India Threaten To Turn England's Tailspin Into A Crash Dive

 

 

Cricket 2014

 

The England Tailspin Continues

 

July 22^nd 2014

  

India were just too good on the sort of greentop surface that, previously, would have heard them screaming foul and taking to the field already defeated. Two balls before lunch, England were right back in the game and one dared to hope of an astonishing chase being pulled off but, yet another catastrophic collapse and fine, aggressive Indian bowling finished things off astonishingly quickly after the interval. There is every possibility that the series will finish 2-0, or even 3-0 to India. Just four Tests into the summer, with a Test series lost and another slipping away, added to defeats in an ODI series and a T20, there are already whispers that Peter Moores’ renewed tenure as England manager may be brief unless he can come up with some answers rapidly.

After the Ashes, the general feeling from the pundits was that England would see off Sri Lanka and India comfortably and mask the issues that were shown up over the winter. Losing both series was not even regarded as a possibility: it is now looking increasingly likely and a winless summer is becoming an uncomfortable possibility.

England’s catastrophic series of results claimed its first victim as Matt Prior stepped down from international duty for the rest of the summer and, presumably, for good, on the grounds of injury. He has struggled for a long time to manage an Achilles tendon problem and, this season, has had muscular problems and a hand injury too. Prior will have an operation on the Achilles tendon, but will struggle to get his England place back, even assuming that he gets back to full fitness after the operation.

Having made his debut in ODIs in Zimbabwe in 2004, he waited a year for his next cap. Then, he played another 11 matches in two series, mostly as a batsman, with limited success before being dropped for nearly 15 months and then re-gaining his place in the aftermath of the disastrous Ashes series in 2006/7. A century in his first Test innings and 324 runs in the 4-Test series against the West Indies, showed his batting class. However, his wicket-keeping was criticised and he was soon was out of the side again for a year as things went horribly wrong in Sri Lanka, with Peter Moores struggling to get England out of a post-Ashes slump. Once back in the side, he went from strength to strength, both as a wicket-keeper (having not even been Sussex’s first choice ‘keeper initially) and as a belligerent batsman, but never translated that success to ODIs.

Matt Prior’s aggressiveness meant that he was not always popular, even with home fans and he rarely got the respect that he deserved as an exceptional wicket-keeper batsman. His decline over the last fifteen months when he has rarely been injury-free has been rapid and sad to watch. In the twelve Tests since returning from New Zealand in 2013 he has averaged just 22 and has wicket-keeping has suffered too. It is hard to avoid the impression that, like Alec Stewart before him, he has tried to go on for one season too many. Matt Prior though has been a tremendous servant for England and we should not forget it.

An indication of the extent of England’s struggles comes in the list of leading run-scorers and averages for 2014. Seventeen players have represented England in the five Tests so far this year – itself an indictment – and only five players have played in all five Tests. Apart from Joe Root, a relative newcomer, the next three highest run aggregates are all for debutants (Ballance, Robson and Moeen Ali) and the next is a bowler: Stuart Broad. Ian Bell has 197 runs in 9 innings, Matt Prior has 179 in 9 and Alistair Cook 129 in 9, just ahead of Jimmy Anderson’s 119 and Liam Plunkett’s 112 (from 8 and 7 innings respectively and both with better averages than the captain).

Not all recent debutants have been a success though this summer. Ben Stokes announced himself with the only century of the Ashes series for England but, since, has hardly scored a run. Stokes' recent scores for England in all formats have been: 0,5,5,4,0,4,0,0,0,0 – 18 runs in his last 10 international innings. He has been picked ahead of Chris Jordan, who is unquestionably the better of the two as a strike bowler at this level and, arguably, a more reliable bat on recent form.

Jordan has to play at the Ageas Bowl but, it is as likely to be for Stuart Broad as for Ben Stokes. Although only Jimmy Anderson has more wickets for England in 2014 than Stuart Broad, that is largely down to opportunity: the heavily criticised Liam Plunkett has the same number of wickets (18) in one fewer Test,  at a better average and far superior strike rate; even Moeen Ali has a better strike rate than Stuart Broad in Tests in 2014.

