At least it was competitive this time. The feeling remains, however, that England simply aren’t good enough to win a full 50 over match in Sri Lanka. We’ve got a chance in twenty or thirty five over games – shorter contests level the playing field somewhat – but this particular England side lack the necessary class to beat international quality teams in their own backyard.
The problem, in my humble opinion, is that the bowlers available on this tour simply aren’t up to it. We keep hearing how Woakes has put on a yard of pace, and look’s ‘compact at the crease’ (whatever the hell that means), but I personally don’t see much improvement. The commentators are probably putting the wrong type of mushrooms in their omelettes.
Meanwhile Jordan blows hot and cold (although he was hot today), and Finn still looks a shadow of him former self. He looks like a thoroughbred running with his front legs tied together. It’s really sad.
And then there’s poor Ben Stokes. England’s great strategy under Peter Moores was to create an ‘environment’ in which talent could be maximised. I don’t see much evidence of that, do you?
At least there were some genuine positives today though. James Taylor looked really good and surely deserves a run of games at the problematic number three position.
Then there was Eoin Morgan, who got the highest score by an England captain in ODI’s since dinosaurs roamed the earth. Isn’t it nice when the captaincy actually inspires a player, rather than weighing heavily around their shoulders?
The big negative of the day, other than the fact we lost of course, was the performance of Alex Hales. He just doesn’t look comfortable in the current environment. He always looked pretty relaxed playing for Ashley Giles, but now he looks tense and agitated.
Hales made a golden duck and dropped a crucial catch at the death. Evidence, I suppose, that Cook should come straight back into the side … ahem.
James Morgan
Our bowlers aren’t good enough, and I doubt even Broad or Anderson returning will solve this. So we have to maximise the batting. I fear politics will prevent that. I don’t think we will go anywhere under a Cook/Moores axis, as even if Cook stands down we have to play under a regime of fear and laptops and management speak. I have little hope.
It could be that Hales not seeming to gel in the all round environment was the reason that Ali was chosen to open ahead of him. We can’t know, but having selected him to tour I found his omission strange. Mind you, the same could be said for Taylor and he was good today. Who knows what goes on in the minds of the mighty? Ours is but to wonder why!
Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice…..
They’ll be dancing in the press boxes tonight. Because The great pretender can now come straight back in, and take this side to the World Cup. Never mind that Morgan once agin proves he can score runs as captain.
What a mess English cricket is in. Remember, the people who run the game sacrificed an entire Ashes series for this shower. They ignored the implications of a 5-0 thrashing. Choosing to sack 1 batsman who happened to be top scorer (admittedly a low top scorer) and they promoted the coach to his dream job. They then informed everyone stupid enough to listen that obedience, and team spirt were the watch words of the New England. Individuality and skill were out, blind loyalty to the Empire was in.
If al this wasn’t farcical enough they employed a coach they had already sacked, (after paying a huge fee to a recruitment company to find the best coach) and retained the captain. A captain who they claimed was either, the greatest captain that ever walked the earth or (on another day) had to be in the team because TINA. They also retained the bowling coach who under his guidance has just about screwed up every English bowler he has touched in the last 12 months. So bad was it that in the Test series against India, and 1-0 down Anderson said we gave up on all the plans and just decided to bowl naturally.
If the cretinous coach deems to talk to the media today (he usually only does when we win) he will no doubt inform us that they are going to work hard. Work incredibly hard. Work as hard as anyone has ever worked before. Oh, and they are going to have meetings, lots of meetings. But then as Michael Vaughn told us years ago, coach David Brent does so love to talk. Shame it’s not working
England have some very ordinary bowlers (Jimmy and Broad might pop back for the WC and then retire from ODIs), two very ordinary captains (one who’s gone after the WC and the other who’s his replacement), poor management and a few good ODI batters being screwed up by the aforementioned. And Michael Lumb – 100 on ODI debut – nowhere to be seen. So what do we expect?
Can’t the ECB be done for criminal negligence?
Apparently Flower was overseeing some set piece scenarios in practice. The heavy hand is still very much on the tiller it seems!
It stinks if true Dave. But only confirms us “outsiders” suspicions that he is still running things.
Cook is a puppet of Moores and Moores is a puppet of Flower. I feel a song coming on……..How about……Puppet on a string…….
