The 13 Reasons why……….

……..England are no 1 in the world.

History

For various reasons – the legacy of the Empire; the Commonwealth; EU laws – England have a larger pool of talent to select from than ever before. Some – mainly embittered Australians, South Africans and Indians – argue that this has devalued England’s success, but it is surely positive that the England team reflects the multi-cultural, mobile society which it represents. Perhaps the South African influence is disproportionately stronger than the Asian influence, but time will no doubt change that. Besides, those that complain about the ‘united nations’ nature of the current England team would do well to consider the alternative: a system where players from different cultures are alienated and excluded.

Weak playing age and the failure of others

It may seem churlish, but a strong case could be made to suggest we are in a relatively weak playing age. World cricket has few, if any, of the ferocious fast bowlers that dominated in the 70s and 80s, the era of the great spinners has just about come to an end and several teams – Pakistan, West Indies and Zimbabwe – have been beset with in-fighting that undermines the talent they continue to produce.

Even India, a side blessed with immense batting ability, seems to be suffering from a lack of fitness and for prioritising limited-overs cricket, while Australia are reeling from the loss of several great players within a short space of time (Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath et al.) and some muddled selections. South Africa, meanwhile, have been hindered – in the short-term, anyway – by their quota system.

It leaves England as one of the few teams that is no longer guilty of self-harm. They are, perhaps, the only team that have given themselves the best chance of succeeding.

Lord MacLaurin:

Much in the Raising the Standard (August 1997) document that MacLaurin produced as a blueprint for the future of the English game was naïve. For example, it rejected two division cricket and instead backed the three conference system and a 14-game Championship. It also suggested that amateur, club cricketers would play for England.

But MacLaurin understood one thing very clearly: the viability of the game in England and Wales was utterly dependent upon the success of the England team. However obvious that seems now, it wasn’t at the time.

The single act of refocusing all efforts on the betterment of the England side led to everything that followed. It led to an on-going argument with the counties, to the introduction of central contracts, two divisions, higher salaries, better training and coaches and countless other improvements. It might just have been the key episode in the resurgence of English cricket

Chris Smith:

Not an obvious choice, perhaps, but Smith, the Labour Government’s cultural secretary from 1997-2001, made an important contribution. For it was Smith, at the behest of MacLaurin, who made the decision to remove cricket from the ‘A List’ of events that could only be shown on terrestrial (as it was then) television.

This remains a controversial decision. Critics point out – quite reasonably – that the decision to allow SKY to buy exclusive rights has denied some children of the opportunity to watch any live cricket. In the long-term, therefore, there is a concern that it could jeopardise the number of future cricket lovers.

The fact is, however, that the decision enabled the ECB to sell TV rights for vastly increased sums. Indeed, their turnover almost quadrupled. That afforded the possibility of central contracts, specialist coaches, the improvements at Loughborough and countless other advances. Even since the Ashes success of 2005, the England budget has more then doubled from £11m to over £25m

Whatever the long-term effects – and they remain debatable – it is doubtful that England would be No. 1 now unless Smith had been persuaded to allow free-market bidding for cricket’s TV rights.

Peter Moores:

A glance at the stats will suggest that Moores’ reign as England coach (April 07-January 09) was not a success. England were defeated at home by India – their first home series defeat for six years – before going on to lose to Sri Lanka (away) and South Africa (home) and then, finally, in India again.  However, Moores planted seeds that blossomed under Flower. It was, after all, Moores that recalled Graeme Swann and James Anderson. Moores also brought in Matt Prior, Andy Flower and Richard Halsall, who were to play a huge part in the more professional and better prepared England teams that subsequently emerged. Peter Moores is quietly emerging as one of the unsung heroes of English cricket.

Four-day cricket:

Although the advent of four-day cricket far preceded any improvement in the England team (it was first trialled from 1988-1992 and, from 1993 all Championship matches have been scheduled over four days), it took tome for the effects to filter down into every aspect of the game.

It led to tougher cricket, played on better pitches. It led to bowlers learning how to take wickets on flat surfaces and batsmen learning to build innings over time. And it led to players learning to fight to draw games. In short, it helped bridged the gap between the domestic and international game.

It’s a point that might send some warnings to England as they look to the future: changes made to the domestic game now could come back to haunt English cricket in a decade or more. Therefore the ECB should think very carefully before tinkering any more with the Championship.

Two-division cricket:

The advent of two-division cricket in 2000 changed the complexion of the Championship. In the early days of promotion and relegation, three sides were promoted  – and relegated – each season, so almost every game had meaning.

That was a huge culture change. Before that, the Championship was awash with ‘dead’ games, leading to a surfeit of soft cricket. Sides often lacked motivation and the cricket sometimes lacked intensity. The introduction of two divisions helped English cricket develop a tougher core.

Central contracts and continuity of selection

In the Ashes drubbing of 1989, England used 29 players. In 1993, they used 24. In 20-11 they used only 13 and that’s despite an injury to Stuart Broad.

In the past, England squandered their most talented cricketers. They destroyed their self confidence, wore them out and instilled such a fear of failure that many were reduced to nervous wrecks. Few would argue this is the most talented XI England team they’ve seen. Is Cook more talented than Hick; Bresnan more talented than Caddick? Might Ramprakash not, with better management, have scored as many Test runs as Bell?

Now, however, England are maximising the ability of most of their players. Much of that is due to central contracts which have allowed the likes of James Anderson to rest and arrive for international matches in peak condition.

