As expected England completed their consolation victory over the Aussies at The Oval yesterday. It was never really in doubt. Parallels with Headingley were always misplaced because the pitch at Leeds seemed to improve as the game went on. This surface, on the other hand, was a good traditional cricket wicket. There was always some help for the bowlers and this only increased as the game progressed and the rough expanded. I was confident we had enough once the lead passed 320. And so it proved. Joy! There’s nothing quite like spoiling the Aussies’ going home party.
Having said that, overall it was quite a strange test with an ‘end of term’ feel to it. Mentally I don’t think the Aussies were ‘on it’ having retained the Ashes a few days beforehand. They dropped quite a few catches, Tim Paine made a horrendous error by giving England’s batsmen first use of the pitch, and the Aussies’ attack was weary after spending so much time in the field on day 5 at Old Trafford. I bet Hazlewood and Cummins were spitting feathers when their skipper elected to bowl.
Credit must go to England though for taking advantage after a ropey first day. We didn’t bat very well (again) but Jofra Archer’s 6-62 essentially won us the game. It gave us a priceless lead which, when added to the fact that the Aussies had to bat last, proved decisive. Once Burns and Denly survived the new ball burst, and put fears of another catastrophic collapse to bed, an England win was always on the cards. Credit must go to Stokes and Buttler for cementing that winning position.
Although the Aussies were never likely to chase almost 400 to win, the bowlers still had to go out there and seal the deal. And they did this quite effectively. Stuart Broad’s 4-64 led the way – he’s been absolutely immense this series – and the spinners did the rest (as one might expect on a wearing pitch). I didn’t think Jack Leach was quite at his best but he bowled well enough to finish with 4-49 off 22 overs. Joe Root also chipped in with a couple of wickets.
I was really pleased for Leach. Although Moeen Ali had his moments for England I was never confident about his ability to polish off the opposition in the 4th innings. He often seemed to freeze. Leach, however, performs this role for Somerset all the time. And consequently he seemed to handle to pressure at lot better. The delivery that got Labuschagne was a beauty.
The big advantage Leach has over Mo is that he offers control; therefore he keeps the batsmen under pressure even when he’s not quite getting the loop, drift, and spin he’s capable of. There were times yesterday when I wanted Leach to give it more of a rip but in the end it didn’t cost us. He kept the batsmen honest and eventually his patience paid dividends. On wearing pitches it’s usually only a matter of time before one turns sufficiently to induce an edge. Your spinner just has to land the ball in the right areas often enough.
So how do I feel after England’s win yesterday? The words happy but thoughtful probably sum it up best. It’s quite delicious that Australia still haven’t won an Ashes series on our shores since 2001. However, at the same time we can’t ignore the fact that they’re still returning home with the urn safely tucked away in Cameron Bancroft’s jockstrap (or wherever they like to keep precious items). It’s job done as far as Justin Langer and Co are concerned.
What’s more, I’m a bit worried that some England supporters seem to think that a 2-2 result is a success. I saw one particularly misguided comment on Twitter (which had inexplicably been liked and retweeted by hundreds of people) claiming that a draw against a side containing the best batsman and bowler in the world was a triumph.
This view is naive nonsense, of course. England didn’t draw against Viv Richard’s West Indians or Steve Waugh’s Australians. We drew against a team which, like us, has plenty of bowling firepower but only a couple of test quality batsmen. It really wasn’t a vintage Aussie team. And one of their two gun players, David Warner, was clearly experiencing a highly amusing technical crisis.
It’s worth reminding everyone that England were big bookies’ favourites at the start of this series. But the bottom line is that we failed to win. And given England’s abysmal recent record down under the Aussies are now likely to keep the urn until 2023. If you’re happy with that then I politely suggest that you reassess your expectations. Many of us saw this disappointment coming but it doesn’t make it any easier to swallow
What’s more, I don’t think too many people would argue that a 2-2 scoreline flattered us. Our victories came courtesy of a Ben Stokes miracle in a game the Aussies dominated, and then a victory in a dead rubber. Personally I think a 1-3 result would’ve been a fairer reflection of the balance of power. And a 1-3 scoreline would’ve been considered an unmitigated disaster.
I’m also slightly concerned that yesterday’s consolation victory will paper over the cracks somewhat. English first class cricket is in crisis. We’ve got our worst test batting line-up for decades (a team that routinely gets bowled out in less than a session), and the cupboard of emerging red ball talents has never been so bare. The ECB seem to care less and less about first class cricket, and The Hundred is just going to make things worse.
I’ve heard people argue that our batting was no worse than Australia’s – and that Steve FFS Smith was the only difference between the sides – but why should this be any consolation? Why should we turn a blind eye to big problems just because the Aussies are having issues too? It’s like arguing that the NHS doesn’t require extra investment because the French system has flaws too.
