England Are Ready For War

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

England’s Selection Threatens War

 

September 23^rd

 
 

[22:00 CEST] England have given a strong indication that they are ready for war this winter. The squad selected for Australia contains no fewer than four tall fast bowlers: Broad, Rankin, Finn and Tremlett. The inevitable conclusion is that if Australia produce fast, bouncy pitches, England will give them as good as they get and possibly better. They have also made a point by picking 90mph Ben Stokes and having the equally quick Chris Jordan nearby in the shadow squad.

A further statement of intent has been made by the selection of Sam Robson in the shadow squad that will be in Australia during the Ashes. Robson has been the subject of intense speculation with his British mother and Australian father, dividing his time between summers with Middlesex and club cricket in Sydney. He was not picked for the Lions matches against Bangladesh A, despite being declared eligible and, at the same time, Australia added the Robson Rule to the Fawad Ahmed Law, allowing duel nationals to play domestic cricket as Australians. One of the arguments that were offered why Sam Robson was not good enough to play for Australia was that he had never proved himself at First Class level (some Middlesex fans and Division 1 rivals of Middlesex might dispute that!) and that unless he played Sheffield Shield cricket he would remain unproven.

There has been some speculation, in the absence of a statement from Robson where his loyalties lie, that he was waiting for a firm statement from the ACB and might jump ship. However, the ECB has been in talks with him and will, apparently, release a statement about him separately but have received private assurances that his loyalties lie with England.

While there are no shocks, there are some surprises. One is that with only four matches that are not Tests on the tour, England will take an official squad of seventeen, plus Tim Bresnan, who is expected to be fit enough to be added to the squad later. How the selectors plan to give eighteen players enough cricket to keep them match fit is the one mystery about the squad. The young player is not Borthwick, but Balance (born in Zimbabwe), the all-rounder is Ben Stokes (born in New Zealand) and the second spinner is Monty Panesar (born in Luton ). The most controversial selection is the spare opener – Michael Carberry, who has had a relatively modest red ball season (602 runs at 40.1 in Division 2).

There will inevitably be remarks about the birthplaces of Stokes and Balance but, as one English cricket reporter said: “It's globalisation. Deal with it.” More people than ever are moving from one country to another and making their home there. No one complained when England fielded players such as Colin Cowdrey (born in India), Mike Denness (born in Scotland), Derek Pringle (born in Kenya), Norman Cowans (born in Jamaica), Paul Terry (born in Germany), Ted Dexter (born in Italy), Owais Shah (born in Pakistan), Phil Edmonds (born in Lusaka), or Dermot Reeve (born in Hong Kong). The England squad is reflecting the multiracial, multicultural melting pot that is the reality of the British Isles in modern times, where London has reportedly communities from 170 different countries living there (this was one of the arguments in favour of the London 2012 Olympic bid – it did not matter who won a medal in the stadium, the multi-cultural nature of London would ensure that there would be someone from that country in the crowd). Who wants the England cricket team to be picked on purely racial grounds?  

The shadow squad contains players such as Moin Ali and Varun Chopra who are banging hard on the door (Moin Ali will surely get a chance soon), but not James Taylor or Nick Compton. It may be that the England careers of both are now over. Less commented, but still notable, is the absence of Chris Woakes and Scott Borthwick.

All in all, it is an aggressive squad selection in all senses. The Australians are seething with injustice and eager for revenge. The squads look like a declaration that England will be up for a battle if things get ugly.

Trying To Second-Guess The Selectors

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

That Ashes Squad Announcement

 

September 21^st

 

 

-          Computer issues meant that this never got posted!

 

[12:00 CEST] Even though there is still one round of County Championship games, there is really only one story in town. Everyone is trying to pick their Ashes squad ahead of Monday’s announcement, with names ranging from the bizarre to the obvious.

For the England Ashes squad, thirteen of the names are practically undisputed. The only small area of doubt would be Tim Bresnan’s fitness but, he is expected to be ready. With a shadow squad already in Australia in the form of the Lions there is limited benefit in selecting 17 players instead of 16 because there are only 3 games and, if as England do, you have a pretty good idea of your 13 for Brisbane, you want to get them ready, acclimatised and match fit, rather than reducing their preparation by giving games to players who you do not expect to use. It is not obvious that you would need to pick cover for Tim Bresnan, because you can always call up somebody from the Lions, if necessary. That leaves just three places up for grabs: one batsman and two bowlers, one of whom should ideally be an all-rounder. It is the identity of those three players that is causing the most debate.

The biggest debate is about the second spinner. There is no good option. By far the most successful spinner in the country is Simon Kerrigan, who has 58 wickets at 22.0. Next comes Ollie Rayner of Middlesex with 46 wickets at 22.0. Then Graeme Swann with 40 wickets at 26.3 (from only 8 First Class matches), Monty Panesar, with 38 wickets at 38.0 and Scott Borthwick, with 31 wickets at 31.9.

There is no question that Kerrigan will go to the Lions squad and try to re-habilitate his international career. He is young and had a tough debut. People who know him warned that it was a bit early to try him (Graeme Swann’s international start was equally disastrous and led to him being ignored for eight years). Taking Monty Panesar to Australia would be a huge risk: it might work, but then it could be a disaster unless he really is on the road to rehabilitation from his problems outside the game (too many opportunities for a player to enjoy the nightlife). We do not know that, but the selectors will have checked. He will only go if they are sure that he is up to it. With the greatest of respect to Ollie Rayner – the only German in First Class cricket? – he is a genuine journeyman, although he is showing signs of a greater talent developing, but he is not an international cricketer and probably never will be. Scott Borthwick? Maybe, but you would take him for the experience, hoping against hope that Graeme Swann does not go lame on the day of a match and leave you with him as your only frontline spin option.

The alternative is to use Joe Root and to take an extra seamer. Here Ben Stokes and Chris Jordan will be intensely interested in events. Stokes has had more opportunities, but Jordan has made a tremendous impression in his limited opportunities: 54 wickets at 29.2 with a strike rate of 47.7 says a lot about his strengths and weaknesses – he is fast, he is nasty, but he can be expensive. Stokes has 42 wickets at 25.0, with a strike rate of 45.4, but has had the generally friendlier wickets of Chester-le-Street and a potent, winning attack to support him. Jordan has four 5-fors this season, while Stokes’s best is 4-49. Both though can bat and are potential all-rounders. I would send Stokes with the Lions where I think that he will learn more and take Jordan and tell him to bowl fast and enjoy himself – Jordan is the more likely to be a third seamer, or even to open the attack in a Test.