Astonishingly, Stuart Broad’s best match figures in his five Tests so far this year are a disappointing 4-103. He seems to be struggling with injury and is not the penetrative bowler that he can be when fully fit. Broad was bowled into the ground in the 1^st Test and looked tired at Lords when England needed him fresh. A rest can only do him good, while forcing him to bowl 30 or 35 overs in an innings time and again with inadequate rest could lead him to break down completely.

Depending on the surface prepared for the 3^rd Test, there may be a case for England playing both Jordan and Chris Woakes for Stokes and Broad. Woakes has many detractors – although not at Warwickshire – but came back strongly at The Oval after a difficult start. With 36 wickets in a strong County Championship Division 1 at 19.6 each and some fine recent performances, he is right on form. There is also a strong case for giving Liam Plunkett the new ball and letting him pitch it up, with Jordan coming on early as first change with a still new ball in hand, rather than a battered rag twenty or twenty-five overs old.

The usual calls will be made for Graeme Onions to play. He has managed just six First Class matches for Durham this season and has 12 wickets at 43.3. His only First Class match since return from injury finished with 1-121 so, one can assume that those demanding his return are not regular followers of the game.

The final decision concerns who should replace Matt Prior. Seemingly, most fans would like to be Read or Foster as a short-term measure while Buttler gains experience. However, the likelihood is that Peter Moores’ mind is made up and that Jos Buttler will become the latest non-specialist to be thrust prematurely into the role. The reasoning is that, as Buttler will spend most of the time standing back anyway (Simon Kerrigan may not be impressed with this news), his technical flaws will be less important than his run-scoring. Where though would England go if, like Jonny Bairstow, he neither impresses with gloves nor with bat over the rest of the series while trying to combine both jobs? Personally, I would prefer to see James Foster see out the rest of the series and let Jos Buttler play a full season and then tour in the winter, before asking him to step in.

Buttler’s First Class record is mediocre (average 33). He may be another Marcus Trescothick or Michael Vaughan who came into the Test side and immediately averaged ten above their First Class average, but then he may not. It is more likely to be similar to Alec Stewart, who was not Surrey’s regular wicket-keeper and who found batting at six (and often opening) in Tests and learning his trade with the gloves to be a huge task initially.

Whatever happens, despite Alistair Cooks’ first reaction that he would go with the same XI for the 3^rd Test, there will have to be changes and, most likely, unless the errors of Lords are repeated, at least three new faces in the starting XI, including the forced change.

India The Net Winner In The 1st Test

 

 

Cricket 2014

 

India the clear winner

 

July 14^th 2014

 

In purely cricketing terms, only one side was likely to win this match over the last two days and, barring a couple of crazy sessions won by India, England were making the pace through much of the Test. In practical terms, India were the big winner. This was England’s third match of the summer. The fourth starts on Thursday and England added another bone-wearying 284 overs in the field to the 145 of India.  With the pitch making a draw always the likely result, the fact that India bowled half the number of overs that England did and will go into the second Test far the fresher is significant.

Against Sri Lanka, England made a massive last day effort to win the Test and then bowled first three days later – the good start that Sri Lanka made in the 2^nd Test owes not a little to those last day efforts. Here, as India lost wickets just regularly enough to keep England interested, rather than a dead last day dominated by occasional bowlers, England were obliged to keep up maximum effort beyond lunch. The seamers averaged another 20 overs each, to add to the average 35 of the first innings. If India win the toss and bat at Lords you can expect some weary limbs among the bowlers by the end of the day.

Duncan Fletcher is very much a grinder: grind the opposition down until frustration takes over as Australia found to their cost in 2005. This was applied beautifully here. With no front-line spinner to share the load, the seamers had to bowl over after over until Alistair Cook finally accepted that there was no chance of a result. The only trick that India missed was not to declare late and force Alistair Cook to bat again in the hope of him falling cheaply once more. Maybe he reasoned that on such a pancake of a pitch there was too much danger that Alistair Cook could get some easy runs and start to recover some touch and confidence.

