Bring on the Australians!
The England team has finally found something that has been elusive to them in recent years – consistency. This mere fact has seen them defeat three very credible Test nations in Zimbabwe, The West Indies and more recently Pakistan. No doubt this has been brought about by hard work by Captain Nasser Hussain and Coach Duncan Fletcher, but the team’s newly found mettle has seen them enjoy some much overdue success. The hard fought innings of Graham Thorpe in Karachi, in which he made 64 not out epitomised the fighting spirit that the team now possess. To add to this, the emergence of several young players has rejuvenated what was an ageing side. Marcus Trescothick has shown he can make runs at the top of the order against top class opening bowlers and Ashley Giles has shown that he can bowl for long spells and take wickets in a Test environment. Craig White has emerged it seems from nowhere, and is taking wickets with his reverse swing and finding the middle of the bat more often than he used to. The recent tour of Pakistan showed that the Australian born White is a real candidate to fill the long since vacated boots of Ian Botham. Andrew Flintoff was a previous candidate for this role, but his chronic back problems have thwarted his progress in the bowling department. So it’s all looking rosy for Team England, ‘Bring on the Australians’ is the phrase finding its way into many sporting conversations.
The famous English batting collapse has not been evident in recent matches, so credit for that must go to the batsman. Michael Atherton looks as solid as ever and with two fifties and a hundred against Pakistan, remains the prized English wicket for opposing teams. His opening partner, left – hander Marcus Trescothick is enjoying what can only be described as a honeymoon start to his Test career. Possessing a wide range of attacking shots, he is also at home whilst defending, which means he fits the bill of a Test match opener. Three stylish, well-crafted half – centuries in his first six matches speaks for itself.
The captain, Nasser Hussain has been on the receiving end of some appalling officiating in his time, but none more so than during the recent matches in Pakistan. For a man who is finding runs hard to come by, he has not exactly had the umpires on his side. Given out LBW after hitting the ball is something that cannot be described as a pleasant experience, particularly for a man in his situation. He did come good in the last Test, however, making his first fifty for almost a year. The fans and selectors will be hoping that this signals a recovery in his form. Graham Thorpe has regained his reputation for being England’s most consistent performer, following a superb series with the bat. He had a poor summer against the West Indies by his high standards, but has rediscovered the form that once earned him so much praise. His absence from last winter’s touring party to South Africa could be described as a blessing in disguise. The time taken off to consolidate himself looks to be bearing fruit - A fighting hundred in the first Test, in which only one boundary was scored, and two fifties are no more than the man deserves. More performances like this and England have a true world class batsman on their hands.
Alec Stewart continues to keep wicket well, but we al know that he is capable of better things with the bat. He plays innings that could be described as useful, without being match – winning. The reason for this is that he is out of place batting at number five. When he comes to the crease, the ball is no longer hard and the spinners are turning the ball. He is much more comfortable opening the batting, when the ball is coming on to the bat fast. He has scored almost 7000 runs in Test matches, the majority of those have come when he has been batting in the opener’s berth. However, a return to his favoured position is unlikely, as long as the revelation Marcus Trescothick continues to impress. Stewart has hinted that he may retire after the visit of the Australians next summer. The fierce competitor that Stewart is, he will undoubtedly want to bow out on a high. Write him off at your peril.
The infamous English spin problem is now a thing of the past it seems, as Ashley Giles stunned the Pakistanis by taking 17 wickets in the recent series, rivalling the great Saqlain for the leading wicket taker position. Craig White has silenced critics who said England would never be able to replace Botham with his impressive performances of late. However, one problem that faces England that has not really been focused on is its lack of depth.
If either Giles or White fell victim to injury, there are not a great deal of credible alternatives to replace them in the side. This is a stark contrast to the Australians or the South Africans, who have a wealth of quality players to call upon should an injury occur to a top player. This brings us back to the seemingly unending debate of whether or not the English domestic system is the ideal breeding ground for Test players. The recent success of the national side has meant that attention has been diverted away from this core problem. Superficially England look good, but the real problems lie beneath. It will be the discussion point if England fail to impress next summer. You saw it here first.
With three series wins on the trot, it is only natural for everyone to be optimistic. A sense of euphoria has surrounded the team since they defied Moin Kahn and company in Karachi, taking the series 1-0. But before the side can pose a realistic threat to the rampant Australians, who have incidentally set a record of 13 straight Test victories against The West Indies, certain aspects of the team need to be refined. Michael Vaughan needs to bat in the top six, which will solidify the batting even further. If there was a weakness to England’s batting against Pakistan, it was Graeme Hick, whose sudden rushes of blood saw him dismissed cheaply on numerous occasions. The batsman who dominates county bowlers year in, year out has never really found his feet at the highest level. This is a contrast to Vaughan, who has taken Test cricket in his stride and looks very comfortable at the crease. It could be argued that Vaughan, although technically very gifted, is not the prolific batsman that Hick can be, but England would prefer an accumulator rather than a hard hitter who sells his wicket cheaply.
Much has been said of Ian Sailsbury lately. The weak link in the England side during the recent Test matches is the general consensus. Unlike previous English spinners, turning the ball is not his problem - prodigious turn from his leg breaks is evident. The problem is that hardly any of his deliveries land in the right place to trouble class batsman. The are either too short or too wide, which ultimately means far too many boundaries are conceded. He is a good county bowler, he has figures to show for that, but his technique has been horribly exposed in Test matches. He has left the selectors with no choice to overlook him for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka, which begins at the end of January. Robert Croft and Northamptonshire off spinner Jason Brown have both been summoned to accompany Giles. Whether they fare better than Sailsbury is something only time will tell. Croft has experience at Test level, Brown does not. Nevertheless, they are two unspectacular conventional off break bowlers who are not going to bowl Sri Lanka out – they are likely to play a support role to Giles, by bowling their stock deliveries that will merely contain the Sri Lankan batsman. The bulk of the wicket taking should be left to Giles, otherwise we may see repeat performances of Salisbury’s failure.
So the England team travel to Colombo next month aiming to secure yet another series win before focusing their thoughts on how to regain the Ashes. Duncan Fletcher must ensure that the players keep their feet on the ground and not get carried away by newly found success. Sri Lanka are arguably stronger than any of the teams England have defeated recently. They have many dangerous batsmen such as Sanath Jayasuriya in particular, who destroyed the English bowling attack two years ago with a stunning double century. The English batsmen, who have enjoyed good form of late, must work out a way of dealing with off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, the nemesis of the entire England team the last time the two sides met. Muralitharan took 16-220 at the Oval in 1998, sending England towards a 10 - wicket defeat. He will pose an even sterner test on a spinner friendly Sri Lankan track.
Even though England beat a Pakistan team that contained spinners such as Saqlain Mushtaq, Shahid Afridi and Mushtaq Ahmed, their batsmen are far from mastering the art of playing good spin bowling. Hence the fact that the majority of England wickets fell to spin, in particular to Saqlain, who caused indecision in the English batsmen with his huge variation, subsequently leading to his 18 dismissals. Muralitharan will have seen this and will certainly be licking his lips at the prospect of more English scalps. Beware.
Hopefully the injury plagued Dominic Cork and Michael Vaughan can regain fitness in time for the first Test. England are a better proposition with them in the team – Better than they are now? That has to be good.
By Jeremy Lloyd (24.12.00)