The final place has to be a batsman. All kinds of names have been suggested: even Ravi Bopara. No less than 29 batsmen have 1000 First Class runs. Rogers, Robson, Klinger, Nash, Joyce and Goodwin are ineligible. Others such as Dent, Eckersley, Katitch, Gidman, Key and Ballance are too young, too old, or just not going to make it at this level (Ballance will tour with the Lions and Dent may possibly). That still leaves interesting options such as Moin Ali, Varun Chopra, James Taylor, Nick Compton, Samit Patel and… Scott Borthwick.

Compton has had a poor season by the standards of 2012, but would be the choice of those who feel that he has been poorly treated. Taylor though has played a Test and averages over 50 this season. Samit Patel has four centuries, including a murderous double, but no other score over 50. I would like the selectors to go with Compton, but suspect that they will go with Taylor, or Borthwick. I also suspect that Moin Ali and Varun Chopra will be in Australia with the Lions.

So, my extra three would probably be Jordan, Borthwick (mainly as a batsman) and Taylor, but I will hold out some faint hopes that Nick Compton is given another chance. However, if the reports of Monty Panesar are positive he will be selected over any of these three.

The Two Sides Of County Cricket

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

Triumph and tragedy in the county game

 

September 20^th

 

 

[18:00 CEST] Michael Clarke’s increasing back problems may actually prove to be a major boost for Australia. He looks set to miss the tour of India. Rather than being seen as a problem, this may actually be a benefit as, rather than criss-crossing India and throwing his body around in a merciless series of T20 and ODI matches, he will get some rest and play some Sheffield Shield games, if fit. It also distances the squad for India a little more from the likely Ashes team so, were results to go badly in India, there would be a reduced sense that the side has lost momentum. It would help a little to promote the feeling that the Test and ODI squads are just a bit separate and that the Ashes campaign will not be sacrificed on the altar of ODI success.

Today was the last chance for the players in the county game to influence those places in the Ashes squad that are not set in stone. With the Championship decided yesterday, today Yorkshire had the chance to settle the Runners-Up spot. There was something appropriate in the way that Middlesex seemed at one point to be cruising to what was expected to be a really tough target, before collapsing in a heap and falling well short. It was a microcosm of a Middlesex season that started so well. 79 points in the first 5 games with 3 wins and no defeats; 103 points in the next 11 games, with 3 wins and 5 defeats. A look at the Middlesex middle order tells you everything that you need to know: Dexter, average 32.2; Simpson 30.9; Denly 26.1; Berg 23.9; Malan 21.5 and just 96 First Class runs from Morgan. How much longer will Middlesex have patience with Berg, Malan and Morgan? Can a side like Middlesex afford to hang onto a player who plays just a handful of limited overs games per season and maybe one First Class match and is no longer a first choice even on the rare occasions when available for First Class games?

At the bottom of the table, Surrey’s brave bid to take their interest in proceedings into the last round of matches failed. For a good part of the day it looked as if they could just spring a surprise, but Warwickshire’s fifth wicket partnership took the game away from them. After a season where little has gone right, Middlesex’s collapse has given them an unexpected chance to claim third place and win some useful prize money. As Warwickshire were still not safe from relegation before this game, it would be a quite remarkable turnaround. To finish third, Warwickshire must beat Derbyshire and better the result that Sussex obtain against Durham by at least 3 points.

Derbyshire need a small miracle. Even if they win, they depend on the result of the game between the two sides above them: Somerset and Nottinghamshire. Ten points for Nottinghamshire – that’s a draw having scored 300 in the first innings – and nine for Somerset, will see Derbyshire go down whatever happens and potentially become only the third side to be relegated with four wins. The temptation to arrange for both sides to make 300+ and play out a safe draw will be immense. Derbyshire were awful for the first two thirds of the season, but have impressed people with their spirit in making a real bid for survival and in just how much they have improved with a small budget and playing staff.

In contrast, Surrey have made few friends this summer. Surrey have gone from the overwhelmingly young side that was promoted from Division 2 in 2011 to a side that has been a figure of fun. Surrey supporters have not understood it, mainly because they have struggled to distinguish between signing a 38 year old Rickie Ponting and signing a 38 year old Gary Keedy. One was a very fine county player who is at the very end of his career and who was never good enough to play at a higher level. The other was one of the greats of the last twenty-five years. The justification for fielding as many as six players over 35 has been to give a ballast of experience. They have tried to buy success by signing a mixture of brilliant international names and journeymen in the twilight of their careers when they have so much local talent that is going to waste. English cricket is littered with former Surrey players who have been discarded as journeymen and suddenly come good elsewhere (just look how Chris Jordan has gone from “not good enough” to being a good shout for the Ashes squad by moving from The Oval). The talent of bowlers such as Stuart Meaker, who was close to a Test debut in India last winter and Jade Dernbach is being wasted: the former has hardly made an impact this season and the latter has been dropped. An attack that can boast Tremlett, Meaker, Dernbach, Linley and Batty should be causing devastation in Division 1 – on potential it is surely the best – but Surrey are unable to bowl sides out. No Surrey batsman has managed 1000 runs – the best has been 37 year old Solanki, signed from Worcestershire. Only five have managed 500 runs.

All the over-35s have been signed from outside – not one has come through the Surrey system and stayed with the club. One of the unkinder nicknames that Surrey has picked up has been the “geriatrics”; sadly the appellation has often looked well merited. They are now faced with a quite major re-building job in Division 2, without having given the young guns the longer run in the side that would benefit them next year. My guess is that Surrey will need a 4-5 year project to bring on and consolidate young talent in Division 2. English cricket needs a strong Surrey side in the same way that it needs a strong Yorkshire. Gus Fraser took a Middlesex team riven with divisions and wasting away and, over several painful years in Division 2, molded them into a powerful team without resorting to expensive signings. Surrey need something similar to be done. And they need the sort of guiding hand for the young guns that was absent previously, to mature them. There's talent a-plenty there, they just need to harness it properly.

