Ashes 2013
A fitting end
February 2nd 2014
It was singularly fitting that
such a catastrophic tour should end in such a lamentable fashion. After
throwing away the first T20, the second was one-sided and the third a
miserable massacre. When a flurry of Australian wickets fell around 130 the
BBC text commentator suggested that it was feared that Australia already had
more than enough. He was right. England’s chase was so shambolic that it neatly
summed up the tour.
That the tour has only claimed
one victim so far – Andy Flower has finally accepted that his position has
become untenable – but there will be more. The good news in this tour has been
strictly limited, but the emergence of Chris Jordan has been one piece. Having
finally made his T20 debut, Chris Jordan delivered the short of bowling spell that has been so sadly
lacking so far. Unfortunately it coincided with Ben Stokes and Jade Dernbach
having the sort of nightmare that has become habit with England’s bowlers. For
all his success in the Tests, Ben Stokes is far from the finished article and
is demonstrating it. Today he could not be trusted with a full spell of four
overs. Jade Dernbach’s continued presence in the England set-up frustrates
England supporters more than anything else. While his ODI performances have
been, to put it politely, disappointing, he has been more consistent in T20
and, although he news brings snorts of disbelief, is one of the most successful
bowlers in the world in T20. However, a final over from him that went for 26 put the final nail
in the England coffin, with only a brilliant stop from Luke Wright limiting the
damage to only 26.
It was a pity because Stuart
Broad and Chris Jordan did their jobs with a combined 8-0-53-4. Dernbach,
Stokes and Root – who took Stokes’s final over – went for a combined 8-0-98-1.
Twenty overs of the former would have limited Australia to under 140, probably
fewer. Twenty overs of the latter would have seen Australia pass 250.
Back in 2003, a disastrous start
to the South Africa Tests, combined with
Michael Vaughan’s successful tour of Australia and ODI captaincy made him the
obvious candidate to take over. Right now, the Alistair Cook – Andy Flower
combo have lost the Tests 5-0. Alistair Cook and Ashley Giles in combo have
lost the ODIs 4-1 and Stuart Broad and Ashley Giles together have lost the T20s
3-0. It is hardly a strong case for Ashley Giles to take over. And not a great advertisement
for Stuart Broad to get extra responsibility. The greatest beneficiary of the
debacle has been Eoin Morgan, who has batted well and, by not being captain,
his enhanced his credentials enormously.
It is a mess. And not too many
people think that Ashley Giles is the man to fix it.
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