England had reasoned that, on seaming pitches, an attack of four seamers plus some occasional spin from Joe Root (hardly used this summer) and Moeen Ali would be sufficient. The reality is that the pitches this summer have not been nearly as lively as expected and have generally neutralised England’s strengths very effectively. With the likelihood that flat pitches with little life will continue and with the realisation that Moeen’s spin is not effective enough to block up an end for a full session, although Alistair Cook also seems to lack a little confidence in him, a change in the balance of the side is in order.

For Lords, England now have a squad of 14, with Simon Kerrigan added. The situation is unfortunate. There is no lack of young spinners: Borthwick, Kerrigan, Adil Rashid, Riley, Ravi Patel, Briggs, Zafir Ansari, etc. But the fact that England have lost, in one fell swoop, Swann, Monty (declared “unselectable” by Essex and surely on his way out of the county) and Tredwell, their stand-in stuntman (unable to hold a place in the 4-day game), is a big blow. The selectors need to know if Kerrigan has come back from his awful debut, although there is a real danger that Alistair Cook will view him as damaged goods and be even more reluctant to bowl him than he is Moeen or the seriously underbowled Joe Root.

It seemed more likely that Kerrigan would come in at the end of the series, probably being re-commissioned along with Steve Finn; now though there is no alternative but to bring him back in after acting as a net bowler at Trent Bridge. He may not play but, the mere fact that he has been called into the party, shows that he will probably play much sooner than the selectors wanted.

There is not really much alternative. Kerrigan is by far the best of the young spinners. Riley and Ravi Patel are establishing themselves. Scott Borthwick has bowled little this season. And Adil has had a couple of difficult seasons, while Danny Briggs has dropped off the radar a little. Of England qualified spinners, Adam Riley is far and away the most successful this season, albeit in Division 2 (41 wickets @ 26.8), with Gareth Batty and Simon Kerrigan on 28 and Monty on 27. Of the four, Kerrigan has by far the poorest average and, interestingly, Gareth Batty, the best (21.8). Batty’s last Test was in the Bangladesh series that followed him sending down 52 overs during the Lara 400 in the West Indies; his Test record is not a great one, Batty’s 11 wickets coming at more than 60.  To recall him at 36 would be a massive surprise, but could be a plausible short-term option, although it seems that short-term options are not what the selectors want.

The same applies to the wicket-keeper spot. If will be no particular surprise if Matt Prior declares himself unfit for Lords – he was clearly struggling a little – but rather than recall someone such as James Foster, it is likely the Jos Buttler will be elevated prematurely. Sadly, one of the plausible alternatives – Craig Kieswetter – is ruled out for some time due to a serious injury.

At Lords, the nature of the surface will decide the final XI. Chris Jordan will almost certainly come back, possibly for Liam Plunkett, who will be saved for a more responsive pitch. Were Kerrigan to play though it would, most likely, be at the expense of Moeen Ali, replacing a front-line batsman with a genuine #11 in a side where runs have not been flowing as they should.

Difficult choices face the selectors.

Plenty Of Positives, But Alistair Cook Looks Like The Ian Botham Of 1981

 

 

Cricket 2014

 

Remembering 1981 and 1989

 

June 25^th 2014

 

Yesterday I posted: “The Test and the series, barring a miracle of epic proportions, are lost. A lost opportunity at Lords and defeatist tactics at Headingley will give the fighting Sri Lankans a deserved first series win in England.”

It so nearly happened. And it left a lot of fans with mixed feelings. England, as a side, did not deserve to escape with the draw. However, the batsmen who so nearly pulled off the miracle yesterday, most certainly did. Through the day, as partnership after partnership ate up time, the possibility of England becoming the first side ever to save a Test when entering the last day 5 wickets down was coming tantalisingly closer. However, such things need their fair share of good luck and luck was not really on England’s side. Although one wicket was annulled due to a un-called no ball, Matt Prior looked unfortunate not to be reprieved too. Of course, this was the only day in the series that, despite rain and bad light, the full allocation of 90 overs were bowled.

It was also a demonstration of an unpalatable truth. Sri Lanka’s pace attack, which had been criticised as toothless in the 1^st Test, showed the English attack how to close out a match. Whereas England had been unable to finish the job at Lords, at Headingley, Eranga kept his nerve and bowled a venomous last over to Jimmy Anderson. Although the fastest delivery of the over did not reach 82mph and the wicket-taking ball was 80.0 mph, every ball except the penultimate one was pitched well short of half way and targeted at Jimmy Anderson’s body, with a host of catchers waiting for the fend-off when the instinct for self-preservation finally took over. It was a superb final over, setting-up the batsman for the close catch.

