Three Lions Cricket

Change of plan

2009-11-12T19:10:00.004Z

To the literally tens of people who read this blog,

Thank you for visiting, especially if you've kept coming back for more (honourable mention to messers J Hayward and C Staniforth-Endsor). In the past week or so, I have been lucky enough to be asked by Will Luke to contribute regularly to his excellent blog, The Corridor. I'm exceedingly lucky to have this opportunity.

If you haven't already, please check it out. Will was formerly an assistant editor at Cricinfo, and now works for ESPN in general. As yet, I'm unsure what's going to happen to Three Lions Cricket - I may post on it from time to time - but for now, you can follow me over on The Corridor.

Many thanks for reading,

Rich

Pietersen Beginning To Talk The Talk Again

2009-10-31T10:11:00.007Z

Kevin Pietersen gave a typically frank and honest interview to The Times yesterday, and - crucially - it was positive too. Because that's a word that's been slipping down the long list of adjectives aimed at England's best player in recent times.

Will Luke alluded to it in a recent article, the man himself in yesterday's piece; Kevin Pietersen was beginning to fall out of love with the game.

In that respect, writes Alison Rudd, his recent injury can be viewed as "a necessary evil... The combination of politics [the captaincy debacle] and playing while in pain left Pietersen wondering about his relationship with the sport." In his own words, he "hasn't particularly enjoyed playing cricket" in 2009.

But, as 2010 rears into view, his injury heals and his homeland beckons, his love for the game is set to be restored.

"I can't wait. I haven't been at my best since India last year. These last three months have cleared my brain and my thoughts," he said.

Despite the recent Ashes win, England's batting needs to be much stronger in South Africa. A fit and firing KP not only improves the top order through his mere inclusion, but also through the effect he can have on his teammates. It will be great to see him back.

Limited Overs Pump Up The Volume, But Test Is Best

2009-10-27T16:24:00.008Z

Both Patrick Kidd and Will Luke - authors of the two best cricket blogs out there - have hit the bail on the head in recent posts regarding the sheer volume of cricket currently played on the elite circuit.

As Luke points out, very rare is the occasion when one logs onto cricinfo to find an empty Live Scores box. The top players are in demand like never before - from their national boards and a plethora of globalising club franchises. Not to mention their families back home.

I have no problem with the Champions League or the IPL - which is good, because they represent the direction in which the sport is heading. But, while some see this uncertain path as exhilarating, and others vulgar, all agree it must be managed carefully. This is equally true of the international game.

Scrapping seven match ODI series, as advocated by Patrick Kidd, would be a start. Doing away altogether with pointless series, like the one currently being played between India and Australia, is a necessity.

Cricket administrators are dipping their toes into a sea of overkill. Whilst a balance is sought between international and franchise cricket, mistakes are bound to be made and learned from. The one certainty I am taking from all this, is the supreme reign of the longest from of the game.

Whilst the quantity of one-day cricket around the world increases, so too does my yearning for, and appreciation of, Test cricket.

I'm looking forward to the two T20Is and five ODIs on the upcoming tour of South Africa, but they're the warm-up act. The appertiser. The spat before the war. When the floodlights go down, the cricket whites come out.

Unlike the shorter forms of the game, Test matches provide a platform on which, in theory, any type of player can thrive, but in reality only the best do. They create heroes of greater stature, longer lasting memories and more strands of narrative.

The limited overs debate will rage on. The more it's talked about and tinkered with, the more it will serve to underline the brilliance of the purest form of the game.

TLC 'End Of Summer Awards', Pt 2

2009-10-23T18:59:00.007+01:00

Individual One-day Performance of the Summer - Eoin Morgan v South Africa, Champions Trophy

Too few performances to choose from, and most of the aptly named shortlist came from this match, but it was Morgan's knock which carried the most significance. His 67 came off 34 balls, including five 6s at a strike-rate of 197.05. Whilst not an altogether unheard of feat in world cricket, it was an innings rarely achieved by an Englishman - ok, Irishman - and came against the hosts and No 1 ranked team in the world. Along with Collingwood's performances in that tournament, and Wright's potential, it showed that maybe England do have the modern-day firepower to match the Albie Morkel's of this world.

Unsung hero of the Summer - Kevin Pietersen

I whole-heartedly supported Kevin Pietersen's actions at the start of the year. They cost him the job of England captain, and Peter Moores that of England coach, but in the long run, I felt that only good could come of it. I was wrong about the long run bit. The new coach and captain, plus Pietersen's attitude since the affair, enabled an outstanding turn-around and an Ashes result which would not have been previously possible.

An honourable mention to the selectors, who had an excellent Ashes series. They kept faith with Bopara and Broad, giving them every chance of a form recovery during the Ashes, and comprehensively won the 'battle of the gambles' - the inclusion of Trott vs the omission of Hauritz - at the Oval.

Best Opponent of the Summer - Ricky Ponting

Quite simply didn't deserve to become the first Australian captain to lose the Ashes twice in England since Billy Murdoch. Vilified by the English crowds for being too good, he finally garnered the reception he deserved at the Oval, during a match in which he demonstrated admirable humility. Not at his absolute best with the bat, his wicket is still the most prized of any Australian, while his captaincy is remarkably underrated in his homeland. Class act.

Best thing about the Summer - England's character

One thing this England side certainly have, is character. They bounced back from leadership implosion and Test series defeat in the Caribbean to win the Ashes, unthinkable embarrassment against Holland to beat Pakistan, disaster at Headingley to triumph at the Oval, and so on. Now Flower's job is to make such recovery unnecessary; but should we go 1-0 down in SA, all is far from lost.

Worst thing about the Summer - Devaluing of the England v Australia Contest

This occurred during the 6-1 post-Ashes ODI series defeat, and was nothing to do with the score, which merely devalued the ODI format. As the 50-over circus lumbered around the country, it threatened to take the shine off an otherwise memorable summer of anglo-antipodean battles.

Three Lions Cricket 'End Of Summer Awards', Pt 1

2009-10-22T17:39:00.010+01:00

Time - during this well-earned international break - to review the summer of 2009. Only one team in the world could lose to Holland then triumph over Australia in the space of a few months.

Man of the Summer - 1. Andrew Strauss

A stunning summer, in fact, a stunning past 18 months. Grew into captaincy - improvement between Cardiff and Oval Tests was highly significant. Top scored in the Ashes (ave: 52.66) and ensuing ODI series (ave: 38.14). Married great batting and brilliant captaincy in an Ashes series; even Michael Vaughan didn't manage that.

2. Matt Prior

Finally, a worthy successor to Alec Stewart. Only just behind Strauss in terms of consistency during the Ashes. Has become a genuinely world-class keeper in remarkably short space of time. England conceded 106 fewer extras than Australia during the Ashes. Only criticisms being a moderate high score of 63 from seven Tests this summer (Ashes high score: 61) and an inability to consistently transfer Test batting cameos to one-day arena.

3. Andy Flower

Just brilliant. Comfortable in underdog role - a product of his playing career - but aiming to guide England to a level where they can dispense with the tag. Promising early signs of a special working relationship with Strauss. Showed his humility by opting out of the Oval victory lap.

Moment of the Summer - 1. Flintoff running out Ponting at the Oval.

A script writer would dare not pen it: Ponting run-out? Flintoff heroics? Been done before. But this was how it was meant to end. With his body restricting his bowling, Freddie, at wide mid-on, defied it one last time. The purest form of theatre, no-one could have predicted it. Except it didn't really surprise us. Flintoff's last offering of utter perfection to the Test match scene.

2. Panesar and Anderson Holding On At Cardiff

A monumental passage of cricket in the context of the rest of the summer. Few figures inspire less confidence with the bat than Monty Panesar, but his contribution that day - along with those of Anderson and Collingwood - were the first glimpses of the steely character which was to prove the difference between the sides.

3. Swann's Ashes Winning Wicket

Always a sweet occurrence, but made even more sickly by the the fact England were denied an on-field winning moment in 2005. I'm sure Swann doesn't mention it. Much.

Team Performance of the Summer - 1. The Oval Test (Ashes)

Edges out the Lord's Test purely because it followed the Headingley debacle, which, though both were bad, was far worse than the performance at Cardiff. An outstanding team effort, with argument-ending contributions from Stuart Broad and Jonathan Trott.

2. v Pakistan, World T20

A win, under huge pressure, against the eventual winners. Highly commendable due to the unthinkable embarrassment defeat would have caused. Going out of your own tournament after three days, before some teams have even played a game, would have rivaled World Cup '99 - when we exited the tournament before the official team song was released.

3. v South Africa, Champions Trophy

So they can do it. And how. The hosts barely knew what had hit them as England compiled a Shah-and-Morgan-inspired 323. Strauss said it was the best he'd seen England bat in a 50-over game, and, backed-up by sound bowling, it can act as a model performance to aspire to.

Individual Test Performance of the Summer - 1. Strauss at Lord's (Ashes)

The innings which announced England's arrival in the series as a team with pretensions of winning it. Batted for a whole day, and put on 196 with Cook for the first wicket. Fell early on day two, for 161, but had made the decisive contribution of the match by then, despite Flintoff taking the man-of-the-match honours on day five.

2. Broad at the Oval

Kudos to the selectors for sticking with him, kudos to the man himself for the decisive spell of the series. Stuart Broad won the Ashes for England in 12 overs, on day two of the last Test, during a spell of 5-37 - which included four wickets in 21 balls. Stunning stuff, and a 2005-shaped dose of excitement.

3. Trott at the Oval

A scarcely believable debut. So many parallels with KP's 158 four years ago. Siddle looked for all the world to have him caught behind off the first ball of day three, just like McGrath seemed to have snaffled Pietersen first ball in '05, but two great umpiring decisions enabled two historic innings - Trott's every bit as good as his countryman's. Actually, better. As Scyld Berry put it, "one of the all-time best England debuts."

England Issued Stuart Broad Warneing

2009-10-14T17:09:00.008+01:00

Watching him bowl was an unforgettable experience, listening to him commentate is refreshing, and reading his articles is always worthwhile - even if it's sometimes advisable to have a bowl of salt to hand, with fingers in pinching position.

Shane Warne, in his Times column today, has warned England that they are in danger of 'ruining' one of their most promising young stars, Stuart Broad, providing he bats - as looks likely - at No 7 in South Africa.

He said: "If England want to ruin Stuart Broad, it strikes me that they may be going the right way about it. [Batting at No 7] could be the worst thing to happen to the guy.

I'm not bagging Broad, because he has the makings of being a good player. He is a decent bowler and a reasonable batsman - just not an international all-rounder. By thinking that he is, England risk taking his focus away from what he is learning to do well: first and foremost to support frontline bowlers, then to chip in with runs."

I'd apply the pinch of salt to the "makings of a good player" part. Broad has proved a match winner on several occasions in his short career so far, making important contributions with bat and ball. He's one of England's good players, the question is, how much better can he get?

If Warne drew on his own experience in writing this article, then it's barely applicable. He played in Test teams who almost always named their wicket-keeper at No 7. The second half of his Test career coincided with the emergence of a certain Adam Gilchrist, who single-handedly changed the job spec of the wicket-keeper forever, in making 12 hundreds from No 7 and even one from No 8.

Gilchrist's predecessor in the Australia team, and their keeper/No 7 for the first half of Warne's 145 appearances in the baggy green, was Ian Healy. Though made to look decidedly human when compared to Gilchrist, his batting average, after the last of his 119 Tests, was a respectable 27.39. After 22 matches, Stuart Broad's stands at 30.68.

It would be easy for England to 'ruin' Stuart Broad, but I think that a step up the batting order is some way down the list of possible ways how. Too much cricket - let's hope he's rested for the Bangladesh tour - and expecting Oval-like performances every match are more dangerous threats to England's brightest young talent.

Having him at seven is not ideal, but nor is not having a genuine Test-class all-rounder, and at present England don't.

One of Warne's arguments is that Broad at No 7 heaps too much pressure on him. On his batting maybe, but in allowing another bowler in the team it should have the opposite effect on his primary weapon. A 7, 8, 9 of Prior, Broad and Swann sounds perfect, but that would leave Broad as one of four front-line bowlers; a prospect South Africa's supreme batting line-up would surely relish.

The balance of the side is a key issue going into the South Africa series, and if Broad at No 7 works, England will have unlocked the answer. If it doesn't, he's shown enough character so far in his England career to suggest that one failed experiment wont 'ruin' him for good.

Media Round-Up: The Champions Trophy, Harmy And The Heroes Of The Summer

2009-10-12T17:15:00.007+01:00

England's cricketers may currently be trying to remember what they used to do in their spare time, but those who write about them are having no such thoughts.

Papers and websites have been awash with comment, contemplation and analysis, at the end of a summer which included seven Tests, countless limited-overs contests and two world tournaments. The one-day international was ruthlessly KO'd, then resuscitated, all in the space of a few weeks. Time to take stock.

The Champions Trophy promised to be the party no one wanted to go to, but threatened, in the end, to be the talk-of-the-town white hot VIP ticket. It certainly re-ignited an ODI debate which England had threatened to give a definitive ending to through their dismal 6-1 series defeat to Australia.

Alison Mitchell enjoyed what she saw during her informative blogs and reports from the heart of the action. And the general consensus seemed to be that the ODI, in its current format, had been offered a lifeline. Players, such as winning captain Ricky Ponting, and commentators alike subscribed to the view that while the administration of 50-over cricket is so often found wanting, when managed well, it deserves a place in the calendar.

I have dealt with the media reaction to the Ashes success, but sub-plots - relating to the squad chosen for South Africa - have failed to die-down. The Harmison debate has dominated in recent days.

With his record as it stands, I can only see Harmy as an immensely talented actor, with a penchant for forgetting his lines. Glad, as I am, to have seen him in England colours, I think the selectors have got this one right, but Mike Selvey makes a fine case for the defence in this article, and warns that he may yet be able to add credence to the line: "I'll be back." Providing he remembers it.

The implications of a Harmison-less attack are discussed here, by Otis Gibson.

But the men of the summer have to be Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower. There is little left to say about Strauss, the subject of an excellent Paul Hayward article in The Observer, who has enjoyed a masterful summer.

In the case of Flower, it seems interviews - like victory laps around the Oval - are not for him. Martin Johnson secured such a piece for The Sunday Times a month ago, which concurred entirely with his pragmatic, sensible but ambitious image. It took, as a starting point, England's pathetic 51 all out in Jamaica, and chronicled his team's improvement since then. With the start of the journey a mere eight months ago, Flower is certainly not viewing this summer's success as any sort of ending.

Selectors' Surprise Could Prove Wright Move

2009-10-08T19:11:00.016+01:00

Sorry, couldn't resist.

A sub-headline on the BBC Sport website declared Liam Plunkett's inclusion in the Test squad a "surprise recall", but the prize for biggest surprise of all surely goes to Luke Wright being handed a pair of full England whites.

To be honest, I hadn't even considered it as an option, and at first assumed it a misprint born of a desire to break news of the squad before anyone else. It wasn't, and I'm coming round to the conclusion, why not?

For a start, he seems to have replaced Tim Bresnan in the curious replacement-for-Flintoff-but-won't-actually-play role, which is fair enough. Bresnan had a weak West Indies at his potential mercy during his only two Test appearances back in May. He did fine, and has since impressed in 50-over cricket, but for a bowling all-rounder, he's failed to convince that his primary skill offers enough threat in any form of the game. Does Wright's?

It remains to be seen, and probably won't be answered during the four Tests in South Africa. Unless England are battered into changing the make-up of their side, this tour is likely to be fruitful only in terms of experience. The following tour of Bangladesh seems more likely for a potential debut.

He made the right noises, as anyone not named Chris Gayle tends to do, in an interview with Spin Magazine back in September last year, saying: "Ask any young cricketer what their dream is and I would still like to think that it is about playing Test cricket for England. For me, Test cricket is the ultimate goal."

Wright has yet to forge a relationship with the middle-ground in his 25 ODIs and 14 T20Is so far; he's been all or nothing. From big-hitting, high-pressure batting and tight and bright bowling, to the briefest of contributions, he's been in and out of the team, shunted up and down the batting order and used at the death here, discarded there, with the ball. Throughout though, he's shown signs he belongs.

He bowls at 85 mph, can swing the ball, took 21 wickets in eight Championship matches (div 1) this season, hits big when needed, but also has seven first-class centuries from 57 matches, and has shown glimpses of stickability in the 50-over game. He fields brilliantly too.

No doubt he'd relish the opportunity to play eye-catching innings for his country, without a constant battle against time, overs remaining, and the need to resort to the sort of innings-ending shot which saw him clean-bowled by Peter Siddle during his impressive 48 against Australia last Friday.

In a word, or four, he's worth a chance. And more importantly, I didn't end on a pun. Just couldn't find the Wright one.

England Squads For South Africa Tour Announced

2009-10-08T17:35:00.015+01:00

The squads for England's Test, ODI and T20I tour of South Africa were announced at midday today, ending weeks of speculation and signaling the side's post-Ashes direction. They are:

Test Squad: Strauss (c), Cook (vc), Anderson, Bell, Broad, Collingwood, Davies, Onions, Pietersen, Plunkett, Prior, Rashid, Sidebottom, Swann, Trott, Wright

One-day Squad: Strauss, Anderson, Bresnan, Broad, Collingwood, Cook, Denly, Mahmood, Morgan, Onions, Pietersen, Prior, Rashid, Swann, Trott, Wright

Two of the most notable omissions are Steve Harmison and Geraint Jones, for Plunkett and Davies respectively, leaving Andrew Strauss the only survivor from the previous Test tour of South Africa.

