I’ve got a little game for you. England will play a whopping seventeen test matches in the next ten months. How many of the players named in the squad to tour the Windies today will play in the final test against South Africa in January 2016? My guess is half at best. Of course, the return of Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes might shake things up a bit, but there’s no guarantee these two will be in England’s first choice team in ten months either.
2015 and the winter of 2015/16 promises to be the most turbulent and desperate time for English cricket in almost two decades. England’s opponents are formidable: after the tour to the Windies we play New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa.
What’s worse, we’re entering this testing period with a team in transition, low confidence, and a coach who looks totally out of his depth. And just to make things even worse, there are still political shenanigans going on in the background as Paul Downton battles desperately to keep his job.
I can see all of the following things happening this year. I admit this is a bit of a doomsday scenario, and I doubt all of them occur, but I still think there’s a decent shout each one will:
– Alastair Cook, whose technique has been exposed over the last two years, is finally finished off as an international player by Southee, Boult, Harris, Johnson, Riaz, Steyn and Morkel (all of whom pitch the ball up to him). England respond by burdening another player with the captaincy – one who isn’t quite ready.
– Gary Ballance and Joe Root are also exposed by the quality seamers England face. We find out that Ballance is not a number three after all, and Root struggles like he did against Australia in 2013.
– Ian Bell, as the experienced lynchpin of the middle-order, struggles with the responsibility. He makes a few pleasing half-centuries but they’re not enough to salvage or win any test matches.
– Moeen Ali continues to struggle against the short ball as the two Mitchells (Starc and Johnson) eat him for breakfast. By the end of the year he really has become the new Graeme Swann: playing as a specialist spinner and batting number eight with a frightened look in his eyes.
– Stuart Broad and James Anderson, struggling to keep themselves fit, gradually become worn down. They lose half a yard of pace, pick up niggling injuries, and the attack lacks any penetration.
– Chris Woakes becomes England’s most reliable new ball bowler. Fans are reminded of the halcyon days of 1993, when Martin Bicknell and Mark Ilott formed the world’s least feared opening attack.
– Jonathan Trott does a Marcus Trescothick. He relapses and decides to focus on domestic cricket for Warwickshire (for whom he scores shed loads).
– Steven Finn retires from all cricket and eventually takes up a panto role in Jack and the Beanstalk.
Now I know I’m being a miserable b**t**d here. I severely doubt the perfect storm above will transpire. However, I think all of them individually are worth a punt. The trouble is, if only half of them come true, England will be deep poop.
I know many people think Kevin Pietersen will ride to the rescue like a shining white knight, but I’m not so sure. Even if his body can withstand the workload, which is considerable, I doubt the KP of 2015 will be the same as the KP of 2005. I’d expect a few entertaining innings, and perhaps one more match winning one, but I don’t see him averaging fifty. Do you?
By the time KP actually gets back into the England team, if indeed he does, he might already be weary after a couple of months on the gruelling county circuit. Someone with Pietersen’s body will need to be managed. I don’t think anyone at the ECB will be in the mood to let Kevin pick and choose games.
Given the daunting task faced by our cricketers, the tour to the West Indies is incredibly important. If the matches go less than swimmingly, and England do not win all of the tests well, confidence will be even lower and Moores will be toast.
Considering that the cupboard is pretty much bare, the selectors have rearranged the deck chairs of England’s Titanic pretty well. The squad flying out to the Windies looks like it has a good balance, although it would’ve been nice to see a wildcard like Mark Footitt in there.
It’s no surprise to see Sam Robson left out. I didn’t think he looked like a test opener either. He’s been replaced by a combination of Adam Lyth and the returning Jonathan Trott. I’m sure we all wish Trotty all the very best on his return. Bloody hell we need him.
As Mo and Woakes are nursing injuries – and a combination of the selectors and / or Graves didn’t think it was worth risking their long-term health just to save Downton’s job – there are fresh opportunities for Adil Rashid and Ben Stokes.
Personally, I really hope Stokes bats at six to enable us to field five bowlers. If our attack stands any chance of lasting the course in 2015, the workload needs to be shared around.
I’m also excited to see how much Rashid has improved, and quite fancy him batting number eight and playing as the only spinner. Much as I like Tredwell, it would be such a boring, typically English move to hand him recall. What’s more, Tredders isn’t really Kent’s first choice spinner these days. Having said that, I do worry that Rashid bowls too slowly to be successful at international level.