Of course if we had a genuine, professional cricket media they would investigate these matters. But instead we have a bunch of posers who flounce about in white suits with their noses rammed up the backside of
the ECB. Careful not to upset their lords and masters just in case any crumbs might be thrown to them from the Barons table. Like complimentary tickets for their editors, and chums, and nice soft ball interviews with the players, plastered,with all the right logos. They might get a nice jolly out on the ECBs expense. Doesn’t pay to bite the hand that feeds.
I understand these people don’t like KP. I get that, but KP is gone and has been for a while. Time to start doing your jobs. We were told without KP in the dressing room everything would be champagne and roses. Well Bulls**t!
Yes Mark, I heard it on TMS this morning, my jaw dropped tbh when did he sneak in?? I’m guessing also that Downton’s presence there was to reinforce the announcement that Rodders WILL be the WC captain, come what may.
Morgan made a bloody strong case for himself today. He was setting good attacking fields, as opposed to the inherently defensive Cook, just a shame his bowlers lacked penetration, and showed his class with the bat….Captaincy becomes him!!
Totally agree with you about Morgan. Just imagine if he had been given the same chances that Pitt the younger has? If he had been given two years to build something.
Today, and in the 20/20 VS India at Birmingham Morgan scored runs as captain. It’s a Novel idea having your captain put runs on the board. England should try it more often.
What Downton is doing down there, who knows? But I expect you are right. He is there to clamp down on any possible mutinous behaviour. The word coming out of the press is the shock news that the ECB might, just might make a change, but after the World Cup. And only if it goes wrong.
Oh I forgot to say. Morgan not best pleased he was denied Tredwell for today. England managed to drop their spinner on a spinning pitch.
Conspiracy? Or crap selection?
Top ODI run scorers in 2014:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=2;filter=advanced;orderby=runs;spanmin1=01+jan+2014;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting
SL have 4 of the top 10. England have none. Buttler is highest at 15th. Second lowest SR in the top 25 (excluding Bangladesh and Zimbabwe) belongs to Joe Root. Surprisingly, only Dilshan in the top 25 (or 40 even) hasn’t hit a six.
Some of the post-match discussion has said lazily that England couldn’t play the SL spinners. Dilshan and the Mendises weren’t the problem. Dilshan and A Mendis took some wickets but went for plenty. J Mendis didn’t take wickets. Herath was the difference. Anyone noticing that Moeen’s figures aren’t great in conditions were spinners need to be taking wickets?
Finally, anyone who goes on about the routine excellence of Sky’s coverage hasn’t had to listen to Nick Knight, Dominic Cork and Sir Ian at 6am. Is this really the best Sky can manage? Thank heavens for Russel Arnold!
I started a gameduring the last ODI. a glass of wine every time Nick Knight said that was good captaincy from Cook. I had to give up as I was half u der the table by the end of the first half
I do find some good ideas on ‘ere! :-)
Felt like that whenever I had the misfortune to watch him bat!
Right. Straight talking. One thing was demonstrated today beyond any reasonable doubt and that it that Morgan should captain the side. He has led by example and deserves another chance without interference from Cook.
That was the main solace from that defeat, for me. That nasty acronym TINA can be put to bed. Morgan is relatively good for the captaincy (not a world-beater, but a cut above Cook), but more importantly the captaincy is definitely good for Morgan.
Well said Peter, you’re coming round to our way of thinking lad! :-)
Peter, I agree that he did captain with more purpose than Cook. For example, Cook, even when the English team is clearly beaten, still saves his best bowlers for the death overs, even if they are not going to be used. So we see an analysis where Broad and Anderson have only bowled half their overs. At least Morgan realises that wickets in the middle overs are important and is prepared to gamble. However, he should have tried Finn at M and S while they were getting settled. But he is probably ruled by the Moores laptops to an extent. But at least he took the game to the wire with imaginative field placings – daring Mathews to hit over the top in the last 10 overs. don’t think that Cook would have done that.
Can I check, was Flower there, or Downton or both? It all stinks, but Petals sure smells the worse.
I know for certain that Paul Downton has been in Colombo in the past few days.
The boys Brigade is still in operation.Funny how we never hear Flowers name mentioned but by watching the boys playing we know who is pulling the strings Nothing has changed since OZ except KP is gone.No wonder they had to get rid of him.Hang your collective heads in shame ECB.What has Flower got over you all that makes you subservient to him.Poor England cricket.I’m glad KP and Trottie are away from this mess.Sad for the young boys being destroyed
Is it me? Whenever I hear of once decent bowlers now struggling in the “England set up”, do I fear the deathly hand of Saker hovering over them. Maybe I’m just imagining it?