Australia Ring The Changes... Again. Durham Work Their Magic... Again!

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

Australia Ring the Changes… again, while Durham work their magic

 

September 19^th

 

 

[14:00 CEST] While England enjoys a soggy climax to the season, with the County Championship likely to be decided today – Durham need only to dodge the rain for an hour or so to seal the title with a game to spare – Australia are already preparing for their next international commitment and, in doing so, threaten to hand the initiative neatly back to England.

Durham’s title will be well deserved. It has also come as quite a shock to the system of many pundits who tipped Durham for relegation. The reasons for expecting them to struggle were sound enough: the side had a difficult season last year and only survived relegation after a late run of form; it is going through a deep re-generation – players such as Plunkett and Harmison have gone, the captaincy has passed from hand to hand like a dodgy grenade, the batting has been fragile and the bowling uncertain. What those pundits failed to take into account was the sudden injection of confidence that the appointment of Paul Collingwood has given. England place and T20 captaincy long gone, Collingwood took over the reins for the end of the 2012 season with the side looking certain to go down into Division 2, marking the end of a golden era for Durham. Durham managed an astonishing late run of results and were undoubtedly the form side at the end of the 2012 season. It should not have been a great surprise to anyone that they carried that form through to the 2013 season.

However, a third of the way through the season Durham were only third. On May 18^th, with five games completed, Middlesex had managed a tubocharged start and were sitting proud on top of the Championship, with three wins, ahead of Yorkshire, with Durham 9.5 points back. Middlesex faded away and, in their next ten games, won just two and suffered four defeats. Yorkshire were seen off in a critical match in August and, suddenly, Durham were sitting proud on the top of the Championship.

The seminal moment for Durham’s campaign was the remarkable game against Nottinghamshire early in the season. Durham had started with a win and then heavy defeats against Warwickshire and Yorkshire. Their season was stalling almost before it had started. Starting the last day, a win seemed the most likely thing, but Nottinghamshire hung on and hung on and when Graeme Swann and Ajmal Shazad added 75 for the last wicket it seemed to have condemned the match to a draw. Durham were left 183 to win in 23 overs. Block out a couple of overs and shake on a draw? Durham came blasting out of the blocks and won with almost three overs to spare. Suddenly their season had changed direction. Paul Collingwood showed that he was willing to attack in any situation and the wins flowed and, with them, the confidence.

Probably only dyed in the wool fans can name the majority of the Durham team. There are not too many household names, nor major stars, but the club has kept a tight, local identity and has remained part of the community, producing endless local talent. They have done a fabulous job to turn things round and win again. They have a beautiful ground in a lovely part of the country and are well-supported. A lot of cricket fans around the country will be delighted with their success and with the renaissance of Yorkshire who, despite heavy Test calls, have given Durham a real run for their money.

England will announce their Ashes squad on Monday 23^rd. Probably thirteen names pick themselves, while the other three will cause endless debate. Australia though move straight on to their next international commitment.

The last two Ashes series have been preceded by a short Australian tour of India. On both occasions the tour has been a disaster and Australia have been significantly softened-up for England. Once again, Australia are heading to India so that many of the Ashes squad will miss the early Sheffield Shield games. While England are preparing in Australia, Australia will be grinding around India, playing a T20 and seven ODIs: the ECB may be tempted to send a polite thank you to Mumbai if Australia have another difficult series and head to the Ashes with their momentum stalled again and their preparations somewhat de-railed. Back in April, the unanimous opinion was that Australia’s 4-0 defeat in India would have no bearing on the Ashes. Of course, people said that. And of course it was pure fantasy. No opponent can resist enjoying the sort of chaos in the opposition camp that a series whitewash produces and no side recovers from such a whitewash quickly, whatever fine words they say about it.

Australia seem determined not to learn from past mistakes. Of course, were they to go to India and to win and win in style, it would be a huge boost, but India is India and sides do not win there easily.

The Australian touring party only contains a handful of likely names for the 1^st Test. Watson, Clarke and Haddin are sure to be in the squad. Phil Hughes may well be. Mitch Johnson and James Faulkner certainly will hope to be. What is interesting is to see the changes. David Warner has been dropped. He will be expected to make runs in the Sheffield Shield, in his place is Aaron Finch, who has also replaced him as the batting sensation. Xavier Doherty has replaced Fawad Ahmed, who had replaced him for the ODIs in England. After the matches in South Africa, the tour management gave Fawad Ahmed a glowing report, saying that he had bowled far better than his figures suggested. This has happened again. He received some heavy punishment from England and, in his three official ODIs, has gone at better than a run a ball, taking just three wickets at almost 50 each but, again, is reported to have bowled better than his figures suggest. He is also being asked to play in the Sheffield Shield and make his case for the Ashes, although it looks as if he will have to be extremely convincing to replace Nathan Lyon.

For Matt Wade, things are less certain. Only a few months ago he was being hailed by Australian fans as the best wicket-keeper batsman in the world. His tour of England has been a disaster: limited opportunities and, when they came, few runs, a lot of dropped catches and missed chances and, now, after ten Tests and forty ODIs, he has lost his place to a man ten years older who has decided that he wants to continue playing until the 2015 World Cup. Whether or not there is a way back for him is uncertain.

Of course, Michael Clarke may not even be fit to make the trip. His back is giving more cause for concern. Plan B in this case is George Bailey and not Shane Watson.

Australia’s selectors are conforming to recent tradition, embarking on a tough tour as Ashes preparation and the revolving door selection policy, if moderated, is still present. It may be third time lucky for Australia. There again, it may not be.

The Bench Strength Points To Tour Picks

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

Testing the bench strength is always worthwhile

 

September 17^th

 
 

[22:00 CEST] A few months ago the loud moaning – I would be tempted to say “whining” – was that if James Anderson got injured England would have no more than a club attack that would be powerless to resist Australia’s batting power. As theories go, it was understandable. Tim Bresnan was coming back from a second operation, as was Graeme Swann. Stuart Broad had struggled with a heel injury during the winter. There were no credible reserves. Australia had nothing to fear: one or two injuries and England would be on their knees.

