Lots Of Questions. Now For Some Answers.

 

 

Cricket 2014

 

Question Time

 

July 9^th 2014

 

There are a lot of questions to be answered during the England v India Test series: will both sides be too conservative and toothless to win? Will both captains survive the series? Will either? Will this series be the swansong for the remaining England old hands, in particular Broad and Prior who are both struggling increasingly with injuries? Certainly it seems likely that this will be Matt Prior’s last series.

Dhoni says that his side, which has not won away for 14 Tests and not beaten a top six side away for far longer, is progressing. They nearly won Tests in South Africa and New Zealand, but then England nearly beat Sri Lanka… but didn’t. Hammered 4-0 in England and then 4-0 in Australia (both 4-Test series), the results in South Africa and New Zealand were certainly an improvement, but then Alistair Cook could claim that after the winter nightmare, competing strongly in their next two Tests, even in a series defeat, was progress too.  You can spin anything, if you try hard enough.

The hints are that India will play five bowlers and that England will swap Ben Stokes for Chris Jordan. It is tough on Jordan who has been such a success story for England since he joined the side in Australia. He has scored runs, taken wickets and added threat to the attack. In a way it is sad because one poor game will have seen him dropped and that is back to the bad old days when the revolving door policy saw the players knowing that just one poor performance could see them sent back into exile. For Jordan it is doubly unfortunate because, barring injury, it is hard to see how he would win his place back. Stokes, Broad and Anderson are the basic bowling unit. Plunkett adds raw pace and is likely to be the fourth component all season. Jordan may have to wait for Stuart Broad or Jimmy Anderson to call it a day in Tests to become a permanent member of the attack. For England the prospect of having Jordan batting at #8 and scoring regular runs and leading the attack is a tempting one.

For Alistair Cook the equation is simple: make runs. Back in 2008, Andrew Strauss saved his England career with a scratchy 177 in the 3^rd Test v New Zealand. With the series in the balance and England 4-3 six and a half overs into the first morning of the 3^rd Test, on the back of scores of 43, 2, 8, 44 and 2, Strauss’s career looked to be over. His battling 177 on Days 2 & 3 turned the match and the series. The rest, as they say, is history. Alistair Cook does not need an elegant 40: he needs a big score and it does not matter how it is made; a fighting 100, in which he is struggling but battles through, will show his fight far more than a classically made 80.

For MS Dhoni the problem is a different one. He has only had 14 Test innings since his double century against Australia in Chennai in February 2013. Runs are not his problem, but results are. The average Indian fan bestows mythical powers on even the most journeyman of players in the side when India are winning, but is brutal in his criticisms when India lose. MS Dhoni knows that he can survive a lack of runs because his last Test innings was an excellent 50, but another series defeat, particularly to the hated former colonial master, especially if it is a bad defeat, would heap pressure on him to step aside.

Let battle be joined!