England vs. West Indies: The series so far
After the Lord’s heroics from Dominic Cork which saw England level the Test series against the West Indies, the series takes a short break for the Nat West triangular tournament involving England, Zimbabwe and The West Indies.
With three games left to play and the two sides level at one a piece, the balance is nicely poised. The series is young and could still swing in either direction. It is imperative that England are not lulled into a false sense of security after their spectacular victory at headquarters a week ago. Although they were victorious inside three days, they have to look at the fact that they only made a modest 134 in their first innings and had to rely on a semi-allrounder to guide them home. After four innings, the side have not yet surpassed the 200 run mark, which is a factor that the coach Duncan Fletcher must address quickly. If not, there could easily be a repeat of last summer’s poor performances against New Zealand.
Mark Ramprakash’s future in the team is uncertain, as his performances of late have raised doubts about his ability to perform in the openers berth. If he does not make runs quickly, there are certainly no shortage of candidates waiting to displace him. Nick Knight is an obvious choice, as he is currently batting at six in the side and opens regularly for his county Warwickshire. However, Marcus Trescothick, the Somerset left hander, has lit up the England one-day side by top scoring in the team’s first two matches of the triangular tournament. He will be keeping a close eye of the team selection for the next Test, particularly as Knight has not exactly looked at ease against the West Indian seamers. Ramprakash will also be aware that the selectors would prefer a left hand – right hand opening partnership, so a change may in fact be imminent. So much is their desire for this combination, they stuck with an out of form Mark Butcher against South Africa last winter, which proved to be suicidal against the likes of Donald and Pollock.
The selectors will be delighted that Michael Vaughan has recovered from his injury problems to resume his postion in the side. He has shown that he possesses the ideal temperament for a Test match batsman and many see him as Atherton’s long term successor. Vaughan’s ability to stay at the crease for long periods of time and form partnerships is something that England desperately need if they are to challenge the top sides. Vaughan’s partnership of 92 with Atherton at Lord’s laid the foundations for an England victory. To England’s advantage, Vaughan is a player that the West Indians know little about. If Vaughan performs in the next few matches, England’s hopes will indefinitely look a great deal better.
Graeme Hick is currently enjoying the rare experience of having an extended run in the team, but this run could come to an abrupt end if he does not rediscover his international form. Ever since his century against his native homeland Zimbabwe at Lord’s, his form has been sent on a downward spiral. He is another individual that has to perform if his place in the side is to be retained. As ever, there are many batsmen that would relish the opportunity to take his place, in particular Graham Thorpe, who for years has been regarded as England’s most consistent performer. He has rediscovered his form for Surrey after a somewhat barren start to the season. An in form Thorpe is a prospect that a side like England simply cannot afford to refuse, so do not be surprised if he finds his way on to next week’s teamsheet.
Nasser Hussain will hope to return to the side for the Old Trafford Test following an injury which kept him out of the extraordinary proceedings at Lord’s. He will be keen to make some runs, as his own form has been a worry to him so far this summer. He has not recorded a single Test fifty this year, which is not the ideal situation for a captain to be in. At best, he is a prolific batsman who can make runs, but this side of him has so far been dormant during this summer’s matches.
As for the bowling department, it seems that the Gough – Caddick partnership is now a highly established one due to several superb opening bursts. The way in which they thwarted West Indian progress in the Lord’s Test by reducing them to 54, their lowest total in England proved what a formidable pairing they are. Dominic Cork has shown that he is worthy of a place in the side after his fairytale like comeback, but the search is still on for a fourth seamer. The long-term choice is most likely Dean Headley due to his possession of an ECB contract. His long-term injury has seen Ed Giddins and Matthew Hoggard trying to fill the vacant position, not to much success however. Before the summer is up, it is likely that Chris Silverwood, who has recently come back from injury, will add to his five Test appearances.
Chris Schofield, the young Lancashire leg spinner, has not been considered for either of the two Test matches so far. Instead Welshman Robert Croft has been used, as his off spin is more hostile towards the large number of left handers in the West Indies side. In the last Test at Lord’s, no spinner was included, which ultimately paved the way for Matthew Hoggard’s debut. The pitch was obviously not a turning one, which was the reason for the exclusion of a spin bowler.
However, it is vitally important for spinners to bowl as many overs as possible in the remaining matches to gain valuable experience for the forthcoming winter tour. England tour Pakistan and Sri Lanka later this year, where the wickets are invariably spin friendly. England may have to face the situation of selecting two spinners in the same side, which is a fact they must be aware of.
The lack of spinners in the West Indies side is not a problem as far as they are concerned, particularly as their seamers are proving to be a stern test for the English batsmen. However, this fact poses a colossal problem for England, both in the short and long term. In the short term, they are being torn apart by Walsh, Ambrose and co. In the long term, the English batsmen face a daunting trip to the Asian continent this winter, a place where top quality spin bowlers are found in abundance. The lack of exposure to a top quality spinner could prove to be very costly indeed, as the likes of Saqlain and Murali will be licking their lips at the prospect of more English scalps.
The West Indies will want to return to winning ways after their humiliation at Lord’s, so England must be prepared for an initial onslaught when they take to the field at Old Trafford nest week. Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose will no doubt want to bow out of these shores on a high note, as this is indefinitely their last tour of England. Before he calls it a day, Walsh will want to post a tally of Test wickets that will be a tough task for any future bowler to surpass. If England keep their feet on the ground and find a way of dealing with the threat of the West Indian seamers, particularly when the ball is new, we should be in for a thrillling conclusion to this series.
Possible England squad for 3rd Test: MA Atherton, ME Trescothick, *N Hussain, GP Thorpe, MP Vaughan, +AJ Stewart, A Flintoff, DG Cork, AR Caddick, D Gough, CEW Silverwood, RDB Croft.
By Jeremy Lloyd (9.7.00)
