England did well to scrape past India by a relatively small margin and would have expected to capitalise on that victory by taking their place in the semi-finals. Sadly the weather conspired to make life difficult and the West Indies had a shortened target thanks to Duckworth Lewis. This meant an easier run chase which was always going to put them in the driving seat.
Team selection for this match was surprising as England decided to leave out Dimitri Mascarenhas and play Adil Rashid instead. This is not the first time that Mascarenhas has been omitted and those lessons have still not sunk in. The all rounder should be one of the first names on the team sheet when it comes to Twenty20 cricket. The fact England is without Flintoff makes the decision to leave him out even more mystifying.
As per usual England did not quite get enough runs and if they are to become a force in this form of the game this is something that needs to be addressed and rectified. If the totals are consistently short of a par score when batting first this puts immediate pressure on the bowlers which is not ideal.
England is not far from finding a winning formula although you have to wonder whether they will be ruthless enough to do what still needs to be done. A new captain for Twenty20 is a must and this should be sorted out quickly. One player who many observers thought would make an impact is Graham Napier. More Twenty20 specialists need to be given an opportunity to show what they are capable of.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Saturday, 6 June 2009
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.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
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.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
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