It’s not just about rest and practise, either. It’s about sticking with players during the inevitable dips of form they will experience – remember Alastair Cook ahead of the Ashes of 2010-11 – and instilling a culture of ‘team England.’ As Graeme Swann point out in the last issue of SPIN: “We are much more together now. Back then [before central contracts and continuity of selection] there was quite an insular, selfish feel to the team. There were cliques. It wasn’t 11 guys playing for one another. It was six or seven guys playing that way and four or five playing for themselves.”

Youth teams, the Academy and Lions:

Age group teams and Lions tours have been common for a few years, but the development process has become far more sophisticated and co-ordinated in recent years. These days, the development of the best players is monitored from the time they are in their early teens and the progression from U19s, in particular, through the Academy and onto the Lions and the England side is smooth and predictable.

Not only does this allow the management to not just monitor and assess the best developing players, but it enables them to instil the desired skills, disciplines and culture.

Just as importantly, this helps the players feel comfortable in the environment. When he first made it into the England team – in T20 cricket in 2007 – Jonathan Trott admits to feeling uncomfortable. He knew few of his team-mates and he didn’t know what was expected of him.

By the time he reappeared, in 2009, he had spent more time within the England environment, knew most of his colleagues in the dressing room and he already knew to expect of them and what was expected of him.

Attention to detail and specialist coaching:

The days when England simply selected the best side and trusted to luck are long gone. The planning and preparation extends far beyond the obvious, too. So while the likes of Graham Gooch (batting), David Saker (bowling) Richard Halsall (fielding), Brue French (wicketkeeping) deserve huge credit for their work, there’s a team of unsung analysts, bio-mechanists and other experts who have provided excellent service.

Consider, for example, the work of analyst Nathan Leamon. He’s a maths graduate from Cambridge University who works at the National Cricket Performance Centre at Loughborough. This summer he provided England’s bowlers with a series of colour-coded pitch maps split into 20 sections which detailed how each Indian batsmen would deal with deliveries pitched in each area. It’s typical of the attention to detail which Andy Flower has developed from reading the book Moneyball – Michael Lewis’s book on the importance of learning from statistics in Baseball.

From the tests that showed that Alastair Cook sweated least of all England players (a fact which persuaded the team to use him as ‘ball holder’ when trying to gain reverse swing) to utilising Dukes balls from 2009 (as they swing more), England are now squeezing every ounce of ability from their team. With four England batsmen rated in the top 10 of the Test rankings and five England bowlers in the top 11, it appears to be working.

Hurt:

1999 was, arguably, the lowest moment in the history of English cricket. Humiliated at the World Cup they hosted – England were eliminated even before the tournament’s theme song was released – the Test team were then booed by their own supporters when they lost to New Zealand at The Oval and plummeted to ninth in the Test rankings.

But humiliation and revenge are powerful motivational devices. Years of losses – not least the embarrassing Ashes whitewash of 2006-07 – had filled the whole of English cricket with a ravenous hunger for success. Not only were the players fully motivated, the ECB were happy to fund the central contracts, the support staff, the longer tour and increased number of warm-up matches, the modern coaching devices and training camps that have all contributed to this success. English cricket, stung by years of hurt, has been overhauled in recent years and is much the better for it.

This success has been a long time coming.

The Indian Cricket League, Stanford et al.

The ‘rebel’ ICL is destined to be a footnote in cricketing history. But it is significant, nevertheless. While Lalit Modi denies it (he may well take credit for inventing the sun, the moon and stars), the ICL was the forerunner of the IPL. It showed what a T20 league could be and created a template for the IPL.

It was also relevant because, without the threat of ‘rebel’ cricket, the ICC would never have implemented the widespread use of No Objection Certificates (no player can participate in any cricket these days without their national board granting such a certificate), which would have left the ECB powerless to prevent players going to the IPL – or anywhere else.

The Stanford event may also be relevant. It appears history will not remember this chapter kindly but, had it not happened, it is possible that the power brokers in India would have felt able to steamroller their own interests in the knowledge that no-one had any other options. While the Stanford event ended in tears, it did, at least, provide leverage to use against the BCCI. Without it, the IPL – and the BCCI – would be even more powerful than they are now.

Fortune:

Some at the ECB may pretend that the appointment of the two Andys was a masterstroke. It’s not so. Actually, Flower and Strauss were thrust together when every other option had been exhausted. England had, remember, tried Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen as captain before Strauss. And they had appointed Peter Moores before Flower. Only when KP and Moores were sacked and England were left with no time and no options was Flower appointed as an interim. The truth is, the ECB stumbled upon the right combination.

England No. 1; India No. 2

It would be an understatement to say that the crown of best Test team has passed from India to England.

The crown didn’t pass, it was seized. And England didn’t just seize it. They seized it and then used it to beat India to a bloodied pulp. Then they stood over the carcass and took photos while wearing their new crown at a jaunty angle.

The margin of defeat – an innings and 242 runs – does not deceive. India were murdered in this game. And not just murdered. England murdered them and danced round their grave singing comic songs in a raucous voice.

A dispirited India, ground into the blameless Edgbaston turf by the relentless glacier that is Alastair Cook, were torn apart by the skill of James Anderson. Anderson, gaining life and movement that had been absent when India bowled, claimed the first four wickets to fall in the final innings and has now overtaken both Andrew Caddick and Sir Alec Bedser in list of England bowlers with the most Test wickets.

Where do India go from here? As a Test team, their future is bleak. Most of their best players are far nearer the end than the start of their careers and the priority of the BCCI remains the money-spinning limited-overs game.

It seems the BBCI are emerging as the villains of the piece, but that may not be fair. After all, the IPL was set-up partially to negate the ‘rebel’ ICL. All the Indian board have done is try to meet the insatiable desire for players to earn more. The ECB fell victim to a similar problem with the Stanford event.