The final interesting selection is the inclusion of Durham’s Wood. I have to admit I’ve not seen too much of him. We know he’s consistent in county cricket, and went on the Lions tour, but is he good enough to take wickets at the next level? I wasn’t particularly impressed the last time I saw him live, but apparently he’s improved quite a lot in recent times. What do you think?
England Squad: Cook, Lyth, Trott, Ballance, Bell, Root, Buttler, Bairstow, Stokes, Rashid, Tredwell, Wood, Jordan, Plunkett, Broad, Anderson
My XI: Cook, Trott, Ballance, Bell, Root, Stokes, Buttler, Rashid, Plunkett, Broad, Anderson
James Morgan
@DoctorCopy
Would it be fair to say Stuart Broad has already lost half a yard of pace?
Also, the one punt you haven’t made is Peter Moores departing at some point. A 3-0 loss in the Windies is unlikely, but not beyond the realms of possibility. If so, Moores & Downton at that point are untenable. One would hope Harrison & Graves have some fall-back options for that (with any luck, the rumours of Andy Flower replacing Windies-bound Phil Simmons will have, er, flowered, removing THAT particular option…)
Sorry, I meant only if it’s 3-0. A 2-1 either way I think would see Moores keep his job. For the time being.
Moores keeping his job would be part of the ‘perfect storm’ – the punts are all on what might go wrong.
Yes Broad has lost a yard of pace, but I assume that’s because he’s trying to find form after injury.
It’s all very depressing really. I cannot see Broad improving in his bowling and his batting is shot to pieces. So good to see Trott back. I just hope he is looked after this time. He is the one person who could do a lot of damage. I am not sure about the rest if I’m honest. Having seen them playing in the World Cup I cannot see those particular people having enough reserves – if any at all – to take on any team! Sorry I think I’m more despondent than you James. Still it might get better with time.
James, your XI will need six days to get going whilst batting, and Broad/Anderson will not survive until the start of the Ashes, let alone its/their end…knowing that Jimmy is a ‘home-turf bowler, and that Broady has lost the plot/speed/confidence – why aren’t they being rested – at least in the short-term?
Bell needs time out too, at least to rest and find confidence as a long-player once more.
Why no Taylor?
Why no inspired picks – Willey/Vince?
Why is Cook captain?
No forethought apart from saving management/coaches/selectors flabby backsides
with a top 5 of Cook, Trott, Ballance, Bell, Root it will take 6 weeks to reach 50
I’d be happy with 50, in total ;-)
If you want to include Taylor & Vince who would you drop – Root, Trott, Ballance or Bell? Can only have so many in the squad.
Willey is no more than medium pace and will never be a test player in my humble opinion. Perhaps might get a look in during the T20 stuff.
I’ve seen Willey bowling pretty rapidly. The ball that crocked Kieswetter was a fair bit more than medium pace. His problem is he doesn’t move it that much.
I’ve seen Willey a few times on TV and he’s always been 77-82mph. I personally don’t see the fuss. FIrst class and list A average of 30 and only six 5 wicket hauls in his career. His statistics are remarkably similar to Worcs Jack Shantry, who is admirable but a long way short of England quality.
Hope he proves me wrong.
Hey, you’ve conned him out of a full run in his average. It’s 29 in FC cricket. Marginally worse than Stuart Broad’s…
He’s an all-rounder, though.
Ah but it’s 32 in list A matches. I split the difference! :-)
Pff, we’re all about Test cricket now
Wasn’t everyone saying Woakes was too slow last year? Then he turns out to be the fastest of the lot at the CWC. I suspect Willey could surprise too like this, but to play he would have to keep Stokes out of the team and I can’t see that happening.
Woakes was told to put on half a yard. He went from 83mph ish to 85-87 mph. Willey would have to find an extra yard and more. Big ask Imho. But maybe not impossible?
I’m wondering if Woakes might go the way of Tim Bresnan – compelled to bowl above his natural pace at one his body struggles to cope with and ending up back with his county in bits. At least not taking Woakes to the West Indies is a faint sign they might have started to learn about managing injuries better.
Bresnan. Like the comparison. SIdebottom was another player who had to give absolutely everything to bowl 85mph. His body just couldn’t take it long term and the injuries mounted. Was a good bowler while it last though.