The worry after yesterday, of course, is that the ECB and the selectors will spin a 2-2 result as evidence that everything the garden is rosy. And many people – like the aforementioned fan on Twitter – will swallow it. This means the marginalisation of the county championship is more likely to continue.
This is a time where cricket’s community of supporters needs keep the pressure up – to tell the ECB in no uncertain terms that we’re unhappy with the way they’re administering our sport. Unfortunately, the more people who are happy with performances and results, the less likely this message is to resonate. And the more people who are happy with this 2-2 draw (even thought we effectively lost the Ashes) the more likely we are to get absolutely obliterated when we tour Australia in the 2021 Ashes.
Ed Smith might even kid himself that yesterday’s win in a dead rubber somehow justifies his madcap approach to selection – even though the vast majority of his headline picks disappointed big time in this series: Roy averaged 14 and Buttler 25. This is clear evidence that putting faith in white ball players simply isn’t working. The two newish picks with red ball pedigree (Burns and Denly) comfortably outperformed their flashier and much-hyped colleagues.
But perhaps it’s unfair to look at this series as an overwhelming negative. Although the disconnect (some might say conflict) between the board and the supporters is a major concern moving forward, and Ed Smith needs to adapt his contrarian philosophy, some genuine positives did emerge.
The aforementioned Rory Burns showed a ton of courage and at least one place at the top of the order now seems secure. What’s more, Jofra Archer is clearly going to be an absolute superstar. Suddenly a future without Jimmy Anderson doesn’t look so bleak.
The performances of Stuart Broad, who took 23 wickets in the series, were also encouraging. He bowled with pace and rhythm consistently for the first time in a long time. He looked fresh, fit, and remarkably sprightly for a 33 year old. Keep this up and he’s certainly got a couple of years left at the top.
We’ll discuss all the individual players in more detail in the coming days. Inevitably we’ll have to discuss Root’s position too – both his batting position and his position as captain. Joe’s return of 325 runs at 33 was perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the series, and his captaincy was iffy to say the least. Would it serve the team better for him to focus on his batting and return to the ranks?
Before I sign off, I’d like to quickly acknowledge the departures of David Gower and Ian Botham from the Sky commentary team. I’ll really miss them. Although Beefy wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea I really liked him – mainly because he spoke his mind and he was really nice to me when I met him at Lord’s a while back.
Replacing Gower with Ian Ward also seems incredibly odd. Although old Lubo often seemed so relaxed that he was almost horizontal (to coin one of his favourite phrases), and his penchant for understatement occasionally grated, he also had the capacity to be incredibly insightful.
People sometimes forget that Gower is an incredibly intelligent man who knows a hell of a lot about cricket. He was also the second smoothest man in the history of sporting television after Des Lynam.
Ian Ward is alright – although I sometimes think he’s a bit blokey and comes across as Richard Hammond light – but he’ll never have the gravitas of Lord Lubo. In my opinion Sky have made a mistake.
James Morgan
The results of the boundaries-scored countback are in. Australia win the series 348-305 😉
Not that you Kiwis are bitter or anything :-)
Whatever you think of Gower’s style, what I liked was the fact that he never had an agenda. He asked questions of his guests / pundits and let them talk and listened to them reply before responding – meant that you got to hear their point of view. Ward has that annoying modern sporting commentary style of “I’ve prepared these video clips that show x, don’t you agree?” and then interrupting during their answer. That said, I don’t mind Ward, but my favourite moments of Sky punditry were lunch / tea / rain breaks in the studio with Gower, Atherton and AN Other because it was proper cricket chat rather than ego-driven proclamations. Particularly enjoyed the two of them and Ponting this summer. Would actually love to see Isa Guha given a role because thought she was brilliant during the World Cup.
This 2-2 draw is unreflective of the actual balance of power in the series as a 2-2 would have been in 2010-11 if Australia had somehow picked themselves off the floor to win at Sydney. Two good scores by Buttler in this match have not saved his series, Bairstow cannot buy a run against the red ball at the moment, and even Denly has a small negative against him – he is developing into a batting equivalent of Andy Caddick, doing it all in the second innings, only he ranks lower as a batter than Caddick did as a bowler. Regaining the Ashes in a five-magtch or longer series down under has been done by only Andy Stoddart (1894-5), Pelham Warner (1903-4), Johnny Douglas (assisted by advice from a sick Plum Warner, 1911-2), Douglas Jardine (1932-30 and Ray Illingworth (1970-1) – whoever captains England in 2021-2 will have to achieve something no predecessor of theirs has managed in half a century (nb Mike Brearley in 1978-9, Mike Gatting in 1986-7 and Andrew Strauss in 2010-11 were all defending the Ashes, not seeking to reclaim them).