In the long-term, Indian players will need to work hard to have any hope of retaining their No. 1 status. They’ll have to be fitter and stronger. They’ll have to play county cricket to experience differing conditions and they’ll have to accept that many of them are hopeless against the short ball. While they remain in denial, they’ll never improve.

They’d be fools to hide behind an injury to Zaheer Khan. England were missing Chris Tremlett, too. These things happen. Instead, they should examine why Zaheer reported for a tour so out of shape and they should reflect on why their bowling resources are so limited.

That Praveen Kumar has been their best player so far tells as much about his tremendous heart as it does about the underachievement of the rest of the team. Kumar is a worthy but limited cricketer making the best of himself; his colleagues – Dravid excepted – are complacent superstars who have become too posh to push. Literally and metaphorically they have grown fat on their success. It remains to be seen whether they have the hunger to regain the top spot.

It’s worth remembering, too, that the first two World Test Championships are to be played in England. It’s hard to see how India can win.

Is there a better bowler than Anderson in world cricket? Probably not. Where once Anderson was a bully in helpful conditions and a liability in others, he’s now a superb on any surface. The ability to move the ball both ways in the air and off the pitch is precious in itself, but allied to Anderson’s accuracy and control and England have a special bowler.

Certainly Gambhir, who prodded Anderson’s first ball of the day to slip, and Laxman, who edged a beauty that left him, were the victim of a fine deliveries.

But perhaps India were also unfortunate. Sachin Tendulkar, batting with an ease that none of his colleagues could match, was run out backing up as Graeme Swann, in his follow through, got just a finger on MS Dhoni’s firm, straight drive. Then Dravid was victim of a poor umpiring decision. He was adjudged caught behind, though replays suggest he hit only his shoelaces. India’s failure to request a review, however, was inexplicable.

Dhoni and Kumar showed some belated heart with a furious counter-attack, but the game was long-since over as a contest. The pair thrashed 75 in seven-and-a-half overs – Swann was slogged for 55 from his last four overs – but even that came at a cost. Kumar sustained a horrid blow to the thumb off Anderson and must be rated as doubtful for the final Test. Sreesanth also sustained a blow to the hand.

The manner in which victory was sealed spoke volumes. Sreesanth, jerking out of the way of a short ball, fenced a catch off the shoulder of the bat to gully. India, battered, bruised and embarrassed had been blown away.

There are, of course, other hurdles to clear before England can claim to categorically be the best Test team in the world. They need to defeat India in India and they need to defeat a South Africa side that, with Imran Tahir involved, at last look to have strength and balance. Both opportunities present themselves in the next year.

England have already proved themselves an excellent side however. People may mutter about the strength of the opposition but that’s not totally fair. Australia had never been beaten by an innings margin three times in a series until the last Ashes series and India – with one of the strongest Test top fives in history – have not lost a series since 2008. England have made both sides look ordinary. It’s not coincidence. England really are very good.

Let the games begin

Let the Games Begin

We are only a matter of hours from the start of the much awaited test series between India and England. The title of number one test team in the world is very much on the line and it provides an excellent opportunity for India to once and for all put an end to the doubters who questioned their legitimacy as the top ranked test nation. It will also be a culmination of the efforts undertaken by Andy Flower and Co., since that disastrous tour of West Indies by England in 2009.

With the news that Virender Sehwag is set to miss at least one if not two of the tests, it would seem, Advantage: England. The psychological boost Team India derives by having Sehwag open the innings will be very much missed. In modern cricket, he is one batsman that makes the talk of conditions quite irrelevant. When teams set a fourth innings target for India recently, they always had to take in to account “The Sehwag Effect” and not having him in the side, is a significant loss for India.

If the warm up game last week against Somerset at Taunton was anything to go by, India is about to get lambasted 4-0 by an organized, professional English outfit but luckily for us fans, a test series is not determined by warm-up games. India’s bowling looked toothless on a flat wicket; a left-arm journeyman from South Africa wrapped up the batting line up. However, the practice match did help clear out some of the questions regarding the playing XI for India at Lord’s.

Sreesanth looked to have put on a few pounds since the last time he turned out for competitive cricket and seemed to be not in any sort of rhythm; Amit Mishra was taken to the cleaners in both innings especially in the 2^nd by Peter Trego; Suresh Raina sealed his spot ahead of Yuvraj Singh with an aggressive century and Praveen Kumar put himself ahead of both Munaf Patel and Sreesanth by not even playing in the game!

India’s playing XI at Lord’s would, in all probability, be: Mukund, Gambir, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Raina, Dhoni, Harbhajan, Praveen, Zaheer and Ishant. The success of the team in the first test will be determined by the ability of the openers to provide a platform for the illustrious middle order and the discipline of the bowlers around Zaheer Khan.

England, on the other hand, seem to be the more settled outfit with the only question mark surrounding Stuart Broad. It does look however, that Tim Bresnan would get the nod ahead of Broad at Lord’s and that, doesn’t take much away from the team. Bresnan is at least as good as Broad in terms of batting abilities and is a very able third seamer in the team behind Anderson and Tremlett. Even Andrew Strauss played himself in to some form by turning up for Somerset against the touring Indians.

India, in the recent few years, have shown to be slow starters in a series. The Lord’s test would be the perfect opportunity for England to stake a 1-0 series lead. However, this Indian team has also shown that they have remarkable resilience when they are pushed on the back foot. A great example of that would be the comeback by India to tie the series up 1-1 at a treacherous Durban against South Africa after having been annihilated by an innings at Centurion, earlier this year.