That it did not quite work out that way was in part due to the lack of injuries, but also to the pack mentality of the England attack. It could bear Steve Finn completely losing form and confidence and still win 3-0 and come within a tick on an umpire’s light meter of making it 4-0, even with Tim Bresnan out injured. When a wicket was needed, it might be Tim Bresnan one day, Graeme Swann another, Stuart Broad the next – there was little choose in terms of strike rate and contribution to the series win.

The Fifth Test and the ODIs have been used to check the bench strength. Ajmal Shazad who, two years ago, was a Test player is out of favour but, instead, the selectors have looked at Chris Woakes, Boyd Rankin, Chris Jordan, Ben Stokes, James Tredwell and Simon Kerrigan. There were some outstanding successes: Boyd Rankin was one and, after a nervous start, Chris Jordan was another. There were some terrible disappointments: those who have watched Simon Kerrigan’s career were stunned to see how he disintegrated into a bundle of nerves, while James Tredwell’s star waned as the Australians went after him and found that he had no answers. There were a couple of seminal moments in the series when first Steve Finn and then Simon Kerrigan were severely dealt with by the Australians and Alistair Cook, showing some steel (for some) and bull-headedness (for others) showed that he had no time for them once they had let him down. Eoin Morgan, who had to juggle more slender resources, must have been tempted to run from the field, head in hands, crying “Oh dear! Oh my!” in the manner of Hardy Har Har, as he watched Tredwell dismantled, knowing that what he had available to replace him would be even more vulnerable.

Ben Stokes, I would give a provisional pass to. Yes, he took wickets, but was expensive with it. He looks too raw to bowl as a third seamer and his batting, while very promising in two difficult match situations, will need to develop further to make him a genuine Test all-rounder. There is speculation that he will go to Australia as the spare all-rounder, but I would prefer to see him playing regularly with the Lions there, than carrying drinks for all but two or three days with the main squad. Similarly, we saw too little of Chris Woakes to make a real judgement. A lot of people wanted to bury him based on some nervous initial overs but, after a timorous start, he did the job asked of him of keeping things tight to spell the front-line bowlers and, if his first Test wicket was from a typical slog overs shot, he deserved to get it – he had bowled some fine deliveries on an excellent line just outside of stump that, on another day, could have taken two or three cheap wickets. Can he make himself into a genuine Test bowler?  Too slow? Well, he was faster than some of the Australian bowlers in the Test series and, as Glenn McGrath showed, you can take wickets bowling at 80mph if you develop a weapon.

In contrast, Boyd Rankin, who looked like being the anecdote of the summer, as the man who changed sides only to be forgotten, became England’s go-to bowler and responded with a series of displays, each better than the one before. With doubts about Chris Tremlett’s fitness and staying power, it looks as if Boyd Rankin will go to Australia as England’s enforcer: if Australia produce fast, bouncy pitches, Boyd Rankin will thoroughly enjoy himself, as Chris Tremlett did in 2010.

However, Rankin was on the radar beforehand. Chris Jordan was not. Brought to England from Barbados for a cricket scholarship due to his exceptional talent, he made a rapid impact. However, injury and the slow Surrey trainwreck let to him becoming a marginal and disaffected player at The Oval, however much he returned to Barbados and bowled like a demon in the winter. Why the West Indies Cricket Board did not pay attention to his excellent returns in Caribbean domestic cricket is a mystery. Knowing that he was qualified for England through his grandparents and would be through residence too, they must have known that there was a chance that he would be lost, so it is hard to fathom why he did not get a West Indies A invite that would have tied him to Caribbean cricket. Once he had appeared for the Lions with success after his revival at Sussex, it was inevitable that he would go on to senior honours. Although he started nervously, he came back strongly and showed plenty of hostile intent, raw speed and menace. All in all, he showed that he has the potential to be the sort of shock weapon that Norman Cowans was in the 1982/83 Ashes, with the raw pace to give batsmen the hurry-up. Jordan is also a useful batsman although, logically, he found the extreme pace of Mitch Johnson a mystery initially, but hung in there and scored some useful runs.

With Boyd Rankin surely having tied down one of the four positions up for grabs (the XI from Trent Bridge plus Tim Bresnan), it is likely that Jordan and Stokes are competing for one spot in the main party, with the other in the shadow, Lions squad. I see Stokes as a raw player who will benefit more from the regular cricket that the Lions will offer, while Jordan could come in on the morning of a Test and have a five-for by Tea.

With Monty Panesar almost certain to be overlooked, James Tredwell had a chance to seal a spot as second spinner. He now looks a much less credible option. His First Class season has been dreadful, not helped by playing in a struggling side and his few wickets have come at around 56 each. However, with Kerrigan looking almost certain to be consigned to the Lions, the choice of second spinner has become moot. It is not impossible that the selectors could return to Samit Patel, although Adil Rashid, who will most certainly NOT be picked, has more wickets at a better average (still comfortably the wrong side of 40). This has been a poor season for spinners in general and who should shadow Graeme Swann will be perhaps the most difficult decision. The selectors could even decide not to name a second spinner and rely on whoever is in form in the Lions squad to step in at short notice, if necessary, reasoning that Australia are unlikely to deal up low, slow turners.

A lot of discussion will focus on the batting reserves. If a spinner is picked, there will, most likely, be only one batting slot open. Many people would like it to go to Nick Compton and with it to see him open with Cook, with Joe Root going back to #6, although the selectors show no signs of encouraging him that he is still in their thoughts. With Jonny Bairstow in the squad there is no need for another  specialist wicket-keeper. However, James Taylor is the most likely to be added as spare batsman and, if a spinner is required, Scott Borthwick offers a spin option, as well as a plentiful batting talent. A left field pick such as Gary Balance or Varun Chopra is less likely.

Certainties: Cook, Root, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Bairstow, Prior, Bresnan, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Finn & Rankin

Probables: Taylor, Jordan

In the balance: Compton or Borthwick

An Australian Win Lends Credibility To Their Narrative

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

Australia have their piece of silver

 

September 16^th

[23:00 CEST] Just over two weeks ago a brilliant individual performance earned Australia their first international win of the summer at the Ageas Bowl – the Rose Bowl to you and I. There was something singularly appropriate in the fact that another brilliant individual performance would seal the ODI series.

