What a day in St Lucia. England are on top, the Windies frailties (which were there all along) are finally being exposed, and only a minor miracle can prevent us from claiming a much needed consolation victory. You didn’t really think we’d lose 0-3 did you? England’s strong position is mainly down to four men: Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, who batted so well on day one, and Mark Wood and Moeen Ali, who were our heroes with the ball yesterday. The people who should take...
3rd Test Preview
And so to St Lucia – the most beautiful island in the Caribbean. As Blighty freezes in artic temperatures, St Lucians will be perambulating across pure shores with only the sound of gentle breezes rustling through native palms to distract them. Envious? You bet. And to make matters worse the locals can bask in the glory of a series win again England whatever happens in the third test. The good news for England however, is that the home side’s captain Jason Holder – a man who has bowled like a...
What did they think was going to happen?
When the ECB decided to diminish the county championship by moving most games to April, May, and September, what did they think was going to happen? When the ECB appointed Ed Smith, a man whose philosophy is to pack the side with all-rounders and pluck players from white ball cricket, what did they think was going to happen? When the ECB’s chief executive officer asks the team to play attacking cricket and be prepared to lose a few games in the pursuit of exciting victories, what did they...
Danger? What Danger?
Sadly I feel this test match is ebbing away. So it’s time for a hackneyed boxing analogy. England are on the ropes primarily because we’ve got a glass jaw. The Windies, on the other hand, have taken the punches and kept advancing forwards. The home team has shown more courage and discipline, they’ve clearly got a better defence, and they’ve chosen their moments to attack judiciously. Yesterday England looked a bit like Naseem Hamed in his bout with Marco Antonio Barrera...
“Rouge Pitch” or Rogue Batting?
I’m feeling a bit rough today so I’ll keep this short – a bit like England’s innings. I tuned into Sky’s The Debate last night expecting Grumpy Bob and Co to lambast what I thought was another really poor batting display from our ragtag batting line-up. But instead of being critical they basically blamed the pitch. Hmmmm. Yes the pitch in Antigua wasn’t great – a far cry from the roads Andy Roberts used to prepared at the old ground – but was it...
What Should England Do? And What Will They Do?
You’ll see two very different questions in the headline above. The first is what England should do. In other words, what changes they should make to their team for Antigua. This involves looking a problem rationally and objectively. The second question asks what England will do. And this is rather complicated because it involves putting oneself in the shoes of the management, who will be feeling embarrassed, a little defensive, and wary of abandoning a selection policy based on packing...
