Well, well, well. Maybe we won’t completely ignore the World T20 after all. England actually won a game. I repeat. We actually won a T20 international, against a good side, under pressure. I can hardly believe it.
I’m not going to beat around the proverbial bush here. Alex Hales’ 116 yesterday was absolutely magical. It’s one of the best efforts I’ve witnessed.
His hitting was clean, calculated and brutal. He didn’t resort to unsightly slogs when the run rate seemed unmanageable. He simply took a deep breath, picked his scoring areas, and executed with aplomb. Well played mate.
However, lets not get too carried away. T20 is a funny old game. Any team can win a one-off match on the back of a brilliant individual performance.
With the exception of Hales and Eoin Morgan, England were utterly useless. We dropped half a dozen simple catches, and the bowlers sprayed it around like a drunk man urinating in a back alley. To call our effort in the field shambolic would be an understatement.
What’s more, it shouldn’t be forgotten that this is only Ashley Giles’ sixth victory in twenty-two competitive T20 internationals. One win does not make us world-beaters. I don’t expect us to lift the trophy unless we start showing some consistency.
Having said that, now isn’t the time to dwell on past failures. Let’s enjoy the winning feeling. We might not experience it again for a long time.
And if you think that’s being negative – which it probably is – ask yourself this: can you really, in your heart of hearts, guarantee we’ll beat the Netherlands?
This is England we’re talking about. Triumphs are invariably followed by abject performances and humiliation. It’s in our team’s DNA.
James Morgan
Wow, that was the first time watching cricket was a really uplifting experience in a while. And with what was happening in the first innings I thought it was going to be thoroughly depressing.
I don’t know if I’m getting carried away or anything, but South Africa are hardly setting the world alight in the tournament, and clearly we’ll start as favourites to beat the Netherlands. At the start of the tournament I was pretty down on our chance of getting out the group, but I’m starting to wonder…
What a thunder