England paid the price for allowing 20 overs of utter mayhem when comfortably on top. It is no consolation that for 75 overs the inexperienced line up competed and was as good as Australia: those 20 overs in the middle of Australia’s innings in which Tredwell and Root went for 96 from their combined 10 overs, killed the game. With Steve Finn withdrawing before the match with a side strain and Jonathon Trott pulling out moments before the toss with a back spasm, Ravi Bopara was by far the most experienced member of England’s attack. On the radio the TMS team were prophesising doom and predicting that it would all end in tears and, for once, they were right.

Boyd Rankin, cast in the role of senior bowler, was miserly. At the other end, Chris Jordan was fast, but expensive, but did Phil Hughes for pace, suggesting that when he got it right he could be a handful. Having gone for a lot of runs – 1-28 – in his first four overs, Jordan came back in mid-innings and produced 6-0-23-2 on his return. There was enough to suggest that he could be a force in international cricket. Jordan is another product of an international heritage: he has an English grandmother and, although born in Barbados, developed his cricket at the famous Dulwich College in south London and settled in the country. When the West Indies failed to show an interest in him, he accepted a Lions invite and the rest is history. Clocking around 90mph on the speed gun, he is fast enough that he can unsettle some Australian batsmen if they decide to produce pacey pitches this winter.

There is something a little Bothamesque about Ben Stokes. First change in only the fourth ODI that he has bowled in, he was bowling to Finch and Watson as they started to flex their muscles. Rain break. Two wickets in two balls. Suddenly the match was turned on its head. Sounds familiar? He was expensive, far too expensive, but came away with 5 wickets in what was pure ITB style.

At 48-3 at the end of the tenth over England just needed one more wicket. It took 22 overs to arrive. Michael Clarke was not very mobile with his bad back, but marmalised the bowling, while Watson butchered the support bowling with such brutality that Ed Smith was predicting a total of over 400.

With Australia though a collapse is always on the cards and 211-3 at the end of the 32^nd over became a disappointing 282-6 in the 45^th and 298 all out with five balls left unused. It was the sort of total that England should have been able to chase given a decent start. After Carberry was run out by Pietersen in the previous match, it was almost predictable that Carberry would run out Pietersen. Every time England looked like getting level, wickets fell: 50-1, England doing OK; 68-4, it was all over. Morgan could not work a miracle this time but England still had Bopara and Buttler who consolidated and then, gradually accelerated. 195-5 with 12 overs to go and, suddenly, although the odds were favouring Australia still, the momentum was shifting. Both fell quickly and, again, it looked all over. It is the hope that kills and, as Stokes and Jordan hung in adding runs just fast enough to keep England in the hunt, a tiny bubble of hope started to grow again. Could England keep it up? Could they hell! Jordan and Stokes went in the space of six balls and it was “good night and thanks for the game”.

Australia have their silverware and can go home feeling that the momentum was with them in the second half of the tour. Certainly the games were closer but, with England 3-0 up in the Tests, maintaining the intensity was always going to be hard and, tradition states that the Ashes winner loses the ODIs. However, Australia desperately needed this win to support their narrative that they were unlucky to lose. As only Pietersen and Root are likely starters in the Ashes this winter, the relevance of the ODI series win is limited. For England it was more about identifying potential reserves and it looks as if Boyd Rankin has worked his way onto the tour, with Chris Jordan throwing his hat into the ring as a possible if Tim Bresnan is not fit. Whatever conclusions you take from the series, England have learnt some useful things about the abilities, capacity and relative merits of Stokes, Rankin, Tredwell and Jordan.

 

 

The Ageas Bowl Brings Down The Curtain

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

End of Part I

 

September 15^th

 

 

[22:00 CEST] The international summer finishes in the Ageas Bowl tomorrow. There is much more at stake than just the ODI series. For Australia, winning the series is essential for their message that, even if they started the summer a little off the pace, they have been the better side at the end of the tour and will be going into the return series as the side in form. A defeat would not just lose the ODI series and send Australia home with defeat in the Tests and ODIs and a draw in the T20 series, but would see England go up to #2 in the ICC ODI rankings, moving above Australia. It will make almost impossible the job of selling the narrative that tour of England has only been unsuccessful due to a catalogue of misfortunes that beggar the imagination, starting with a cursed Champions Trophy campaign and passing through a Test series where umpires, rain and technology conspired to stop Australia winning whenever they were on top. A side that wins only 3 international matches out of 16 in the entire tour, one of them against Scotland, can complain all it likes about the fates, but cannot argue with the facts. In contrast, a series win, albeit in a shortened ODI series, would allow a spin that, finally, justice was being seen to be done.

England’s win yesterday has already been a healthy reminder of just why Australia have not been successful. In conditions where the odds were strongly in favour of the batsmen and Australia batted first, such as the first T20, Australia’s batsmen have been able to express themselves and set big totals. However, whenever conditions have required the batsmen to scrap for every run, Australia have invariably come a distant second. The same effect was seen at the SWALEC. At 8-3, after a McKay hat-trick you would have thought that Australia could only win. However, as we saw in the Test series, losing three early wickets was when England were most dangerous. Five times in the Test series England lost early wickets (11-2 at Trent Bridge, 28-3 and 30-3 at Lords, 49-3 at Chester-le-Street, 64-3 at Old Trafford), yet their average score in those innings was 356 and none was lower than 330. The two occasions when England started a Test well (100-1 at Chester-le-Street and 100-2 at Trent Bridge) were the two occasions that England registered their lowest completed innings totals (238 and 215 respectively). It is for this reason that I simply cannot hold with the idea that Australia would have won at Old Trafford had rain not intervened: it would have required them to buck the trend for the entire series.

