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andy-flower
Outclassed but not outfought
By Rich Abbott 2 months ago, 3 Comments »
That’s my assessment of England’s series, in a nutshell.
1-1. A lucky draw, should have been 3-1? Or, a plucky effort against a superior side? Only passed 300 in two out of seven innings? Or, only lost all 20 wickets in one out of four matches? There are several ways you can view this series.
What can’t be argued, is that that’s won two*, drawn one, lost one for the two Andys (not that Strauss could ever be an Andy) in Test series now. Improbably – out of series including Australia and South Africa – the defeat came last year against the West Indies.
England certainly aren’t winning for fun yet – only three Test wins in their last nine – but they’re proving difficult to beat, and building up a sizeable collection of final ball match saving efforts.
How was the series for you? And, with Bangladesh, Pakistan and Australia still to come this year, how would you assess England’s progress?
* One of those victories came at the start of the English summer in a two-match series against a group of cold and confused tourists masquerading as the West Indies cricket team.
3 Comments »Flower’s stat attack
By Rich Abbott last year, at the start of November, 6 Comments »
Rich Abbott is new here, and a young aspiring writer. Don’t flame him too readily yet
Andy Flower (quoted in yesterday’s Telegraph): “I think there is scope for looking at the statistics side of the game and using it more intelligently. If you look at some of the stats the Americans compile and study – and they have been professional for a lot longer than we have – that is something we have to exploit if we are going to be better than other countries.”
Interesting noises from England’s head coach, and ones which got me thinking about one of the best sports books I’ve ever read, Michael Lewis’s Moneyball. It’s about baseball, but don’t let that put you off – I thoroughly recommend it.
I knew next to nothing about the sport when I read it – couldn’t tell my Babe Ruth from my Barry Bonds and thought A-Rod was a tennis player – but it didn’t matter, because it’s a great story.
In true American fashion, the book boasts a movie-trailer tagline: ‘The art of winning an unfair game’. It’s unfair in that the team in question, the Oakland A’s, could not match the giants of the sport for money or resources, and therefore, results. That began to change when Billy Beane took charge.
He may sound like a member of the Bash Street Kids, but Beane turned out to be one of the most open-minded and influential general managers in the sport’s history.
He was prepared to go against perceived wisdom and the advice of almost all of those around him, and began to employ an objective method of statistical analysis called Sabermetrics. Though originally viewed with suspicion by the establishment, Beane’s success with this new use of numbers has now ensured it a worthy place in the stats-obsessed Baseball Operations departments of the top teams.
For all the databases and number crunching, essentially, Moneyball is a story about a coach who was prepared to think outside the crease, question elements of traditional analysis and remain a step or two ahead of his competitors. Admirable qualities, and – it seems – ones shared by the head coach of the England cricket team.
6 Comments »Ashes win just the start for the new England
By Will last year, at the end of August, 5 Comments »
England win the Ashes. No one even ponders an open-top bus tour. No medals are hung around players’ necks and, with due respect to MPs Brown and Cameron – and the Queen – very little fanfair has been afforded this England team.
And thank god for that. England’s win was unforgettable, in a tense, thrilling, pendulum-swinging series which might have lacked the greats of the game that we had in 2005, but for entertainment it was very much on a par.
Did the better team win? Just about. Man for man, the two sides are very close indeed, but England beat Australia on home advantage and a clearer idea of where they’re heading. Before the series, I thought England would win 2-1 owing to having an in-form spinner who can bat, and having a more balanced attack; the fact Hauritz wasn’t picked at The Oval by Australia was a remarkable decision. Surely, surely, they must have been made aware the pitch was a bunsen. It wouldn’t have taken much to realise that on first glance 24 hours before.
I almost felt deflated by the win. 25 days of ball-by-ball commentary can do that to you. But having had time to reflect, only now do I feel really excited; pleased that England won, even though it feels like a heist, because this is just the beginning. In 2005, the regaining of the Ashes was the culmination of Nasser Hussain, Duncan Fletcher and Michael Vaughan’s extensive planning. The 2009 win has come sooner than even Andy Flower would’ve hoped, and is just the beginning.
And one other thought, which I’ll write about when I can be bothered: Matt Prior, you played a blinder. What a turnaround in his career it’s been.
Oh, and by the way – just 457 days until the next series in Australia.
5 Comments »Flower’s unflinching message
By Will last year, at the end of April, 2 Comments »
Today’s squad announcement was the first by Andy Flower in his official capacity as England coach. And what a statement of intent it was. All the pre-series talk has been of Michael Vaughan, Ian Bell and Owais Shah all battling for the No.3 slot. All three were acknowledged, their names noted down, before scrunching up the paper and tossing it dismissively out of the window. Ravi Bopara is the new No.3 in possession, which is bold enough in itself.
But perhaps the most telling indication of the new regime came from Geoff Miller, the national selector. When asked about Bell, he was almost dismissive about his non-selection, in spite of the runs Bell has scored so far domestically. “We need to get him even more passionate about playing…so he doesn’t lose his place again,” Miller retorted. There are enough clues in what Miller says to indicate that England really aren’t happy with Bell, for a whole host of reasons. You’ll have noticed Bell’s put on a bit of weight, recently – muscle weight – and this is another sign of a man not happy in his own skin. He should be (and will be, I’m sure, eventually) the side’s leading batsman and the heaviest of run-scorers, but his path to achieving that is obstructed by his own insecurities. Only Everestian quantities of runs, and other off-the-field indications as to his hunger, will get him back in.
And this is all good news for England. It’s high time all this indecision and reverting to the old guard was put to one side. Having said that, it still seems implausible that the side which takes to the field next Wednesday will be the same one to take on Australia in Cardiff later this summer.
2 Comments »Moores stamps his authority
By Will 3 years ago, mid-May, 5 Comments »
I suppose it isn’t too surprising that a new coach wants to have his closest allies by his side, but the axing of Matthew Maynard and prompt replacement of Andy Flower did show one thing. Peter Moores, the new England coach, will do things his way. Flower’s been working with Moores at the Academy, I think on a part-time basis due to his commitments with Essex. And as ever, a new appointment brings a flurry of quotes from people saying how amazing and wonderful Flower is, a blooming marvellous batting coach, etc.
Who will be next on Moores’ culling list?
5 Comments »Dump Duncan?
By Will 4 years ago, at the end of June, 5 Comments »
I must say, this has been brewing in the back of my mind since England lost the first one-dayer at Lord’s. But I avoided mentioning it in either of my verdicts as I felt it was not only premature, but too controversial. Enter Tim de Lisle who, handily, has done it for me, and rather more directly and eloquently too:
6. Replace the coach
Some players are just better suited to Test than one-day cricket. Some coaches are too. Duncan Fletcher was a handy one-day player himself for Zimbabwe, but his style as a coach – patient, methodical, painstaking – is better geared to Test cricket. With the help of central contracts, four-day cricket, Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan, he has changed the culture of the Test team. But he hasn’t done much for the one-day side. He should either have a rethink or step aside for someone with a real feel for the one-day game. It could be someone Fletcher would approve of, like Andy Flower, already a mentor to Chris Read and Alistair Cook. Or it could be someone Fletcher wouldn’t approve of at all, like Adam Hollioake. Desperate times, desperate measures.
Who to pick? Matthew Maynard, who some believe is the main in waiting for the top job? Tim’s right: Fletcher is too calm and methodical a coach to be sufficiently proactive (not reactive) in a one-day series. That’s the impression I get, anyway.
5 Comments »