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The highs and lows of England’s winter
By Mark Tilley last year, mid-April, 4 Comments »
So England’s winter is finally over and after events in St. Lucia last Friday, a slight gloss has been applied to what was otherwise a woeful away season. Captaincy changes, managerial controversy and some truly dire results had left many writing off England in all formats of the game and, arguably, those critics were fully justified in their prognosis. But the one day series win against West Indies has altered the balance just a tad and will provide England fans with a cruel glimmer of hope and optimism.
With the home series return with the West Indies just weeks away, there is hardly any time for reflection on what state English cricket is in. But we can all try our best to analyse so let us have a brief look at the successes and failures of England’s mostly winless winter.
Successes:
Andrew Strauss – The main man. Strauss’ resurgence as one of England’s most important batsman started way back in early December with those twin centuries in Chennai against India, becoming the 10th Englishman in history to register three figures in both innings of a Test match. Elevated to the captaincy in the wake of the Kevin Pietersen/Peter Moores scandal, Strauss’ batting went on leaps and bounds as he blasted three big hundreds in consecutive games during the run fest against the West Indies. But it was in the one day arena where he really impressed both as a captain and batsman. With critics from all corners doubting his limited overs technique, Strauss scored a backs-to-the-wall hundred in Guyana before a rapid, match-winning 79 not out saw his team home in Barbados. England’s series win will be a huge fillip for Strauss as he looks to build on the slow progress his team are making.
Paul Collingwood – For a man who is supposedly on the brink of being dropped most of the time, he is a capable batsman. His century in India evoked memories of his maiden hundred in Nagpur back in 2006. But he really came to the party in the Caribbean, scoring two tons and falling agonisingly short of a third, trying to up the pace in Barbados. His one day exploits were crucial for the new captain Strauss. Perfect for keeping a lid on flamboyant scoring or for getting some important runs in a tight situation, Collingwood is England go-to guy in one day cricket and will be for a while yet.
Stuart Broad – For a while, Broad’s batting was threatening to overshadow his bowling. His performances with the ball in the Caribbean will have informed people that progress is being made. Broad wasn’t in the same verve as Harmison circa 2004 and at times he and the rest of the attack hardly looked like taking a wicket (those long spells in the field for England in Barbados and Trinidad spring to mind). But he did show promise; in Jamaica he took 5-95, his first five wicket haul. During England’s wicket hunt in Antigua, he bowled a superb spell to remove Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, ending their frustrating partnership. He has all the accuracy of a young Glenn McGrath and is developing a dangerous pace too. He is still a work in progress – but what a work he is.
Failures:
Ian Bell – From stylish fixture of the middle order to unused drinks carrier, all in one tour. Bell’s miserable winter has seen him lose his place from all formats of England’s side. Bell began in India at number three, hoping to secure the place vacated by Michael Vaughan. A desperately lean series was followed up by a poor performance in the first Test at Jamaica and with the selectors looking for a sacrificial lamb, Bell was replaced by Owais Shah. Cast aside for the time being, is Bell too gifted a player to be left out? It is frustrating watching him play for England. He looks technically superb and, when in the right frame of mind, can be a dominant, free scoring batsman. But he is light-years away from being consistent enough, especially for the coveted number three spot. His best hope for a recall would be in the middle order, where the bulk of his previous Test runs have come.
Ryan Sidebottom – Another player who has gone worryingly backwards in the last year. He ended last winter by taking a ridiculous number of wickets in New Zealand and becoming the leader of England’s blossoming attack. Frequent injuries have reduced him to a shadow of the bowler he was. Ailing, slow and unthreatening, Sidebottom’s performance in the Barbados Test match left plenty to be desired. He looked slow in the field and was frequently barracked by his team-mates for misjudgements. When bowling, his pace was down and he was generally off colour. His status as the teams most dangerous swing bowler has now gone to James Anderson, who is a great deal quicker too. One feels for him as the amount of injuries he has suffered has surely had a harsh effect but England cannot put up with his level of performance for much longer, especially with the Aussies rolling in soon.