This promises to be a great series of cricket that can actually match all the hype that gone before it. Two stellar batting lineups; Two very capable bowling units; Two quiet, no-nonsense captains. Yet, it may come down to one of the two Zimbabwean coaches. What a game!

Series Prediction: The batting orders of both the teams have tremendous abilities and have shown that they can bat their teams in to position of strengths, and if needed, earn draws. From the looks of it, the two test matches in London (First test at Lord’s and the fourth test at The Oval) might be high scoring draws and the other two tests may produce results. A 1-1 series decision might be a good result for both the teams, but then, that is a cop out. With weather cooperating, it is quite possible that we may have 3 non-draw decisions in this series. As mentioned earlier, England’s best opportunity is at Lord’s. Therefore, I expect England to win that test but India will stage a remarkable comeback at Nottingham and Edgbaston under helpful conditions and win the series 2-1. You heard it here first.

Career best from Jayawardena sinks England

The Indians are coming

The Indians Are Coming

Here comes the much-hyped India tour of England. In a small matter of three weeks and a few hours, England will be taking on the number one ranked test team in the world, at Lord’s. The initial salvo was fired a long time ago when Mitchell Johnson was still on an exploratory mission to find the cut strip in 2010 – Darren Gough said that the Ashes winning England team could beat the Indian team “every day of the week”. Since then, Indian fans have been looking forward to this England tour with much anticipation and a desire to put Gough’s feet where they belong – on the dance floor or more ideally, in his mouth.

Both teams are playing their warm up games (England against Sri Lanka, and India against West Indies) prior to the series that will truly give the respective fan bases, the bragging rights on social networking sites and elsewhere.

England is a very good test team. Their batting lineup has produced runs in bucket loads and set it up for their bowlers to win five of their last nine tests by an innings. That is some achievement. Alastair Cook is in the middle of a dream run; Jonathan Trott is that piece of chewing gum that gets stuck to your shoes and no matter what you do, it’s hard to dislodge. Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell seem to be hitting top form as well. The top order has been firing so much that the only job for Morgan and Prior to do is to bash around a bit and throw stuff at glass windows for fun, respectively.

The English bowling attack has done a wonderful job destroying Australia and bowled out a decent Sri Lanka team in two sessions at Cardiff. The pace attack is varied and is capable of adapting to differing conditions. And then, there is Swann, easily the best attacking finger spinner in the game right now.

Of all the English bowlers, I have the most admiration for Chris Tremlett. The way he plucked out Mahela Jayawardene during the 2^nd innings at Cardiff was a thing of beauty. A few back-of-length deliveries followed by one that was pitched up just that bit further drew Jayawardene forward, and took the edge through to Prior. His ability to extract awkward bounce from good length is wonderful to watch.

And then he went and opened his mouth. He demanded that the pitches for the India series be spiced up. Tremlett is a very good bowler but looks like he isn’t much in to reading match reports from around the world. In an absolute terror of a pitch at Durban, with some no-names (actually they had names – Steyn and Morkel) bowling under helpful seaming conditions, India beat South Africa. If anything, the chances of an India win in conditions that help fast bowlers are actually better than on flatter pitches. In tours abroad over the last 4-5 years, under conditions that aided seam and swing bowling, the Indian bowlers have shown they are second to none. Johannesburg 2006, Trent Bridge 2007 and Durban 2010 are evidence to that. So my dear Tremlett be careful what you wish for.

This England-India series is going to come down to the battle of the middle orders. Which one do you like better? Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Suresh Raina/Yuvraj Singh, or Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Eoin Morgan.

By the way, there is guy at the top of the Indian batting line up who turns around matches within a session on his own. As great a run as Alastair Cook has been on since Brisbane 2010, he is yet to face a good left arm opening bowler since Mohammed Amir last summer. We all know how Cook performed against Amir, don’t we?

All in all, this should be a tremendous series with very good performances from both sides but I just prefer the Indian middle order to England’s and that seals the deal for me. I personally am looking forward to catching a few days of test cricket in U.K. and see what the fuss is all about.

Strauss under pressure as England consolidate at Lord’s

End of day four, Lord’s

England 149-2 and 486 lead Sri Lanka 479 by 156 runs with eight second innings wickets remaining

Oh the fickle flicks of the poison pen that points itself squarely at Andrew Strauss this evening. Two days ago it was Kevin Pietersen under scrutiny. One scratchy half-session later, he’s not the story any more. Instead it’s Strauss, for whom there is nothing like a pair of failures to crystallise a slump that has been looming for 18 months or so.

Let’s cut to it. In the 17 Tests since the start of the South Africa tour in December 2009 Strauss averages 32 with the bat, with a solitary hundred, in Brisbane. In that period the two LBWs to Welegedera mean he’s been dismissed 10 times by a left-arm seamer, nine in the last calendar year, five times in single figures. Sure, Mohammad Amir is talented, but there is a problem there. Strauss is struggling to locate his off-stump, the trigger movements so effective to right-arm bowlers negated by the angle, leaving him stuck on the crease. The worry for England is that the best left-armer in the world is arriving in a month or so. Oh, and they have history – Zaheer Khan already has Strauss’s wicket five times in Test cricket.

Fortunately for England, Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott have some serious man-love going. In Trott’s 18 Tests they’ve managed over 1300 runs batting together, at an average of over 75. Today they bettered that, putting on 117 to calm the nerves of the 12 hardy souls in Lord’s after a testing period against the new ball. Trott was an unlikely aggressor, racing to 50 in 66 balls, the majority of his fours timed sweetly off his pads. Maybe it was his freedom that undid him, as Herath curled one up and down and under Trott as he looked to turn again.