These selections sum up not only the state of English cricket but the state of most of our national team selections. If we continue to reward failure what hope does this give any young talented sportsmen in England. It is apparent that it is harder to get out of this current team than to get in it. I care not that the WC was a 50 over comp but many of the WC squad have retained their place in this test squad and this is what makes me so angry. If you care not for 50 over cricket why would you care for test cricket. The WC is the pinnacle of any sport and the attitude and ability shown by most of the WC squad should automatically make them surplus to any future England team whether it’d tests 50 over or T20. All this “oh he did well last time he played in a test match” is complete bollocks and used as a smokescreen by ECB to make sure the arrogant untouchables remain in the team. To say we have nothing else to select is an insult to many talented young cricketers who will never get a chance to shine as we keep picking the same useless tried and tested players who have proved they are not Intl Class or arrogantly know they will never be dropped. Tell me another so called top test playing nation who would retain Bell Broad Anderson Ballance or Tredwell in any format after their pathetic efforts in the WC and why pick Plunkett as he has had his chance and failed.
Representing your country should mean everything and the efforts of many during the WC made a mockery of this notion and as such many should pay the ultimate price and that is never to represent the country again. I don’t buy all this that they tried their best either as top level sport is about doing it when it matters and most of this current crop of arrogant untouchables have had enough chances and never done it.
Until we stop rewarding failure we have no chance. Until we start embracing talent we have no chance. Until we stop allowing egos to ruin our selection we have no chance. Until we realise that talent needs managing and not training we have no chance.
Rant over
Name the young guys you want in the squad and tell me specifically who you would drop them for. Ballance and Root scored bags of runs the last time we played test cricket. Ballance was the ICC young test player of the year.
Jack Brooks was the best bowler on the Lions tour but he is inferior to the bowlers picked. It is unfair to write off Anderson and Broad as ‘failures’. Overall their careers have been successes, with three Ashes wins. Anderson is England’s leading wicket taker in history. One poor World Cup is not enough to write them off entirely, especially as there is nobody better to replace them.
Would you drop Wayne Rooney from the England football team forever on the basis of his poor showing in Brazil? Especially if that meant replacing him with Peter Crouch or Emile Heskey? Or an unproven kid with a far inferior domestic goal scoring record.
Dropping the few proven players we have, and replacing them with unknowns who haven’t particularly impressed for the Lions, is probably going to make the team worse. In my opinon it’s up to the management / coaches to get the most of the talent we actually have. Giving them even less talent, and less experience, to work with isnt a recipe for success.
We are all angry after the world cup debacle, but let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. There is no new golden generation being held back by conservative selectors. There will always be subjective judgement calls on individual players, but overall they’ve selected a pretty sensible squad.
Well said James. Agree with every word.
I’d drop Ballance for Taylor. I’m not interested in how well he did the last time we played a Test – remember the opposition, and how talented and/or interested their bowlers were? He also hasn’t exactly set the world alight with his international performances since…
Taylor also doubles as a handy captain-in-waiting when the inevitable axe falls on Alistair’s perfectly coiffered little head. Let’s not ruin Joe Root just yet, eh? Even if he is the apple of the annoying Michael Vaughan’s eye . . .
But that’s just my opinion . . . :)
Really ?
He’s played 8 tests, and has an average of 60 – and you’d drop him because of the ODI debacle ?
You’re more fickle than the selectors we have now.
Not because of the ODI performances at all – though those suggest a man shorn of form and confidence – but because the runs he scored last year were against bowling attacks which I don’t think measure up to the ones we’ll be facing this year. I suspect he has an inflated average at the moment and I also remember several knowledgeable commenters questioning his technique.
It reminds me of the bandwagon for Sam Robson. A few people watched him closely and said – hang on, he’s a bit weak around off stump. But he scored a mountain of CC runs, and got picked. Then it turns out – his weakness made batting in Test matches very difficult.
Ballance may turn out to be a great batsman. But I don’;t think I’m being fickle for suspecting that Taylor might be better. And for hoping he gets picked before a long run of losses, not after….
What bandwagon ?
He has a test average of 60.
Might he fail in the future ? Of course.
But dropping him now (which would do as much as anything to destroy any confidence he might have), without any serious rationale other than your gut feeling, would be right up there with some of the more absurd real world selectorial decisions.