Monty Panesar – From a claim to be the world’s best finger spinner to England’s number two – Panesar has gone through quite a turnaround in his international career. Dropped for the Antigua Test and replaced by Graeme Swann, Panesar had clearly exhausted the patience of the England selectors. His deficiencies are well documented; poor batting, awful fielding, lack of variation when bowling, etc. In short, Panesar had become an unthreatening spinner. His lack of success on a fifth day pitch in India was extremely exasperating, especially so given the success had by fellow spinner Swann, a Test match novice. Panesar was back quickly, though, as England opted for two twirlers at Trinidad. And, thankfully, he showed some imagination, bowling with a great deal of thought and variation. The jury is out for the Ashes, however. Swann is a fine spinner and at least offers something with the bat. Panesar will need a huge amount of selectorial faith and some early season accomplishment if he is to be trusted by England again.
Honourable mentions must go to Graeme Swann, who excelled after making his Test debut and had already bagged two five-fors after just a handful of games, and Andrew Flintoff, who played a fine, supporting innings to Kevin Pietersen in Mohali and really thrilled with the ball at times in the Caribbean, ending things with that hat trick. Dishonourable mentions? Steve Harmison didn’t really excel like we prayed he would in the West Indies and looks to be well short on pace and, crucially, confidence. Owais Shah finally had his long awaited chance handed to him and he promptly decided to keep everyone guessing with some inept performances. Whether his ‘extended run’ in the side will last depends purely on the early season form of Ian Bell and Michael Vaughan.
4 Comments »India v England, 2nd Test, Mohali
By Will 2 years ago, mid-December, 4 Comments »
Have just moved house so there’s been no time for anything. And nor is there any now but, if you like, keep an eye on the match and offer your thoughts below.
4 Comments »Well played India
By Will 2 years ago, mid-December, 25 Comments »
Three cheers to India for winning a superb Test. That it took place at all was a surprise. That Sachin Tendulkar hit the winning runs, bringing up his hundred in the process, was a script not even his mother could have written. It was a bizarrely pristine and classic manner in which to end a Test whose preparations were blighted not by rain, or poor form, or injuries, but by terror.
There will be some sickly and romantic notions in the coming days that this win has shoved it up the terrorists. That India have won and the terrorists have lost. And it’s true that without the Mumbai terrorist strikes, we wouldn’t be feeling like we are at the moment. England’s supporters can be proud of a team who, for three-and-a-half days, dominated a Test on the subcontinent. India’s are ecstatic for two brilliant performances which propelled an unlikely win. Even removing the context of Mumbai, India’s win today was hugely significant.
Impressive for its boldness, but what struck me (I’ve only seen highlights so don’t shout me down) is how un-Indian their approach was. India have occasionally produced bullet wins out of nowhere before tripping up. Yet this win had a composure and belief about it. Granted, Virender Sehwag’s Gilchristian attack on the fourth day provided much of the belief (and vital runs), and who else would you rather have anchor a fifth-day chase than Tendulkar? But those two huge figures aside, India rose to the occasion when it mattered and believed they could win more than England.
One word of warning: don’t let’s compare India to Australia. It’ll happen – let’s face it, India is going to be drunk on this for days on end – but it would be premature to suggest they are the new No.1, however much their fans demand it be true. They’re definitely on the right track though.
So too, I think, are England. India is the hardest place to tour and they dominated much of the Test when nobody expected them to. That they lost it in the last day-and-a-half nevertheless suggests Kevin Pietersen will be as sleepless in Mohali as he has reportedly been in Chennai.
Indian fans, by all means praise your team to the hilt … but non-Indian fans, do also wade in. Anyone from South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan or wherever else, post your thoughts below.
25 Comments »What a brilliant game
By Alex Try 2 years ago, mid-December, 2 Comments »
Watching Sachin Tendulkar score a hundred in front of 40,000 adoring fans takes away some of the pain of losing. There is time enough in the future to dwell on missed opportunities and Monty’s lackluster bowling effort. I was just a pleasure to watch a brilliant game.
The Chennai crowd was as much a part of the experience as anything that happened on the field. When India are batting, the most conservative old man is transformed into a fifteen-year-old. He shouts and cheers and dances for every run they score. When Tendulkar walks into bat the crowds flock. Even when he’s fielding, when he touches the ball a roar erupts like a wicket has fallen.
The highlight came last evening while Sehwag was hitting fours and sixes at will. After every boundary the two women sat behind me, both clad head to toe in black chadors and hijabs, starting jumping up and down on their seats and blowing horns in my ear. It was fantastic. The atmosphere at a cricket match in India is unique to anything I have ever experienced. Even as England are getting thrashed you can’t help looking around you and grinning like a mad-man.