Trott had looked so untroubled that it could be interpreted as a selfless act towards Kevin Pietersen – giving him the chance to face his demon head on. Pietersen’s first two defensive prods were cheered ironically by the crowd, and for a while it seemed to be the final straw as skittish shot followed aborted charge. Soon though he settled on a formula – if you can’t beat them, decapitate them – as one thumping straight drive seemed to settle the nerves a little, and the Pietersen who walked in at close looked a different man. It may be to his and England’s advantage if he can convince himself that his form-slump is based mainly around a mental block against slow left-armers, for there is little to boost confidence like feeling one has beaten a problem, and this problem should be trivial. At least for KP the issue is predominantly mental, not technical like in Strauss’s case.

Earlier the standout feature of England’s improved fielding display had been their catching, with Strauss and Graeme Swann holding sharp chances in the slips. Heck, even Cook caught one. It’s a reminder that good catching is the difference between a decent side and a very good one, especially when the bowling isn’t quite working. Steve Finn scabbed four wickets in the end, jaffas gleaming in the mud, as he overtook Ian Botham as the youngest England bowler to 50 Test wickets. England have a decision to make with Finn – he will take wickets but at this stage in his development they will also cost runs, and can they accommodate that in a four-man attack? With Jimmy Anderson back there is also a call to make on Stuart Broad, who has conceded a 100 runs before taking a wicket in both Tests so far.

As far as a result goes tomorrow, you wouldn’t bet on it, but then, after Cardiff, you wouldn’t bet against it either. England must be favourites for any result because of a potentially more incisive bowling attack, but that shouldn’t come into it on a flattish deck, especially when at 1-0 up with one to play it’s not in England’s interests to try and force a result. Watch this space.

Sam Collins is 50% of The Chuck Fleetwood-Smiths

Does the selection of Eoin Morgan raise some questions?

 The inclusion of Eoin Morgan in the test squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka has come of something of a surprise to many who expected Ravi Bopara to get the nod.

There are a number of reasons why it might have been more logical to pick Bopara.  He does give another bowling option (and therefore more of a like for like replacement for Collingwood), he has scored 2 County Championship centuries in 2011 and was willing to turn down an IPL contract to play early season County Championship matches (although he has just become a father so it wasn’t an entirely cricket based decision to stay here)

But it seems that Morgan’s 193 for the Lions against Sri Lanka last week tipped the balance in his favour after Bopara only managed to score 17 in the same innings. 

“Ravi has been getting a lot of runs for Essex, but the controlled innings that Eoin played just gave him the nod,” Geoff Miller, the national selector, said. “That innings really just showed us what he is capable of doing. It shows his strength of character.”         

For many, this decision has raised some questions about the value the England management place on the county championship and more specifically do player performances in County Cricket make any difference to selection decisions?   Eoin Morgan honoured his £170k contract with Kolkata in the IPL whereas Bopara turned down a £100k IPL contract.

Before the Lions game this week, Morgan had only faced 10 balls in first-class cricket in nine months (in Victoria in an Ashes warm up game) where as Bopara has played in six county championship matches in the last eight weeks.  Seemingly, that fact wasn’t important to the England selectors who have selected either purely on his score in the Lions game or other factors rather than recent performances.

However, all of this might actually be a red herring. This isn’t about IPL versus County Cricket. It’s about two players.    In this instance, it may merely be that the selectors have just stuck to their guns. Morgan was the next cab off the rank after Colllingwood retired, he’s not done anything “wrong” as such, he’s just scored a big ton for the lions and England will really benefit from a left hander in the lower-middle order. 

Maybe the selectors put aside where their cricket has been played and just decided that Morgan is the man they want?

It would be nice to advance the importance of county cricket over IPL but sometimes sentimentality has to be put aside for the cold hard facts of a selector’s job – they think Morgan to be a better player – someone who better meets the demands of the role available in the side.  The skills required to fulfilled that role aren’t just be measured by weight of runs – also by temperament, attitude, application, dressing room ‘fit’ -and, seemingly, not about where you most recently played your cricket. The job of the England selectors is to pick a team that they think will win a game. By and large, you have to say the selectors have been getting more decisions right than wrong in recent years.

Who replaces Collingwood in the Test team?

SPIN look at a number of the candidates and assess their chances of taking the number 6 slot and chat to a couple of senior professionals to get their views.

By George Dobell and Lizzy Ammon

Eoin Morgan

Chances of replacing Collingwood: 9/10

Age 24

Morgan has already shown he has the temperament for international cricket. Impressive in ODIs and T20Is, he’s also scored a Test century against Pakistan.

His first-class record isn’t hugely impressive, however. He’s scored just three centuries in the county championship (his other first-class tons have come for Ireland or in tourist games) and he still has questions to answer about his ability against the short ball and some frailties outside off stump.

While he doesn’t offer quite the same all-round package as Collingwood – Morgan has nothing to offer with the ball – he’s a decent fielder and is almost certain to win a prolonged opportunity to fill the hole left by Collingwood. If he doesn’t succeed, however, there are a host of eager candidates breathing down his neck.

The pro’s view (Alan Richardson): “Morgan’s strength of character and desire are palpable. He’s clearly the next cab off the rank. Whilst his first-class record isn’t outstanding, neither was Vaughan’s or Trescothick’s when they were selected to play Test cricket. His List A record is outstanding and he has the skills to face both quick bowling and spin and doesn’t have a weakness against either. He’s the obvious choice to replace Collingwood, even though he doesn’t offer anything with the ball.”