The consensus is that this move has ended the international career of these 2005 Ashes stalwarts. That's probably true in Jones's case - there are plenty of promising young wicketkeeper-batsmen on the England radar at present. Harmison though, rightly dropped for Plunkett, can still offer something different on his day. We all know the black marks against his name - the inconsistency, the bad travelling - but his uniqueness has the power to scrub them out once again in the future. If he really wants it. A very-nearly-31-year-old, father of four, two times Ashes winner, he's known for his talent, not his determination. I suspect we've seen the last of him, but if he marries the two, he could yet prove us wrong.

That said, there was an ODI recall for a man who can - on his day (a too frequently used phrase regarding England seamers) - match Harmison's hostility; Saj Mahmood. He and Plunkett have enjoyed brief success for England in the past, and it is hoped that, as with James Anderson, time away from the international scene will have enhanced their maturity, readying them for a renewed challenge.

Two men about to experience the international wilderness again, are Monty Panesar and Ravi Bopara. Ravi will surely benefit from the time off. He seems to struggle with the mental side of top international cricket, and should remember the start of the summer, when he was, along with KP, England's chief Test and one-day batting threat. He's sure to come again, Panesar less so; though he's recently spoken about his intentions to rectify the situation.

England's Champions League Contingent

2009-10-06T16:56:00.019+01:00

The T20 Champions League begins on Thursday, and England players past, future and present will be involved in this 12-team signal of the way the game is headed. Fortunately, there are few front-line England players on show; they both need and deserve a rest. So, most of those on display have a point to prove. They are:

Owais Shah - Delhi Daredevils.

Dimitri Mascarenhas - Otago Volts.

Craig Kieswetter and James Hildreth - Somerset.

Will Beer, Michael Yardy, Rory Hamilton-Brown, Ed Joyce and Luke Wright - Sussex Sharks.

For the likes of Mascarenhas and Joyce, it's a chance to nudge the ribs of England selectors whose eyes have been focused elsewhere of late. For youngsters like Kieswetter and Hamilton-Brown, it's a chance to shine on the biggest stage they've encountered so far. The IPL should be on the periphery of their minds; some of last year's foreign player picks were out of leftfield - players barely known beyond the South African and Australian domestic game. The stage is set.

CT Match 4 (v Aus): To Attack Or Not To Attack?

2009-10-04T00:01:00.009+01:00

2/10/09 - Australia won by 9 wickets.

The mini-revival is over. Despite the impressive efforts of Luke Wright and Tim Bresnan, England lost this match because of their batting in the first 20 overs - during which they lost six wickets - and the inability of their bowlers to match the penetration demonstrated by Pakistan in skittling Australia in their final group game.

Bresnan's inclusion meant England entered the match looking a breakthrough bowler light. However, the brutal simplicity of his batting - in compiling 80 from 76 balls - was the major factor in his team posting a vaguely competitive score, even if it did seem about 40 runs below par.

Much debate centered around the approach of the top order, who tried to play with an attacking freedom which led to the loss of too many early wickets, despite runs flowing at a slick rate. They played their shots, and whilst few were reckless and the boundary found with refreshing regularity, the tactic did not appear to change despite the mounting wickets column. Was this the right approach?

I believe so. For a start, it worked against Sri Lanka, and - most devastatingly - against the hosts. It is also favourable when compared to the top-order's mindset at England's last major 50-over tournament, the 2007 World Cup. The cautious approach adopted by the top-order in that tournament hampered England badly. Such was the negativity and prizing of wickets-in-hand above all else, that against South Africa, in the Super Eights, England were 9-0 after 7 overs.

If going after the opposition early on works, it puts a team in a fantastic position to win a match. The same simply can't be said of platform-building defence and timidity.

Should England have adapted the approach as the wickets began to tumble? Possibly. Collingwood is usually ideal for that role, and maybe he could have consolidated for a few overs when he entered the fray in the 12th over. But he's in fine form, and understandably backed himself as he shot to 34 from 30 balls. His wicket was a huge blow, but he was pursuing a match-winning innings - an admirable, and, given his form, realistic mindset to be in.

Right tactic, poor execution. On Sky, Nick Knight - unsurprisingly in support of the positive batting - said he thought if England maintained the approach they'd win more games than they lose. That would be an improvement.

Pietersen To Make SA Test Series

2009-10-01T16:39:00.002+01:00

According to the man himself, quoted in yesterday's Guardian, Kevin Pietersen will "certainly be in the Test squad" for the winter tour to South Africa.

He said, "The time scale is difficult but i will definitely be doing everything I can to get on that first plane to South Africa which is at the end of October. I might be a few days off that but I will certainly be in the Test squad. The one-dayers I am really pushing for but the Twenty20s might be a rush."

For obvious reasons, the series is an important one for KP, and his availability for selection is equally important to the team. He will be able to start training proper in two weeks time, and if his place on the plane is subject to hard work, England needn't worry; it's one of the reasons he got so badly injured in the first place.

CT Match 3 (v NZ): Thoughts Turn To Semi-Final

2009-09-30T17:28:00.009+01:00

29/09/09 - New Zealand won by four wickets. Both sides progress to semis.

England have spent most of September disproving the theory that winning the toss gives a team an advantage in a one-day cricket match. Yesterday they discovered to their cost that in some cases it does make a big difference.

However, it's still no excuse for being bowled out for 146 - 66 runs less than Sri Lanka managed against England on Friday.

An attacking approach and clear minds had characterised England's first two games of the tournament, but here, as on English soil, those minds were caught in two - a product of good bowling and demons in the pitch. When it looked like the good work of the opening games may be undone by a thrashing at the hands and bats of their weakest group opposition, England's bowlers added some respectability to the scoreboard.

And morale-wise that could prove important, not least because it was masterminded by the quiet-up-until-now Stuart Broad (4-39). Sidebottom (1-32) replaced Onions, but failed to do enough to add any permanence to the switch. He may be more economical than Onions, but the Durham man will target the stumps more if picked against Australia, and thus carries more threat.

And Australia it is, after they crawled over the line against Pakistan.

England must forget the NatWest series, and recall the spirit of the Sri Lanka and South Africa games. The batsmen will take solace from the venue - Centurian - and the bowlers from the brittle middle order of the Michael Clarke-less opposition, kindly exposed today by Pakistan.

CT Match 2 (v SA): "Best Batting Ever"

2009-09-28T18:11:00.018+01:00

27/09/09 - England won by 22 runs and progress to semi finals.

At the start of the Champions Trophy, the sentence: "That batting performance is the best I can ever remember England playing" would have been a strong contender for the Least Likely Claim To Be Made By Andrew Strauss Award. But those were his very words as England sent the hosts, South Africa, crashing out of the tournament. And he had a point.

Having arrived in South Africa with a surprisingly confident murmur against Sri Lanka on Friday, Shah (98), Collingwood (82) and Morgan (67) progressed to a shout yesterday. Any confidence shown from here on in will not be surprising.

The most pleasing thing about England's newly-lethal trio, is the affirmation to them and us that they can do it; they can perform at this level, they can construct a one-day innings, and they can do what we've seen them do before - both in county cricket (Morgan and Shah) and in ODIs of the past (Collingwood).

Strauss and Denly played their part too - no opening partnership has threatened the boundary with such regularity in the post-Tresco years. The bowling too had a bite so lacking on the late-summer English pitches, with several commentators identifying Jimmy Anderson's display (3-42) as one of his best ever.

This renewed belief was thrilling to witness, so too - for once - is a dissection of the particulars:

12 - The number of 6s in the England innings - Shah (6), Morgan (5). Earlier this summer, England failed to hit a single maximum against Holland in the World T20 opener.
197.05 - Eoin Morgan's strike-rate.
247 - The combined score of England's numbers three, four and five.
323 - England's total, the second highest in the competition's history.
2 - Number of semi-finals that England have now reached in major tournaments held outside England.

Tomorrow England face the familiar: a dead and - for them - meaningless group game. This time, however, their place in the last four is gloriously secure.

SA Tour: Jones In, Bopara Out?

2009-09-27T22:00:00.003+01:00

England are set to recall Geraint Jones as back-up wicketkeeper, and discard Ravi Bopara for the winter tour of South Africa, according to Scyld Berry in The Sunday Telegraph.

Berry points out that Jones, who would replace Tim Ambrose as back-up to Matt Prior, has hit five first-class hundreds this season - more than any England gloveman in the past 25 years.

Bopara's struggles with the bat seem likely to see him dropped from both touring parties, with Berry claiming that "Joe Denly probably needs only one good innings in South Africa this week to become the reserve Test batsman in place of Bopara."

No light was shed on the selectors' thinking regarding the fifth seamer role - billed as a tussle between Durham colleagues Liam Plunkett and Steve Harmison.

CT Match 1 (v SL): Winning Start

2009-09-26T14:41:00.016+01:00

25/09/09 - England won by 6 wickets.

Change of scenery, change of fortune. Before the game Andrew Strauss said he felt his side could beat anyone on their day - his players went on to prove him emphatically right.

Escaping the seemingly never-ending English summer, tired and muddled minds seemed freed from the rut of the NatWest series by a pitch which offered much for the bowlers, and an opposition that wasn't wearing green and gold.

England got it right from the start in dropping Bopara - possessor of probably the most tired and muddled mind of the lot - and winning the toss. Bopara has been handled well all summer - a four month period during which he enjoyed considerable success at the start. He was given every chance of an upsurge in form during the Ashes, until finally being dropped when his place became untenable after Headingley. His reintroduction for the NatWest series made sense, but his scores (49, 27, 10, 26, 18, 24, 13) were not enough to warrant a Champions Trophy starting berth.

Onions and Anderson furthered the promising start, reducing the Sri Lankans to 17-4 at one point. Given that, England had reason to be disappointed with Sri Lanka's eventual 212 on a tricky pitch, but to bowl any side out inside 50 overs is a notable achievement. The fact it was achieved despite conceding 25 extras and dropping short in length too frequently makes it even more impressive, whilst simultaneously highlighting what can be improved.

212 was still a worrying total for the batsmen; the lack of urgency to push the rate hovering over them as a potential pitfall. Losing Strauss and Denly early did nothing to quell the uneasiness, but the performance of the maligned trio of Shah, Collingwood and Morgan did exactly that.

In uncertain times, each has secured his place for the next two group games. Shah anchored with flashes of brilliance - he may be no KP, but he's the best option at three in the squad. Collingwood looked as carefree as he has all summer, hitting three 6s (one a flat-batted pull off Malinga) and backing up his recent fighting talk. Morgan's assurance as he came in at 82-3 was exemplary and belied the match situation.

As for Mendis, England showed him respect and nullified his threat. The batsmen were given a platform - not by the top order but by the bowlers - and they made it count, crossing the finish line with 30 balls remaining. England join New Zealand as the only sides Mendis has played but failed to take a wicket against in ODIs. His partner in crime, Muralitharan, was subdued and went for six runs an over.

No hint of getting carried away in the England camp - with Flower today saying, "It's only one game but it is confidence boosting," - but it does prove that England aren't woeful at one-day cricket. They're just woefully inconsistent.

Sri Lanka Preview: First Taste Of Mendis

2009-09-24T16:55:00.014+01:00

England v Sri Lanka, Champions Trophy, Group B, Johannesburg, 13:30

If Ajantha Mendis has his customary say in proceedings, adjusting to altitude may be the least of England's problems when they take on Sri Lanka in Jo'burg tomorrow.

The mystery spinner's already powerful mystique has been enhanced on these shores due to the fact that none of his 55 international appearances have been against England. That will change tomorrow, and although yesterday's evidence suggests the pitch will offer more encouragement to the seamers, England's first encounter with the apparent heir to Murali's throne is significant. Besides, Mendis appears to be from the school of spinners who show scant regard for pitch conditions.

None of England's batsmen have encountered his mix of offbreaks, legbreaks, googlies, flippers and top-spinners - England's small IPL contingent even managed to avoid his Kolkata Knight Riders exploits. He doesn't turn the ball miles - he doesn't have to; his exceptional variety has been enough to account for 71 wickets in 34 ODIs - a wicket every 22 deliveries (including a haul of 6-13 against India). There'll be many more.

The answers to the questions he poses, it seems, are to play with a straight bat, get the front leg out of the way, and, most importantly, to read what's coming out of his hand - learn to pick his wrist movements. Easier typed than done. An additional question for England is have they the time to do their homework? Almost certainly not, unless we can put the failure of the past few weeks down to them ignoring the NatWest series challenge in order to prepare for this.

No, Laptop Mendis analysis must have been inadequately jigsawed in around travel, acclimatisation and the small matter of considering the host of other threats posed by the likes of Lasith Malinga. As a result, it's vital that Strauss, Denly and the chosen number three get England off to a positive start so that the struggling middle order don't have to push the run-rate - on top of merely trying to survive Mendis' spell. One of the few plusses of the recent ODI implosion has been the promise shown by that new opening partnership - tomorrow their role takes on extra significance.

The Champions Trophy 2009

2009-09-22T17:59:00.011+01:00

The ICC Champions Trophy kicks off today in South Africa. Weary England barely have time to breathe before their first match - Sri Lanka on Friday.

What is the Champions Trophy?

A mini, less-important World Cup, this year to be contested by the eight highest ranked ODI sides in the world. Contrary to popular opinion, that includes England.

Australia won the last tournament in 2006, and England reached the final in 2004, before losing in improbable fashion to the West Indies. The odds for those two reaching this year's final are not high.

Do England have a chance?

In theory everyone does, which is rare for a major international tournament in any sport. It's the top eight sides in the world, all of whom have been proficient in this format at different times. However, in practice it would appear we can cross England (and the West Indies) off the list of potential winners due to dire form, crass home ODI series scheduling and non-stop cricket for a core group of players. That said, whether they're recovering from defeat to Holland in the World T20, or demolition by Australia at Headingley, England seem intent on styling themselves as comeback kings. This would be their neatest trick yet.

Are they taking the right squad?

Seemingly not, although they were hampered by a squad submission deadline which predated Jonathan Trott's reintroduction to international cricket. The luxury of a post-Australia ODI series decision would have been ideal, but it gives the consistently average performers (Morgan, Bopara, Bresnan) the chance to snuff out a few question marks.

Who will win it?

Take your pick between the top sides in the world. South Africa have the local knowledge and will be fresher than most England players will remember being since their teenage years. Australia have some serious form behind them, and Pakistan are capable of literally anything - which could be good or bad - but I'm going for Sri Lanka.

Strong batting, led by Tillakaratne Dilshan, who's been unstoppable in one-day cricket for the past year, and thrived on the South African pitches during an explosive IPL spell with the Delhi Daredevils, is backed up by the irrepressible four Ms attack: Mathews, Malinga, Mendis and Muralitharan. England have practically no time to consider this prospect before they meet it head on. It's probably just as well.

It's a big tournament for...

Everyone - England are crying out for a new one-day hero - but Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah in particular. Collingwood has been a fine limited-overs player for England, and has usually managed to up his game when required in the past. This is one such time, as the burden of all-year-round cricket, across three formats, is starting to see his form slide.

Shah is in better touch than his scores in the NatWest series suggest, but his Benny Hill impersonation between the wickets and genuinely poor fielding must have put him in somewhere approaching last chance territory.

Who cares?

Well no-one usually, the Champions Trophy having been out-muscled in recent times by its bullish yet disorganised big brother - the World Cup. However, this year it's perilously close to actually meaning something. Recent 50-over World Cups have been woefully administrated, this is the ICC's chance to show lessons have been learned. Interest here - and in Australia - is likely to be fragile and entirely performance-dependent, but this time that's thanks to the ECB's late-summer flogging of both the format and the players, rather than the ICC.

The 50-over game itself has been taking a battering - from fans, commentators and players alike. England have done it no favours over the past few weeks - the rest of the world now have a prime opportunity to rectify that.

Seventh ODI (v Aus) Reaction

2009-09-20T09:01:00.010+01:00

England won by 4 wickets.

England had Graeme Swann to thank for reducing Australia to 176 all out, but the manner in which they chased it down was fittingly limp.

Winning an ODI to avoid a 7-0 series defeat is like dropping a tenner and finding a 5p - hardly cause for celebration - and again, after a good start, the batting fell away badly. But England can take two individual performance plusses out of the game - which is two more than in most of the previous six.

Joe Denly scored his first half-century (53) against major opposition, and seems to be starting to convince himself that he belongs at this level. And a man who's thought that for a while, Swann, took his first ODI five-for (5-28). His was the outstanding performance England have been craving - but it's taken seven games, and stands alone in a campaign afflicted by mediocrity.

Swann's figures were the second best ever recorded by an England spinner - behind Vick Marks's 5-20 v New Zealand in 1984. And second best was the order of the day; England having been thoroughly outplayed over the past two weeks. At least now they have a modicum of form on which to attempt to mount a challenge in South Africa. The odds are against them.

Sensible end of series observations from Peter May at Cricket365.

Sixth ODI (v Aus) Reaction

2009-09-19T11:34:00.005+01:00

17/09/09 - Australia won by 111 runs.

England must now dip into the reserves of courage and character which served them so well between the Headlingley and Oval Tests earlier this summer, in order to avoid an unprecedented 7-0 series whitewash.

