Rest, Yes, But Goodwill To The Public Is Also Important

 

 

Cricket 2014

 

Belated Rest Before Goodwill

 

June 27^th 2014

 

The battle for the soul of English cricket continues with the Cook-ites and the anti-Cook-ites continuing to entrench positions. In the absence of international cricket for two weeks and the absence of any sighting of non-Indian international cricketers too, it is reduced to a surrogate battle, with the latest broadside from Shane Warne producing giggles of delight from Indian fans who sense that the current uncertainty is making the upcoming series more and more competitive.

India enjoyed a profitable day against the typically anaemic attack that is provided these days against tourists. Pitted against somewhat less than terrifying new ball combination of Anthony Ireland (49 First Class matches) and Atif Sheik (who has played just one First Class match), with an Australian who has never played a First Class match and a bowler who averages almost 50 playing as first and second change, all seven batsmen to get an innings reached at least 20 and two batsmen had to retire out to give their colleagues some middle time as there was little danger of the bowlers taking wickets. It is not hard to see why touring English teams have problems getting credible opposition when they travel abroad.

To the disappointment and incomprehension of many, with two weeks before the 1^st Test, just one player from the Test side has been released to play for his county and that is Moeen Ali, presumably with the request that he bowl as many overs as possible in the round of County Championship matches starting on Sunday. He is joined by Chris Woakes,. England’s twelfth man in both Tests. The thought that, as a public relations exercise, it would be nice to see the other ten players turn out for tonight’s T20 matches has not occurred to the selectors.

There is a good reason for it. England will cram five Tests into six weeks against India and there is little doubt that the off-colour displays of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad on Day 4 at Headingley had a lot to do with them having had to bowl a lot of overs on an unforgiving surface at Lords and then come back three days later and bowl first at Headingley. All four of England’s seamers bowled from 90-95 overs in the series. It may well be that Alistair Cook’s decision to bowl first and deny his bowlers an extra day of rest cost England the series. Even so, you do wonder if having a bit of fun in a T20 with their county side might have done the players as much good as the extra day of rest now.

Of course, some counties might baulk at having to drop a player who has already slogged around the circuit for the side playing T20s while the stars away, to accommodate a returning player for one game but, there is no doubt that the paying public would like to see  Jordan and Plunkett tearing in and Bell and Prior whacking the ball around occasionally in their county colours.