Ravi Bopara

Chances: 9/10

Age 25

Has ascended to first cab off the rank if you believe what you read in the papers but if you listen to the whispers, you might believe that Bopara has an ‘attitude problem’. Dig a little deeper, however, and that ‘problem’ amounts to little more than being late for the team bus a couple of times, wearing the wrong shoes and forgetting his passport. Hardly criminal. And, if he swaggers a little, so what? It didn’t do Viv Richards any harm.

More relevant should be Bopara’s fielding – which is lacklustre – and his struggle in the Ashes series of 2009. He managed just 105 in seven innings and demonstrated hesitant footwork and unsure judgement outside off stump. Some concluded that Bopara had been forever ‘found at’ at the top level.

Others believe he was simply enduring a blip in his form and that he may have been batting too high (at three). With a bit more nurturing and understanding, they say, Bopara could be an outstanding international player. After all, it’s not too long ago that he made Test centuries in three successive innings.

Either way, Bopara remains a dominant batsman in county cricket, but is in danger of missing out on the international career that his talent suggests could be his.

The pro’s view (Alan Richardson): “Ravi sometimes looks a bit too laid back when he doesn’t score runs, but that hides his obvious desire and hunger. He works hard and takes the opportunity to play cricket wherever and whenever he can; for example, he went to play in New Zealand. He would be a great replacement for Collingwood in the limited-overs side when Collingwood goes. And Ravi will continue to develop. He will need to have a big season at Essex to really stake his claim for the Test side, but he is clearly still in the minds of the England selectors.”

Chris Woakes

Chances: 3/10

Age 21

Played 46; Runs: 2,226; Average: 27.24 Best: 136*; 100s: 2; 50s: 3.

Wickets: 154; Average 25.55; Best: 6-43; 5-wicket-innings: 8.

It’s probably a bit soon to be considering Woakes, but he could well be one for the future. Blessed with the ability to swing the ball both ways, Woakes is already one of the leading bowlers in county cricket and has shown enough ability with the bat – not least in his England performances – to suggest he could be considered a true all-rounder. Warwickshire team-mate Neil Carter considers him one of the two outstanding young batsmen in the county game (Steve Davies was the other).

The intangible quality with Woakes is his outstanding temperament. From the moment he came into the Warwickshire side, he has impressed with his remarkable maturity and was leading the attack when still a teenager. His ability to perform under pressure and his wonderfully phlegmatic way of dealing with success and failure has already won admireration within the England set-up and he’s certainly seen as ‘one of us’ by those in positions of power.

The only worry is Woakes’ lack of pace. While he’s just as quick as Vaas or Pollock (in latter years, anyway), if the ball doesn’t swing – and there will be many times in Test cricket when it won’t – Woakes may lack the weapons to hurt the opposition. He may will need to find an extra yard if he’s to flourish at Test level.

The pro’s view (Alan Richardson): “Woakes really does has the potential to be a genuine all-rounder with some work and development. It isn’t his time right now – he’s two or three years away from Test cricket – but, depending on how the side changes over the next three or four years, he really does have the potential to be the side’s all-rounder and third or fourth seamer. He bowls a decent pace – 82/83 mph – and is a very solid swing bowler. He will only get better with both bat and ball. It’s important he has a good domestic season but there’s no reason why he won’t.”

James Taylor

Chances: 5/10

Age: 21

Aged just 21, some would see Taylor’s elevation as premature. But, at every stage of his development, Taylor has made the step-up to the next level with ease and he appears to have the talent, the technique and the temperament to thrive at the top level. That’s a mighty good combination.

While he’s not the most elegant batsman, Taylor has a wide range of strokes, a compact technique and a hunger for runs that bodes very well indeed. He’s broken records at Leicestershire that were set by the likes of David Gower (Taylor became the youngest Leicestershire player to score 1,000 runs in a championship season, the youngest to score a List A century and the youngest to be capped since 1938; he’s also the fifth youngest Englishman to record a first-class double century) and just could go on to be the finest player the county has produced. He bowls leg-spin, too, though it’s unlikely to prove much of an asset at the highest level.

Taylor might have to wait a little longer for his chance, but he surely has a bright future at the highest level. If he won his chance a little early, you’d be unwise to bet against him seizing it. He also has the highest first-class batting average of any of these contenders.

The pro’s view (Alan Richardson): “Maybe it’s due to his lack of height, but Taylor has really surprised me. And he keeps on surprising me. He just consistently scores runs. He hasn’t suffered from the second season syndrome and if he continues to score as he has done, he will be hard to ignore.”

Adam Lyth

Chances: 4/10

Age: 23

Lyth may have sprung to wider prominence as an opening batsman, but he started his career in the middle-order. An aggressive left-hander with a gorgeous drive and wide array of strokes, Lyth was recently hailed as “a young David Gower” by no less than Geoff Boycott. Lyth certainly looked an outstanding prospect in 2010. He became the first Yorkshireman to reach the 1,000 first-class run milestone before anyone else in the country and, for a time, it appeared he would reach it before the end of May. He scored a century for the England Performance squad in Australia and is one of few contenders able to bat in almost any position.

The pro’s view (Alan Richardson): “Adam has the mentality and desire to learn. All his colleagues say he has an unbelievable thirst for knowledge about the game and that he’s obsessed with improving. It remains to be seen if he suffers from the classic second season syndrome but he’s is in the Lions squad and has a real opportunity to make his claim to the England management.”

James Hildreth

Chances: 7/10

Age 26

Highly talented and, at his best, wonderfully destructive, Hildreth has been tipped for stardom from a young age. Labelled as “an extraordinary talent” by Justin Langer, Hildreth has, until recently, struggled to find the consistency to justify England selection. He enjoyed an excellent 2010 season, however (averaging 65 in first-class cricket) and, newly promoted to the Lions captaincy, is tantalisingly close to a full call-up. Only Morgan is ahead of him.