As far as the cricket goes, England actually could have won each of the first 3 tests.
Letting Australia recover from 122-8 at Edgbaston was careless but Siddle did bat well. I thought the 3rd morning at 280-4 with Stokes and Burns at the crease, to only get a lead of 90 was where that match was lost. It should have been 150-200 which would have exerted a lot more scoreboard pressure on Australia.
They played well at Lords and turned a sticky situation into a winning position but weather beat them.
The team actually as a whole probably played as well (at points) in the first two tests as they did in the 3rd which they won.
At the end of the series, England played big moments poorly (I include the 1st innings 67 at Headingley when they’d bowled Australia out cheaply), whereas Australia ran up scores of almost 500 when they had opportunities to dictate games at Edgbaston and Old Trafford. Australia’s bowlers built pressure when they had England under the cosh, whereas England didn’t have that relentless accuracy.
I often think teams reflect their captains /coaches. Cook / Strauss were more conservative, Vaughan more attacking. This England team is like Root, you can’t deny there is ability, but is there the ruthless drive to stick it to the opposition and be utterly ruthless when needed. Root is as good as almost any batsman in history at getting to 50, but going on and grinding an opposition down when he’s on top seems beyond him.
Vaughan and Strauss were single-minded and seemed to have absolute clarity about what players they wanted and what style they wanted to play to win, Morgan was the same. Vaughan and Strauss were aided by equally tough, single-minded coaches. Root just seems a bit muddled about what he wants, witness the constant tinkering with the side and batting order. I don’t think he’s been helped by Bayliss’s style and lack of knowledge of the county game. I don’t know what his level of influence is, but he needs to be clear about what he wants his team to look like in 2 years time and has to be given the team he wants.
The other worry is Giles, who has always struck me as the most able and loyal of lieutenants but does he have the decisiveness that Strauss had. Within a couple of weeks, Strauss had got rid of Moores, ended the speculation on KP and appointed Morgan and then Bayliss for the white ball game? Whatever you feel about his decisions (particularly on KP), there was always absolute clarity with Strauss. Not sure England have that any more.
Strauss has just found a new job at the ECB but I believe Giles will continue with the main strategy. Perhaps Root will improve with a new coach alongside him. Perhaps the chemistry wasn’t right with Bayliss? The latter seems very laid back, and Root can be a bit flakey at times, so perhaps he needs a more intense coach to drive him and the team forward? It’s a thought.
Ian Ward has to stop brown nosing his colleagues. He still looks upon them with utter awe. His one on one interview with Shane Warne a couple of years ago was cringe worthy, never asking the tough questions and continually saying how brilliant Warne was. Terrible television. Plus he doesn’t shape up well the next day with a hangover, unlike the others who are more seasoned.
I am going to miss David Gower. He is utterly charming. I expect him to be on TMS or hosting Australian or New Zealand TV coverage in the future.
Or coverage from the sofa for BT Sport. He’ll be fine.
From what I can understand, he was utterly shocked to get canned by Sky.
He made it pretty clear that he wasn’t happy yesterday at the end of the broadcast.
I feel Gower is made for TMS and would be a better front man there than at Sky, where you need more analytical commentary. With TMS its traditionally the ability to maintain listeners interest when there’s breaks in play and the conversation veers away from the game.I think Gower would adapt well to that.
I think Hussein would be a good replacement for him, as he’s the respect of most of the ex-players, having been a successful captain, unlike Gower or Botham. He’s also not afraid to rock the boat a bit, however this might not be in his favour as Sky don’t want to offend the establishment hand that feeds them, hence their employment of the pantomime Willis to play that game.
In the way of an epitaph for a lost time there’s always been a different mentality required for radio and TV commentary and very few can straddle both, but I feel Gower is one of the few. To me he’s the last ‘amateur’ in the most complimentary sense of the word. Right from when I first saw him play as a teenage prodigy, he seemed otherworldly, flitting in and out of games, instinctively doing what came more naturally to him than any other player I’ve ever seen, whatever the circumstances. This made him exhilarating and frustrating to similar degrees, but the pleasure of watching him bat, even if only for brief moments, made the world a better place than all the Smiths in the world ever can. If sporting success is measured by memories created rather than stats he’s your man and his stats weren’t bad either.
Although I’m not a fan of Mr Pontifico, Michael Vaughan, it was good to see him laying into the selection process when asked could we mount a challenge for the Ashes in Australia in 2 years time.
Basically he gave us no chance unless we unearth some proper test match batting talent from the county circuit. His assessment was we need to have a line up that can bat a full day and start to make proper test match totals again, especially first innings. This series he felt the only batting plus was Burns, who’s been knocking on the door for some time. Whether all this will fall on deaf ears I don’t know, but none the less it’s good to hear a proper test match cricketer voicing the fears that so many of us have. Even Boycott wasn’t making as strident a noise.