Oh dear James, I have problems with that. England’s centrally contracted few don’t play domestic cricket so comparisons aren’t possible. Why you would want to compare 37 year old Heskey with Rooney baffles me.
“Throw the baby out with the bathwater” no, not relevant for me. I’d dearly like to see this New Era we were promised. So forget this defensive “whom would you drop” stuff. Just pick the players who we believe will grow into a great team in 1 to 2 years time – and go on from there.
You’ve summed your post up well with ” it’s a pretty sensible squad”. Unfortunately, I think England needs something better than that in the longer term – starting now.
Gary Ballance averages 61 in test cricket and has a first class average of 50. I repeat, he is the current ICC young test player of the year. Joe Root averages 51 in test cricket, scored loads of runs in all forms last year, plus scored a ton against Sri Lanka in the World Cup.
Who would you pick that’s better than these two? The selectors have done exactly what you asked. They’ve picked the best guys to take England forward … in their opinion. And the stats support their opinion at this point.
I severely doubt that Taylor or Vince would do better in test cricket than Root and Ballance. They are unproven, and Taylor looked very scrappy in limited exposure to test cricket.
I apologise for the Heskey/Crouch references but I don’t follow football much anymore and I couldn’t think of any young English strikers. I wasnt referring to their age, simply their ability. The point is valid however: if you’re going to drop players you must have better replacements lined up. What makes you so certain that Taylor and Vince would average more than 50 or 60? It’s an enormous leap of faith.
To be fair to Taylor, his only exposure to Test cricket was three years ago against the best bowling attack in the world in their prime. Remember he picked up a ton against the Aussies in a warm up game last home ashes while he was waiting to see if KP was fit. I would personally have Trott back at home and put Root back opening and add Taylor into the middle order. I get the whole “Root is doing well where he is, why move him” argument, but we are lacking in openers and rich in middle order players, so he should step up and lead from the front if he wants to be viewed as a FEC (though the fact that he was not VC in the WC suggests that he is not viewed that way by those “inside cricket”)
I rate Ballance and Root. Can’t judge Taylor on 2 tests against Saffers. If he’d had 5 against “disinterested” India, as Ballance did, I suggest their averages might be closer.
My real gripes are 1. England need more than 11 established players. If Ballance or Root, say, get injured, we’re back to your leap of faith. Second, how will we know whether Taylor or Vince can reach a 60 average, if they don’t play?
Also, would you say Gooch and Gatting were a bit scrappy in their first two tests?
Wonderful picks especially Cook as captain with Moores to backstop him what could possibly go wrong.
Broad in the squad a terrifying prospect but not for the opposition batsmen.
While I wish Trott well I cannot see this working long term and i fear it may impair his health further especially when the NZ and Aus bowlers get hold of him.
A bad year in prospect I suspect and I feel for my English friends.
And by the way James it’s spelled bastard. If you’re going to swear be full blooded about it otherwise it shows a lack of commitment. :-)
Now now now! You just wait and see.
“Stuart Broad and James Anderson, struggling to keep themselves fit, gradually become worn down. They lose half a yard of pace, pick up niggling injuries, and the attack lacks any penetration.”
Predicting what has already happened is cheating, surely?
I predict England won’t even reach the group stages of the world cup. I’m good at this ….
Ha ha ha! Good one James. After the week I’ve had so far, you’ve managed to make me laugh!!!
I do worry that Rashid bowls too slowly to be successful at international level.
Can’t some umpire advise him to grab his pocket, a la Moeen ?
This is the original and full Cook interview today:
http://cricketbadger.com/2015/03/full-interview-alastair-cook-itching-to-get-going-in-abu-dhabi/
I’ve just heard an interviewer on the BBC say that England would pick up “some easy wins” in the West Indies. Of course West Indies aren’t the force they were and they are probably the least formidable of the next five opponents England face, but:
1) England lost there last time of course.
2) West Indies only narrowly lost their last home series 2-1 to the highly-rated New Zealanders. They lost the decisive Test by a relatively narrow margin of about 50 runs.
3) West Indies haven’t lost any of their crucial bowlers (Roach, Taylor and Benn) to the IPL.
– Stuart Broad and James Anderson, struggling to keep themselves fit, gradually become worn down. They lose half a yard of pace, pick up niggling injuries, and the attack lacks any penetration.
That has already happened.