Strauss’s twin hundreds, Swann’s double wicket opening over, Flintoff’s confrontation with Yuvraj, Sehwag’s blitz and a Tendulkar century to win the game! Its such a cliché, but cricket really is the winner. Onwards to Mohali, and we will see if England can pick up the pieces.
Alex Try is in India blogging England’s tour for The Corridor
2 Comments »Day five, the Test’s still alive
By Will 2 years ago, mid-December, 8 Comments »
India need 256; England, just nine wickets. The greatest game of all is still alive and well, and there is a small but delicious irony in the delicate state this match finds itself in. That it is taking place so soon after the Mumbai terrorist attacks is honourable and pleasing. But that Chennai should be producing such a corking match, in India, at the end of a year which has seen the Twenty20 machine snowball almost out of control…it’s a reminder to everyone, in particular the often one-eyed BCCI, of our responsibility to cricket’s richest asset. Not Twenty20; not television or advertising revenue; not even Sachin or Brett or MS or KP, and certainly not Mr Stanford. But Tests. The oldest and still the most rewarding format of the game, and possibly the best of any sport there is.
It’s like a really good bottle of port to Twenty20’s vodka and Red Bull: rich, occasionally musty, with a multitude of flavours.
8 Comments »Strauss relies on deep-rooted belief. Bell doesn’t
By Will 2 years ago, mid-December, 2 Comments »
When I woke up this morning at about 8 o’clock, England had just lost Kevin Pietersen and were three-down for not many. Were it not for needing to leg it to the estate agent to sign my contract, not to mention heading into the office for work, I’d have swallowed the cynaide there and then. England’s good position looked to be slipping away faster than the dying subcontinental sun.
What a turnaround; what guts, determination and skill Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood showed. It’s at times like these that we struggle to comprehend the importance of England’s position here: it is fast becoming a match-winning one and, if they win, it will count among the very best on Indian soil. If that’s putting too high a price on an England victory, then to call it one of the most unlikely is an understatement. The terrorist strikes; the will-they-won’t-they return; the fact it’s in India, against an Indian team who have just beaten Australia. Kevin Pietersen may not be sleeping too well at the moment, but MS Dhoni will be reaching for hot milk and nytol this evening.
Strauss has been immense in this Test. He is not the player of old, but that’s inevitable. Firstly he doesn’t have Marcus Trescothick at the other end to spur him on, and secondly he has suffered a fairly rubbish couple of years. He seems to have gone back in time, perhaps even to before he was at Middlesex. Dogged defence has replaced urgent strokeplay but, crucially, he’s still ticking along at a good rate. His innings in this Test have been of a true opener, and we’ve not had cause to say that about him for some time. He was too loose, too often.
Loose is one of many words that could be used to describe Ian Bell. How long will England persist? It seems inconceivable that Owais Shah won’t be considered in the next Test; a shock and a wake-up call is what Bell urgently needs. I’ve lost count of the number of times he gets off the mark with world cricket’s most sumptious and technically perfect cover drive (or on-drive), but he seems allergic to score ugly runs. It’s all about positivity and urgent run-making; appearing to make a statement; rolling up his sleeves, having a word with the fielders. This is not Ian Bell.
Bell was my first interviewee in 2005 and he came across as a really shy, quiet sort of bloke who was intimidated by the bravado Kevin Pietersen – who was the brash newcomer at the time – brought to the side. Shortly after that series he gave an interview in which he spoke about his “presence”, something Alec Stewart had been helping him with. So his theory went, he felt he needed to assert himself more – whether that meant skipping down the pitch for a lofted four to a spinner, or skipping down the pavilion steps and showing a “positive” way of reaching the crease when he first came in.
This is all clearly a facade of paper-thin proportions and it’s not kidding anyone, least of all Bell himself. Like Strauss, he should just be himself and rely on his ridiculously rare batting gifts to see him through.
2 Comments »Bristling moustaches abound, but cricket wins
By Alex Try 2 years ago, mid-December, 1 Comment »
Above anything which took place during today’s play, it is just a relief that cricket is back on again. The significance of this first Test for Indian cricket, with IPLs and Champions Leagues coming up, goes without saying. This might be the most important two-Test series ever played.
