesar is worth the gamble for England. He offers more attacking options for Flintoff than Giles (who has never won them a Test match against Australia).
Other positives for England are the growing stature of Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood as batsmen. I’m not convinced they are real dangers against our quality bowlers, but they have racked up some Test runs since we last met.
Game-breakers Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen need to fire. Flintoff will have a big workload, and Pietersen can be expected to cop the short stuff. They won’t have an easy time but should produce entertaining battles in the middle order.
There’s no way Ricky Ponting and Australian coach John Buchanan will allow any complacency to sneak into the camp. After hammering England at Lord’s, Australia might have underestimated England’s ability to bounce back and paid the price.
Like all cricket followers, I’m looking forward to this series and although England beat us last year, Australia will start clear favourites. We’ll bounce back strongly on home soil with a full-strength line-up.
In the same publication, Peter Roebuck, that doughty Somerset batsman-cum multimedia guru, ponders on an England fading into the sunset.
Although England’s batting will be boosted by the return of Alistair Cook and Marcus Trescothick, the bowling was more or less at full strength in India. Matthew Hayden and company will have taken heart from Steve Harmison’s loss of control and the punishment dished out to Sajid Mahmood and James Anderson.
About the only encouraging sign for England’s vast following was the sight of Andrew Flintoff trundling down a few overs in Ahmedabad. Although not at full pace, he was able to maintain his unerring line. Still, it is not easy to recover rhythm after a long break and the Lancastrian might not be much of a threat at the Gabba. Flintoff has a huge heart but his fitness and form with the ball will be followed closely.
Nothing much can be said about Flintoff’s captaincy except that he spoke well at press conferences and did not let it affect his game. He seems to be a straightforward leader. The choice of captain must have been touch and go because both Strauss and Flintoff were capable candidates. In the absence of any compelling reason to demote him, the vice-captain deserved his chance. He is an impressive figure in the game.
Ashley Giles has also been bowling in the nets. Most likely his solidity will be preferred to Monty Panesar’s potency. He ought to have been recuperating at home. England cannot afford to think only about the Ashes. It is important to keep going forwards.
Certainly it will be different in Brisbane. It is another form of cricket played in another country and in front of a large and devoted group of supporters. Moreover, England will have a properly constructed team. Still, it is better to win than to lose.
Well, um, yeah. You can’t argue with that last bit.
Flintoff’s looking mean
2 years ago, mid-SeptemberUtterly exhausted, and am unable to offer anything remotely intelligible at this hour of useless o’clock. However, I can tell you one thing: Andrew Flintoff is looking in mean health. David Graveney said Australia fear him and, seeing him at The Oval today, it’s hard to disagree.
I’m going to stop writing now as I’m reaching previously unknown heights of banality. Thoughts on today’s squad announcements? Leave ‘em below.
Who should be in England’s Ashes squad?
2 years ago, mid-SeptemberIt’s very simple: who should be in England’s squad to tour Australia in November? It’s the most important squad announcement since, well, whatever. It’s huge. You get it, we all get it.
Should Jon Lewis get a chance? Has Stuart Broad shown enough? And who will you have as captain; Strauss or Flintoff?
All that kind of thing. I’m not around much today so leave your opinions and let’s work out the squad.
74% think Strauss should captain England for the Ashes
2 years ago, mid-AugustSorry for the tabloid-like headline, but that’s what a hundred or so of you think. The poll continues and I’ll keep it open - and might run it again after The Oval, just to gauge public opinion.
Who should captain England for the Ashes?
2 years ago, mid-AugustYesterday’s resounding win for England over Pakistan was a triumph for Andrew Strauss. A superb hundred in England’s only innings set them up for a huge total and he captained the side with aggression and spirit, not to mention a great deal of skill. The victory was as much a feather in his cap as England’s. Pleasingly, England have won a series without Andrew Flintoff, without many of their apparent 1st XI, or choice eleven, available. But who should captain England for the Ashes?
Vote below, and leave comments below below (visit the site to vote if you’re reading this via a feed)
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England’s Ashes situation
2 years ago, at the start of JulyMichael’s out, but remains favourite. Fred is out too, but he is the second favourite. Andrew’s no one’s favourite, really, but stays in. This all sounds like something from the interminable Big Brother but in fact this is England’s captaincy nightmare.
It’s hard to make head or tail of what has happened. Even yesterday, when Michael Vaughan was officially, finally ruled out of this winter’s Ashes series, there were rumblings from the ECB machine that “it’s really not that serious; we expect him back for the World Cup” and similar. And Flintoff? He is the stand-in captain and remains the favourite to replace Vaughan - when fit. When’s that? Who knows?
You have to feel a bit for Andrew Strauss, the stand-in stand-in. The ship’s engine is broken, there are bloody great big holes letting in gallons of water; steer us towards safety if you would! The calamity England find themselves in is, conversely, quite a relief. At least now they (we) can start from scratch and build from here, without constant, confusing, ambiguous medical reports from every doctor and his dog.
On similar lines, Kathy left a very interesting comment yesterday, making mention of Matthew Hoggard who, via Vaughan, was allowed to play in England A’s match against Pakistan (scorecard):
Interesting comments for two reasons: Vaughan still ably managing the team from the sidelines, and Hoggard’s belief that current form has got nothing to do with temporary captainship.
Perceptive thoughts, but I disagree that a team can be captained from the sidelines. It simply can’t. However, Hoggard’s belief that the temporary captaincy conundrum isn’t affecting England is perhaps indicitive of the confidence England still have within themselves. At least, I hope so.
Worst of all, and I can’t explain why I say this, the recent events with Vaughan and all the other injuries have really put a dampener on what England achieved last summer. It has been made futile - at least, that’s the impression I get. All that hard work - for what? Half the team are broken; the replacements are mostly still in nappies and are understandably flapping. England won the Ashes in 2005; why do I get the distinct feeling that we’re back to square one again?
England are flat
2 years ago, at the end of MayWeird day. England ruined Sri Lanka, and realistically ought to have dismissed them for no more than 90. That they reached 141 had little to do with their ability and more to do with England’s indifference. They appear flat, mildly complacent and are lacking the arse-kicking Michael Vaughan would provde them. Wonderful cricketer though Andrew Flintoff is, and as well as he captained today, he is not Vaughan and England are missing him. He’s so inexperienced that I feel guilty even hinting annoyance at his inability to post a short-leg, or his reactionary leadership. But we can only report on what we see…
As for Monty, well, I’m afraid Parmeson Tony is on borrowed ground. I found it all very amusing initially, but his dropped catch today prevented England from bowling Sri Lanka out for under 100. Now, as it happens, it ought not to matter too greatly. But as my editor, Andrew Miller, pointed out, if Monty can drop a sitter at the most patriotically English ground, what in the name of colourful turbans will he be like at Brisbane in November? This isn’t an attack against him in any way. He seems like the most stand-up sort of chap you could ask for, and is the most talented left-arm spinner we’ve had since Phil Tufnell. But sadly his fielding is just not up to scratch and on current form could easily cost England a Test against better countries than Sri Lanka. Sorry Monty.
Him aside, England just don’t seem to be on their game. Take Andrew Strauss. He can’t catch a cold, and even when batting he doesn’t look as assured or composed as he so often is. His run out today, albeit not without Alastair Cook’s help, rather demonstrates a player struggling to start the summer.
So it’s all a bit weird, frankly. The highlight was watching Liam Plunkett bowl, who bowled much fuller and is quicker through the air that I first thought. Very impressive indeed. Tomorrow, with Pietersen looking in absolute prime form, could be carnage for Sri Lanka
