Embarrassed By The Netherlands

The winter tour of the Caribbean provided ample humiliation but England really embarrassed the nation in their opening Twenty20 world cup match. They somehow conspired to lose the opener by 4 wickets. Right throughout the Dutch innings England had numerous chances to win the game. Catches were dropped and a number of run out opportunities were thrown away by failing to hit the stumps.

If any newcomers were watching they could be forgiven for assuming the international cricketers were playing in Orange. The Netherlands played well but the England display was enough to make you cringe. Instead of the host nation having a good tournament, England will do well just to progress beyond the first round of matches.

The penny will not drop with England where Twenty20 cricket is concerned. It is not rocket science when you have only a 20 over innings. Yet again England did not clear the boundary rope. Our batsmen should not have to be taught how to score sixes by playing in the IPL. It is a skill they should already possess as international cricketers. Twenty20 is all about getting a move on and scoring at a competitive rate.

Strauss decided that Twenty20 was not his thing but if he is not suited to the shortest form of the game the same could be said of Collingwood. He may be a respectable one day cricketer but nudging and nurdling does not win games in the 20 over arena. The fact Collingwood was given the captaincy probably saved his place. It was a move that smacked of desperation considering he has already failed as skipper.

Plenty of variation is required on the bowling front to keep the batsmen guessing. Dot balls and sixes make the difference in Twenty20 cricket and England seems to have a problem with both.

England has made some progress where team selection is concerned but more needs to be done. Twenty20 specialists should be selected and players from the one day side should only be picked on merit. To be successful in 20 over cricket, there can be no room for passengers. Every member of the team needs to be able to contribute when required.

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