Set 297 to win - two less than their score on this ground on Tuesday - England folded meekly on 185 after 41 overs, leaving top-scorer Bresnan - who has shown glimpses of resolve with the bat this series - stranded on 31.

Anderson, subdued since mid-summer, returned to form with the ball (4-55) but all other positives were conspicuous by their absence - a fact that was not lost on Strauss, who has talked, as well as played, a good game all summer.

An England win on Sunday would not dampen the humiliation of such heavy defeat, but it would at least offer some respite. Strauss must remind his men that they've turned things around previously this summer, when the stakes were much higher.

Fifth ODI (v Aus) Reaction

2009-09-16T20:54:00.006+01:00

England lost by 4 wickets, with 10 balls remaining.

Despite England's highest total of the series so far, this match was no closer than the previous four, with Australia in rarely-unwavering control of their run chase.

The 'highlights' were the batting displays of youngsters Morgan and Denly. Denly is at the crawling stage of his international career, but his performance - 45 runs from 68 balls - suggests he'll be walking soon. For now Strauss (35 from 38) is playing the aggressor role, looking to alleviate the pressure from his inexperienced partner; the plan - in time - must be for these roles to reverse, with Denly attacking and Strauss looking to bat through.

Morgan played excellently for his 58 from 41 (including three 6s) proving that he can be more than a run-a-ball merchant at this level.

Sidebottom's performance yesterday (0-43, economy 4.60) reflected his side's throughout the series - decent containment, lacking in penetration. He has bowled his first spell of each match brilliantly, rarely conceding more than one or two an over. Eventually though, consistency leads to predictability, and his lack of variety is compounded by the one-paced nature of the rest of the attack.

A sign of England's travails in recent games, has been the disintegration of their fielding standards - a reliable barometer on which to measure commitment to the cause.

Tendulkar's Playing A Different Game

2009-09-15T20:16:00.009+01:00

Sachin Tendulkar scored his 44th one-day hundred yesterday, as India defeated Sri Lanka in the Compaq Cup. This nudged him one century ahead of the entire combined total achieved by the all-time England ODI side chosen by Mike Atherton in The Times last Thursday.

It would be easy therefore, though entirely pointless, to concoct unflattering comparisons with England batsmen past and present. A fruitless venture; Tendulkar has been blessed with a rare talent and one which has graced an ODI pitch on no less than 428 occasions.

Only one England player in history can boast an ODI century count in double figures. Only one. And although Marcus Trescothick's career tally of 12 is dwarfed by Tendulkar's exploits, his games per century count is comparable: one in every 10.25 games, compared with the Indian's one in every 9.7.

Mind-boggling though Tendulkar's numbers are, the fact that Trescothick stands alone as the only Englishman to score more than eight career hundreds is the stat that should most concern England. Pietersen, on seven, must have him in his sights. A rejuvenated Strauss, on three, must be looking to double that at the very least. The likes of Trott, Denly, Bopara, Morgan, Kieswetter (from February), even Bell should be looking to share the load and inch as close to membership of the double figures club as is humanly possible.

None will get even close to the Little Master, but to match his sublime achievement as a collective unit would represent a marked improvement. Tendulkar deserves the adulation of a billion people, but what England need to build is a team of Marcus Trescothicks.

Andrew Strauss: Back From The Brink

2009-09-13T19:00:00.010+01:00

The Sunday Telegraph today published the first of their exclusive extracts from Andrew Strauss' new book, Testing Times.

Here he describes his feelings ahead of his career-saving innings against New Zealand in Napier last March. He was without a Test century in 15 matches and had yet to pass 50 in the series.

I knew it was do or die time. My team-mates knew it. The media knew it.

Your team-mates, in those circumstances, are not sure what to say to motivate you or get you going. But I can remember one conversation in the middle of a net-practice before the game. Collingwood came down the net and said to me: "Straussy, you're not playing your game." I said: "I've been working for three months to improve." Colly said: "I know your strengths are pulls and cuts and I've hardly seen you play one all tour." In some ways those words almost underlined the point that I was in the last-chance saloon. But it was reassuring that one of my mates had taken enough interest to think about my plight and say something.

He was out for 0 in the first innings and considered himself a doomed man as he made his way out for the second.

My first priority was not to bag a pair. Once I got to 20 or so, I had the goal of getting through to close of play, by when I had reached 42. That night I felt it could have been have been all over by now - but I was still fighting and still had a chance. Realistically, it was going to take a hundred, not a fifty to keep my England career going.

The next day, I felt a mixture of hope and excitement, two feelings I hadn't experienced much in the recent past. I flashed at a wide ball early on and it went past gully, exactly where I had been caught in the first innings, and I remember thinking this could be my day.

I had to endure a couple of very spicy overs when 97 and I played and missed two or three times. Then came a wide delivery which I drove off the front foot through the covers. It was the same shot which brought up my hundred on Test debut at Lord's.

Strauss went on to score 177, his highest Test innings, and England claimed the series 2-1. Eighteen months later he lifted the Ashes urn as England captain.

Fourth ODI (v Aus) Reaction: Selectors' Hands Tied

2009-09-12T10:17:00.016+01:00

Australia won by 7 wickets (with 38 balls remaining). Australia win the series.

England freshened up today's line-up a bit, but not enough, as Australia claimed an unassailable 4-0 lead.

In came Denly, Broad and Rashid for Swann and the rested duo of Paul Collingwood and James Anderson. Except that in the Sky commentary box neither Michael Holding nor Sir Ian Botham could believe they were being rested. Both were at pains to point out that Collingwood has 'only' played 77 days cricket so far this year. Surely they're missing the point; since the new year he's been away in the Caribbean playing Test and ODI series before embarking on a summer of seven home Tests, more ODIs and a stint captaining his country at the World T20. Atherton stood tall for the batting fraternity, suggesting all that may have taken a mental toll, but Holding was having none of it. 77 days of England duty on the pitch it may have been, but it's been at least that or more off it. I don't begrudge Collingwood a rest ahead of the Champions Trophy, in fact, I called for it after the third ODI.

Strauss winning the toss has become as inevitable as England's batting collapsing. He chose to bat first, giving Denly a chance to impress, which he did in part. 11 off 17 balls in 20 minutes is hardly the stuff of dreams, but he did offer a glimpse of hope. First ball nerves were dispelled with a leg-side clip for four, and he's got the first one out of the way. If he can find his feet over the next three matches, England will at least head to the Champions Trophy with a settled opening pair.

Again only Strauss (63) and Shah (39) offered any resistance as England squandered their best start of the series. After 16 overs they were 89-1, which though not headline-worthy does represent an improvement.

Matt Prior's struggles with the bat reflect those of his team. At present he's not translating his Test fluency and expansive shot play to the shorter game. Today he batted at four, meaning he's now batted everywhere from one to nine in ODIs (except five), though as Scyld Berry Points out in The Telegraph, come February, England are likely to install Craig Kieswetter. How we could do with his hitting now.

Brett Lee produced the outstanding performance of the series in claiming five wickets for 49, four of them clean bowled. Sometimes you have to just admire an opponents performance, and having watched the Ashes from the sidelines, Lee is unleashing his frustration in style. That is forgivable, the treatment - or rather non-treatment - of Hauritz less so.

He's clearly a tidy bowler - better than his career stats suggest - but he must be loving how cagily England are dealing with him. They didn't even try going after him - as his economy rate of 2.30 suggests - and with Lee on fire at the other end, this proved fatal. When the opposition are turning their potential weaknesses into strengths, it's time for changes.

Or at least it would be if the Champions Trophy squad hadn't already been announced. Bringing in fresh faces now would be counter productive - England must find their solution with this crop of players. Were this not the case, the likes of Mascarenhas, Lumb, Bell and Trott would all be in with a shout. The CT squad was named before Trott's Ashes heroics, but his unflappable temperament and a one-day average in the fourties suggests he'll feature in the winter tour to South Africa.

On to Trent Bridge, where Stuart Broad destroyed the South Africans last year.

Central Contracts: Harmison And Panesar Dropped

2009-09-12T10:01:00.010+01:00

Despite Andy Flower reiterating that "central contracts don't decide selection - performances do," there are signs in yesterday's central contracts announcement of the direction in which England will head over the coming year. Onions, Swann and Prior - three of England's leading lights in the last twelve months - have been awarded full contracts for the first time. Panesar and Harmison - along with Patel, Ambrose and the retired Michael Vaughan - have lost theirs.

Ian Bell also received one of the eleven full-time deals - an indication he'll be on the teamsheet for the first Test in South Africa, though hopefully at four, with KP moving up to three.

With their contracts taken away, the onus is firmly on Panesar and Harmison, and neither can have many complaints. The former has slipped behind Adil Rashid in the pecking order, who, with his all-round skills will be hard to overtake. Harmison does not have the threat of a like-for-like replacement breathing down his neck. The news will test his hunger, his options being retire now or add another chapter to his jekyll and hyde England career.

Full Contracts

Anderson, Bell, Broad, Collingwood, Cook, Onions, Pietersen, Prior, Sidebottom, Strauss, Swann

Incremental Contracts

Bopara, Bresnan, Flintoff, Rashid, Shah, Trott, Wright

Atherton's All-Time England ODI XI

2009-09-11T16:54:00.004+01:00

Mike Atherton drew the readers of his column in yesterday's Times into a "fictional selection room", where he discussed the role of each position in the side and named his all-time England ODI line-up. Here it is:

Trescothick

Gooch (c)

Gower

Pietersen

Fairbrother

Stewart

Flintoff

Botham

Gough

Underwood

Willis

England's Contrary Test And ODI Form

2009-09-10T17:08:00.010+01:00

It should come as no surprise that - at 3-0 down - England appear to be heading for defeat in the ODI series against Australia. After all, we won the Ashes.

When Test and ODI series have been paired together in recent years, England have an uncanny and near-impeccable record - at winning one and losing the other.

Rarely have England been able to buck this trend; they even triumphed in the Commonwealth Bank series that followed the Ashes mauling of 06-07 - an event no-one could have predicted with any conviction.

In the summer of 2006, a few months before that ill-fated Ashes tour, England had recovered from a comprehensive 5-0 ODI series defeat to Sri Lanka by beating Pakistan 3-0 in a now infamous four match Test series.

The following summer, fresh from a disappointing World Cup showing, England dispatched the West Indies 3-0 in another four match Test series, but couldn't translate that form to the 50-over game as they lost to the same opponents in the accompanying three match ODI series.

Gaining top marks for inconsistency during the second half of that summer, Vaughan's England then lost a Test series to the touring Indians, before Collingwood's 50-over side triumphed 4-3 in an outstanding ODI series - the limited-overs equivalent of the 2005 Ashes.

England's promising ODI form continued in Sri Lanka that winter with a 3-2 series win, which preceded - true to form - a 1-0 Test series defeat.

On to New Zealand, where the pattern continued, this time with defeat in the ODIs (3-1) and victory in the Tests - the last of which saw Panesar spin the side to victory and Andrew Strauss save his career with a Test high-score of 177. That innings has taken on extra significance given his form in the last year.

When England returned the favour and hosted New Zealand a couple of months later, the on-pitch results were almost identical - victory in the Tests (2-0), followed by defeat in the five match 50-over series (3-1).

The outcomes were reversed for the visit of South Africa later that summer, with Test series defeat prompting Michael Vaughan to relinquish captaincy duties and Kevin Pietersen making an excellent start with a win in the dead rubber Test and a resounding ODI series win.

Following defeat in all forms of the game in India in late 2008, a wounded England succumbed to dressing room chaos, misjudged declarations, flat pitches and Test series defeat in the West Indies in the new year. This was however followed up - in now familiar fashion - by ODI series victory, 3-2.

This record highlights that the reign of Peter Moores, though defined by home Test series defeat, did include a number of notable ODI series victories. It also reveals how different these two formats of the game are and how, in England's case, momentum in one counts for little in the other.

Credit England for the examples of recovery, dispair the meek squandering of the upper-hand. Andy Flower has overseen both ODI and Test series victories, his challenge is to combine the two.

Third ODI (v Aus) Reaction

2009-09-09T19:27:00.010+01:00

Australia won by 6 wickets.

Strauss opted to bat first, hoping for a different story. Instead all we got was variations on a theme.

England's is a batting line-up out of form. Strauss - as he has done all summer - has demonstrated fluency, but at present, he's alone in his contentment with his own game. His teammates are wrestling with theirs.

None more so than Bopara. Potentially a dashing striker of the ball in limited overs cricket - recall his T20 exploits at the start of the summer - he is currently consumed with fear in pursuing his natural game, but clearly frustrated by the alternative. The end result has been 86 scratchily put together runs in three games.

Prior has lost his form completely, leading most to the easy conclusion that he experiences altitude sickness coming in at number three. Maybe true in normal circumstances, but as a natural stroke player in a Pietersen-less side, the idea had potential. Shah has looked closest to Strauss in terms of touch, but has been shackled by a run of bad luck, not all of his making.

Collingwood has made a successful career out of scratchy innings at Test level, enabling him to dispell his 'one-day specialist' tag. But he acquired that tag originally for good reason - an ability to adapt to limited-overs situations as required, be it nudging and nurdling or consistent boundary hitting. There has been little of the latter in recent times. Should really be given the rest of the series off if the management are to expect anything from him in the Champions Trophy.

Add these elements to an equation and it's no wonder the outcome has thus far been lop-sided. The imminent Champions Trophy has effectively ruled out the possible solution of drafting in fresh blood.

Second ODI (v Aus) Reaction: Lagging Behind The World's Best

2009-09-06T19:56:00.006+01:00

Australia won by 39 runs.

A theme is developing here; Strauss wins toss, opts to chase, Australia adopt cautious approach and compile a slightly under-par score, England fall short due to lack of big individual total/s.

This is not an Australia team that post ungettable scores. Again the England bowlers gave their team a chance - restricting the tourists to 249, with only Johnson's late knock of 43 from 23 elevating the total into the realm of competitive. Luke Wright in particular impressed, until an expensive final over damaged his figures, and a recently-subdued Jimmy Anderson claimed his first wicket since August 3rd. England can't match the great strength of the Australian bowling attack - rich variety of pace - but they are still handing their batsmen ample opportunity to press for victory.

But openings are being squandered far too often, and cracks that have been papered over in Test matches are being laid bare in the 50 over game.

In their last 20 ODI innings (excluding innings interrupted by rain before the 20 over mark) only two players have made hundreds (Pietersen 111 v India and Strauss 105 v West Indies). In addition to that, they have claimed only one score in the 80s and one in the 90s - plenty of of 50s and 60s, but these are not uncommon in losing causes.

South Africa, the number one ranked team in the world and England's winter opponents, have managed five scores in the 80s, three in the 90s and two hundreds. India, second in the ICC rankings, have managed three 80s, three 90s and a staggering nine hundreds.

England have managed one fifty in two games, and thus have it all to do at 2-0 down.

England's Misfiring Top Order

2009-09-05T12:05:00.014+01:00

Ahead of the second ODI against Australia at Lord's tomorrow, Strauss has called upon the top order to contribute more runs, and in doing so has highlighted his teams' main problem across all forms of the game.

He said, "If you want to win consistently one of your top four or five needs to get hundreds more often than not. That is an area we are looking to an address."

They're focussing their attention on the right area.

The bowling unit is in good shape, and has depth - it restricted Australia to 260 yesterday, and enabled England to win the Ashes, despite their inferior batting. Indeed, the likes of Swann, Broad, Anderson and yesterday Rashid, have contributed with the bat too and in doing so, disguised, to some extent, the frailty of the specialist batting line-up.

Take the Ashes series. Of the seven innings in which every member of the team batted, the players selected for their batting alone (numbers one to five in the batting order) - were outscored by the all-rounders and bowlers (numbers six to eleven, plus extras) on five occasions, coming out on top just twice. Take extras out of the equation and the non-specialist batsmen still come out on top, four-three.

The Ashes averages back-up this evidence. Removing KP and Trott, who played two and one Tests respectively, leaves Andrew Strauss as the only specialist batsman - though you could argue that as captain, he's an all-rounder - in the top four; where he's joined by Swann, Flintoff and Prior - all primarily in the side to fulfill a different role.

The problem resurfaced yesterday in the 50 over game. Ideally, one of a team's specialist batsman would make a century once in every three/four - five at the most - ODIs. A side would expect at least three half-centuries in the absence of a three figure score. No Englishman passed 50 yesterday, which is no basis on which to expect to win a match.

It's not all bad news for England though. Their tail are wagging like never before, and gone are the days when they stutter from being six wickets down to all out in under five overs. James Anderson is as decent a Test number 11 as England have ever had.

Also, when their top batsmen do perform, they win. The two occasions when the specialist batsmen did outdo their all-rounder/bowling team-mates in the Ashes, were at Lord's and The Oval. So either England should play all their matches in London, or concentrate on sorting out their top order - something which Jonathan Trott's immediate success has ensured will happen anyway. Factor in too that England were without their best batsman for 60 per cent of the series, and Strauss may soon be blessed with the improvement he seeks.

First ODI (v Aus) Reaction: Rashid's Breakthrough

2009-09-04T20:58:00.007+01:00

Australia won by 4 runs.

The England run chase fell just short - with Ryan Sidebottom needing to hit his first international six off the last ball to win - after Australia posted a patiently constructed 260 for 5.