Radio 5 Live interview with James Whitaker this afternoon:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02m8dcg?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_test_match_special&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=radio_and_music
Pat Murphy, you beauty!
Whitaker is such a lightweight. Why not just say ‘our collective policy is not to pick Kevin at the moment, and until I’m told otherwise there’s no change’. Plonker. Someone take that spade away from him.
I don’t know – I thought repeatedly croaking “Kevin isn’t part of our plans” like a char-grilled Dalek was a PR masterstroke! He also seemed uncertain whether he’d spoken to Colin Graves or not. If Graves heard that, I doubt Whitaker will forget their next conversation too quickly!
Spot on Simon
I sincerely hope you are right Simon. Arrogant toss pot:
“I know Colin very well, he is entitled to his opinion, but Kevin isn’t part of our plans,” said Whitaker, after naming England’s 16-man squad to tour West Indies in April and May.
Whittaker couldn’t pick a winning team and put them in the right order even if his life depended upon it. Just as well it hasn’t been given the muck up he and the rest of them have made during the World Cup.
As Clive tweeted: “If Whitaker had any sense, he’d keep his head down, before he loses it.”
There is a contemptuous and arrogant culture at the ECB which is constantly flowing forth. Hopefully sooner or later – but not too much later – things might change.
Bugger that, I think I need a nice glass of vino!!!
Annie, re Clive’s tweet, Whitaker does try to keep his head down. There hasn’t been a press conference when they announce a new squad for two years. Whitaker’s interview today was one of only three he gave (BBC, Sky and I forget the third).
It was the least he thought he could get away with. Not being able to get through so little without a total car-wreck says it all. Weirdly, I have some affection for Whitaker as a player as I watched Leicester quite a bit when he was captain but he is hopeless in this current role (although with the ECB’s toxic politics who’d stand a chance?).
The third was to the ECB’s own website.
He should have kept it down altogether. Not the only time he has spoken though. He did when he was in Australia backing up Downton’s rule that there was no way back for KP. Just smacks of a power game going on between the old guard and new guard.
Unbelievable. Cringe making. You could do the media training for them James.
So Cook has now declared war on the England selectors and the England coach and management. Exactly what KP is accused of.
“I had my chance taken away from me by the selectors, which in hindsight they got wrong”
English cricket is now officialy a clown car. Men with red noses and bright bow ties that go round and round. Plastic flowers that fire water in people’s faces. Doors that fly off, and smoke pouring out the back.
And unlike circus clowns this is actually funny. England has become a laughing stock. Thanks so much to the morons in the media who have covered for these people for the last year. One years work, and all you have to show for it is a clapped out clown car.
Recognising where we are, I don’t think the tour party is too bad. I would have liked to see Footitt in there as a left-armer for variety. Cook was always going to be captain, and out of all the doomsday options that you mention, his continued failure as a batsman seems the most likely.
Indeed there could quite easily be a comfortable series win for England – let’s say 2 nil – with bucketloads of runs for all the batters, except Cook. The selectors will then have a major problem and no doubt will duck the issue and appoint Cook for the two NZ tests only. He fails again, and we are then landed with a new captain for the Ashes. Remind you of anything?
I do feel sorry for Steven Finn. I think a career in panto would actually provide him with a saner working environment than the current England set-up (and the way he’s been messed about with therein).We know that all is not completely well with his bowling, and maybe his hat-trick in the Australia game was as much due to an excess of big-hitting bravado on the part of the batsmen as to anything in particular he did with the ball, but if he’s been dropped due to a “disappointing” World Cup then in comparison what exactly did Broad or Anderson do to continue to justify automatic selection? Oh yeah, I was forgetting: that’s different.
I think Cook will do OK in the WIndies, the bowlers there will know how to bowl to him (pitch it up outside off stump) but won’t be able to consistently execute the plan. NZ though will be a different story. Boult in particular will pitch it up and swing it away from him. A scary prospect. The kiwi side though is normally stronger in ODI’s than it is in tests and has its weaknesses (especially the openers, as is always the case, and the change bowlers). It will be interesting to see how the English middle order do against the NZ attack (I’m expecting failure at the top of the order). Against the Aussies there will be ups and downs, and a final loss but no where near as bad as last time. The pitches will be slow but with no G. Swan England wont have anyone to take advantage of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Moores and Cook manage to drift through all this. At the end English supporters will be relieved that the summer could have been a lot worse, and there will be high points. Then everyone can ignore the real thrashings that come; 0-3 in SA, and 0-2 against Pakistan in the UAE.
