Where the game was won:
- The bowling - Hard to score off, good pace and bounce.
- Team selection - Sidebottom inclusion paid off.
- Flexible batting order - In theory, the move to bring Mascarenhas in at four was a good one. He's struggling to find the middle of the bat at the moment and India bowled well to him - meaning he finished with a sub-100 strike-rate - but England needed the momentum then, and that time in the middle may prove beneficial next time.
- Pietersen - Seems to have realised that he barely needs to alter his natural game in T20. When he plays well, so do England.
- Foster's stumping of Yuvraj - Justified his inclusion in one match-turning moment. Doubtful any other England 'keeper would have managed it.
- Fielding and catching - Flawless, save for one Stuart Broad missed stumping.
- Bowling plans and field placings - Didn't allow the Indian batsmen to play their natural game. Driving was off the menu, instead they had to resort to easily miss-timed pulls and cuts.
- Collingwood juggled his bowlers well - Maligned skipper got everything right in the field.
- Batting - Inability to push on when Bopara and Pietersen departed. Not enough maximums again. Tempering Foster's brilliant stumping is the fact that Matt Prior coming in at five or six would be a very welcome sight.
No comments:
Post a Comment