The tourists' "risk-free approach", as Derek Pringle described it in The Telegraph, was akin to the mindset of the England batsmen in the last World Cup - careful accumulation by the top-order, setting a platform for middle-order big hitters. Unlike with England in the Caribbean two years ago, it worked - just - with Ferguson's 71 not out providing the necessary impetus.

England approached their innings in similarly slow fashion - largely due to Bopara's 49 from 88 balls, which, in the circumstances is forgivable; ten innings against Australia in all forms of the game (prior to today's match) with a highest score of 35 is mental block territory. The half century remains illusive, but if his 49 at a strike-rate of 55.68 is enough to spark him into action for the rest of the series, then it will be worth it.

Despite going 1-0 down in the series, England have reasons to be encouraged with six matches still to play:

Strauss won the toss yet again - and chose to chase, a recurring theme in England's recent limited-overs strategy. They were always slipping slightly behind the run-rate today, but in general seem a more contented batting unit when chasing, rather than setting, a score.
Luke Wright (38 from 27) has found his ideal position at six, having flirted with seven and eight in the past. Today he came in during the 37th over, which is ideal, but England shouldn't be afraid to move him up if the match situation requires it. His game is maturing after a good season at Sussex - scoring successive Championship hundreds, bowling more overs and taking more wickets. England's Albie Morkel.
Adil Rashid. Wicketless, but bowled beautifully. Only England bowler to bowl ten overs, with best economy rate of 3.70. Also demonstrated one-day savvy batting (much improved since the World T20), dragging England to within an inch of the line with 31 from 23.

This Time Last Year...

2009-09-02T20:14:00.004+01:00

England were completing a 4-0 ODI series win against South Africa - now arguably the best side in the world - with only rain in Cardiff preventing a 5-0 whitewash and a leap up to second in the world rankings. Peter Moores's England were remarkably dominant in this series, and, had a World Cup been scheduled for September, would have fancied their chances. Pietersen, the newly appointed captain, and Flintoff were rampant, but England carried no passengers; every single member of the team made telling contributions.

As an opening partnership, Bell and Prior failed only once and England seemed to have solved a lingering problem. The depth of the whole batting line-up was such that from the second match onwards Luke Wright batted at eight, with Stuart Broad at nine. Crucially, such firepower did not come at the expense of the bowling armoury, which consisted of Anderson, Flintoff, Broad, Patel and Harmison with Collingwood and KP if needed. Only the four frontline quicks were called upon at Trent Bridge, where Broad produced one of those spells (5-23) and the tourists, victors in the Test series a few weeks earlier, were dismissed for 83.

But England failed to cash in on this undoubted momentum, and ended up on the wrong end of a 5-0 whitewash a few months later in India. One-day cricket inconsistency had reared its ugly head once more.

Rain Strikes Again

2009-09-01T20:10:00.008+01:00

A full house at Old Trafford was left bitterly disappointed this evening as the Manchester rain rendered the pitch for the second T20I against Australia unplayable. The downpour had subsided a while before the announcement was made, but the faces of the umpires and captains, who examined the offending area - a small but significant part of the bowlers' run-up - between 7:30 and 8:00 pm, told all in this tale of frustration.

It's the most galling pitch controversy to shackle England since the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium debacle in February, and divided opinion amongst the experts. In the Sky studio, David Lloyd agreed that the umpires had no other option, but Nick Knight felt that a format which values entertainment above all else, should take the necessary risks.

Jim Cumbes, the Lancashire Chief Executive, put a new spin on things when he claimed in a Sky interview that he felt the pitch was playable. Clearly the incident is a PR blow to Lancashire CC.

Confusion reigned, points of view differed, a sense that the fans' were let down prevailed.

Blackwell's Resurgance

2009-09-01T19:43:00.009+01:00

Patrick Kidd's Line and Length blog today highlights one-time England all-rounder Ian Blackwell's impressive first season at Durham.

The stats look good - this season he's averaged 19 with the ball and 44 with the bat - but with Swann and Panesar playing a part in the Ashes, and Rashid tipped to have one foot on the plane to South Africa, he'd be forgiven for wondering whether he registers on the England radar these days.

Blackwell played the last of his 34 ODIs in 2006 - the same year in which he played his only Test. A consistent county performer, a black mark has always hung over his name surrounding his weight - an issue the England management clearly still value given the recent treatment of Samit Patel. Such a reputation can be as hard to shift as the actual weight itself, and to an extent, Blackwell has always been fighting a losing battle in terms of perception.

But, a move up north at the start of the season has taken him out of his comfort zone and reinvigorated him (though it has to be said that leaving Taunton would surely do that for any spinner). He spoke at the time of his international aspirations, telling SPIN Magazine in June, "I'm desperate to get back in the one-day side. It's the main reason I've come to Durham." He's since backed up his words with bat and ball.

Like Kidd, I'd place Swann and Rashid ahead of him, but Blackwell weighs in with a far superior case to Panesar for the role of third in line, especially in the one-day set-up. His on-pitch argument is convincing, but how damaging will those perceptions prove to be?

Rain 'Saves' England

2009-08-31T11:25:00.013+01:00

Rain caused the first T20I against Australia to be abandoned yesterday, just seven balls into the England run chase. Having restricted the Aussies to 145 - one over the par score at Old Trafford this season - England were 4-2 when the heavens opened - prompting "Lucky England Saved By Rain" headlines today.

Losing Bopara and Denly so early did represent a poor start, but such a thing is fairly common in T20, and, given the depth of the batting, a full recovery would have been a distinct possibility. Hopefully they will get another chance tomorrow.

The bowling was decent, with only Cameron White looking settled at the crease. The death-bowling duo of Broad and Sidebottom kept their cool admirably. But the fielding could have been better, with Wright and Denly uncharacteristically shelling catches.

It has emerged that Paul Collingwood doesn't know whether he will continue as T20 captain beyond tomorrow's game, but would welcome the chance to lead the side at the next World T20. A decision must be made as soon as possible.

Vaughan's England Blueprint

2009-08-30T10:12:00.012+01:00

Under the sub-headline, "Mission: win the Ashes in Australia", Michael Vaughan offers his England blueprint for success in an interview with Scyld Berry in today's Sunday Telegraph.

He has interesting views regarding the make-up of the team, championing a three, four, five of KP - "because your best player should bat there" - Bell and Trott. He wants England to stick with Alastair Cook, introduce Rashid at number eight and take Bopara to South Africa. When pressed on bowling names he lists Broad, Anderson, Onions, Harmison and Plunkett as potential dangermen for the winter tour, and Chris Woakes and Steve Finn as ones for the future.

Sound as these comments are, Flower, Strauss and the selectors have given us plenty of reason to trust their current thinking regarding selection policy. One day, Vaughan may well find himself part of that process, but for now, this interview represents no more than the informed view of an interested bystander. Where one wishes Vaughan had a more hands-on role, is with regard to his comments relating to the structure of the English game.

Michael Vaughan is a universally liked and respected figure. He was an England weapon as a batsman and captain, and, despite recent retirement, could still be now - if only the ECB could find some sort of consultancy role for him. Even reading his newspaper column would be a start.

Vaughan is acutely aware of the fixture congestion faced by international cricketers today, and laments the lack of resting opportunities: "The players are going to get niggles in the next few weeks [during the upcoming T20I and ODI series' against Australia] and we wont go to the Champions Trophy with our best team in the best shape. It will be another tournament where we don't give ourselves the best chance of winning."

Vaughan understands the needs and necessities of both the county and international games. He excercised logic and diplomacy on the pitch, and could bring the same to an administrative role. He knows only too well that Ashes success can be wasted as a platform on which to build, and is perfectly placed to help avoid mistakes being made this time around.

Berry goes on to quote the Schofield Report, commissioned two years ago by the ECB. In the light of the recent decision to ditch 50-over domestic cricket, it makes damning reading: "The First Class Counties' One Day programme should mirror, wherever possible, the current ICC competition rules, regulations and formats. A reduction in the amount of cricket played at domestic First Class level county championship games played is essential in order to alleviate fixture congestion and allow for better preparation of the players. The domestic programme must aspire to quality and not simply to quantity and the 40-over discipline may be deemed surplus to proper requirement."

Vaughan's reaction? "It's just greed."

Denly Targets Opening Berth

2009-08-29T16:24:00.014+01:00

Having made a promising start to his international career on Thursday by top-scoring against Ireland, Joe Denly has been enjoying some positive press attention. His score of 67 enabled England to post a just about competitive 203, though rain reduced the Ireland chase to 116 from 20 overs. They fell three runs short, despite the match again highlighting D+L's inability to manufacture a fair reduced target in heavily rain-affected games - something England discovered against the West Indies in the World T20.

The Telegraph described England as "underwhelming", which they were, but such games against the Associate Nations are essentially no win (defeat leading to heavy criticism, victory seen as no more than expected). After posting a sub-par score (only two batsmen achieved strike-rates of above 100), England did well to contain the Irish batsmen, who at one point needed just 57 from 12 overs - but not much can be read into most aspects of the performance. After all, Owais Shah claimed three wickets in as many overs with his part-time offbreaks.

However, Denly was able to make an impression, rising above the mediocrity to play an innings described by The Telegraph as "probably England's best performance by a new boy since Marcus Trescothick announced his arrival against Zimbabwe nearly a decade ago."

Nick Hoult's report went into further detail, and included another flattering comparison: "Only one England player truly coped. Joe Denly provided encouragement for the future with an innings of patient accumulation worth 67 off 111 balls. Tall and an elegant driver of the ball, there is a passing resemblance to Michael Vaughan and Denly made a strong case for keeping his place when Andrew Strauss returns for the one-day series against Australia."

No doubt mindful of Alastair Cook's quiet Ashes series, this successful first taste of international action has prompted Denly to target a place in the Test team.

Moving On: Lessons From 2005

2009-08-27T20:31:00.017+01:00

Having spent the last few months trying to replicate the summer of 2005 on and off the pitch, we now want things to head in a very different direction. And if the immediate post-victory signs are anything to go by, they will.

Sunday's scenes from the Oval may have been comparable with four years ago, but the after-party and player and press talk have been anything but. The 2005 Ashes was one of the greatest series ever played; an excellent England team peaked to beat an almighty Australian one. In a way, it was too good. The fans were left wondering if they'd ever witness cricket of such excitement and quality again; the players were left wondering if they'd ever play so well again.

Of course, as a team, and for many, as individuals, they didn't. The class of 2005 partied hard - and in hindsight thank goodness they did revel in their most glorious moment - before failing to trump it, or even adequately build on it - winning only one of their next four series before the chastening experience that was the Ashes tour 06-07.

This year is different. There has been considerably less partying, the opposition were not the greatest side in the world, and the gulf between the two sides was small. No England players, except Andrew Strauss, will be left wondering if they can better themselves, or worrying that they've peaked.

Strauss surely has; Ashes winning captain, series leading run-scorer and Man of the Series. It doesn't get any better. But he will be excited about his team improving to an extent where they don't rely on him as much as they did this series.

The immediate challenge for the Test side, is South Africa this winter. This is key. Not only does it provide an opportunity to build on Ashes success by targeting a series win against probably the best side in the world, but it represents their biggest challenge between now and the next Ashes, with Bangladesh (twice) and Pakistan being England's only other Test opposition in that time.

Michael Vaughan knows what lies ahead better than anyone, having been in Strauss's position four years ago. In Tuesday's Telegraph he wrote, "When we win, we have to focus on winning again. When we score a hundred, the next step must be to score another hundred. Never relax and revel in the glory of winning. Whatever [the players] did between Headingley and the Oval was perfect: we must adopt that attitude every week."

There was a rueful undercurrent to Vaughan's piece - he knows all that now, but was unable to implement it then. This Ashes win was excellent and must be used as a starting point on which to base Vaughan's vision. Crucially, Flower and Strauss are better placed to make that happen than Fletcher and Vaughan were four years ago.

Maybe 2005's greatest legacy will turn out to be a revised and improved approach to the all-important what happened next phase.

Did England Deserve To Win The Ashes?

2009-08-26T16:21:00.006+01:00

In short, yes, though some, including Australian cricket writer, Robert Craddock, suggest not - basing their argument around the issues of stats and luck. But they're missing the point. Stats can be misleading, and luck plays an essential part in any series win.

As Ponting alluded to in his post-match interview at the Oval, many of the Ashes 2009 stats weigh heavily in Australia's favour. But the vast majority of these figures are batting related; top seven run scorers (6-1 Australia), centuries (8-2 Aus), scores above 400 (3-2 Aus), partnerships of 100 or more (8-5 Aus) and so on. Despite some of those stats being misleading - for instance, four of Australia's centuries were in their first innings at Cardiff, which means three of them were 'Ian Bell centuries': made in the wake of a teammate achieving the feat - they merely confirm what the team-sheets suggest: that Australia possess superior batsman.

It's been said of Bopara that he must learn it's not how but how many that's most important when making runs in Test cricket. It's also when, and England's two hundreds were crucially and beautifully timed.

However, it's bowling that wins matches, and here England's stats do measure up. England had four five-wicket hauls to Australia's two. England took 20 wickets twice as many times as Australia and in two matches England coupled devastating, match-winning spells with an ability to finish off the tail. The wickets were shared amongst the attack, and Flintoff, Anderson, Onions, Broad and Swann all had their moments of glory - with bat and ball.

Luck, in varying degrees, is a factor in any situation which requires a team to string a set of results together - such as a tournament or Test series. This can range from large slices of luck, like the Danish football team winning the 1992 European Championships despite originally not even qualifying, to moments of mere good fortune, like Dhoni winning five coin tosses in a row on his way to captaining India to the World T20 crown in 2007. It can even simply mean the avoidance of any bad luck, like England being able to field an unchanged team for the first four Tests of the 2005 Ashes.

England had a bit of luck in this series, but it was a brand of luck which shared more of an affinity with Dhoni than some now-retired Danish footballers. Umpiring blunders - which usually even themselves out over the course of a series - still favoured England slightly by the end, and Strauss managed to win four out of five coin tosses. However, they would happily have given these snipets of fortune for the full fitness of their best batsman and talismanic bowler.

On rare occasions, luck can be a decisive factor in a one-off encounter, but not in a five match series, and certainly not in this one. England were dealt a few breaks, and used them spectacularly to their own advantage. When it really mattered, they triumphed in a one-off game which Australia only needed to draw, by a margin of 197 runs.

Ultimately, stats, and, to an extent, luck, are measurable variables. Fortunately, in sport, such factors can be trumped by courage, character and resolve - qualities which present themselves in the form of the only two numbers which matter: 2-1.

Ashes Victory: Press Reaction

2009-08-25T20:41:00.014+01:00

The reaction of Monday's Press to England's epic series win:

The Times - Headline: "England's moment of triumph"

Mike Atherton focussed on the England captain, saying, "Strauss had taken on the England captaincy after a period of turmoil under Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores and, now, only eight months later, was enjoying what he will surely look back upon as his proudest moment as a cricketer: winning the Ashes as a player is one thing; winning them as captain, quite another. The Ashes is the biggest Test of an England cricketer, captaining in the Ashes the biggest test of character and temperament of them all. And what a job he has done."

Simon Barnes captured the fans' mood in typically lyrical fashion, describing Flintoff's run-out of Ponting thus: "First Ponting hesitated at the non-strikers end before setting out: Andrew Flintoff - a muted figure for most of this final Test - gathered the ball, swung the mighty shoulders and brought off a direct hit. Ah, that Freddie should live to see such a day, emulating no lesser cricketer than the great Gary Pratt."

Gideon Haigh focussed on how the defeat will affect Ponting's captaincy, recalling a famous quote by Kim Hughes after losing the 1981 Ashes: "'Reckon me Mum and Dad'll still talk to me. And me wife. But who else?'" Haigh concluded that "the reality is that the captaincy is his for as long as Ponting deigns it. For all his merits, Michael Clarke cannot captain Australia from No 5; no other batsman is remotely equipped to succeed Ponting at No 3. The difference between Kim Hughes and Ponting, moreover, is that the cap on Hughes never quite fitted, where the cap on Ponting's head is faded, battered, very proudly sported and universally respected."

Shane Warne congratulated England and lamented Australia's decision to omit a front-line spinner. On Stuart Broad he said, "He's really grown up over the past week. The good thing was the way he concentrated on line and length, which is what you want from that third-seamer role." He also singled out Trott for praise, noting his admirable ability to handle pressure.

The Guardian - "England back in paradise"

Vic Marks observed a changing of the guard as Flintoff departed the Test arena. "His was such a dignified exit, avoiding all the traps that were highlighted when he announced his retirement before the Lord's Test. Yesterday was more about the Ashes regained than Flintoff retired. He looked on while those younger and fitter than him did the job. He was content in that role. But he had to intervene once, just the once to leave us a reminder."

Paul Hayward suggested that "only in Ashes cricket, probably, could a team lose by an innings and 80 runs in Leeds and then recover to dominate a Test which Australia needed only to draw." He also noted that, impressively, England "won this series with their finest all-rounder on one leg and their best batsman (Kevin Pietersen) on no legs at all."

The Telegraph - "Ashes Wonderland"

Derek Pringle's match report sat below a sub-headline reading, "Strauss and Flower can move forward with confidence after distant wish become reality." He decided, "On balance, England deserved their 2-1 win. Their captain, Andrew Strauss, top-scored in the series and while they may have trailed Australia in the leading wicket takers, they possessed the stronger bowling attack and in Test cricket that prevails more often than having the stronger batting line-up."