Security was tight but not oppressive. Lots of cops with bristling moustaches and ample girths glared at fans outside the stadium before play began. This moustache-to-belly ratio seemed to be an indicator of officer seniority but, despite their intimidating persona, almost everyone was welcoming.
Inside the stadium cameras, mobile phones and sun-cream were banned but many people managed to sneak them in anyway. A big screen which asks spectators to text messages onto it had a constant turnover, so the guards frisking can not have been that effective.
On the subject of ‘effective’ – England’s total was indebted to Andrew Strauss, who compiled his 13th Test hundred with minimum fuss. He and Alastair Cook seemed to be going some way to proving that a warm-up was not needed after all. If only the rest of England’s batting could have lived up to their start.
Paul Collingwood’s performance stood out in particular. Seemingly playing with a ping-pong bat, it would surprise nobody in the ground today if replays were used by the U.S Army to interrogate inmates in Guantanamo Bay. Given Owais Shah was England’s only consistent batsman during the one-day series, and Collingwood hardly scored a run, the England XI is confusing at best.
However, wherever England’s ended up at the end of the day’s play, the real story is that this Test is being played at all.
Alex Try is in India blogging England’s tour for The Corridor. He is envious of bristling moustaches
1 Comment »India v England, 1st Test, Chennai – live chat
By Will 2 years ago, mid-December, 2 Comments »
Cricket. Actual cricket is happening with real-life English and Indian players. It’s all very novel and exciting, so I thought I’d keep this post open for the Test and let you miserable lot leave your comments. There’s a detracted feeling to this series, but if Kevin Pietersen’s XI can pull off a draw – or even a win – the praise will be long and lavish. Let’s hope there’s some good cricket in which to end the year and provide a fitting sporting contrast to the events of the past few weeks.
2 Comments »England’s India tour gets green light
By Will 2 years ago, at the start of December, 4 Comments »
It’s on. Cricinfo is breaking it. That is quite a surprise, I have to admit, that Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison are both going. It seemed increasingly unlikely they would. Kevin Pietersen might be feeling a bit jaded and sick of all things security, but he has come out very well indeed from this fracas.
On similar lines, I was thinking yesterday how thankless captaincy really is. If England didn’t make it back to India, there would inevitably have been some criticism aimed at Pietersen. Were the squad really behind him? Is he truly a leader of men, or are those rumoured sensibilities of selfishness coming through? None of that has happened. He’s got the whole squad with him, and although he alone cannot be held responsible for persuading each and every one of his team, his influence will have been huge.
Roll on Thursday. Let’s just hope the grounds are packed.
4 Comments »‘Traumatised’ England head back to India
By Will 2 years ago, at the start of December, 5 Comments »
Well, not quite. They’re stopping over at Abu Dhabi to defrost, before arriving in India some time next week. Or later this week. Or (and this is highly unlikely) not at all.
Dominic Cork is always good for a quote or seven, but his sensationalistic words today were a little over-the-top. At least, I hope they were. He claims some of the England players were traumatised by the events in India. In no way am I suggesting the terrorism was anything other than vile, and yes I appreciate India’s television showed the true horror, but were they really traumatised? I hope not, for their sake, because the next couple of weeks are going to be pretty bloody awful for them.
I wonder what effect this will have on the cricket, by both teams. It could degenerate into a bit of a farce, or perhaps have the feeling of a charity match. Let’s just hope that, for once, India can pack the grounds full to bursting and give England a warm and welcoming reception.
And by the by, three cheers to Kevin Pietersen. The past few weeks have been a total nightmare for him and England, yet he’s shown diplomacy, honesty and been almost totally positive about everything. Extra turkey and bread sauce for him this year.
5 Comments »Over to you, Reg
By Alex Try 2 years ago, at the start of December, No Comments; be the first!
A couple of weeks ago I was staying in Colaba: I wandered into the Taj to have a look around, I checked-out the menu at Leopold’s café and caught a train from VT station. The horrible images from Mumbai were not diluted by the television set, they were infused with memories still fresh in my mind. If the Test Series even happens at all, I can completely understand some of the players staying at home.
I woke up this morning with the Indian media reporting that the first Test is going to be shifted to Mohali in the stable state of Punjab. Scrap that – a new report says Chennai could host the first Test and Mohali the second. Until I watch the players walking out onto the field I am not going to assume anything, Flights and hotels will only be booked at the last possible minute. Given what has happened this is the only way it can be.
