Time To Trust Andy Flower's Judgement

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

Two Days to Go

 

November 18^th 2013

 

With just two days to the start of the Test series, the dubious weather forecast has had the bookies shifting the draw to be favourite. The odds on an England win are increasing by the day, reflecting doubts about the side and its preparation.

Various sources are suggesting that despite only obtaining one, expensive wicket so far, Chris Tremlett will be the third seamer on Thursday. This seems to be based on him clicking through the gears in the nets, despite only registering low ‘80s (or slower) in his two games so far on tour. If Tremlett does get the nod it would be an extraordinary comeback after a series of serious injuries. It would also cause severe apoplexy in many fans who saw how Chris Tremlett was not always able to hold a place in the struggling Surrey attack last season. Many fans think that Graeme Onions has been hard done by and that county form counts for little with the selectors; this would not do much to change their minds.

For what it is worth, Graeme Onions went to India and New Zealand and had a nightmare winter. He played just one game on each tour and was treated with such contempt by the batsmen both times that the selectors may feel that, whatever his success on juicy English pitches, he has lost the zip that he would need to be effective at Test level.

What fans tend to forget is that the selectors have not made many bad calls over the last few years. There have not been many picks that were based on whim and that have proved to be a disaster, so the critics should hold fire until they see the results. Not too many people would have predicted after England’s slow start at Brisbane in 2010, which had the critics raining fire and brimstone on the selectors, that the game would end with England utterly dominating the Australian attack and that they would carry that form into the following Test.

On paper England are the much better side. Matches are not played on paper, that is why Andy Flower’s famous eye for detail in preparation comes in: he will have done everything humanly possible to ensure that England’s advantages are multiplied as much as possible on the field of play and the problems are resolved. Let’s give him a vote of confidence and, whoever he decides should step out on the hallowed Gabba turf is probably the best man for the job, even if we may not understand his reasoning at the time.