Simon Hughes agreed that England's bowlers were the "decisive factor". He wrote, "Twice England took twenty wickets in a match. Australia achieved [this] only once, at Headingley. They managed only tow five-wicket hauls in the series, England had four. Wickets work better when they come in clusters."

In today's Telegraph, Michael Vaughan warned that England must "stay focussed and ensure the winning habit remains for the long term". He expanded by saying, "It will be Flower's job, with help from Strauss, to keep the guys focused and fresh. Before he became team director, Flower was never really able to fully express himself as coach. But it is clear from speaking to all players that they rate him highly. He is very 'chilled': he knows the direction he wants to take the team and is guiding them in a professional manner."

The Mirror - "Arise Sir Freddie"

Sir Ian Botham wrote an upbeat piece predicting "the dawn of a great new era for England". He said, "The result is enormous for English cricket and I really feel it can be the start of something special and not the end like 2005 turned out to be." He ended with the following praise for Flintoff: "For what you've done, for the man you are and for the friend you've been and will continue to be - thank you, Fred."

Ashes Victory: Web Reaction

2009-08-24T18:51:00.015+01:00

Excitement and reaction to England's win is rife across web, nowhere more so than on the BBC website. One of their most emotive features is the audio commentary of all ten final day Australian wickets. The crowd match and surpass football ground decibels as Aggers and CMJ reach dangerous levels of excitement.

There's also immediate reaction from man of the match Stuart Broad, and morning-after thoughts from retiring hero Freddie Flintoff. Elsewhere, there's an analysis of the series, a media round-up, an account of that historic final day, player ratings for the series and Justin Langer calling for Strauss to be knighted.

Cricinfo provide a typically high class report of the day. Andrew Miller examines captain Strauss's monumental impact on the series and Andy Zaltzman points out, in a way that only he can, that England won despite averaging 6.49 runs per wicket less than Australia - the biggest deficit ever overcome to win a Test series.

Patrick Kidd offers his stat-fuelled take on how England regained the urn on his excellent Line and Length blog, but Charlie Randall gives his rather more sobering reaction to England's success - in which he claims that the "selectors had a poor series". Over on Cricket-blog, JC has recorded some typically humorous and Australian observations, while further Aussie reaction is provided by The Wisden Cricketer with a round-up from the Australian press.

Ashes Regained!

2009-08-23T19:43:00.005+01:00

Unbelievable. England have won the 2009 Ashes, 2-1, following victory at the Oval by 197 runs. At 5:49, in the early evening light, a Graeme Swann delivery flicked off the bat and pad of Mike Hussey and nestled in the hands of Alastair Cook. Now the Ashes are back in English hands.

The cricket may not have quite matched the quality of 2005, but the scenes from the Oval today and the winning feeling are every bit as good. 2005 banished two decades of hurt, now 2009 has all but banished painful memories of the whitewash down under in 06-07.

This was a fantastic effort by the England team. To bounce back from off-pitch chaos and disappointing defeat in the Caribbean at the start of the year - not to mention on-pitch chaos and disappointing defeat only two weeks ago at Headingley - represents a remarkable achievement.

An Ashes win is the pinnacle of an England cricketer's career. Strauss and his men have deservedly triumphed after two months of the most hard and intense cricket they will ever play. They must make sure that 2009 is the start of something, not, as in 2005, the culmination.

For England, the series was not littered with outstanding individual performances - that can be worked on and improved in the future. What is less easy to manufacture, is character. No worries there; this England team have got it in spades.

Anderson Breaks His Duck

2009-08-21T16:32:00.004+01:00

One of Test Crickets few certainties was brought to an end today. As Jimmy Anderson strides out to bat, cricket commentators around the world immediately reach for the stat revealing his ever expanding record of Test innings without a duck.

But, when Ben Hilfenhaus trapped him lbw early this morning, Anderson was out without scoring for the first time in 54 innings - a remarkable record for a man with a Test high score of 34 and an average of 14.20 - and one of Test cricket's greatest anomalies finally came to an end.

This Is It

2009-08-19T17:38:00.004+01:00

It's time. Time to find out how good this England team really is. Time for a thorough examination of character and skill. Time to determine where the real England lie on the scale spanning the highs of Lord's and the lows of Headingley.

Flintoff has described it as the biggest Test he'll ever play in, and it will certainly be his last. Let's hope he gets the dream send-off.

T20 Squad Reaction

2009-08-19T16:33:00.007+01:00

The selectors have drawn the following conclusions from the World T20 in June; they've dropped Mascarenhas, Key, Foster and Napier, and called up Trott, Prior, Denly and Bresnan for the upcoming games against Australia. Flintoff returns from injury, whilst KP has succumbed to it.

I think they've got all four of the form-related changes right. Mascarenhas has never done much wrong for England, but it could be argued he hasn't quite done enough right since his debut two summers ago.

It would be unfair to judge Key on his sole World T20 appearance - the ill-fated tournament opener against the Netherlands - and with a career T20 average just shy of 30 and captaincy credentials he deserves his place on the selectors radar. But in a way, despite being capped just once in the format, he is synonymous with England - good, but not quite good enough.

Foster was a success at the World T20 in keeping terms, but was one of a band of middle order hitters who came up short. At the time I felt there was a case for including him and Prior (as a batsman), but the latter's glovework in the two months since suggests England can dispense with Foster.

England's unwillingness to use Napier probably says it all. Certainly one to monitor - as anyone capable of scoring a 20 over 150 should be - but so far he's failed to convince that that innings wasn't a one-off.

Denly Named In Champions Trophy Squad

2009-08-17T22:46:00.009+01:00

Joe Denly is the only new face in England's 15 man Champions Trophy squad, and a welcome inclusion. Andrew Strauss will lead the team, who will take on the Australians in seven ODIs before heading to the tournament in South Africa next month. KP misses out through injury, and Mascarenhas has been dropped.

Collingwood keeps the captaincy - in the absence of Strauss - for the forthcoming T20 internationals against Australia, and Denly and Test new-boy Trott have been included.

Only one new face puts paid to the significant changes I was hoping for, and I'd love to have seen Michael Lumb make the cut, but Bresnan, Rashid and Morgan are largely untried at this level, so hopefully they'll get a chance to impress. Overall, there is potential for fielding a relatively new-look team, which, given the lack of consistency of the current side and the relatively unimportant nature of the Champions trophy, is what I hope the management go with.

ODI series v Australia and Champions Trophy

Strauss (capt)

Anderson

Bopara

Bresnan

Broad

Collingwood

Denly

Flintoff

Morgan

Prior

Rashid

Shah

Sidebottom

Swann

Wright

T20 Squad v Australia

Same, minus Strauss and plus Trott.

Bopara Out, Trott and Panesar In

2009-08-16T09:34:00.006+01:00

So Jonathan Trott will make his Test debut in England's most important match for four years. Nothing like a baptism of fire.

Harmison and Sidebottom are also included, so the decisions left to be made now concern the composition of the bowling line-up.

The selectors are closer to the action than we are, and have presumably decided that Bopara is mentally shot. Assuming that's the case, he had to step aside, with Key, Trott and Ramprakash all touted as replacements.

All have been in good form. An extra argument for Ramps seemed to be his knowledge of the Oval pitch. Whilst I can see the merit in the odd horses-for-courses selection in the bowling department, it doesn't say much for the talent available to England if they're picking specific batsmen on a renowned flat track. All three should be capable of making runs at the Oval.

Key would have been my choice given his Test experience, favourable temperament and the crucial fact that he could slot in at three without any fuss. The main problem with Trott's inclusion is it will push Bell up to three, where he averages 31 with no hundreds. Still, there wasn't much in it, and Trott seems capable of making the mental step up. Good luck to him.

Now to the bowling. Surrey manager Chris Adams suggests playing two spinners, and there would be a nice symmetry to a summer beginning and ending with Panesar heroics. But I can't see it happening. It says it all that the Panesar heroics of Cardiff concerned his batting. He's in the team as a spin bowler, but he hasn't taken more than four wickets in a Test in his last ten appearances. He's had a flat season and lacks spark and invention. Cardiff aside, he fails to offer the all-round package of a Swann or Rashid.

I would have included Rashid and seriously considered playing him. Sure, he's unknown at this level, but Panesar being the opposite is his problem - he's become predictable and easy to play. Rashid at least has form with the bat against the Aussies this summer. Then again, so does Panesar. Crazy world.

Twenty20 Finals Day

2009-08-15T16:46:00.019+01:00

Much like the game of cricket itself, we English invented Twenty20, only to sit back and watch a host of other nations surpass us. Since the first domestic Twenty20 Finals Day - in 2003 - two World Cups have been staged, and England have failed to make it as far as the semi-final on both occasions. More galling for the ECB has been the advent of the IPL, which, in terms of domestic competitions, has blown their own competition out of the water. A problem for the England team has been their limited participation in the event; a smattering of players in 2009, none at all in 2008. Other major nations have benefitted from their players' involvement in the IPL, which provides an atmosphere comparable to that of a World Cup.

So to the ECB's showpiece today; four teams, 120 overs, a packed Edgbaston and a television audience. A number of England players and hopefuls were on display, all knowing there's no better occasion to state an international claim. Here's how they got on:

Northamptonshire (lost first semi-final)

Panesar - Not really his format of the game, not really his season, but he did well today in bowling three overs for just 12 runs. However, Northants were flat and needed more. Has only ever played one international T20, and his form in this year's competition suggests he is no higher than third choice spinner, if that. No chance to repeat Cardiff batting heroics.

Kent (lost second semi-final)

Key - At home in this format of the game, making 34 from 38. Top scored for his team in last year's final.

Denly - Only lasted two balls before being clean bowled. Was top scorer in last years competition.

Khan, Amjad - His one over went for 16. His Test debut in March seems a long time ago.

Somerset (lost the final)

Hildreth - Run-a-ball 36 in the semi, but failed in the final. Has good figures, but the Taunton pitch will always count against him. Gradually improving consistency should ensure him a spot on the England radar.

Kieswetter - A future England international, but didn't get a chance to prove why with the bat in the semi, and failed in the final. 'Kept well and claimed the stumping of man-of-the-match Smith.

Trego - Says he has England aspirations and demonstrated his destructive qualities with the bat with 27 from 14 balls in the final. Bowled reasonably, but a career T20 economy rate in excess of eight means there are plenty above him in the queue for the Mascarenhas role.

Sussex (winners)

Wright - Decent, but not the fireworks we know he's capable of. Scored 18 and 20 and took a wicket in the final. Now needs to kick on as an limited-overs international, and should be given game time in which to do so.

Hamilton-Brown - Contributed well all day. Scored 29 and 25 batting at three, and claimed a wicket in his sole over of offspin in the final. At 21 there's no need to rush him in, but international cricket should be a question of when rather than if.

Yardy - Shouldn't be discounted by England in limited-overs cricket. Followed up his unbeaten 92 in the Friends Provident Trophy Final with a tidy bowling display. His four overs in the final went for 17.

Joyce - Quiet day, but, on this season's form, he seems to have improved since his last international appearance in 2007.

The Langer Dossier

2009-08-11T22:07:00.004+01:00

Here it is in full, and here's some reaction to selected highlights:

On England: "English players rarely believe in themselves. Many of them will stare a lot but this is very shallow... They will retreat very quickly."

Traditionally it is hard to argue with this assessment, but it must be remembered that, 2005 aside, Langer played in a number of extremely one-sided Ashes series, including some of England's darkest days in the 90s. Also, he will have encountered much mediocrity since his association with county cricket began in the early 90s. I would also argue that things began to change on this front in around 2004, when the performances of Flintoff, Harmison and KP adopted something of a swagger and Fletcher's England began to gell in a serious way. With the nucleus of that team now disbanded, they could currently be building their second significant team of the decade. The reason for my optimism? The character of the newcomers - Broad, Swann and Bopara. Quality-wise, it remains to be seen how far they can go, but in terms of temperament I believe they compare favourably with their predecessors, and could end up banishing Langer's assertion once and for all.

On James Anderson: "He is swing [sic] the ball well but again can be a bit of a pussy if he is worn down."

I think he's describing Jimmy Anderson mark 1 here. His second coming, since coaches have stopped mucking around with his action, has seen him turn from a promising but confused youngster into one of the world's best swing bowlers, and one worthy of leading the attack. The maturity of his performances in the Caribbean confirmed his new status, even if the stats don't always. There's still room for him to improve on flat pitches, but his rate of improvement suggests he will.

On Ravi Bopara: "He is a bit of a street fighter who is sure to wind the boys up by his strutting around... I would leave him alone and just bowl at him rather than letting our egos take away our focus."

Langer is actually complementary about Ravi in the email, calling him a "good player". Obviously the Australians have got to him with the ball this series, but I actually think Langer's comments are positive - he clearly sees something in Bopara if he's worried the Aussies could lose focus by concentrating too much on trying to out-psyche him.

On Matt Prior: "I would chip away at him about his wicketkeeping... I am not sure he actually likes keeping that much and from all accounts he has a massive ego."

Well, whether they have done that or not is irrelevant - for me Prior has been the individual success story of the series for England. Langer's referring to how close Prior came to giving up the gloves and concentrating on an international future with the bat alone, and he's right in that there was a massive question-mark concerning his keeping even directly prior to the Cardiff Test. But, he's been brilliant with the gloves and as good as ever with the bat.

Also, on the ego issue, surely that's no bad thing? It's something he levels at Swann, Prior and Ravi (presumably it's too obvious with KP) but seems to contradict his ideas about English players' lack of belief. I'd take big egos any day - a swagger and a few choice words are exactly what we need to compete with the likes of Australia, and if that turns out being one of Pietersen's many legacies, then that's no bad thing.

If Only England Had A Langer

2009-08-11T21:37:00.004+01:00

Due to its timing, this whole episode caused quite a storm. I imagine that was media intended - that they waited on publishing the dossier until England either lost - thus proving Langer's points - or regained the Ashes - thus dismissing them.

There are three important points to be made:

There is absolutely no problem with what Langer did, and I hope an Englishman in the same position would do the same.
Many of his points are valid.
Wouldn't it be great if England had ex-players with similar amounts of Ashes and Australian domestic cricket experience. Having played copious quantities of county cricket, not to mention more than a decade at the top of the international game, there is no one better qualified than him to pass judgement on our game. We don't have an equivalent - the closest I can think of being Graham Thorpe, his credentials being 16 Ashes Tests and a stint as a coach at New South Wales.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Bopara?

2009-08-10T19:41:00.014+01:00

If there were selection issues before the the innings and 80 runs defeat at Headingley, they've doubled in two and a half days - and that's just the batting. The bowling will become clearer with concrete news about Flintoff's fitness - which looks promising - but for now, here's what the experts would do with the top order at the Oval:

Steve James (The Sunday Telegraph) - No change. Keep Bopara at three and Bell at four. He is against Trott making his debut in such a crucial game - quoting advice that England psychologist Steve Bull gave him before his second Test cap: "Your first Test was for acclimatisation, the second is for performance."

Scyld Berry (The Sunday Telegraph) - Drop Bopara down the order and bring in Ramprakash at three. About Trott he writes: "His being next in line as a middle-order batsman is no commendation of the rest of the field."

David Gower (The Sunday Times) - Axe Bopara and Bell and bring in Key at three and Trott at four. About Robert Key he writes: I like the way he plays and believe he would respond well to the chance to play a part, even if there might be a feeling that it could be a one-off situation."

David Lloyd (The Guardian) - "If Rob Key comes in, I'd move Ravi Bopara down to number four and maybe look at leaving out Ian Bell." He is more clear cut about the bowling, saying Harmison should retain his place and that England must play two spinners.

Graham Thorpe (BBC) - Push Bopara down the order and bring in Key for Bell.

Trott will be given a chance to impress the selectors on Saturday, when he plays for the England Lions against Australia.

The Philosophical Approach

2009-08-09T08:05:00.007+01:00

That's what I'm adopting after another horror show for England.

Bad days and bad Test matches are nothing new, but a match containing so few crumbs of comfort is rare, even for England. In fact, Stuart Broad's figures of 6-91 are the sole positive aspect of the past two days play. But, Test cricket is prone to over-reaction, and just like many of us got carried away after Lord's - reading too much in to one fine win - it would be easy to do so here. After all, six days ago we woke up with a genuine belief that one more good day from England would see the Ashes home at Edgbaston.

Most people are forgetting two important things:

There is a decent sized break between Headingley and the Oval - even bigger given the quick nature of our capitulation here. Test cricket is a wrestle for momentum, and the longer England have to regroup, the more chance they have of negating Australia's current advantage.
If England win the next Test, they win the Ashes. Australia have been brilliant here, but in Tests two and three they showed themselves capable of ordinary cricket. England wont bat and bowl that badly again.

England chose the most unforgiving of Test grounds on which to bat and bowl abysmally during the same match. Add an excellent Australian display to the mix, and you have a recipe for the sort of disaster we have witnessed here.

But I grew up during the 90s, so to watch a young and largely inexperienced England team approach the final Ashes Test knowing a win will be enough, is the sort of scenario I used to dream of. The 2005 series skewed our outlook and expectations a bit - it was the pinnacle of Vaughan and Fletcher's England, but this is Strauss and Flower's. Sure the Aussies are rebuilding, but so are we. Winning the next Test would be a great start.