Everything now rests on the advice given to the team by the Foreign Office and the ECB security chief Reg Dickason. As Michael Atherton finished off his column yesterday: “Over to you, Reg”.
Alex Try is in India blogging England’s tour for The Corridor. For how much longer, though, is anyone’s guess
No Comments »Should England play the India Tests?
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of November, 14 Comments »
I’ve not had time to ponder anything about Mumbai and its wider implications. England have just arrived back in London and the next 48 hours will determine whether they go back to India or stay in Britain. Simon Jones, who admittedly hasn’t played since the 2005 Ashes so his opinion is rather moot in the circumstances, said there’s no way he’d go back were he currently in the Test team. I can’t help worrying that the next few days will reveal the ECB’s backbone, or lack thereof; the decision that is made could have long-term impacts on the future of touring.
In the meantime, vote whether England should stay or go in the poll.
Loading ...India v England, 5th ODI, Cuttack
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of November, 2 Comments »
Unless you’re particularly masochistic, or have absolutely no life, most Britons won’t have seen much of this one-day series. However, we have another day-night match tomorrow, which gives the rest of us a chance to witness England’s horrors in all its gruesome, filthy, achingly inexplicable form. That’s right: it’s the fifth of seven hundred ODIs and it gets underway on Wednesday morning, at the really rather reasonable hour of 9am.
So grab your skinny, soya, wet lattes with wings and head over to Cricinfo to experience one of winter’s great joys: one-day cricket in the subcontinent. Watch Ian Bell hit 9 from 20 balls, turning down easy singles in a blind panic. Witness Paul Collingwood fail to hit anything through the off-side. Question Graeme Swann’s mental state and sympathise with Kevin Pietersen. Grit your teeth and hold onto your swivel chairs as Peter Moores attempts to calm us down by insisting: “they’re trying really, really hard” and “the batsmen look a million dollars in the nets”.
Alternatively, do what I’m doing and cheer on the underdogs’ underdog, Bangladesh, to see if they can stave off a two-day whipping.
2 Comments »Something rotten at the core
By Alex Try 2 years ago, mid-November, 12 Comments »
India’s cricket team is heir apparent to Australia’s world champion crown and its board is the richest and most powerful in the world. Over the past week Yuvraj Singh has scored two memorable hundreds, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India has attempted to shift the dates of the first Test match to accommodate a newly created money-spinning Twenty20 competition – the Champions League. The two sides of Indian cricket are captured in these events: sublime stroke-play, and a behemoth greedy for more cash.
The ECB rejected calls for changes to the Test dates, but even before this tour got under way England’s itinerary has been suspect. Most of the ODI’s are being played in provincial industrial cities like Rajkot or Indore – and not in the premier cricket grounds of Calcutta or Chennai.
Beside the fact that I would rather see England play in some of the world’s great stadiums – the rotation policy has left the tour itinerary in a constant state of limbo. The game originally planned for Jamshedpur was moved to Bangalore because the stands were unsafe and Guwahati in Assam is a potential war-zone. Just a couple of weeks ago 18 bombs planted by separatists in the city killed 64 people and injured over 300. Around ten thousand people have died in the regions political struggles over the past three decades.
The BCCI’s ticketing policy also leaves much to be desired. Despite its gleaming new website it does not sell tickets online, only locally around the respective stadiums. I am relying on friends in Cuttack and Delhi to get me into the ground, while the Barmy Army will not officially comment on the problems it has had in gaining a quota of tickets for the Test series lest it anger the BCCI in public – putting their quota in jeopardy.
For every great performance by India there is an example of the greed and bloody-mindedness of the BCCI. I would much rather be writing about Yuvraj.
Alex Try is in India blogging England’s tour for The Corridor
12 Comments »India ride their wave
By Will 2 years ago, mid-November, 7 Comments »
I received a flurry (well, two) emails from someone in India accusing me of racism. This is a weekly event for me, not one I particularly cherish or relish in anticipation, but for once I thought I’d respond. I’ve not posted anything about India’s win over England because I didn’t watch it. If that makes me racist, bigoted or in any way xenophonic, I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise on behalf of the millions of other Britons who couldn’t be arsed to wake themselves up at 3am to watch a predictable drubbing.
My prediction: India will win the first three, then England will storm back to win a couple, the eventual score being 4-3 to India.
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