I’m not convinced that England will fare well in the West Indies at all. And especially not under Cook’s captaincy.
The Windies are an odd side. A total mess at times, but oddly hard to finish off at home. NZ beat them last year there, but had to work quite hard to do so. I’m expecting a close series. As for Cook, everyone now knows where to bowl to him, but the Windies bowlers do lack a bit of consistency.
I believe the perfect storm will happen. In fact it’s already well under way. The World Cup was the start. How any of the management have not lost their jobs over that is just… wow. Steve Finn – you are well out of it, son. West Indies may not be the pushovers the ECB anticipate. Pray for a draw.
Then the next swirl of the 2015 hurricane: an off-stump dismantling of Cook by the Kiwis. They are a very fine side now. With our tired old pace attack we’ll never get within 100 runs per test match of them. We will be calling for heads to roll yet again but… whatever. What do we know? We’re outsiders.
Maybe checking the data one last time will produce an anti-Australia formula? No, it won’t. We won’t win the Ashes back. We won’t draw the series. We will get destroyed. Glenn will guess it right: 5-nil. I really want KP back in the side, but he won’t make any difference to the outcome. Cook will continue to be captain, doing that ridiculous voice thing at the end of his sentences. Every post-match interview will be about looking for positives going forward, the boys hurting in the dressing room, and lessons needing to be learned.
The whole cricketing world will be laughing so bloody hard at us. Not least the South Africans and the Pakistanis who will fancy some very tidy averages come Spring 2016. Proper perfect storm.
Well done Pat Murphy. You owned Whitaker. There is more to come from the KP selection angle, I am sure. Whitaker, what a prat. What an unusual way to hand in his notice.
Cook and his World Cup grumble: you aren’t a real bloke, are you? You are awful at one day cricket. You aren’t a leader of men. You got yourself dumped. Look at yourself. You were a decent Test match opener once. Now you are a bitter, beaten shell of an international sportsman. Man up, keep quiet, score some runs. Or get back to the tractor.
Grrrr! The wind is starting to blow harder, Mr Graves. What are you going to do?
Totally agree MM the perfect storm is unstoppable! They will reap what they’ve sown I’m sure. They will go to the Windies not daring to win, but, daring not to lose, and, as such, I see it being a very turgid tour. I’m sure Sky and Waitrose will be over the moon that their “investment” in England is being so handsomely repaid with great viewing figures and customers through the door…or will their alliance with failure and monumental incompetence finally dawn on them as they see their brands being tarnished?
The Windies will be the bellweather of which way the wind is blowing….the Summer will be blood on the carpet methinks?
Having just blown part of my life savings on a holiday in the West Indies to watch England play cricket, your view that it will be turgid is depressing to say the least! However, I believe the beaches are good…
I am actually quite glad that some of my favourite young cricketers are not in this test squad as I expect it will stay pretty much the same for the rest of the summer, barring injuries, and as I too agree that it will be a complete car crash, it’s a good thing that there will be a few talented young’uns ready to come into a new look England in the autumn at the very latest without all the mental scarring of having been part of yet another England debacle. Sad days indeed.
Enjoy maggie….there’s more to life than cricket…or at least the ECB version of it!!
yes, indeed, there’s always rum punch!
Think James Vince is unlucky to miss out again he had a good A team tour which he captained i think, and whilst i like the inclusion of Lyth a good quality player and i assume the inclusion of Trott means only 1 newbie and Vince is surplus but i would hope he will get a chance soon.
I fear Trott may not be so keen to come back to Test Cricket in the Summer !!!! We always have KP in the wings to win the ashes – come on its gonna happen !!!!
I guess Vince’s problem is that he bats at 4 or 5. Trott (and possibly Ballance) could open if required as well as covering No.3.. Vince opens in one-dayers but is not a f/c opener.
Another reason is that they might see Vince as more of a one-day player and there are no one-dayers on the West Indies’ tour. Vince is a good one-day player but his f/c record is actually rather better.
So basically management is divided
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/mar/18/england-kevin-pietersen-cricket-colin-graves-test-recall-return-alastair-cook
James Whitaker again! I love this. He clearly thinks that a good interview is one where he self assuredly fronts up and repeats the same line over and over again.