Personally I would stick with Butler as he’s incredibly gifted and clearly keen to achieve at this level. It’s just a question of whether he and Stokes can establish a red ball batting identity, not just flitting between the extremes of defensive or white ball modes. If they can, with Root at 4, that’s some middle order, rivalling the eighties crew of Gower, Gatting, Lamb, Smith and Botham.
It’s been an exciting series that’s kept us either riveted or hiding behind the settee when things have gone wrong.
Marc mentioned Michael Vaughn’s Comments about whether we come seriously challenge for the Ashes down under next time. I saw him on the Ch5 highlights and he’d also said the same on TMS. He’s right you’ve got to be able to score big there. The wickets will be dry and the Kookaburra ball won’t do as much as the Duke. I can’t see Warner scoring as little back home as he has done here, if he gets his head together. They’ve got their frailties though and there’ll be working hard to be ready for us next time. Something I heard though the Aussies won’t be playing any test cricket in 2020 after their summer this year. Happy to be corrected if I’m wrong.
David Gower is a professional and a gentleman and I can’t see him being out of punditry for long. He did a single day stint doing the sport on the Today program on radio 4 and there’s maybe a vacancy on the Sports week program on Radio 5 Live. He’ll surely be offered a position on TMS and any highlights program. He just probably won’t get paid as much on SKY.
I guess we’ll be chewing the fat on who’s in, out or should be once the squad is picked next week I believe.
I would love to see Gower on TMS. If the BBC eventually have to let Aggers go (he might be just another Twitter spat away from the axe) then Lord Gower might be a natural replacement.
I’ll miss Gower a lot. In today’s climate of hyperbole he’s just apart the closest we have to St Richie of Benaud. I hope he’ll find a slot somewhere. Botham – no. He’s been running on empty of years. If only Holding and Lloyd had followed him out of the door.
Ward is a parasite – a very average player now enjoying a bit of reflective glory when he talks to people much better than him.
Stick to flogging second hand cars. Guha – probably the worst of the female commentators.
And there’s the cricket. I guess we got a fair amount of entertainment from two teams containing some mediocre in their ranks. Sometimes it happens that way, England may have picked up some hope for the future – Archer and Burns – but they were slightly flattered in the end.
Some people think Stokes was man of the series rather than Smith. I think that’s bollocks. Here’s to the next Ashes series.
Do we really need to call Ward a parasite? He was a good enough player to have a decent FC career and earned an Ashes call up where he was found out by probably one of the best attacks in recent history. Definitely more than an average player.
He’s making a career in TV which many before him have done – I don’t love his style but he’s clearly a hard working professional who’s probably following to a certain extent what the production team are asking him to do.
Fully agree, calling him a ‘parasite’ is ridiculous. The best pundits / presenters do not need to have been world class players themselves – if that were the case we would never have had CMJ on TMS.
I actually think 2-2 was a fair result for a series which could have gone either way. England could have won at Lord’s, and Australia could have won at Headingley. It’s worth noting that Australia had 2 bowlers in the top 10 ranking playing in this series (Cummins and Hazlewood, who were both excellent), and England one (James Anderson – ahem). Does this make it a triumph? No. England won’t get the Ashes back in Australia.
I do think Root’s captaincy needs looking at. Among other things, it affects his batting (he averages less than 41 as captain, compared with 48 overall), and his captaincy is not good enough to compensate.
Another thing that needs examining is the heads of the ECB. Marginalise county cricket, and expect test quality players to come through? Check. Put all resources into winning the (50 over) world cup, then sideline 50 over cricket? Check. Introduce a gimmick ridden “new” format? Check. NURSE!
Predictably Joe Root jumped all over this, 2-2 looks great on paper but it really doesn’t tell how much more Australia were on top during the series. I am just desperate to see England try and seriously do something down under in 2 years time because the 4-0/5-0’s cannot go on. Root’s standards are so low though that I am not optimistic, and there is every chance we will be without Broad and Anderson for that tour. Archer will need some support, and the batsmen will have stand up and be counted.
But Root’s spin that this was a successful series and “we could have won it” is very disheartening. His standards for success are so low
It also doesn’t recognise that Australis’s batting line-up with the exception of Smith and to a lesser extent Labuschagne was utterly hopeless. Australia’s openers aggregated 197 runs in the whole series FFS. They never made it to 20 once in 10 innings. I reckon Langer and Waugh would have been better strapping on the pads than coaching.
You have to know that the main goal of the Australian team at this point was to exit the UK before British civilization collapses on the 31st of October.