Questions remain, however: is his footwork good enough and, most pertinetly, is he a flat track bully? For Somerset he averages 49.70 at home (usually on the batting paradise that is Taunton) and 37.40 away, though in 2010 he averaged almost 58 away from Taunton and nearly 77 at home. He also looked uncomfortable against the pace of Shaun Tait, though there are few – if any – bowlers of Tait’s pace at Test level and Hildreth is far from alone in struggling against bowlers of such speed.

The pro’s view (Alan Richardson): “He is captain of the Lions, so he’s obviously on the radar. He clearly has an impressive record although the question remains about whether it would be so impressive if he didn’t play all his home games at Taunton. He has made vast improvements in his technique and he’s moving his feet much more. He is clearly extraordinarily talented and has a real chance if others ahead of him fail.”

Adil Rashid

Chances: 5/10

Age: 23

While England are unlikely to play two spinners in England, they may well need to rethink that strategy in the sub-continent next winter. By playing Rashid at seven and pushing Prior up to six, England would give themselves room to field two spinners. With his wicket-taking leg-spin and more than useful batting – his first-class average is almost identical to Morgan’s – Rashid could well be that man. Why not? Well, he can prove expensive, so England would probably be unwilling to rely him as one of a four man attack.  However, Rashid has not been selected for the Lions squad and there are still clearly some concerns within the England camp over his consistency.

The pro’s view (Alan Richardson): “With a bit of development, he has the chance to be the second spinner in the England side. There is the possibility that if he could be the first choice spinner. He’s so impressive with the bat that he is a real option for the future as a genuine all-rounder batting at seven.”

Ben Stokes

Chances: 3/10

Age: 19

With only a handful of first-class games behind him, Stokes is something of an outsider at this stage although definitely one for the future. He proved to be England’s outstanding player at last winter’s U19 World Cup, however, and followed it up with an impressive first season in county cricket. A clean hitter and more than useful bowler, Rob Key has already hailed Stokes as the “finest young batsman he’s ever seen”. The England management clearly rate him, too, as he was the youngest member of the Lions squad. New Zealand born (he’s the son of Ged Stokes, the New Zealand Rugby League international), he moved to England when he was 12 and has developed through the Durham system.

The pro’s view (Neil Carter): “He’s clearly a talented young player but, when Jonathan Trott was trying to break into the side, he had to churn out 1,000 runs a season for several years. I’d like to see Stokes do that before he’s picked. That way he’ll learn his game inside out and be ready to seize his chance when it comes.”

The pro’s view (Alan Richardson): “I haven’t seen much of him, but his colleagues say he plays with impressive aggression for a 19-year-old and that he has the right mentality to really develop and push on.”

Andrew Gale

Chances: 4/10

Age: 27

Until the start of 2010, Gale was considered something of an unfulfilled talent. He’d never averaged more than 40 in a first-class season and younger men, such as Alastair Cook, had moved well ahead of him in the pecking order. The captaincy of Yorkshire seems to have been the making of him, however. Gale averaged 47.50 last season and has now established himself as a potential England captain. He’s still never passed 1,000 runs in a season, however, and surely needs another strong year to force his way into contention.

The pro’s view (Neil Carter): “His opportunity will come at the start of the season. In normal circumstances, I’d say he needs more runs. He hasn’t really had a big season and, to force his way in, he needs to be knocking the door down. But, with other players at the IPL, Gale could force his way in if he starts the season with a string of centuries.”

Rikki Clarke

Chances: 2/10

Age 29

There will be guffaws of disbelief from some at Clarke’s inclusion in such a list. But, as a seamer capable of bowling with pace and a batsman capable of scoring Test centuries, Clarke has always had the talent to be the successor to Andrew Flintoff in the England team.

After a couple of deeply unimpressive seasons, Clarke returned to something approaching his best in 2010. Not only did he produce his best season with the ball, but he batted with class and responsibility. He’s also arguably the best fielder in the country.

It will take at least one more season of solid improvement before the selectors feel they can risk Clarke but, at his best, he would help balance the side in a very similar way to Collingwood.

The pro’s view (Neil Carter): “Andy Flower is a fan of playing six specialist batsmen so an all-rounder like Clarke faces a bit of a challenge. But, if he has another year where he bowls like he did last season – with pace and control – and bats like he did for the second half of last season, then he’s going to put himself in contention. When he’s on form with both, no-one in England can compare with him.”

Moeen Ali

Chances: 2/10

Age 23

There’s more than a hint of Gower about the Worcestershire all-rounder. Few batsmen in the county game time the ball as sweetly while his pleasing off-spin could be a useful foil to Panesar or Swann. Moeen can also appear loose outside the off-stump, however, and as he didn’t make the Lions’ squad, will probably need anther prolific season before he comes under serious consider. He’s an outside bet for the sub-continent tours, however.

The pro’s view (Alan Richardson): “Mo is an immensely talented player who has grown into a really thoughtful, gentle but impressive player. He will need a good season for Worcestershire in Division One of the championship and, as this is his last year in contract with them, a move to a bigger county may help his future prospects. His off-spin is vastly under-rated – he has been to the spin clinics at Loughborough and the analysis of his revolutions shows that he is up there with the best.”

And those whose chances seem to have receded…

Rob Key

Good enough to have scored a Test century and still only 31, it wasn’t long ago that Key was spoken about as a potential Test captain. With Cook now firmly established, however, and the likes of Trott and Bell both younger than Key, time has all but run out.

Owais Shah

Opinion is divided about the reasons, but it now appears that 32-year-old Shah will never translate his undoubted ability to the Test arena. If he harboured any hopes of a recall, he surely blew them by going public with his unflattering views on the England management.