It was at the Ageas Bowl that Australia had their high water mark of the summer when Aaron Finch singled-handedly won Australia a match that ended up being a lot closer than they would have expected when they set England a mammoth chase. However, the weather forecast for tomorrow suggests that conditions will be more like those in Cardiff than those in Southampton a couple of weeks ago. It will be cold, with a chance of rain in the afternoon. It is the sort of conditions that may well persuade England to stick with Ravi Bopara as the fifth bowler, rather than to try Chris Jordan. At the SWALEC it was vindicated as Bopara turned in an excellent spell and the extra batsman proved vital as the chase faltered. It will be interesting to see if England go for continuity, with the same XI, or to learn about new players as they did, so surprisingly, in the final Test. In a day-night game with conditions set to be decidedly chilly by the end of the match, winning the toss may be vital.

England Exploit Australia's Weaknesses

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

A little role reversal

 

September 14^th

 

 

[23:00 CEST] There is something uniquely stressful about following a match, particularly a tense one on Cricinfo. It is far worse when you are out – in my case on the way to the cinema – and you can only see it on a smartphone, with the score updating just twice an over on the mobile service. It gives a whole new meaning to pain. The game was positively agonising. A delay in updating? Is that a wicket? A referral? The Martians have invaded? Your imagination goes into overdrive. It is compelling viewing.

The game was meant to be Australia’s party: the final proof that they had been the better team all summer and had lost unjustly, to some or, to others, the side that had finished the stronger and dominated, without ever quite being able to force victory. An Australian win would have won the series. In that sense, it re-enforced the series stereotypes. Once again, Australia looked to be cruising and lost their way to a massive collapse. At 209-5 at the start of the 43^rd over, with two well set batsmen Australia would have been looking at a possible total of 270 or 280. Instead, they lost 5 wickets for 18 and failed to see out their overs. James Tredwell, singled out for some brutal punishment earlier, came back with three cheap wickets as Australia subsided tamely.

The summer script then had England losing three cheap wickets, before the fourth and fifth wicket pairings took the game away from Australia, helped by catastrophic use of DRS. Would the ODIs be different? Darren Lehman must have nightmares every time that three wickets go down quickly that the game has just slipped away from his side. Today the Australians were reading the same script. 8-3, with a McKay hat-trick and Mitch Johnson bowling like a demon, slipped away and, suddenly, Mitch Johnson was England’s benefactor. His first 5 overs went for 22, his next 4.3 overs cost 42 runs as England found easy pickings. McKay ratcheted up the pressure with seven runs and the wicket of Ben Stokes from his last two overs, but with Johnson’s last nine balls going for nineteen, his efforts were in vain. It was the sort of performance to make England fans hope that they see much more of Mitch Johnson this winter. Even when the much criticised Carberry and Morgan fell quickly having re-built the innings there was a feeling that Australia were no longer in control and when Matt Wade dropped a sitter you knew that it was the same Australia from the rest of the summer.

For England, Rankin and Finn have probably confirmed their places on the tour of Australia – if there was any doubt about it. Stokes contributed with both bat and ball. Bopara failed with the bat for once, but turned in a handy performance with the ball and James Tredwell showed why he is England’s preferred stand-in stuntman for Graeme Swann in this format. In fact, you can argue that Tredwell should have the job on a permanent basis and not just to save Swann’s elbow from further damage. With the bat, Carberry justified the faith the selectors have had in him; to make such a big contribution will do his confidence no harm. Eoin Morgan, who was beginning to be seriously questioned, has come back with 124*, 54, 5* and 53 in his last 4 ODIs and Jos Buttler built on the platform set by Carberry and Morgan to control the chase and get England over the line. On a day where scoring was difficult, Buttler was the only batsman to score at over a run a ball.

Whatever spin Australia have put on the events of the summer, even in this ODI series that Australia were expected to dominate, things have not quite gone to plan and Australia now face playing the final match at Southampton on Monday with the series hanging on the result, wondering why they somehow manage to lose in the end. Yet the average Australian is still convinced that Australia were only denied wins at Old Trafford and at The Oval by rain and bad light at Trent Bridge by bad umpiring and at Chester-le-Street by bad luck. The conviction that, morally, the Test series finished 4-1 to Australia is so deep, that many Australian fans think that the return series will be a wipe-out, with the only uncertainty the margin of Australian victory. Australian overconfidence will be England’s biggest weapon.

Carberry At The Crossroads Simon Jones Says Goodbye

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

We’re right behind you Carbs

 

September 13^th

 

 

[10:00 CEST] Michael Carberry has heard that most terrifying of phrases if you are a football manager “you’ve had a tough time, we’re all backing you”. The phrase is so familiar that newspapers can plan their story on the imminent loss of job, knowing that they will only need to wait a week or two to publish it. It is the usual story of a player who looks superb in Division 2 of the County Championship finding that Division 1 is a step up in class and international cricket is something else altogether. In Division 2 most sides have one or possibly two top-class bowlers. In Division 1 you face a full attack that is not far short of international class. The intensity is greater. The opportunity to recover from  mistakes correspondingly lower. James Taylor discovered that when he moved from Leicestershire to Nottinghamshire: his first season he could hardly score a run until he leant to cope with the higher level. Division 1 cricket in England is now, without doubt, the toughest First Class competition outside international cricket. The fact that players are increasingly moving to Division 1 sides to further their chances of Test cricket shows that they know that runs at the lower level do come much easier and are not worth as much (ask Ravi Bopara).

Michael Carberry has been told that he will get the last two games of the ODI series to give him a chance to show what he can do. It greatly reduces the chances of the selectors to experiment, but the weather is doing that too. Tomorrow’s game is looking an iffy proposition with conditions favouring the bowlers. Rain is forecast to start mid-afternoon and last through most of the night. With England needing to win to keep the  series live, the bowling is the biggest worry which would mean, in normal circumstances, dropping a batsman. While Finn, Rankin and Tredwell are a good attack, it is asking a lot of Ben Stokes to act as a front-line bowler at this level and Ravi Bopara is the sort of bowler who can be deadly when the conditions are helpful, but not when the pitch is full of runs and the batsmen are setting out to attack.

If conditions favour the bowlers, we will almost certainly see England field an unchanged XI. If the conditions favour batting it would be a huge risk to persist with what has been termed a “three and a half bowler” policy. Either way, it would be astonishing if Chris Jordan were not to get a game in the final match at least, although he is definitely a red ball specialist and not the ideal player to blood in an ODI. However, he is what the selectors have got.