Within two and a half minutes, I counted seven times that he said “Kevin is not part of our plans.” That’s on average once every 20 seconds. This is the kind of clear messaging that he practices in front of the mirror every day.
And he said that Colin Graves is entitled to his opinion, four times…. Two of these he confirmed that Graves is still entitled to his opinion, despite the fact that he’s the new chairman. This is a little less perspicacious, but he had to improvise it on the spot. By the second time he’d managed to keep the hesitant school boy inflection out his voice.
And he said that Colin Graves hasn’t spoken to him about this, and backed it up by confirming that Colin Graves has in fact spoken to him about this.
All that’s left to clear up is whether or not Graves has spoken to him, and whether or not they’ll have to include Kevin in their plans if graves tells them to. But apart from that, the interview was extremely informative. Isn’t it about time that Downton said something?
Sort of typifies the ECB! Useless lot of tossers.
Despite having been very negative about England’s chances earlier I have to say I am really pleased to see Trott back. Hope he’ll be OK. He’ll do well to remember to tell Broad and Anderson to eff off if they start with the tea-potting again. Don’t take any off them – they ain’t all that anymore.
How are the mainstream cricket media reacting to Whitaker’s and Cook’s car crash interviews? It would be great if they’d join us in our dismay.
the media aren’t interested in this non-story. Strauss on tv tried to play the whole thing down. This is Alastair Cook we are talking about and he’s still from the right sort of family – entitled.
Sick to death of hearing Strauss going on and on about it. He got a bit of put down in an interview when he said there was no one to replace Moores and was given a whole host of names. I am trying remember whether it was Bumble or not. He just talks rubbish.
I hope that players being chosen because they are “from the right sort of family” etc etc will be replaced by a meritocracy: If you are good enough and performing well then you get chosen. Simples! Not sure that Downturn, Whittaker and Flower will run with it.
Nick Hoult in the Telegraph says the affair has weakened them:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/11484301/Kevin-Pietersen-and-ECB-ready-to-call-a-truce.html
Which, in the context of the recent ODI humiliation, is quite something.
Now that the ECB have lost the PR war against KP, they want reconciliation. Probably still won’t pick him, though.
Moeen did well to pick up a strain. I think that Roach and Taylor would have given him some serious chin music and Bairstowed him out of the side. Broad should not have been selected. He is going to be bounced and it might even destroy the cocky git. Does Cook deserve his place? I say not. I would save Trott for the May matches : why test him against a form of bowling that has discomfited him in the past? With decent captaincy, this WIndies team has serious fire power in the bowling. The batting is another story.
This is indeed an entertaining and aggressive brand of cricket — the test captain attacks the selectors and the new ODI captain, and directly contradicts the coach who last week declared that “Cook is not bitter”
Pietersen, sacked for criticising the management — in private, not in the press as Cook just did — hears from the selectors that they still won’t pick him. The incoming chairman reminds the selectors that merit is also a consideration when choosing a team, essentially contradicting Downton, Whitaker & Cook, and declaring KP as eligible for selection…. while still leaving the door open for the selectors refuse to pick him and pretend it’s still because of his negative attitude.
Thus merit alone won’t get KP back in the team if he deserves to be there. It will also require a massive groundswell of public opposition to the selectors — a massive public brawl just like there was over Cook’s ODI captaincy.
Then there’s the matter of Cook’s repeated failures with the bat and his hopeless test captaincy. Should be an entertaining 17 tests in 9 months.
Stat of the day from the BBC, which gives food for thought – and shows that stats aren’t always definitive…
“Steve Smith has turned his game around in spectacular fashion since last September.
“In ODIs to 30 September, 2014 he averaged 20.73 from 38 matches (477 runs and no hundreds or fifties).
“But since 1 October, 2014 he has averaged 69.08 in 18 matches (898 runs with three centuries and six fifties, including 52* today.”
People, let’s not be judgmental here. English are long way from the series at this point in time and in a game like cricket it’s very difficult to predict a player’s game on the basis of their performance in CWC 2015. A lot of factors like ground, pitch and environment need to be taken into consideration before jumping to any conclusion. No doubt, SA will have the advantage of home ground, but then there are cases when host teams have lost games more than once while playing on home ground.
I hope this summer will destroy the team completely and end the ECB’s quantity-over-quality ideology for good.