Sit back and let Simon Hughes patronise you and everybody else under 6ft tall!!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/30369973
Additionally, my wife found out this week why Waitrose sponsor England cricket – they are both bloody awful at customer relations
When I woke up yesterday morning and turned on the radio, heard SH’s patronizing drivel and fell back snoozing – after all, there’s only so much bull@@@t you can take on a Sunday Morning, isn’t it?
Cricket can be oddly heightist. I always wondered if Tendulkar (5’5″) got irritated at being referred to as ‘The Little Master.’
Interesting article. It’s a well known fact that most of the true greats were relatively short batsmen. As a Worcestershire fan, I’ve always followed this particular theme with interest. Both Graeme Hick and Tom Moody were destructive at country level (and in ODIs), but found their height a disadvantage to some extent in tests. They were a bit too stiff at the crease, and Hick in particular struggled with the short ball – until he made an effort to crouch down a little in his stance.
Kevin Pietersen was remarkable in that he didn’t struggle too much against the short stuff, even though he only really possessed a front foot game (he pulled off the front foot). However, pitches are a little slower now, and there are less genuinely quick bowlers around, so maybe this was a factor? KP did well against Steyn in that famous Headingley ton, but Steyn is a little shorter than the Windies attacks that tormented Hick. It would have been interesting to see the likes of KP, and possibly even blokes like Matt Hayden, play against Ambrose, Walsh, Bishop, Patterson etc at their pomp.
There’s a direct correlation, one suspects, between KP’s height, his batting success and his current knee troubles. At his best he really did crouch, but years of that has to take a toll.
Dave Tickner stat from Twitter via Statsguru:
Of the five highest scores by an England ODI captain since July 2013, Morgan has four (in seven games) and Cook one (in seventeen games).
Yet, questioning Cook’s divine right to be captain is “mere windbaggery”, according to Stephen Brenkley.
Quite an amazing stat.
And the fact it is not reported by so called cricket journalists shows how useless they have become.
This is quite amusing, and entirely accurate:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/blogs/content/story/808091.html
Brilliant Nigel! We’re going to tweet that.
Well said, it seems that our bowling resources have become rather thin. I also wonder if Moores is just trying Stokes out or if the laptop has told him not to play Tredwell. I also wonder just how ready Broad and Anderson may be for a big tournament.
There have been positives in each match of the series so far but sadly not many of them persist from one game to another. So Moeen does well in 2 games but badly in the others. Buttler bats well in one game but poorly in the others. Tredwell does well and gets dropped. Stokes does poorly in every match. Jordan varies between poor and just-about satisfactory – for his bowling. His batting is consistently poor. Root has done well in a couple of games. Bopara is not trusted with the ball despite being very consistent and is reasonably consistent with the bat. Hales has never really got going. Finn has lost the knack of taking wickets. Woakes has taken more wickets than Finn at about the same cost, but he always gets taken apart at the death, and his batting is not great. His 6 wickets are the highest of any England bowler!
However, for Sri Lanka, Jaya and Sanga have been consistently majestic both at higher averages than Moeen. Herath always bowls well and seems to pick up wickets – 7. Ajantha Mendis is a little expensive but consistently picks up wickets – 8. Even though Dishan’s batting is out of sorts, as a bowler he would walk into the England team – 6 wickets. And the series is clarifying that his fellow opener should not be Perera.
So Sri Lanka have a few adjustments to make. England are not much closer to working out their team. Moeen and Buttler should get in, but there are real weaknesses in the bowling with no wicket-taking threats and few signs of control other than those given by Tredwell, the under-used Bopara, and Moeen. Jordan’s figures are skewed by the great match he had on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Aussies have got off to a blinder. Warner – Majestic!
Can anyone remind me when last, the same could be said about us, apart from the great Moeen?
Some interesting opinion here too (even if it is the Mail :( https://info.dailymail.co.uk/pub/sf/FormLink?_ri_=X0Gzc2X%3DWQpglLjHJlYQGkNeJ1zbbHCHG4nhKzdhe8E3iDi26LGi7w5H3YVXMtX%3DWQpglLjHJlYQGsylnuDj75rvnKbJyczgzdzeK1rBKitO7XLzcSOR&_ei_=EhWsiIZW_xejSsiSYV37LI-iZ3uZzQq-JppyenB3G5DO9cRt56hnGQOYyEgskFXmap_kXM9kJjkNaapXQiEuXtN4k1mGUDbnRKAjft8wVqW7MlaG5zQ0eoQLeogVDso