After dominating the hastily arranged 3rd test against the West Indies for all five days England will feel they did not get the result they deserved. They have a point but also there were critical times when they did not help themselves. They allowed the game to drift instead of adopting a positive approach and using an aggressive declaration.
Deciding not to enforce the follow-on was understandable given the illness to Harmison and the niggling injury that Flintoff had picked up. England needed to score quick runs second time around especially considering there would be some time lost to rain on the final day.
Sending James Anderson in as a night watchman works in some situations but was a counter-productive tactic on this occasion. The victory target of 500 for the Windies to win was pretty pointless as no team has managed such a score in the history of the game anyway. It was not just the extra runs that hurt England it was the fall of quick wickets and the farcical sight of Flintoff batting with an injury.
It will take quite an effort from England to come back and win this series with only two test matches left. Flintoff will probably miss the next test at the very least so there will be an enforced change. Harmison has not made the impact everyone was hoping for which has lead to some labelling him a spent force but overseas tours have never been his strong point.
England was unlucky and could not have come any closer to the win than they did. Strauss will learn from the experience and perhaps may not be so cautious or defensive minded the next time he has to declare. Sometimes you have to dangle the carrot rather than bat the opposition completely out of the game.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
Friday, 20 February 2009
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Just What The Doctor Ordered
The England team at test level has been a closed shop for too long. Changes in personnel were long overdue and after the embarrassing 1st test defeat there was no way anyone could argue differently. Bell, Panesar and Sidebottom were dropped and none of them can have too many complaints after recent performances.
Owais Shah replaced Bell in the batting line up and took his chance in the first innings by helping himself to a respectable half century. Although he played well, he will be kicking himself after throwing his wicket away with a needless run out. Centuries were there for the taking on the first two days. The omission of Bell also looks to have given Collingwood a bit of a wake up call as he batted well for his century. Competition for places is healthy but players should know their spot is not bullet proof.
Swann replacing Panesar is not too much of a surprise considering how Monty has stagnated in the past year or so. Swann offers much more in the batting and fielding departments and did not do too badly where the bowling was concerned on the recent India tour. The fast bowlers are a different proposition and a case could be made for or against each one of them. Because of his injury problems and lack of recent form Sidebottom is the obvious one to make way. You could easily choose any two from Harmison, Anderson and Sidebottom.
The team looks much stronger on paper for these changes and they look a different proposition from the sorry outfit of last week. The batting performance on the first two days was just what the doctor ordered. All they need now is some penetration from the bowling attack.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
Owais Shah replaced Bell in the batting line up and took his chance in the first innings by helping himself to a respectable half century. Although he played well, he will be kicking himself after throwing his wicket away with a needless run out. Centuries were there for the taking on the first two days. The omission of Bell also looks to have given Collingwood a bit of a wake up call as he batted well for his century. Competition for places is healthy but players should know their spot is not bullet proof.
Swann replacing Panesar is not too much of a surprise considering how Monty has stagnated in the past year or so. Swann offers much more in the batting and fielding departments and did not do too badly where the bowling was concerned on the recent India tour. The fast bowlers are a different proposition and a case could be made for or against each one of them. Because of his injury problems and lack of recent form Sidebottom is the obvious one to make way. You could easily choose any two from Harmison, Anderson and Sidebottom.
The team looks much stronger on paper for these changes and they look a different proposition from the sorry outfit of last week. The batting performance on the first two days was just what the doctor ordered. All they need now is some penetration from the bowling attack.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Keystone Cops Performance
England crashed to a humiliating defeat against the West Indies losing by an innings and 23 runs. They could only manage a pathetic 51 runs between them and just like the first innings most of the wickets were soft dismissals. It is a simple game and the West Indies bowlers bowled fast and straight at the stumps. They realised that to get wickets on this pitch it was important to bowl straighter.
In the run up to this game, the talk was of England blowing the West Indies away again but that is certainly not going to happen if this evidence is anything to go by. England has been going backwards for a while and it is now time for changes. Owais Shah should have been picked for this game but once again Miller and his cronies stayed loyal to Bell who failed in both innings. Shah must be given his chance now otherwise the selectors will be a laughing stock
It is a pity the squad does not contain Michael Vaughan or Rob Key because either of those two would be candidates to replace Collingwood who seems to be competing with Bell to see who can contribute the least runs for longest. Collingwood is an all rounder who only occasionally bowls his gentle pace and does not take wickets yet is selected as a batsman. That is fine except he does not score runs and does not look like doing so.
Then we come to Panesar who is a shadow of the bowler we had under Duncan Fletcher. Swann showed in India that he is worth a run in the team and is a better all round cricketer than Monty. The selectors are an absolute joke sometimes. Poor old Matthew Hoggard was cast into the wilderness after one poor performance while some bowlers keep their place regardless of how poorly they play. Sidebottom is continually picked simply because he offers variety as a left arm bowler which is ridiculous if he is not doing the business.
We are currently relying on two players to see us through. Pietersen is carrying the batsmen and Flintoff is carrying the bowlers. This is nothing new and has been going on for some time. Yes they are the two outstanding players but too many of their team mates are not making a contribution. The selectors need to get ruthless and ditch the passengers otherwise a series defeat is on the cards.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
In the run up to this game, the talk was of England blowing the West Indies away again but that is certainly not going to happen if this evidence is anything to go by. England has been going backwards for a while and it is now time for changes. Owais Shah should have been picked for this game but once again Miller and his cronies stayed loyal to Bell who failed in both innings. Shah must be given his chance now otherwise the selectors will be a laughing stock
It is a pity the squad does not contain Michael Vaughan or Rob Key because either of those two would be candidates to replace Collingwood who seems to be competing with Bell to see who can contribute the least runs for longest. Collingwood is an all rounder who only occasionally bowls his gentle pace and does not take wickets yet is selected as a batsman. That is fine except he does not score runs and does not look like doing so.
Then we come to Panesar who is a shadow of the bowler we had under Duncan Fletcher. Swann showed in India that he is worth a run in the team and is a better all round cricketer than Monty. The selectors are an absolute joke sometimes. Poor old Matthew Hoggard was cast into the wilderness after one poor performance while some bowlers keep their place regardless of how poorly they play. Sidebottom is continually picked simply because he offers variety as a left arm bowler which is ridiculous if he is not doing the business.
We are currently relying on two players to see us through. Pietersen is carrying the batsmen and Flintoff is carrying the bowlers. This is nothing new and has been going on for some time. Yes they are the two outstanding players but too many of their team mates are not making a contribution. The selectors need to get ruthless and ditch the passengers otherwise a series defeat is on the cards.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
Friday, 6 February 2009
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.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
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.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
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