Bowlers Face A Struggle For Wickets

Several of the England batsmen were guilty of throwing their wicket away on the first day of the 1st test against the West Indies. The first innings score of 318 looks to be somewhat short although it could be worth more considering the lack of pace in the outfield. The wicket in Jamaica looks completely different to what we have seen in the past. It looks more like an Indian pitch rather than something you would find in the Caribbean.

It was the same old story on the batting front with Pietersen carrying the team and falling just short of his century. Flintoff and Prior chipped in with useful contributions but Bell and Collingwood failed yet again. Bell makes his twenty or thirty runs then gets out while Collingwood just looks vulnerable early on in his innings. Accommodating one misfiring batsman is bad enough but we cannot afford to carry both of them.

On day two, the England bowling attack posed only a minimal threat with the exception of Flintoff who took the solitary wicket. After struggling at times to play Windies spinner Sulieman Benn everyone assumed that Panesar would make an immediate impact but this has not happened yet. There must be serious questions over his inclusion for the remainder of the series if he does not start taking wickets.

Some people thought England looked under cooked on day two but this is usually the case when our cricket team starts an overseas tour. Some of the bowlers actually look as though they have had a good Christmas. I hope this is not what Strauss means when he calls for the players to be allowed to take responsibility. A new full time coach should be a priority rather than just muddling along without one.

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