First the Light, then the Darkness – the 1st ODI

What a shame. England played really well for eighty overs of this game, but played so poorly in the last fifteen that they threw it all away. It was the type of collapse that would’ve made a school team blush.

Although one cannot excuse such a dreadful capitulation, I do think conditions conspired against us somewhat. Until it went dark, the Rose Bowl pitch was an absolute batsman’s paradise. The slightest nudge went flying off the bat and across the lightning fast outfield for four.

I thought England’s bowlers did extremely well to restrict the Canary Yellows to just over 300. In my opinion, 330-350 would’ve been a par score. Unfortunately however, the pitch seemed to slow noticeably once the lights came on. Suddenly the batsmen struggled to time the ball and boundaries became few and far between.

Yes, some of this was good bowling and relatively poor batting, but it looked a different game out there. Hales and Roy made hay when the sun was in the sky, but the gathering darkness suffocated England’s scoring rate. I’m not sure whether England in September is the right time and place to be playing day-night cricket. I’m sure some of the freezing spectators would agree.

I’ll let you guys dissect England’s collapse in the comments section. Instead I’d actually like to focus on the positives today. I thought Rashid bowled beautifully and thoroughly deserved his four wickets. I was critical of his performance in the T20, so it’s only fair to give credit where it’s due.

Chris Woakes also made an encouraging return to England colours (with the ball at least). England haven’t had a good death bowler for a while, so it was encouraging to see him the pitch the ball up and keep things relatively tight. I doubt he’ll ever be Darren Gough or Lasith Malinga, but England have to work with the players available.

I was also impressed with Jason Roy. This is something of a paradigm shift for me. Because his domestic record is pretty modest, I’ve always been something of a Roy sceptic. Maybe it was the excellent batting pitch, but he played some really classy shots yesterday. I’m beginning to see why guys like Kevin Pietersen rate him so highly. Roy also looked pretty solid in defence. He certainly looks no worse than Hales.

The other bright spot for England was James Taylor. I’ve never known what to make of the impish Notts terrier. He looks absolutely dreadful on occasions, but looking scruffy never hurt Shiv Chanderpaul I suppose.

What I do like about Taylor is his positive and proactive approach, plus the fact he gets under the opposition’s skin. He also looks like a confident guy who loves a challenge. You could say he’s the archetypal short bloke with a chip on his shoulder.

After Taylor’s excellent innings against Australia in the World Cup, in which umpiring incompetence cost him an much deserved hundred, I think it’s safe to say that he relishes the big occasion. England could use someone like this. It will be interesting to see who makes way when Root returns to the fold.

Thoughts?

James Morgan

@DoctorCopy

9 comments

  • It was certainly a notable collapse by England, and it was as though they were suddenly playing on a different pitch, which I suppose they were. Having said that, Morgan looked out of touch but not as much as Buttler. This is worrying. Taylor was excellent and I enjoyed the moment just after his dismissal when he didn’t let Watson stare him out. He has a competitive edge. I’d like to see him in the Test team.

  • Bit of a collapse really which was a shame. I also think England bowled pretty well under conditions which weren’t that helpful at that stage.

    I think this could be a series for Taylor to really establish himself as a batsman (possibly at number 5) in both ODIs and Tests. Good knock but his dismissal was a bit silly – if he’d hung about a bit longer I think the chase would have be on.

  • Some aspects of team selection made absolutely no sense to me.

    Firstly, Bairstow isn’t even in the squad. The bloke made a match-winning 83* in his last ODI and 74 only two Tests ago. Buttler who looks shot and Billings who has done precious little are picked ahead of him. How does that add up?

    Secondly, Moeen Ali who after Joe Root has been the most in-form batsman all summer gets shunted down to No.7 in the order. Please explain – although any use of the phrase ‘the finisher’ will be punishable by having to listen to ‘The Collected Wit and Wisdom of James Brayshaw’ for the rest of the day.

    Thirdly, why were Wood or Woakes preferred to Willey? Wood, we all know, is carrying a troublesome ankle. Woakes hasn’t done anything since coming back from injury (no fifty, no four-for) to justify even being in the squad. Even Chris Jordan has better ODI stats than Woakes, better List A stats, offers more wicket-taking potential and would improve the fielding.

    • Good point about Bairstow. I thought exactly the same before the match. I also thought Mo was batting too low considering his excellent innings in the T20 the other day. England should’ve tried to get Morgan / Mo at the crease together earlier on. I think 5 is a place too high for Stokes by the way.

    • The team selection and batting order were certainly strange.

      My guess is that it’s down to the fact that various options/players are being looked at with a view to the UAE. They have to be fitted in somewhere.

      Woakes is probably being eased in and assessed. I don’t see it as being a bad thing. He can be a very good team player.

      I was surprised at the inclusion of Wood at all, given his fitness issues. Willey would have been a more sensible and deserving choice.

      Buttler is a huge worry but I think we have to persevere with him for a bit longer. He has a huge talent and was thrown in at the deep end before he was ready. He has had a lot to learn in a fairly short time at the top level. Bairstow is sure to be nailed on as a back up in UAE and he could yet play.

      Still not confident in Hales as a test opening batsman. I hope he proves me wrong. That would be ideal. :-)

      • Hales is certainly not a Test opener and is running out of time to become one (he’s nearly 27). More concerningly, he’s less than convincing as an ODI opener, too – only passed 50 twice in 15 innings and averages 25. Needs to make some meaningful runs in the winter or he could find himself discarded next summer.

    • Butler seems to be going backwards; if he doesn’t realise some of his potential fairly soon (which would be a real shame), then Bairstow is an obvious replacement.
      Having two strong candidates for wicketkeeper is a nice problem for England to have, but it does mean that Buttler must find some form.

      As for Moeen, it seems as though the selectors have decided his success lower down in tests might directly translate to the one day game. If so, it’s misguided. He should be batting much higher up in the shorter form.

  • Regarding Roy, Michael Vaughan, no mean exponent of the cover drive himself, had this to say:
    “Jason Roy has the ability to punch the ball through the off side when he’s playing a cover drive – almost like Joe Root and Sachin Tendulkar.”

  • Stokes and Ali should swap places. It’s stupid to have someone who is averaging less than 20 in the top 6.

    Ali is wasted down the order as he can go at a fair click without strain but could use the time to set up for the later order hitters. If they exist.

    Coming in late would suit Stokes as then he could just swing without actually having to think at all.

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