What England Could Learn from Marcus North

2009-08-08T14:37:00.010+01:00

In terms of talent, not much separates Marcus North, Ravi Bopara and Ian Bell. Indeed, convincing arguments could be made that the Englishmen edge it. But it's the Australian who has worked out how to play a Test innings. While Bopara and Bell offer style over substance, North favours the latter, and in doing so offers both.

A look at the stats reveals North pays almost obsessive consideration to a shot that Bopara probably doesn't consider worthy of the name - the leave. His 125 at Cardiff comprised only 69 scoring shots and included a mammoth 173 dot balls. And why not? This is Test cricket, and not so long ago such stats were the norm.

North has form in this area. His 117 on debut against South Africa included 65 scoring shots and 168 dot balls. That Bopara and Bell take pride in aesthetics is no bad thing, but both must learn to prize their wicket above all else.

Bopara's 18 in the first innings at Lord's was scored at a strike-rate of 94.73, until he got carried away and fell lbw. There is a time and a place for such batting in Tests, but that role rarely falls to a number three batsman.

Clearly Bopara likes to score quickly, which made his two hundreds against the West Indies earlier this summer all the more pleasing - because they were scored at strike-rates of 50.35 and 51.92. The first of those innings included 204 dot balls. So he can do it.

For all the good temperament shown on those occasions, he was dropped a number of times by sloppy West Indian fielders. This is something else he must work on - 50 per cent of his Test dismissals (7/14) have been caught, and only once by the wicket-keeper. This suggests an abundance of unnecessary shots - too risky an approach to Test cricket, especially against quality opposition. Time to rediscover the art of the 'leave'.

Headingley Day One: Analysis

2009-08-08T10:30:00.009+01:00

So, what prompted the eleven mug-shot-style photos of anguished England batsmen on the front of the Telegraph today? Are Australia that much better than us, or was it just one of those days (x 100)?

Well, yesterday they were that much better than us, and it certainly had the feel of one of those days. I had no problem with us choosing to bat - Ponting would have done the same - but the locals feared the worst at that point. There were plenty of "typical Headingley morning" comments flying around, and it was clear early on that batting would be tough. Shouldn't have been that hard though. Australia bowled exceptionally well, but it was never a first innings 102 pitch.

England's batsmen are still slipping in and out of 'Test mode'. Marcus North was still on three after more than an hour at the crease. Not thrilling, but there's a lesson there for Ravi and co. Bopara in particular got out to another ball he simply didn't need to play at. England's batsmen need to start valuing their wicket above all else.
The bowlers failed to learn from both the tourists' performance and their superior Headingley experience and came out looking for glory balls straight away. That's not how Clark and Siddle got their success. Far too much short stuff, and no where near enough full and straight. Broad was much improved, and, in their defence, Anderson had a niggle and they can't have been expecting to turn their arms over at 2:30 on the first afternoon.

Of the two disciplines, the batting was the most disappointing - leaving the bowlers with a thankless task. It struck me that in 2005, the Tests were more spaced out - allowing the players the chance to return to their counties for the odd day of out-of-the-spotlight batting. Tresco, Flintoff, Bell and KP all returned to the less pressurised confines of county cricket which provided them with a change of scenery and time in the middle. Poor old Ravi has been stuck in a rut of low scores this series (35, 1, 18, 27, 23 and 1) and would have really benefitted from a brief return to Essex and a confidence boosting innings. Unfortunately, due to two Test series and a World Cup he has not been afforded the luxury enjoyed by Vaughan's top order four years ago.

The way things are going, an optimist would recall this Test from 1981. A realist wouldn't bother.

England Reeling...

2009-08-07T18:08:00.005+01:00

Well, we've had the rub of the green up until now, but today has been an almost comically tragic catalogue of catastrophes, starting at 4:50 this morning:

The England players are woken by their hotel fire alarm, forcing them onto the early morning streets of Leeds.
Flintoff ruled out of Test at 9:00am.
At 10:00 am Matt Prior experiences back spasms while warming up playing football, and looks a major doubt at one stage.
England elect to bat. This is not a criticism - it was a positive and brave decision - but Tuffers called it on TMS when claiming it's "a good toss to lose".
2.22 pm - England all out for 102, in 33.5 overs.
Australia end the day on 196-4. England bowl badly and Anderson is clearly struggling with fitness.

Ouch.

Sydney Morning Herald Welcomes Trott

2009-08-06T21:33:00.009+01:00

Here's the amusingly over-the-top Australian reaction to the possible inclusion of Jonathan Trott in tomorrow's Test team. They don't seem happy about it.

Trott is, to all intents and purposes, South African, and I can't say that fact sits easily with me. But it's never bothered me about KP, who, after all does have genuine English pedigree through his mother and was forced in that direction by the ridiculous system he encountered in South Africa.

But the journalist is way off the mark in trying to pass off Matt Prior and Andrew Strauss as South African. Both were born there, but Strauss moved to England aged six, and Prior aged 11. They received the vast majority of their cricketing education on these shores, not to mention the shaping of their personal development.

As well as having some problem with Flower being a foreign coach - which is neither disallowed nor a new thing for England - the other names mentioned in the article are possible future internationals Craig Kieswetter and Ryan McLaren. The McLaren case underlines the problem with Kolpaks - he was forced to withdraw from a South African ODI squad last year. I'm not sure what the latest is, but I haven't heard him linked with England recently. It's fair to say there are English born and bred players above him in the pecking order.

21-year-old Kieswetter is Matt Prior's natural successor, and is destined to be some player. But England can claim an element of credit for that; having grown up in South Africa he was sent to Millfield School, in Somerset.

It's nice of the SMH to take such an interest in our affairs, but the message conveyed in this article - that in England there's a massive dearth of home-grown talent and a national team full of foreigners - is simply not true.

1953 And All That

2009-08-06T17:22:00.006+01:00

The 2009 Ashes has matched the 2005 series for national fervour, but fallen understandably short in terms of quality and sheer drama. At last people are starting to view the events of four years ago as once-in-a-generation stuff.

This series is comparable to the 1-0 victory England achieved in 1953 - ending a more than twenty year wait for the urn. This was a summer drama, but of the bad weather and draws too. Sound familiar?

In truth, England stumbled through, peaking at just the right time to tilt the scoreline in their favour. The second Test (at Lord's) had a definite Cardiff feeling about it - with Bill Bowes writing in The Cricketer that the final day defence of the England batsmen "brought a draw as glorious as any victory". England started that final day at 20-3, and finished on 282-7 with Bowes suggesting that "perhaps in the very impossibility of [a win] there was a mental ease for the batsmen."

More exceptional survival cricket from England in the fourth Test secured another draw - the fourth in a row. Keith Miller starred again for the tourists. I wish I'd seen him play - he strikes me as being like KP in character, though more appreciated.

And so to the Oval, where England won by eight wickets to take the series 1-0. Not that Bowes got carried away. He wrote the next month in The Cricketer that "satisfaction in the result must not blind us to the need to build strongly."

The same will certainly be true this time round if England are to regain the Ashes once more.

Decisions, decisions...

2009-08-06T17:05:00.011+01:00

Given the way Flintoff's fitness waned badly at Edgbaston, and having just seen Sky images of him bowling today in the Headingley nets, I don't rate his chances of being fit for tomorrow. This is a huge game and will quite possibly decide the series - full five-day fitness is clearly key. Even Flintoff is not worth a risk, and the selectors must remember that despite his Edgbaston batting heroics, he's mainly there for his bowling. I don't think he'll be as big a miss as KP, though it does pose problems in terms of balance.

There was a time - not long ago - when an often injured Flintoff's absence actually improved the balance of the England team. Right now, given his recntly improved batting, Broad's emergence and Prior's form at six, that is not the case. There are a number of possible combinations involving the three squad extras; Harmison, Sidebottom and Trott.

I would keep the changes to a minimum and swap him for one of the bowlers. Sure, that weakens the batting, but our lower order is not that of years gone by, and Swann, Broad and co can cope with a one place promotion. I'd pick Sidebottom given that he's a fine exponent of our greatest weapon against these Aussies. That deprives England of a hit-the-deck bowler, but as long as the Headingley pitch lives up to its swing-receptive reputation, I don't see that as a problem. Except that according to Matthew Hoggard, that's a big if. Still, Sidebottom has the local knowledge and has never let England down. The same cannot be said of Harmison.

Broad must keep his place, and not just because he strengthens a weakened batting line-up. He's a quality bowler and better than he's shown at times this series. He's learning all the time and is commendably unafraid to take the fight to the Aussies. He could do with a bit more guidance as to what his specific role is within this bowling attack.

I would also continue with Bopara and Bell, although two failures here by Ravi should open the door for Trott at the Oval. There, big scores and batting time on a good pitch are likely to be the order of the day - especially if the score is still 1-0 - and if Bopara still hasn't played an innings of substance since early summer by then, then Trott should come in, because he undoubtedly has.

England will decide on Flintoff in the morning.

Third Test Drawn

2009-08-05T19:00:00.007+01:00

This Test merely underlined how closely matched the two teams are. Australia dominated the two outer days, England asserted themselves in the middle and rain wiped-out a whole day completely.

Friday and Sunday were the magic days for England, who first managed to decimate Australia's promising day one start in bowling them out for 263 (after they'd been 126-1), and then scoring 376 themselves and even managing to dismiss Katich and Ponting late on Sunday to set up a potentially thrilling last day. However, in more favourable batting conditions, Clarke and North kept England's attack at bay on Monday, and began to build up a sizable lead. An extra day would have proved fascinating.

There are several ways of looking at this match. Firstly, that Australia ended the final day well on top (at 375-5) and with a good chance of winning given an extra day. That the England attack was toothless on Monday and that with the team's history of batting collapses a further day's play would have leveled the series at 1-1.

Or, that England, save for the only session of day one, were well on top, had all the momentum and would have survived another day's play on what was still a pretty flat pitch and against an attack adept at flattering to deceive. Besides, the Australian second innings was given a somewhat false complexion by Strauss's use of Bopara and Collingwood as bowlers once the result had become obvious.

The answer lies somewhere between the two. When the ball's not swinging, the attack lacks serious penetration. The flip side of that is that when it is, England's bowlers look capable of winning the Ashes for England on their own. It remains a concern though, and weather forecasts are becoming as crucial as team-sheets as the series reaches a conclusion. The top order still looks fragile, but is capable, and can be bailed out to an extent by England's superior bowling.

The sides are close, and have at different times produced excellent cricket, but the fact remains that in the last two Tests, England have produced the stand-out sessions of play - one match-winning, one potentially so. At Lord's and Edgbaston their bowling produced the innings anomaly of each match. The Australians posted low first innings totals in each of their first innings in otherwise high scoring games. At Lord's the England bowlers won them the match in the only decisive session of play so far, at Edgbaston, who knows...

The Aussies have had their moments, but not in terms of potentially winning positions. Heroic match-saving attempts - Clarke and Haddin at Lord's, Clarke and North in Birmingham - are all well and good, but not the way to level the series. Their bowlers have to really turn up to do that.

And on to Headingley. The quality isn't 2005 standard, but the nervous anticipation is exactly the same.

Bell To Bat At Four

2009-07-28T20:41:00.008+01:00

It has been confirmed that Bell will start the Edgbaston Test on Thursday, batting at four - which will please Steve James. I would have preferred him at five, but that was never likely. I think backing Bopara in this way is a positive move, after all, as the man himself pointed out, the Ashes is only two Tests old. I'm backing Bell to do well - especially in this Test on his home ground. He could do worse than note how well Nathan Hauritz has handled so many people questioning his ability.

Brett Lee has again been ruled out.

Fact of the day: Edgbaston has hosted 16 draws in its last 20 first-class matches.

Steve James Column In The Sunday Telegraph

2009-07-26T15:05:00.010+01:00

As ever, Steve James makes a number of excellent and original points in his weekly Sunday Telegraph column. He calls for the selectors to resist the temptation to lower Bopara in the order by placing Bell at three. He rightly points to Bell's poor record in that position, and insists that Bopara is backed (after all, he does already have three centuries in that position - that's three more than Bell.) In addition, he would promote Collingwood to four and have Bell at five. This is unlikely to happen, but is backed up by his stats.

Bell's record by position:

Number 3 - ave: 31.00, 0 hundreds

Number 4 - ave: 47.16, 2 hundreds

Number 5 - ave: 54.41, 2 hundreds

Number 6 - ave: 49.00, 4 hundreds

Ian Chappell argues the exact opposite in his column in the same paper - preferring Bell at three and Bopara at five. I'm with James, but it will be fascinating to see what happens.

As for the bowling, James would think about replacing Broad, and is unsure about Onions. Harmison's form is excellent, and I can see him playing a part in this series, but at Edgbaston, I would back the current bowling attack. Broad was better at Lord's and is highly capable, while Onions did fine in his first Ashes Test - no better, but certainly no worse. Both, in my opinion, deserve at least one more chance.

A final excellent and overlooked point he makes, is to remind us who the England vice-captain is. It's Alastair Cook by the way, but I did need reminding. As James points out, "It is far from obvious on the field. More advice seems to come from Paul Collingwood."

Bell It Is

2009-07-26T13:22:00.004+01:00

As expected, Ian Bell will start the third Ashes Test at Edgbaston on Thursday in place of Kevin Pietersen, it was announced today. Other than KP's omission, the squad is unchanged, so Panesar and Harmison are again included - though destined to be discarded.

As ever, Bell has shown good county form this season - clocking up 640 runs in seven County Championship matches, prior to his double failure against Hampshire last week.

Ian Bell Test Record: Played - 46, Innings - 83, Average - 40.59, High Score - 199, Hundreds - 8, Fifties - 19, Catches 44.

Squad For Third Test Named Tomorrow

2009-07-25T14:55:00.008+01:00

Ian Bell for Kevin Pietersen is widely expected to be the only change. And whilst Bell would be my choice, events this week have highlighted a dearth of viable alternatives. Here are the names which have been banded about the media:

Ian Bell - Averages 40.59 from 46 Tests. Scored 199 v South Africa last July, but has one 50 from 12 Test innings since. Dropped during last winter's Caribbean tour. Has always shown promise at international level, but questionable temperament and frustrating inconsistency. Prolific as ever in county cricket this summer. Superb fielder who made an underrated catching contribution in 2005.

Rob Key - Has a Test double century (a feat which only Collingwood and Pietersen can match) and made his international comeback in the recent World T20. Made his first double century in County Championship earlier this month, and has hit form after a wretched start to the season. Has a sub-standard international average, and is unlikely to figure for England again at this level though.

Stephen Moore - Opening batsman, which all but puts him out of the reckoning. Was the highest scorer in domestic first-class cricket last season and made a century against the Australians for the England Lions prior to the first Test. One to keep an eye on.

Joe Denly - Another opener - not what England need. Made 66 and 36 against Australia for England Lions in June, but this Ashes series is a year or two early for him. One for the future in Tests, and the present in one-day cricket.

Owais Shah - Good player, and one I championed for the Test team prior to his run in the Caribbean, but suffers from nerves and didn't seize his chance. Would be too much of a risk on the biggest stage of all.

Marcus Trescothick - Wishful thinking. An unsung hero of the 2005 Ashes series, and still one of the best openers around. Australians respect him, but his England days are sadly over.

Hopefully a break from international cricket has cleared Bell's head and increased his hunger, because we know he has the talent required for this level. I have always thought he'd return to Tests and enjoy sustained success, but I wouldn't have picked mid-way through this series as his reintroduction period. However, given the choice above, and with the exception of Tresco, I believe he represents our best option for the rest of this Ashes summer.

Preliminary ICC Champions Trophy Squad Announced

2009-07-25T13:18:00.011+01:00

England announced a 30-strong squad for the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy, yesterday. The tournament will be staged in South Africa in September and the squad will be halved by August 23.

England's ODI form in recent years has been extremely frustrating - not least because it has at times - 2007 home series v India, 2008 home series v South Africa - been excellent. However, for each of these results there is also the whitewashes of the 2008 winter series v India or the 2006 summer series v Sri Lanka.

So, results suggest that England are not a million miles away from finding a successful ODI formula, but the current one is not good enough; one or two steps forward, followed by the same number back. They have to try something a bit new. Although the selectors have named only one uncapped player (Hampshire's Michael Lumb), the squad includes a number of fresh, young and inexperienced names. Their inclusion could provide the subtle change in direction which leads to that illusive consistency.

This is the perfect tournament in which players can shed the label of potential in favour of the far more useful tags, experienced and good enough. It's not a World Cup, and I would suggest that signs of significant improvement (an obvious and suitable gameplan, clearly defined roles within the team, picking the right players and evidence of tournament-savvy play) is more important than returning with the trophy. The logic behind that being that should England happen upon some consistency, they may one day return home with a coveted World Cup.

That means making tough calls - dispensing with good servants of the county game who have served England passably in the past - Rob Key and Gareth Batty - and even those who have an obvious Test future but have failed to grasp countless ODI opportunities - Ian Bell and, in my opinion, Andrew Strauss.

Here's my squad. The main difference between this XV and the one which will be chosen is the absence here of the captain, Strauss. For me, his inclusion is indicative of the two steps forward, two steps back policy - he's shown at times (as recently as the Caribbean tour) that he's capable in the format, but struggled badly with its concept at other times, thus, as an opener, hampering the whole team. I would certainly keep him in the selection mix, but for this tournament would give the captaincy to Stuart Broad - eighth in all-time England ODI wicket-takers list and highly-rated as a thinking cricketer by Michael Vaughan.