David Sales

A huge talent, Sales has been unlucky to miss out on England recognition. Perhaps he’s been unlucky with injuries, or perhaps he’s lacked the fitness, consistency, or simply the desire to push himself to be as good as he could be but, aged 33, his chance has now surely gone.

Ian Blackwell:

A wonderfully destructive batsman and tight, well-controlled spin bowler, Blackwell had the ability to balance England’s line-up as an all-rounder. Now aged 32 and some way from being Andy Flower’s type of cricketer, it looks as if Blackwell have to content himself with the one Test cap he won in 2006.

Samit Patel:

A brilliant batsman and useful second spinner, Patel could have made himself a regular in all formats for England by now. Instead his weight and fitness troubles have held him back and the selectors appear to have lost all patience. Still only 26, Patel has time to change and he has seemingly lost some weight prior to the 2011 season.  All might not be lost for Samit particularly if occassion for the second spinner arises.

England’s split leadership: 3 formats, 3 captains

England’s new leadership team

In an unprecedented move, the ECB today announced that England will have 3 captains – one for each format.

Following Andrew Strauss’s not unexpected announcement to relinquish the ODI captaincy, Alastair Cook was today named as the new captain.    Strauss also announced his retirement from international limited overs cricket, something that he wasn’t expected to do because of the impact on his central contract.  Historically, players are just “not selected” rather than retire.

In addition to this, Paul Collingwood has been effectively sacked as England T20 captain to be replaced by fast bowler Stuart Broad – a move that has raised some eyebrows but was necessary because of the question marks over Cook’s abilities in T20 cricket and Collingwood’s injury concerns and poor recent form.

Cook is far from proven as a 50 over opener and indeed wasn’t even in the recent England one day squad although did make a good impression during his captaincy stint in last year’s winter tour of Bangladesh.  Cook said “I have worked hard on my limited overs cricket in recent times, I’ve never seen myself as a test batsman exclusively and I know I have a lot to offer both strategically and as a top order batsmen in one-day cricket”

Strauss said “retiring from One-day cricket will enable me to focus solely on the test captaincy and our on-going development in the Test arena as we strive to be to the top ranked team in World cricket.”

“There is still a long way to go for us in One day cricket and this is the perfect opportunity for someone new to take up the challenge.  I look forward to working closely with both Alastair and Stuart.  They are both proven world class cricketers and have outstanding leadership qualities”.

ECB Managing Director, Hugh Morris paid tribute to both Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood and reiterated that Strauss will continue to play an important strategic role in the development of Team England and a crucial role in developing and mentoring both Cook and Broad.   Broad in particular is a totally inexperienced captain admitting during the press conference that he hasn’t captained a cricket team since school and there are only a handful of scheduled international T20 matches before the 2013 T20 World Cup.   When asked how he will cope with the captaincy having had so little experience he said “every time I step on the cricket pitch I try to think like a captain, think about fielding placements and I have had the benefit of the experience and knowledge of 2 great captains, Andrew Strauss and Michael Vaughan, both of whom have taught me a lot”.

Team director Andy Flower said he did try and persuade Strauss to stay on for another year or so but that Strauss had been fully involved in the discussions about his replacement and the future direction. As Strauss put it “the end of a World Cup is a watershed for all teams not just England and an opportunity to refresh and rejuvenate and plan for the next one.”  It is clear that there is very much a 4 year plan in place to take us to the next World Cup in 2015.

Alastair Cook wasn’t the only candidate for the role though.  Demonstrating how businesslike and professional the England set up is these days, Andy Flower admitted  that a number of candidates went through a rigorous interview process by a selection panel for the role although he wouldn’t divulge who these candidates were or who was on the selection panel.

The decision to have 3 different captains is unprecedented but Flower is, as always, willing to try new things  “this has never been tried before…..we do not know 100% that it will work as an efficient and effective system but we are going to give it a try and it is an exciting opportunity for us to work closely together as a leadership team sharing ideas which will benefit us across all 3 formats. “

Much has been said in recent weeks about overcrowded schedules and although Flower was clear that this decision is not as a direct result of schedule or workload issues he suggested that having “might be the most effective use of our resources”    Flower also talked about how workloads mean that they need to think more smartly about squad rotation.

Paul Collingwood is said to be “very upset” at the decision to remove him as captain and although Flower said he is very much still involved as a player,  if the focus is all on planning for the T20 World cup in 2013 and the World Cup in 2015, it is doubtful whether we will ever see Paul Collingwood in an England shirt again.

When asked whether it’s now a “straight shoot-out” between Broad and Cook who takes over the test captaincy, Flower naturally denied this was the case but they are clearly both being developed for future leadership and Cook may turn out not to be the natural first choice even though he is clearly the front-runner, it may be that there are some question marks about his test captaincy potential and this arrangement leaves the door open for Stuart Broad and possibly even others.  Andrew Strauss is adamant that although you can never predict the future it is his intention to still be captain for both the Ashes series in 2013 and 2014.

The move to 3 captains is not without its logic but isn’t proving to be universally popular with some claiming that it makes England look directionless and chaotic and raising questions about how it will actually work in practice.  One thing is clear though, if any man in world cricket can make an arrangement like this work it will be Andy Flower who will manage Team England like a well run business with his 3 captains running each of their departments with leadership and support from their Chief Executive.

This is the sort of arrangement that happens all the time in the real world and works very well. Individual players are perfectly capable of working out who their captain is on the field and strategic decisions are taken as part of a management team.    It remains to be seen whether in practice it actually works.

England extra generous to a fault

Next Page »