Yesterday one of the last remaining links with the England side of 2005 announced his retirement from First Class cricket. Of the twelve players used by England in that series, only Pietersen (who topped the batting averages) and Bell are still playing for England. Marcus Trescothick, Paul Collingwood and Geraint Jones are still playing county cricket, but close to retirement now. Steve Harmison last played for Durham 2^nd XI on May 2^nd and will surely announce his retirement before the end of the season. Matthew Hoggard has just announced his retirement. Ashley Giles retired in 2006 and now, Simon Jones, whose glittering international career was ended by a series of major injuries has finally accepted that he will not be able to play any more First Class Cricket; he will play on in T20, but will no longer play even 50 over matches. He was close to a return to the England side in Michael Vaughan’s last season in charge but the selectors, perhaps wisely, decided that his body would not stand up to the rigours of a Test. Like his father before him, injury stopped him from moving on to greater things. In a 15-year career Simon Jones managed just 91 First Class matches, 18 of them, Tests, but showed the strength to come back from no less than three injuries that would have ended the career of most players.

Once Again, Rain Is The Only Winner

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

Rain Saves England

 

September 12^th

 

 

[10:00 CEST] As predicted yesterday, the only winner was the weather. Just 15 overs of play were possible and, in that time, England struggled to 59-3. With predictions suggesting that the rain would clear around 1930, allowing a 20 over match to go ahead, England were in the standard nightmare situation in ODIs of knowing that even if they hammered 70 runs from their last 29 balls without losing a wicket, Australia would be left with little more than a token target to chase. The extreme shortening of a game after one side has batted, but not quite reached 20 overs, almost always favours the side batting second and, in this case, would have reduced the match to a farce. Most neutrals would probably be happy that this did not happen, although Australian fans will see this as yet another injustice in a summer where everything and everyone has conspired against them and, as a result, neither the Champions Trophy, nor the Ashes, have reflected the true level of Australian performance.

What would have happened if rain had not intervened is uncertain. Certainly, conditions were not in favour of the batsmen and this could well have resulted in a low-scoring game, which was always likely to be more in England’s favour than a match played on a benign strip on which England’s fourth and fifth bowlers would again, almost certainly be found wanting.

Eoin Morgan said that no thought had been given to changing the side, which was probably true given the conditions. The reasoning was probably that Ravi Bopara’s gentle medium pace could turn out to be a real handful in these conditions, as it has proved to be on previous occasions. Australia seemed to be suggesting something similar by dropping Fawad Ahmed to add an extra seamer although, when the rain came, Voges and Clarke were bowling their occasional slow left arm in tandem and tying the batsmen in knots.

The day started badly for England. Michael Carberry seems to have been paralysed by the decision to recall him. It is hard to see any other reason why such a talented batsman who has been in superb form all summer in on a decreasing spiral with a sequence of scores that now reads 146, 16, 10, 4, 1 in his last 5 Lions and England innings. At least there is not too much further that the sequence can go before looking up. Whether it is nerves or just a fear of failure, his failure to respond to Kevin Pietersen’s call for a sharp, but perfectly acceptable single in the first over left both batsmen at the same end made one wonder how tuned-in he was. Carberry started, stopped and only started again as Pietersen reached him. Had he continued running it was a perfectly safe single. In ODIs, rotating the strike with quick singles and pressuring the fielders by turning ones into twos is a basic factor in success, but Carberry did not seem aware that his partner had called and was bearing down on him. His three ODIs have now produced just 15 runs and he is running out of time to make the sort of telling contribution that will keep his name in the frame. His supporters will point to the score of 146 for the Lions against Bangladesh A, but that score has to be seen in the context of a series in which the Lions batsmen ran riot against weak opposition.

The series now moves on to Cardiff on Saturday with Australia needing the win to seal victory and England needing now to win both remaining games. With more bad weather forecast over the next two days, which is likely to wash out most of the County Championship fixtures, the two sides will probably be grateful just to get on the field of play and finish a match.

Autumnal Conditions May Offer England Their Best Chance

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

An Opportunity for England in the Gloom

 

September 11^th

 

 

[10:00 CEST] If the forecast is to be believed, today’s day-night game at Edgbaston may be no luckier than the aborted game at Headingley. Rain is forecast to arrive mid-afternoon and hang around all evening. Temperatures will be low and conditions are expected to be cold, humid and dank: not ideal for cricket. Assuming that England and Australia do get a game – which will require about two and a half rainless hours for the minimum 20 over match – these are not going to be ideal conditions for the stroke players. Similarly, the predicted low, slow pitch, may not make for a high-scoring game. This may be the sort of conditions in which England can neutralise the Australian advantages in this series.

Rumours surrounding the squad suggest that Chris Jordan could play for one of the batsmen. If he does, this would complete a quite stunning journey for him. Released by Surrey last year after several years of steadily decreasing returns, Chris Jordan is the sixth highest wicket-taker in the country in First Class cricket and third in Division 1, although well down the lists in the YB40 and T20. This conforms to England’s trend over the years to try out red ball specialists first in ODIs. The move to Sussex has revitalised his cricket. What is strange is that the West Indies have not moved to ensure his loyalty and, as a result, he will now be lost to their side. Having played for the Lions, even if not picked to make his international debut in this series, he would have to re-qualify for the West Indies.

Today is a big match for several England hopefuls. After having seemed to drop off the radar during the Ashes series, mainly due to the fact that Steve Finn, who he was intended to deputise for if required, became a bit player, Boyd Rankin has an excellent chance in the remaining matches to nail down a spot in the Ashes squad. Michael Carberry’s re-introduction to the England set-up has been difficult. Apart from a 146 against Bangladesh A in the 2^nd unofficial ODI, his scores have been 20, 16, 10 and 4 for Lions and England, a steadily decreasing sequence that he will want to reverse. His only other significant score in his last 10 matches was a 45 against Scotland. For a batsman who is now 32 and have come back from a career – and potentially life-threatening – illness, time is running out to get himself established in the international squad. Bopara and Morgan are established limited-overs players for England who may yet hold out hopes of a return to the Test set-up, although that looks increasingly unlikely in both cases. While Buttler and Stokes are young players who hope one day to make it through all the way, but who need to start to turn in big performances when given the opportunity to perform.

