The Recurring Nightmare

 

 

Cricket 2014

 

Oh Dear! Here we go again!

 

July 11^th 2014

 

When India were 304-4 shortly before lunch they must have wondered if they would be facing 500, or even more when batting. Going into lunch at 342-5, England would have reflected that they had exercised control and that with an early wicket after lunch India could be restricted to under 400. They would never in their wildest dreams have imagined that India would be 346-9 fewer than five overs later. For once, something had gone very seriously right for Alistair Cook.

Before the Test Stuart Broad had talked about the importance of dismissing Kohli early. That had worked but, instead, Vijay and Dhoni scored the runs from a less expected direction. Maybe they should also have made serious plans to dismiss the tail, because are getting into a nasty habit of doing the hard work and then letting a tail-ender undo all the good that had been done previously.

Two wickets for Stokes, a brilliant run out by Anderson, a wicket for Broad and, suddenly, India were facing being dismissed for under 350 and having wasted the Toss quite dismally. Thirty-eight overs later, Kumar and Shami were still batting, both with fifties to their name and the second new ball was due. It is the third time that the tenth wicket has put on a century partnership against England in the last year. Since the start of the 2012 summer Test series, England have conceded a century 10^th wicket partnership three times and a fifty partnership a further five: that is eight partnerships of 50+ conceded in just 26 innings.

England threw everything at the batsmen except a straight full-length ball. It was utterly depressing and, with five Tests compressed into just six weeks, the last thing that England’s attack needed after being worked hard by Sri Lanka in back-to-back Tests, was to have to bowl an average of 35 overs each here. Finally, Moeen Ali, who has been treated with some contempt by the Indian batsman, got Kumar to hole out.

When your luck is out, it is out. Cook was one straight ball from being hailed as a hero after lunch. After Tea there was only one topic of conversation and it was not Cook’s brilliant tactical nous. The punchline was obvious and inevitable. Out came the captain to bat on a pitch that was as flat and lifeless as any opening batsman could hope for, against an attack that does not have anyone near the pace of the Sri Lankan seamers. It was made for a big century, until a fairly innocuous ball ricocheted off the thigh pad onto the stumps. It is the sort of dismissal that only happens to a batsman desperately out of form and in need of some luck.

Another failure for Cook. Another tiny partnership for the first wicket turning the #3 into a virtual opener. And all on the back of another tail-ender scoring big runs against a frustrated attack that the captain was unable to chivvy into restoring order. When you have a bowler in Liam Plunkett whose fastest ball is as far the high side of 90mph as the opposition’s fastest bowler is below 90mph, it is frustrating that he is being asked to drop the ball a third of the way down the pitch instead of ripping out the tail with Yorkers.

The danger for England is obvious. While India’s seamers have been given a very light load in the warm-ups by Duncan Fletcher, England’s seamers broke their hearts in the 2^nd Test against Sri Lanka having had only three days of rest from a supreme effort in the 1^st Test. With so much cricket in so little time, the England attack will be exhausted by half way through the series. You suspect that Duncan Fletcher is saying to his players “hang in there for three Tests, tire out the bowlers and they’ll be ready for the taking in the last two”. Unless the England batsmen can make some big scores and give the bowlers some proper rest, India could easily take advantage and win two of the last three Tests.

And You Seriously Expected A Greentop?

 

 

Cricket 2014

 

A Slow Start

 

July 10^th 2014

 

One of the problems of this T20 age is that fans have little patience when it comes to Test cricket. Your average T20 match is often pretty much set up in an hour, decided in two and done and dusted in two and a half yet, in a Test match, it may not be until Day 3 or even 4 when you discover who has made best use of the toss. Even so, a lot of fans are more than happy to explain after half an hour of play that the match is decided and the result done and dusted as if it were a T20.

On a pitch that was more Nagpur than Nottingham, India had a solid day, but not a particularly exceptional one, probably losing one more wicket than they would have wished to. Had England taken one more wicket, they could even have considered themselves well on top. It is that sort of position with neither side really able to claim superiority. England know that India have a long tail and that one early wicket on Day 2 would open the prospect of dismissing India for little over 300. However, with Dhoni and Vijay already having put on 81 together and Dhoni with a Test double century last year, the Indians will know that 450 or 500 is certainly not out of the question.