My XV:

James Anderson (Lancashire)

Ravi Bopara (Essex)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Paul Collingwood (Durham)
Joe Denly (Kent)
Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire)
Michael Lumb (Hampshire)
Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hampshire)
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex)
Graham Onions (Durham)
Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)
Matt Prior (Sussex)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)

Luke Wright (Sussex)

Not All Bad?

2009-07-22T18:57:00.007+01:00

Apparently not - that's according to the Guardian's Rob Smyth.

This is an admirable attempt at positivity from an excellent writer. Whilst I would class a sentence like England's most memorable success of the last four years, in the CB Series of 2006-07, came without Pietersen as a bit of a straw clutcher, he does make some valid points. Namely, that if Bell comes in at three then Bopara can drop to the relative sanctuary of four, and that Bell's recent record against Australia, in the forgotten 06-07 series, is passable - four half-centuries in five Tests.

Pietersen To Miss Rest Of Ashes

2009-07-22T16:42:00.004+01:00

The news wasn't exactly a surprise, but there was still an element of shock attached to the revelation that Kevin Pietersen will miss the next six weeks, and the remainder of the Ashes series, following surgery on his right Achilles tendon.

Deep down it was news I knew was coming - the shock stemming from the fact I didn't want to believe it and an irrational hope for a Flintoff-esque doctor-defying soldiering on (because, let's face it, a 70% fit KP is still one the Aussies are scared of.) Of course, that was a vain hope. Even Kevin Pietersen is incapable of miraculous recoveries. Off the pitch, that is.

The world's leading Achilles specialist was flown in to tell KP what we all already knew. I've never doubted his commitment to the England cause, and there's no doubt he'll be distraught at the news - this is the stage that he craves the most, and one on which - with an average of 50.72 against Australia - he invariably shines.

So, where does the news leave the player and his country? Well, it puts to bed one of this summer's perpetual worries, and should ensure that England set off for their winter tour of South Africa with their best player fit and revitalised (it would after all have been a tall order without both KP and Flintoff.) So, long-term it's a plus for both. Short-term though, is another matter.

I think this is the worst possible news for England. He's the one player they can ill afford to do without. Even given Freddie's Lord's heroics I could be confident without him - after all England have shown they can live (even thrive) in his absence, and they have a strong battery of reserve bowlers who could take his place. The same is not true with KP.

In many ways it will be a great test for the team, and one they probably needed at some point. Any time but now. Not against the Aussies. Not when we're one nil up with three to play. Much pressure will be heaped upon his replacement Ian Bell, but the pressure notches will rise considerably too on each of the batsmen in the line-up. Each will need to offer an extra 30% in effectiveness to compensate for the absence of the classiest act among them.

On countless occasions Kevin Pietersen has got his side out of trouble. For the next three Tests they must avoid that trouble in the first place. It wont be easy, and I hope I'm placing too much importance on his inclusion, but his loss is a series prediction-altering one.

Second Ashes Test: The Andrew Flintoff Show

2009-07-21T17:29:00.006+01:00

England win the match by 115 runs.

When the England captain scores 161 runs in the first innings and leads his side to victory over Australia at Lord's for the first time since 1934, it takes something special to eclipse him to the man of the match award. And that's exactly what Andrew Flintoff provided - on his last Test match appearance on the famous ground.

I don't think I've seen Flintoff bowl as well as he did yesterday (in returning second innings figures of 5-92) since 2005. It was epic stuff - a big match performer putting his body through one last series of duels against the toughest and most prized scalp in the game. On the final morning, with Australia still needing 209 to win with five wickets in hand, Flintoff was hell-bent on making sure his country did not suffer an unlikely and unimaginably catastrophic defeat. The night before, Clarke and Haddin (who put on 185 together) had, with every confident stroke, gradually increased the possibility of that outcome occurring. Flintoff though, bowled an unbelievably potent Monday morning spell in claiming the third five-for of his Test career (improbable but true) and making history for the England team.

It was, as Flintoff himself was at pains to point out, a true team effort which put England 1-0 up in this Ashes series.

Flintoff To Retire From Tests After Ashes

2009-07-15T17:01:00.005+01:00

This Ashes series will be Andrew Flintoff's last Test series. His body can take it no longer. The countless comebacks and subsequent breakdowns have finally taken their toll, and no wonder - the strains and stresses his mind and body have gone through, and the nature of 21st century elite cricket, have made today's announcement somewhat inevitable.

It is a great shame, but in some ways also a relief. News of setback after setback was hard enough for us as fans to take, so goodness knows how he's got through it. Eventually, England were going to have to move on permanently, now that can be done in the Test arena, while the charismatic all-rounder prolongs his international career in one day cricket.

In Jonathan Agnew's reaction to the news, he says that its hard to feel too sorry for Fred - in that he'll continue to play ODI and T20 cricket for England and no doubt a few years of IPL. True, but I do feel sorry for him. It's not inconceivable that actually Test cricket means a good deal more to him than T20 cricket, whether he's playing for his country or the Chennai Super Kings. No one would say no to the money of the IPL, but when Freddie sits back to regale his grandchildren with tales of his glory days, his stories will be of Test matches in 2005 (and 2009?), and it's far from inconceivable that he'd give up all that one day glitz for a prolonged Test career. I'd like to believe he would.

If anyone can sign off at Lord's in style, Andrew Flintoff can.

Collingwood The Hero

2009-07-12T21:30:00.007+01:00

England would be 1-0 down in this Ashes series were it not for Paul Collingwood. Anderson and Panesar may have crossed the finish line with their wickets (just about) intact, but it was Collingwood that enabled them to do so.

What he lacks in batting aesthetics he more than makes up for in character, specialising over recent years in gritty match winning or saving rearguards. Given the Cardiff result, I rate today's innings as his most important for his country. Here's his top five:

1. 74 v Australia - 8/7/09 - England were never in danger of winning this game, so the important number here was 344 - the number of minutes he spent at the crease in this unlikely match-saving effort. He faced 201 dot balls, only made 44 scoring shots and finished with a strike-rate of 30.20, but neither he nor England cared as they head to Lord's all square.

2. 135 v South Africa - 30/7/08 - Test career-saving innings. Having been in dismal form all summer, he made a tortuous 4 from 45 balls in the first innings, and approached the crease for the second knowing that this was his last chance. 296 minutes and 135 runs later he left the field, Test career intact.

3. 10 v Australia - 8/9/05 - KP made the headlines at the other end, but Colly lasted 74 priceless minutes at the crease at a time when another breakthrough may just have seen England's Ashes hopes evaporate on the last day of this epic series.

4. 206 v Australia - 1/12/06 - Amid the nightmares the Adelaide Test inevitably conjures up, it is easy to forget that an Englishman scored a double hundred. Collingwood toiled away for an epic 515 minutes, many of them in conjunction with KP, and faced 392 balls amid a barrage of sledging from Shane Warne. Mental toughness personified. If only the team could have followed suit.

5. 108 v India - 11/12/08 - Few batsmen found this Chennai pitch easy, or indeed possible, to bat on, but Collinwood did. Only three England players made it out of double figures (Strauss also made 108) in England's second innings 311, but even their heroics were unable to prevent England going down by six wickets.

Strauss' Captaincy

2009-07-12T13:44:00.004+01:00

Mike Brearley's thoughts on Strauss' first Ashes Test in charge, from today's Observer.

First Test, Day Five, Lunch Time. Australia Nearly There.

2009-07-12T13:11:00.004+01:00

England lost three wickets this morning in stumbling to 102-5. They still trail by 137.

Come the Lord's Test, England have very few positives to cling to. I defy even Andrew Strauss to 'find the positives' from this match. There have been plenty the past six months, but none the past five days.

Collingwood, who has batted well for his 35*, and Flintoff have a chance to provide one positive. Forget saving the match - for now - they should be aiming to be in at tea. That way they give the team a chance of a draw, and, crucially, will have played out a passage of play during which they frustrated Australia and stopped them, for the first time this match, looking like a world beating attack. After all, the pitch is not doing much. It's a tough ask, but a situation they've got themselves into. A limp capitulation here would undo much of England's recent rebuilding work. This session could have a bearing on the Lord's Test.

First Test, Day Four, Tea Time. England In Trouble.

2009-07-11T16:09:00.005+01:00

Australia declared on 674-6. England are 20-2, 219 runs behind.

The rain has come, and it's grim on the field as well as off. Australia batted with ease again, with Haddin and North joining Ponting and Katich as century makers. Whenever Strauss and Pietersen resume, which looks likely to be tomorrow, they, and the next batsmen in, have a mammoth task on their hands in saving this game and atoning for their poor first innings efforts.

For me there are two major reasons why England find themselves in trouble in Cardiff:

Batsmen failing to push on - All the batsmen and all-rounders apart from Cook got in before getting out. This is good in that they proved they can score runs against this attack, but bad in that it shows a lack of responsibility/concentration/ application/intent/ability. It is an inexcusable fact that no batsman passed 70.
Bowling plans - Either Australia have them and England don't, or Australia's are vastly more effective. Bowling wide of the off-stump may tempt Phil Hughes, but England wont snare Katich or North like that (because they showed the patience and restraint which was missing from England's innings.) Similarly, bowling full and straight to Pietersen has the effect of unsettling him. Kudos to Ponting - whose captaincy is something of an issue in Australia - but it's simple homework really.

First Test, Day Three. Australia Well In Control.

2009-07-10T19:25:00.003+01:00

Australia end the day on 179-5, 44 runs ahead of England.

Dispiriting day, and one which, barring a miraculous start to day four, has left England battling to draw this first Test. So far, the pitch has flattened out as the match progresses, and ultimately it is the timid and edgy first innings batting effort that has put England in this position. Fortunately, the batsmen have a chance to atone, and prove they are better than day one - which they are, (each of the top four were out in disappointing fashion.) A team innings in which no one scores over 70 will not be acceptable again in this series. Ponting and Katich stood up for Australia, and, whether it happens tomorrow or on Sunday, a couple of England batsmen will need to do the same.

Broad took the wicket of Clarke just before the end of the evening session. That should do him the world of good. Throughout his short international career he has made it a fool's game to write him off - using a number of knock-backs as a launch-pad for triumph. I'm sure a difficult start to his Ashes career will prove no different.

First Test, Day Two, Morning Session

2009-07-09T11:34:00.005+01:00

England eventually all out for 435.

99 added to overnight score, and at quite a rate. 66 runs flowed from the first nine overs of the day, 16 off one Hauritz over which included three successive fours from Swann. Swann and Anderson made their 50 partnership from 38 balls. One day stuff.

England's perceived weakness - their lower-middle order - has got them into this match. The batting during the first few hours of yesterday's play was cagey and nervy. Apart from Bopara, the approach was conservative. Yesterday evening and this morning was anything but. Memories of the first day of the 2005 Edgbaston Test were evoked by Prior, Flintoff, Broad, Swann and even Anderson - who all batted with fluency and aggression in taking the fight to the Aussies. It was particularly good to see Flintoff batting naturally and positively. With a clear head, free of niggling doubts about technique, he is capable of scoring a number of 50s in this series.

Psychologically this morning's tail wag and Swann's targeting of Hauritz has put England in a strong position. Also, the pitch is turning more than yesterday. It will be fascinating to see how Australia approach their innings.

First Test, Day One: Australia Edge It. Just.

2009-07-09T10:42:00.011+01:00

England won the toss and finished on 336-7.

Morning Session (belonged to): Australia

Afternoon Session: England

Evening Session: Australia

No big scores yesterday, but all batsmen (other than Cook) at least made starts. England finished the morning session on 93-3, having looked a bit shaky - no doubt a combination of poor recent Ashes displays, playing the Aussies on reputation and big match nerves.

I think the key partnership of the day was Prior and Flintoff's. Collingwood and Pietersen rescued the team in taking them from 90-3 to 228-4, but the bulk of those runs were scored in ones and twos with Hauritz and Clarke bowling in tandem to defensive fields - not particularly threatening. Prior and Flintoff, on the other hand, were the first batsmen to make batting look relatively easy. They were fluent and aggressive and the main reason England's run rate for the day reached an almost 2005-esque 3.73 runs an over. Their innings mirrored Pietersen's contribution to the Lord's Test of 2005, when he was the only batsman to offer any resistance and take the fight to the Aussies. His teammates caught up belatedly in the next Test - they wont want to leave it as late this time.

Talk of the day inevitably centered around Pietersen's dismissal - caught sweeping a very wide off-stump delivery from Hauritz. I nearly always defend Pietersen in such circumstances - buying into the 'but that's the way he plays' theory. However, as Hawkeye shows, there is no excuse for not pulling out of a stroke when a ball is that wide. Replays showed just how off balance he was in attempting the shot, which ultimately denied him the chance of getting a big hundred.

England can make yesterday a success by reaching 400 today.

Mike Atherton's take on Day 1

England Confident

2009-07-07T12:54:00.005+01:00

The Ashes begin tomorrow and England are confident of rekindling the spirit of 05, and avoiding the humiliation of 06-07. The team will be announced tomorrow, the only deliberation being whether to include Panesar or Onions at number 11. The team will be:

Strauss

Cook

Bopara

Pietersen

Collingwood

Prior

Flintoff

Broad

Swann

Anderson

Onions/Panesar

It will be fascinating to see who Strauss goes with for the final bowling spot. The common consensus is that the pitch will turn, though not as much as originally reported, and offer a little in terms of pace and bounce to the quicks. I think Strauss will go for two spinners - he and Flower have had that plan in mind for months and today Strauss told the press that an extra spinner "allows you more control and gives you more options". It would be a brave move, especially given Panesar's form, but I believe it's a gamble that could give England a major advantage. Australia are now likely to play one spinner, but before the injury to Lee were widely expected to field an all pace attack.

It is currently raining in Cardiff, but the forecast for the next few days is good.

You can have any other tournament you want but to have the chance to play in the Ashes is everything

Andrew Flintoff

Injury News - Australia

2009-07-07T12:44:00.002+01:00

Brett Lee is out of the first two Tests with an abdominal tear. The nature of the injury is such that he could be sidelined for even more of the series, but for now has just been ruled out of the Cardiff and Lord's Tests.

Warm-up Matches Analysis

2009-07-04T21:57:00.006+01:00

Reasons to be cheerful and reasons to be fearful that arose from the England v Warickshire and England Lions v Australia matches.

Cheerful

All batsmen (with the exception of Pietersen) made runs.
The continued excellent form of Anderson.
No shortage of bowling options with Flintoff looking fit, hungry and in-form, Panesar taking three wickets (admittedly all tailenders) and Harmison looking a real threat.
Identifying Philip Hughes's weakness against the short ball.
Mitchell Johnson looking below par and struggling to swing the ball until the final session of the match.

Fearful

Mike Hussey and Marcus North feeling their way back into form whilst enjoying considerable time in the middle and making big hundreds.
A rejuvenated Brett Lee causing havoc with an outstanding spell of reverse swing that had Troy Cooley's stamp all over it.
Ian Bell only scoring 20 runs in the match. Injury or loss of form to any of the top six is likely to thrust him into the action, and a significant innings here would have done his confidence no harm.

Overall both teams will be satisfied with their work-outs. The two games merely confirmed that this is likely to be an extremely tight series. The talking points for England: what to do with Harmison, and how many spinners to play in Cardiff. A 13-man squad for the first Test will be announced at 10:00 am tomorrow.

Harmison Bowls Himself Into Contention

2009-07-03T14:36:00.006+01:00

Five days to go and the action is beggining to hot up on the pitch as well as off it with the England v Warickshire and England Lions v Australia matches running in tandem. Day three of both games and it's a man who divides opinion like no other Englishman that's making the headlines.

Steve Harmison has taken the wicket of Philip Hughes cheaply in both innings. The Aussie dangerman looked all at sea against a barrage of Harmison short stuff. Flintoff, Broad and Anderson will have taken note, but when it comes to extracting bounce from a pitch an in-form Harmison is England's best option. Expect this to be the talking point of the run up to the first Test.

Michael Vaughan Retires From Cricket

2009-06-30T20:02:00.007+01:00

Today Michael Vaughan took himself out of the Ashes 2009 running completely by retiring from all forms of cricket, thus ending a potentially summer-long debate about an England recall.

He spoke movingly and revealingly about how he did all he could to get back in the frame, and how his efforts eventually convinced him it was time to call it a day. In many ways it is a selfless decision - he was certainly on the selector's radar, with an outside chance of playing this summer - but he's decided to allow the the next generation the chance to do what he did: gain the respect of the Australians by excelling against them.

Unsurprisingly, the tributes have been coming in thick and fast, with Paul Collingwood describing him as "the ultimate captain". No-one would argue with that.

The Michael Vaughan legacy: classiest batsman of his generation, most successful England captain of all-time.

England Escape

2009-06-26T09:26:00.004+01:00

England will embark on a short foreign break tomorrow, in an attempt to escape the media spotlight ahead of the Ashes series. Their destination is unknown, and the move is very much in keeping with similar moves made by their new consultant, John Buchanan, when he was coach of Australia.

Vaughan and Harmison Omitted From Squad

2009-06-22T17:09:00.004+01:00

The Ashes dream appears to be over for two of England's 2005 stalwarts. Michael Vaughan and Steve Harmison were today left out of a 16-man Ashes training camp squad.

Vaughan can have no complaints really. He is centrally contracted, but form isn't exactly an optional variable heading into a series with Australia, and he has none to speak of. Harmison on the other hand does, and can count himself unlucky. This season the Durham paceman has claimed 30 wickets in six matches, including 16 in the last two games. He could hardly have done more, and without the threat of homesickness this summer should have been included.