When a side loses, its first tendency is to spin the defeat by looking at the positives. Even in this Test they were obvious: Sam Robson and Moeen Ali, both playing in only their second Test match, scored centuries full of character, having been severely criticised for batting poorly previously. Liam Plunkett was a dropped catch from managing a 10-for in just his second Test back after an eight-year exile. Gary Ballance added another 50 to his 1^st Test century. Matt Prior looks back to his obdurate best. You could add to the list Joe Root’s double century in the 1^st Test but, as in last summer’s Ashes, the overwhelming fraction of Joe Root’s runs from the series came in a single innings – he is no longer the middle-order rock giving consistent contributions.

Moeen Ali has been an inspired pick. Prematurely criticised, he batted calmly through the day, giving nothing away and utterly unselfish. He marshalled the effort to save the game and nearly did himself out of a deserved century in doing so as he only got over the line just before the end. Moeen Ali is something that England have been so desperately missing for some years: a real personality, someone who stands out and if full of fun. He has a lot of the irrepressible Monty Panesar of 2006 about him. He is also a role model in a multi-cultural society: he plays for England, but is proud of who and what he is.

However, it is the batting of Matt Prior that should give most pause for thought. Although he dropped a sitter and an expensive one at that, he looks to be recovering the form and combativeness that made him England’s go-to player. With no Test cricket after the India series until New Zealand arrive next May, Matt Prior would make a plausible stand-in captain for the side. In what could be his last Test series, he could be told by the selectors that his is a temporary promotion to allow Alistair Cook a rest, but himself go out on a high of having had the honour of captaining his team.

People have been looking for precedents of England cricket captains being sacked. It is not frequent because most resign before the selectors can remove them. One of the most spectacular cases though was of Chris Cowdrey, In the infamous 1988 summer of four official captains he was trumpeted as the start of a new era in the 4^th Test after Mike Gatting’s entanglement with a barmaid and John Emburey lost form so totally that he was unselectable. Injured and replaced as captain by Graeme Gooch for the 5^th Test, Cowdrey was never formally sacked, he was just dropped from the side after a single match in charge. David Gower took over again for the equally disastrous 1989 Tests against Australia before Ian Grieg – brother of Tony – was appointed for the tour of the West Indies, only for the selectors to discover that he was no longer qualified to play for England and have to replace him with Graeme Gooch!

Alistair Cook though looks more like the Ian Botham of 1981. Botham had taken England though two tough series home and away against the West Indies, losing both and losing form as he did so. Compared to the embarrassments that would follow in the 1980s, with two blackwashes, Botham’s record of 1-0 and 2-0 defeats, with England competing strongly in the home series at least, was far from a bad one. However, publically questioned for his lack of captaincy skills, on trial for his poor batting form, struggling with his bowling due to the back injury that would finally remove him as a strike-bowling option, Ian Botham was increasingly testy and stressed, although desperate to set things right. It looks so much like Alistair Cook right now. Ian Botham finally resigned as captain just hours before the selectors were going to sack him and, relieved of pressure, proceeded to show the form of his life for the next year.

Right now there is real doubt as to whether or not Alistair Cook is worth his place in the side. He is not scoring runs. England are not getting starts (it is 7 innings since the last 50 opening partnership and more than 15 months since the last century opening stand). And he is, unlike Mike Brearley, not worth his place on captaincy skills alone.

While, in the heat of battle, he has said that he will continue, even that is a worrying sign. It would have left a better impression if, rather than being combative (something that he has not been on the field of play) he had said that his first inclination was to continue, if the selectors still have faith in him to turn things around, but that he would need to think things over for a few days first.

Right now there is a danger of England going into a 5-Test series that they are expected to win, with a seriously damaged captain who continues to struggle for form and who loses this series too. With every Test in the series in which he neither wins, nor scores runs, the pressure will increase still further, potentially leading to a captaincy change in mid-series. That is a pleasure to be avoided.