The Trent Bridge pitch is offering little for the bowlers. There is little bounce or pace. Edges are dropping short of fielders. There is little or no seam movement or swing to exploit. However, there is also little to encourage the batsman: runs have to be ground out and, after two wickets went down quickly after lunch, a full ten over period went by with just eleven runs being added. Despite being very harsh on Moeen Ali’s spin (0-50 from 9 overs) and being on top for long periods of the day, India ground along at well under 3 an over. It all seems to support the theory that neither side will be adventurous and that the Indian batsmen will attempt to put pressure on England by grinding-out large totals and frustrating them.

However, there is one major question that could not be answered today: what will a top-class spinner find in this surface, particularly on Days 4 and 5? India may regret not having Ravi Ashwin available, although Jadeja has a reasonable, although not outstanding record. Certainly, to have gone for the gentle medium pace of Binny as fifth bowler and picking a seam-heavy attack will make it more difficult for them to put 500 on the board and then put fielders around the bat in the hope spinning England out with scoreboard pressure.

England will hope to restrict India to around 330 which, on such a lifeless surface would be an excellent effort, go past 450 themselves on Day 3 and put India under some pressure themselves. We do not know though what the Indian bowlers will make of this surface. Until both sides have batted it would be unwise to make premature judgements of the match situation and the likely result. That though will not stop millions of fans from trying to do just that.

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!

A Series That Threatens To Be The Impotent Versus The Incapable

 

 

Cricket 2014

 

Two Flawed Sides Face Up

 

July 6^th 2014

 

The Test series kicks off on Wednesday between a side that has forgotten how to win – England, who have been in winning positions in three of their last eight Tests and won none of them, losing six – and one that does not know how to win – India have not won a series away from home since a scrambled victory in the Caribbean in 2011 and, before that, its 2-0 win against Bangladesh in January 2010.

For India, series in New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and England have all been lost in recent seasons and there have been no less than three, 4-0 whitewashes, which makes their current 4^th place in the ICC Test rankings all the more remarkable. At the same time, India have a good record in ODI and T20s: top in the T20 rankings, second only to Australia in ODIs.

England though have had the mortification of not winning any of their last eight Tests since Chester-le-Street, a match in which it seemed that Australia were on the point of bringing the Test series back to life with a win until Stuart Broad ripped through them, causing a scarcely credible collapse. At The Oval victory escaped due to bad light with England in control of the chase, admittedly in a  match that Australia had dominated until the last day declaration. The momentum had swung, something that was demonstrated as Australia won the ODIs and shared the T20 series, before blowing England away in all three formats in Australia. A 12-1 record in the internationals during the winter barely reflected the size of the gulf between the two teams.

Since then, England have been in a strong position in both Tests against Sri Lanka, yet won neither and lost the series. It is no wonder that India feel that, despite their awful overseas record, particularly against strong opposition, they can take a result home.

There is a feeling that the series could end 0-0: strong batting and an insipid attack for India, combined with two cautious captains who prefer to avoid defeat rather hunting for victory, suggests that neither side may be capable of forcing victory. Certainly, India’s inability to take wickets against the two weakest sides in English county cricket – no bowler has more than the two wickets attributed to “retired out” – suggests that they will not force a win unless they can step up their game considerably. Sri Lanka were, at least, able to attack batsmen whose confidence had been mined by Mitch Johnson with a bowler at close to 90mph.

Meanwhile, the only two Tests in the last eight in which England took 20 wickets, were both lost! Having gone five Tests since Chester-le-Street in which they have failed to take 20 wickets (the best effort was 17 in the Brisbane Test, lost by almost 400 runs), England have taken all twenty wickets in two of their next three matches and lost both. This is not a happy statistic for a side that prides itself on the strength of its bowling attack.

The Gentle Indian Summer Continues

 

 

Cricket 2014

 

India’s Strange Warm-up Continues

 

July 2^nd 2014

 

A feature of Duncan Fletcher’s management of England was the preference for playing 14 v 14 warm-ups instead of First Class matches. With India the technique has been refined such that both matches have been played as 18 v 14/12. India are allowed to bat or bowl anyone from their squad, while Derbyshire and Leicestershire have been allowed to bat and bowl any 11 of 14 (at Grace Road) and 12 (at Derby). It means getting more players involved, important when you have only two matches before the Tests, but tends to reduce the intensity because runs and wickets do not count, so there is less incentive to do well and, when you can play nine front-line batsmen, an individual failure or two means little.