Meanwhile, around England the County Championship is entering its final rounds. Five of the nine sides have just two games left. Mathematically, any of the top four can still win, but Sussex know that they will almost certainly lose their very slim mathematical chance in this round (basically they need Durham to lose all three of their remaining games by large margins), while Middlesex need two big wins and for Yorkshire and Durham, who are ahead and who both have a game in hand, to stumble. At the bottom, any of the bottom four could be relegated, with Nottinghamshire rapidly being swallowed up as the teams behind them start to win games, while Nottinghamshire have not won one since May.

For the County Championship, which has seen spectator numbers increase steadily over the last ten or fifteen years to a level that many lower division football clubs would be happy to have, the title is Durham’s to lose, while Surrey know that they will probably have to win two of their last three games to be safe.

England's Failed Four-Bowler fixation

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

The four bowler question

 

September 10^th

 
 

[10:00 CEST] Over the years England have used a four bowler attack mainly successfully in Tests. There are occasions when it has backfired spectacularly, such as in the Caribbean in 1986 when bowlers were sacrificed to try to strengthen a batting line-up that failed consistently to supply the runs that the attack could have defended, even at full strength. The normal justification has been the lack of an all-rounder good enough to make a five-bowler attack a realistic option but, even with Andrew Flintoff in his pomp, the tendency was to play four bowlers more often than not.

In ODIs England have often used a four-man attack with a fifth bowler who was not a specialist, although much more than an occasional bowler: Ravi Bopara is typical of this type. The idea is that if you have a reliable non-specialist such as Bopara or Graeme Gooch, you can usually get away with 7 or 8 overs fairly cheaply leaving the balance to be bowled by a sixth bowler who shares the fifth bowler duties. Back in the 1979 World Cup Mike Brearley’s fertile mind saw that England could steal a march on their rivals by playing an extra batsman and asking Geoff Boycott to take major responsibility. This was no fly-by-night plan: he was warned months in advance that England would like to use his bowling as a serious weapon during the tournament. At the time, with Willis, Hendrick, Botham and Old to lead the attack, it looked like a pretty good option, although Bob Willis was in horrendous form and, in June, despite playing all Warwickshire’s Championship games, was still searching for his first First Class wicket!

As it turned out, the tactic of using Geoff Boycott worked so well that he actually topped the averages for the tournament, taking vital wickets and, particularly in the very tight, low-scoring game with Pakistan, when he had to be used as a death bowler; in that game his bowling was very much a match-winner. The fact that Geoff Boycott topped the averages is all the more remarkable because, in the Final, England came up against the one situation where the strategy would be a liability: a high-scoring game with batsmen on the attack. Boycott came in for real punishment for the only time in the tournament, yet his figures were still economical compared to the battering that Wayne Larkins (2 overs for 22) and Graeme Gooch took.

Fast forward to the Champions Trophy 2013. England used Ravi Bopara and Joe Root as their fifth bowler. When did the strategy come unstuck? In the only high-scoring match that England played, which was the Sri Lanka game. Joe Root’s figures of 0-27 from 3 overs were just the worst in a massive pasting for the bowlers. In such situations the lack of a front-line bowler to come back in the middle overs to wrest back control is a killer. Batsmen find that they can build momentum smoothly, without the interruption that two or three overs from a front-line bowler can provide. In low-scoring games the gentler pace of someone such as Ravi Bopara can be extremely difficult to get away, as the West Indies memorably discovered to their cost in the 1983 World Cup Final when India’s collection of gemtle medium-pacers, led by Mohinder Armanath, strangled the powerful West Indian batting as successfully as it had strangled England’s in the Semi-Final (in those two games, Armanath’s figures were an astonishing combined 19-1-39-5).

In the second ODI the four-bowler strategy came up against attacking batsmen on a friendly pitch: the same scenario in which it has failed previously. Had the match been one of those tense, low-scoring classics that people tend to forget are usually more thrilling entertainment than a high-scoring game, it is quite possible that the strategy would have worked perfectly. As it was, the situation was the worst possible, with the Australian batsmen setting out to attack Tredwell to stop him settling and attack the fifth bowler. Eoin Morgan did not have anyone to turn to to re-gain some control. When the new ball bowlers did come back, the batsmen were thoroughly enjoying themselves and Steve Finn, who had started with 5-1-25-1, went for 5-0-43-1 on his return.

The lesson that England should have learnt is that, if the day is dark and dank and the pitch difficult, a four-bowler strategy may well be a winning one. If the sun is shining and the pitch is full of runs, as it was on Saturday, it is likely to be a recipe for disaster. You need to be adaptable.

Tomorrow the forecast is for cold, overcast conditions, with some possibility of rain. This may well a situation in which the four-bowler strategy will work perfectly. England have tended to be a little formulaic in their approach to ODIs and not to be good at adapting to circumstances. This ODI series though is one in which a little adaptation may be essential if England are to have a chance of winning; they must think on their feet and be prepared to change the balance of the side and, even tomorrow, it may not be an entirely bad thing to bring in Chris Jordan, even if it is at the expense of Michael Carberry.

On the Australian front there are no such problems. The first match was so one-sided that a 4-0 rout must seem to them to be the most likely result of the series. Mitch Johnson has made yet another comeback to international cricket and was fast, nasty and very effective, leading to comments that he will be a key bowler this winter. Although he took 4-36 against Scotland and 2-36 against England, it is as well to remember that he has been notably less successful in previous ODIs this summer: 0-66 v West Indies, 1-52 v India, 0-44 v England, 0-18 v New Zealand, 3-48 v Sri Lanka (this last being his stand-out performance). With Mitchell Starc joining the Australian injury list – also with a stress fracture of the back – Mitch Johnson could well be called up by Australia this winter. Although he tends to be ridiculed by England fans, any signs of a renaissance should be watched with caution because a genuinely fast bowler who is applying real pressure would provide Australia with a weapon that could easily change the balance of power in the series. Johnson on song, partnering Ryan Harris, would be a real handful for England.