With the squad for the first Test due to be announced on July 5th, this is not a definite end of the road for these - and the other - unpicked players, but it's certainly an ominous sign.

Squad: Strauss

Anderson

Bell

Bopara

Bresnan

Broad

Collingwood

Cook

Flintoff

Onions

Panesar

Pietersen

Prior

Rashid

Sidebottom

Swann

England World T20 Report Card: Bowlers

2009-06-21T09:46:00.003+01:00

England bowled well as a collective unit, with no stand-out performances.

Rashid - Economy: 7.30. Thrown in at the deep end and coped well. Grew in confidence and took three wickets in four matches. 7/10

Sidebottom - 7.39. Not bad, but not outstanding. Took three wickets in three matches, and held his nerve for the last over against India. Just. Was given an impossible task in the last over of the West Indies match. 6.5/10

Swann - 6.92. Took five wickets in four games at a sub-20 average. Shouldn't have been left out of the first game. Bowled intelligently and wasn't afraid to take risks. Never lets England down. Is a better batsman than he showed. 7.5/10

Broad - 6.50. The best of the bunch. England's highest wicket taker with an average of 17.33. Has added much variety to his game, becoming Collingwood's go-to bowler. Bowls well at the death as he is hard to get away. 8/10

Anderson - 7.55. A bit disappointing because he has set himself the highest of standards recently. Still, a reliable performer who weighed in with five wickets. 7/10

Wright - 8.28. Only bowled seven overs, taking one wicket. A useful pace option. 6/10

Mascarenhas - 6.42. England's best economy rate. Bowls well in this format - would have had a great tournament if he'd matched it with the bat. 7/10

The People: Collingwood To Stay On As T20 Captain

2009-06-21T09:35:00.004+01:00

Story in The People today claims that Paul Collingwood will ask to stay on as T20 captain. This is unlikely; it's not in any of the other papers, and I can't see Collingwood wanting to keep the captaincy - he didn't want it in the first place, and it affected his form with the bat.

Assuming the story is untrue, there is a dearth of alternatives. My pick would be Kevin Pietersen, but given the January fiasco that's not going to happen. They could do much worse than hand the responsibility to Stuart Broad.

England World T20 Report Card: Batsmen

2009-06-19T20:31:00.009+01:00

Bopara - Scores: 55, 37, 2, 5, 46. A couple of soft dismissals aside, showed why he'll be a focal point of England's batting in all three formats for the next decade or more. 8/10

Wright - 6, 1, 1, 34, 71. Will always be quite literally hit or miss, but makes a good opening partner for Bopara. If it works, England get off to a flyer, if it doesn't KP's in early - win/win. His warm-up match score against the West Indies and his 34 off 16 against Pakistan proved that he can score runs against quality attacks as well as the minnows. 7/10

Pietersen - 31, 46, 19, 58. Vital to his team's chances. Has finally worked out how to bat in T20. Match-winning 58 against Pakistan was made under intense pressure given the match and injury situation. Has by far the team's best boundary hitting ability. When he plays well, so do England. 8.5/10

Shah - 18, 12, 38, 33, 5. The jury is still out to an extent, but he warrants his place for now. Has six-hitting ability - a rare commodity in this England team. Useful contributions, but will be as frustrated as anybody at being unable to push on for a bigger score. 7/10

Collingwood - 11, 7, 19, 15, 11. The reluctant captain's scores were not good enough. Always scores at a run-a-ball, but comes in near the end when England need illusive boundaries. Captaincy-wise acted with dignity and honestly, rotated his bowlers well, but made a big mistake in opting to bat first against the West Indies. Well worth a place in the other forms of the game, but T20 future looks uncertain. 6/10

Key - 10*. Hopelessly out of form coming into the tournament. Needed more explosive finish than he could provide against the Dutch. Main argument for squad inclusion seemed to be previous captaincy success, but he wasn't captain. Including his Kent opening partner would have been more beneficial. 5/10

Morgan - 6. Can't judge on his solitary performance, but has done enough over the past few weeks to suggest an England future. Exciting and - crucially for T20 - innovative, though we didn't see it in this tournament. 5/10

Foster - 13, 6, 1, 14, 3*. As an experiment it worked and it didn't. Quality 'keeper - the best at England's disposal, but an inferior batsman to Matt Prior. How do you balance his crucial stumpings of Yuvraj and Bravo with the middle-order boundary hitting of Prior? Maybe include them both, Prior as a specialist batsman. 7/10

Mascarenhas - 1, 16, 25. Curious tournament - was unable to find the middle of the bat. He's there to hit maximums and cause clean-hitting chaos in the closing overs, but it never materialised. Scoring 25 off 27 when coming in at four against India cannot have been what was asked of him. 6/10

Napier - Did not play. The middle order was crying out for his big-hitting finishing. Can't have been impressing in the nets. n/a

England World T20 Analysis

2009-06-19T19:54:00.007+01:00

Two good wins, one disaster, one comprehensive defeat, and one rain-affected disappointment. England did their best to single-handedly prove the unpredictability of the T20 format.

Overall, it was a passable showing. They won two out of three must-win games in impressive fashion; the Pakistan game in particular was highly pressurised - the consequences of defeat unthinkable.

The Holland and South Africa defeats are hardly worth dwelling on. Holland were clearly taken far too lightly - putting in an inspired performance on the day - and South Africa, who have a superior balance to their side, were a class apart in every department on that day.

Had the West Indies game been 20 overs a side, it would have been fascinating to see how England fared. However, had they prevailed, it would again largely have been a case of the bowlers getting the batsmen out of jail.

England are still not entirely comfortable with batting in this format. Interestingly, this tournament has taught us that a solid 50 over player does not necessarily make a decent 20 over player - and England possess a number of those. The likes of Collingwood and Foster - and arguably Shah and Morgan - are consistent run-a-ball strike-rate players, a commendable skill, but one which falls short in T20. Without Mascarenhas firing, all of England's explosive players are up top, and once they're out the run-rate slows to a run a ball - and a once possible score of 180 becomes 150.

Ultimately, England depart the 2009 World T20 in much better shape than they did in 2007. Two years ago England had no idea about their best team, now they're 75% there. As individuals, the players are getting more T20 savvy - though are still relatively inexperienced in the format - and the team possess a nucleus of young players like Bopara and Broad to tweak the side around. Some promising signs and a fitting curtain raiser to this summer of high-class cricket.

England Out After West Indies Defeat

2009-06-15T23:09:00.003+01:00

England are out of the World T20 after losing to the West Indies for the first time this summer, in a rain-affected match. A win would have seen England into the semi-finals, but erratic form has been a feature of their efforts in the shortest form of the game.

After the match Collingwood said that he was proud of his players, praising the bowlers in particular. Two valid points: disappointing though their exit was, England have fared better than some of the other big guns, notably Australia and India, and have bowled consistently well. Overall they came up short, but were able to win two out of three must-win games under intense pressure.

Tonight England shot themselves in the foot before the first ball was bowled. When rain and D+L are likely to intervene, winning the toss and batting first is too risky. A side batting second in a D+L affected game has the advantage of a reduced target and ten wickets to play with. England may have beaten the reigning champions, but they will never beat the weather. And so it proved; West Indies were set 80 from nine overs, a total they reached with four balls remaining, despite another good bowling effort.

In truth, on the strength of their batting, England did not deserve to progress. And, close as they came, for once their bowlers were unable to get them out of jail.

Match Scorecard

England V India: Analysis

2009-06-15T08:57:00.009+01:00

A thrilling game and a brilliant win. Here's what went well, and what needs attention:

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.

Where the game was nearly lost:

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.

A fine display, though defeat today would render it meaningless.

Read Jonathan Agnew's reaction

England Defeat Defending Champions

2009-06-14T22:15:00.006+01:00

England triumphed on Survival Sunday for the second week in a row, keeping alive their World T20 chances and dumping India, the defending champions, out of the competition.

England lost the toss and laboured to 153-7, a score which would require a fine bowling effort to defend. Fortunately that's exactly what it got. Sidebottom (2-31), Swann (2-28) and Broad (0-21) in particular were superb, sending down balls which the usually free-scoring Indians were unable to dispatch to the boundary. India finished three runs short of England's total, on 150-5.

England rarely look comfortable when batting first. The foundations for their innings were laid by Pietersen (46) and Bopara (37), who shared a 71 run partnership, but 154 always looked like an achievable target for the 2007 champions. However, England bowled and fielded with panache, utilising the pace and bounce of the pitch and limiting their opponents' scoring options. India required 19 off the last over, and despite a six and four, Sidebottom held his nerve and collected the Man of the Match award.

Now all that stands between England and the semi-finals, is the West Indies.

Scorecard

Broad Controversy

2009-06-12T19:23:00.006+01:00

One of the fallouts of the South Africa defeat was some minor controversy surrounding Stuart Broad and a tactic he employed - a subtle point to the field as he ran in to bowl - to try and distract the batsman. It didn't, but he has been warned against its use by the ICC today.

He probably went a bit far with yesterday's experiment, but it's further proof that England have an outstanding, thinking bowler at their disposal. And its worth taking stock of just how good he is becoming.

Broad is third in England's all-time T20 appearance list, behind Pietersen and Collingwood. Incredibly, he recently became England's eighth highest wicket taker in ODI history. He has a Test batting average of 31.35 and has become one of the world's most potent bowlers in all forms of the game, now capable of exceeding 90 mph. And he's 22 years old. Not bad for a player who has endured lows that would end the international careers of lesser men. If Stuart Broad is anything to go by, England's future is bright.

England Dispatched By South Africa

2009-06-12T19:00:00.005+01:00

South Africa were dominant throughout in this one-sided affair. For the first time in the tournament, England lost both openers early. That, coupled with 10 dot balls from Wayne Parnell's first two overs, gave England a mountain to clime - one which they never got close to conquering. Graeme Smith's men won by seven wickets with 10 balls remaining, following a leisurely run-chase.

England were bad, but South Africa were exceptional in every discipline. Theirs is a team which transfers the perfect balance of it's team-sheet onto the pitch. Anyone with intentions of stopping them will require standout individual performances. England managed just one - Owais Shah, with 38 from 33 - and even that was hardly a headline-grabbing effort. That said, Shah deserves credit for backing himself in pushing a slow start up to an acceptable strike-rate. Unfortunately he received little support, which left the bowlers with an impossible task.

Scorecard

Buchanan Defects

2009-06-11T16:59:00.005+01:00

In an interesting development, it has been announced that former Australia coach John Buchanan will team-up with England this summer, taking on an informal consultancy role.

It is a bit unclear exactly what that entails, but it seems to be a growing trend - Hampshire aquired the services of Buchanan's old adversery, Duncan Fletcher, at the start of the season, prompting a few positive murmerings, and it is hoped that England can tap into the Australian's unquestionable experience in a similar way.

The fact remains though, that the Australian Test set-up has undergone a face-lift since Buchanan retired after the 2007 World Cup, and now contains players that he didn't work with. Still, pointers regarding Ponting's thought processes and team mentality can hardly harm England's chances of Ashes glory.

World T20 Enters Second Phase

2009-06-11T10:48:00.005+01:00

Three tough games coming up in the next five days for England; India (Sunday), West Indies (Monday) and today's opponents, South Africa.

Captain Collingwood has called on his players to do something special. He also talked about the need, as a batting side, to capitalise on the fielding restrictions of the first six overs, which is something Wright and Bopara have done well. Stuart Broad also gets a mention, with Collingwood pointing out that he's one of our more experienced players in this format.

Today's game will be tough, with many pundits tipping South Africa for the title. Batting-wise there is no respite - dismiss their prolific top order and you still find yourself facing AB de Villiers followed by some of the game's best finishers. That said, they only managed 128 from their 20 overs against New Zealand.

But the bad news is they chased it down. With Parnell and Steyn (T20 average 13.18 at start of tournament) leading the line, the Proteas can even afford to leave out Morne Morkel. And they possess quality spin this time, in Roelof van der Merwe, who possesses the tournament's best economy rate at 3.87, and Johan Botha (though the latter has been banned from using his potent doosra).

This will be a real examination for England, but, providing the Sunday team turn up, and not the Monday one, the same could be said of South Africa.

Just To Whet The Appetite...

2009-06-09T21:50:00.004+01:00

This, by Vic Marks, is a very good read. Enjoyable as the World T20 is proving so far, here is a small reminder that the best is still around the corner.

Mixed News On Injury Front

2009-06-09T21:10:00.004+01:00

Mixed injury news regarding England's two most high-profile players. Andrew Flintoff has bowled some practice overs off a full run-up, which is cause for cautious optimism. But, the more serious news regards Kevin Pietersen - with whom England cannot do without as they bid for T20 and Ashes glory. KP, it seems, will play the rest of the summer as he did Sunday's win over Pakistan - on painkillers. This clearly has worrying long-term implications.

England wont want to do without either of these influential figures this summer, but at least they have learnt to live without the big Lancastrian, and, bizarrely, even have a better record in his absence. Pietersen, on the other hand, is central to the England set-up over all three formats of the game for the best part of the next decade. Quite simply England need him fit.

Pietersen Story

Flintoff Story

Outstanding England Crush Pakistan

2009-06-07T23:59:00.005+01:00

England are almost certainly through to the Super-Eight stages of the World T20 after salvaging some of their severely dented pride. Having come in for much - and largely deserved - criticism following Friday's shock defeat, England showed immense character to dispense with the 2007 finalists, winning by 48 runs.

England lost to the Dutch because they never believed they'd be involved in a contest. They didn't for a minute envisage a pressure situation, and by the time it arrived, it was too late. As a result, they had 48 hours to prepare for the most intense of pressure situations, and the way they dealt with it made Friday, not today, look like the anomaly.

England effectively led from the word go. Previous England teams would not have reacted so well. Luke Wright (34) again set the tone, Pietersen (58) set up the victory, and every bowler contributed. The consequences of defeat were unthinkable. Andy Flower and his side deserve enormous credit. They have a couple of days off now and can approach the next stage safe in the knowledge that they wont play in a more pressurised match for the rest of the tournament.

Scorecard

How The Holland Game Was Lost

2009-06-06T09:39:00.011+01:00

Yes, Pietersen and Flintoff were missing, and yes, selection mistakes were made yesterday - Mascheranas and Swann should have played, not Key and Rashid - but that's not why England lost. Any combination of their 15-man squad should have been more than a match for the men in orange. And don't for a minute believe that Stuart Broad was responsible, with his failed last-ball shy at the stumps. He had to do it - his only mistake was not hitting. That Broad went for the stumps is a positive thing - England need that mindset. He bowled a fine last over too - his round-the-wicket wide of off-stump bowling has been inventive and effective. On another day, one of his last over efforts would have been successful. Here's where the game was really lost:

England failed to build on a solid start in their last nine overs, adding only 62 runs. They seemed to think the job was done, but in T20 a strike-rate of 100 is unacceptable for any period longer than the odd over.
England made six hitting look impossible. Holland hit four.
There are fielding restrictions in T20. Only two fielders allowed outside the circle in the first six overs - prime six-hitting time which no team can afford to ignore.
As the pressure intensified England's fielding was nervy. The wet conditions didn't help, but the situation required razor-sharp catching and run outs, neither materialised.
Holland timed their run chase expertly. D+L was pretty much always in their favour as they supplemented a steady flow of boundaries with single after single.
Holland played superbly and deserved to win. Bowled well in the second half of the England innings - restricting them to singles - and timed their own innings to perfection. Disastrous for England, great for the tournament and the sport.
T20 as a format lends itself to upsets. The heroics of one or two players can have more influence in a shorter space of time than in any other format. Tom de Grooth discovered this yesterday.

Reasons to be cheerful? A few. Namely, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Zimbabwe. The latter beat Australia in the 2007 World T20 and the Aussies went on to reach the semi-final. Things can turnaround in no time in T20. England will be praying they can prove this point.

BBC reaction

England Lose First Match To Holland

2009-06-05T21:21:00.003+01:00

No need for an opening ceremony - all the excitement took place on the pitch. England were humbled by the Netherlands at Lords in the World T20 curtain-raiser. Holland stunned the hosts, winning a fantastic match by scoring two runs off the last ball, and sending a seismic shock around the cricket world in the process. Superb performance by the Dutch, but goes without saying that England should never have let it happen. They can still qualify if they beat Pakistan on Sunday, but even then it's complicated. Post-mortem to follow tomorrow - can't face it now.

Scorecard

T20 World Cup Begins Today...

2009-06-05T11:37:00.001+01:00

England have made it clear that the Ashes is the main focus this summer - and rightly so. But the next 17 days, weather permitting, promise large crowds, excitement and drama. Not a bad way to kick start a competitive summer of cricket. And you know what? There's no reason why England shouldn't enjoy some success given their home advantage and a smattering of IPL experience. Add to that a bit of luck - a genuine element of T20 sucess, (in the last tournament, India's winning captain, Dhoni, won five coin tosses in a row) - and you have potential winners.

Collingwood Interview

2009-06-04T08:07:00.000+01:00

Really good BBC interview with England's World T20 captain Paul Collingwood. He looks genuinely confident and excited, and is clearly loving the prospect of leading a buoyant team into a World Cup on home soil. The interview just shows how far England have come in six months. The wreckage of January's coach/captain debacle has been well and truly put behind them.