Having played a weak Leicestershire team who are, again, favourites for the wooden spoon, India are now playing a Derbyshire team, who are their main challengers for the “honour”. However, in 155 overs with the ball, the Indian bowlers have only dismissed 8 batsmen at a cost of 675 runs, against what is little better than a Division 1 2^nd XI. Having used ten bowlers at Grace Road, nine were used on Day 1 at Derby.  It means that the overs are thinly spread – Jadeja and Pankaj Singh got 11 overs at Leicester. Here, six bowlers have had between 11 and 14 overs each and, with 25 overs so far, Pankaj Singh has had the heaviest workload of the tour.

These days, warm-ups mean little and are often used as no more than an extended net session. It is hard to assess the state of the Indian bowlers but, when a player such as Billy Godleman, who had hardly had a game even for the Derbyshire 2^nd XI since early April, makes his highest score in three months, you suspect that the bowlers may be a little underdone.

However, such is the belief that England are in a hopeless mess and about to have a change of captain, that the Indian fans are totally unconcerned about their side and licking their lips at the prospect of revenge for the 4-0 drubbing in 2011. The sad truth is that they may be right too. At least Michael Clarke was making big runs during the difficult year that Australia had in 2012/13: in 14 Tests against South Africa, India, Sri Lanka and England he made five centuries, including a 187 and a 259*, with at least one century in each series. Alistair Cook does not have that consolation. With each Test that passes without victory and with each Test that passes without a century, the pressure on Alistair Cook increases a little more. The Indians know that, if they can increase his miserable sequence, they will have the series more than half won.

A Robson Premonition?

 

 

Cricket 2014

 

A Bad Day for the Indians

 

June 29^th 2014

 

The headline is not the one that the Indians would have liked to see “Robson punishes the Indians”. It was Sam Robson’s younger brother, Angus, but just as unwelcome. If it is a premonition, it will be a particularly unwelcome one. If the Indians had made light of a weak Leicestershire attack, Leicestershire simply laughed at the no fewer than ten bowlers pitted against them. As India fielded all their squad of eighteen at some point the game was not First Class, so Angus Robson missed out on a maiden First Class century, but he still softened-up the tourists for his big brother.

In the 152 overs that rain allowed, just five wickets fell and no fewer than four batsmen – two on each side – retired out. In the devastation, two Leicestershire batsmen accumulated just four runs between them, but Robson with 126 retired and Smith with 101 retired made sure that the Indians will not have left Grace Road with fond memories, although their bowlers did get a hard workout. Angus Robson’s innings suggests that there is more to come from the Robson brothers. Angus has passed 50 in six of his last twelve First Class innings and has reached 75 in five of those innings without quite reaching a century.

The vagaries of tour itineraries now sees the Indians going to struggling Derbyshire for their last warm-up before the Tests. No one could have imagined when the tour fixtures were arranged that Derbyshire would be finding life harder in Division 2 than they did in Division 1 last year, having so nearly escaped relegation with a late run. It is not exactly the hard run out that the side was hoping for but, with England struggling so badly, maybe they will not mind so much.

Poor Pitches Or Poor Cricket?

 

 

Cricket 2014

 

T20 Blasted and the Indians, Drowned

 

June 28^th 2014

 

It has been a slow news day. The only dangers that the Indians faced at Leicester were of avoiding drowning. Deluge. Play abandoned for the day soon after lunch. Thanks for coming.

Elsewhere, fans have been trying to enjoy the NatWest T20 Blast. In mid-week, Middlesex put out a 2^nd XI attack including Steve Finn (an England player less than a year ago), Toby Roland-Jones (England Lions) and Ollie Rayner (England Lions). A side boasting such depth of talent, plus players such as Eoin Morgan and Dan Christian looks made for T20, right? Except that the paying spectators and TV viewers saw a game at Lords on Thursday night in which a makeshift Gloucestershire side struggled, thanks to a late surge, to 105 on a pitch that made strokeplay almost impossible. Rain caused the match to be abandoned but some pundits reckoned that Middlesex would have struggled to reach the target. The fears that 105 could be a winning score were not allayed when, last night, on a pitch at Hove where both sides wanted to bat first and the groundsman felt 160-180 was par, Middlesex staggered to 107 before Sussex rattled to their target with almost four overs to spare, but without overstressing themselves. It was not exactly the big-hitting, thrill a ball cricket that the public were promised, although pundits elsewhere saw a useful innings from some guy called "KP". At the same time, Gloucestershire were winning a thrilling game against Kent at Bristol, reaching their target of 151 from the last ball.

Poor pitches or poor play? It seems to be that a bit of both are involved. Either way, NatWest T20 Blast is, most definitely, not the IPL.