Making The Same Mistakes

England has made great strides in selecting squads for the one day and twenty20 formats. However, where test cricket is concerned the same mistakes are being made. If five bowlers were selected instead of four against the South Africans during the winter, they would have probably won that series instead of narrowly scraping a draw.

The worrying thing is, England has gone into a test match against Bangladesh with the same set-up. If we have not got the courage to use five bowlers against Bangladesh, then it is unlikely that will change for the Ashes series later this year. It is doubtful that England could win a series in Australia playing four bowlers.

It is a defensive selection policy and sends all the wrong messages to the opposition. A four pronged attack, suggests the objective is to merely avoid defeat rather than to aggressively pursue victory. England should not be short of runs and there should be no need for an extra batsman. After all, bowlers like Swann and Broad can both score runs down the order.

It is time the emphasis was once again placed on bowling sides out. That means taking 20 wickets to win a test match. You are not going to achieve that by constantly playing four bowlers.

Make money with a proven cricket bet trading solution for Betfair.

Getting The Hang Of Twenty20 Cricket

The twenty20 world cup has seen some polished performances by England. If it were not for the unfair Duckworth/Lewis inspired loss to the West Indies, they would have a 100% record. The players have performed to a high standard and deserve much praise. However, the coach Andy Flower is arguably the one individual responsible for engineering such a change in England’s fortunes in 20 over cricket.

In the past, England would just send out a side that was more suited to test cricket. Thankfully, those days are gone and we no longer have to watch Ian Bell and endless forward defensive shots while the run rate is soaring. Now we have batsmen like Eoin Morgan and Craig Kieswetter who know how to clear the boundary rope. Throw in a canny bowling unit and the side has twenty20 written all over it.

Because everyone makes a contribution, Paul Collingwood probably finds it easier to captain this team than he did previously. England and Australia are the 2 outstanding sides in this tournament. It would not be a surprise to see the teams contesting the final. If that were to occur, then it will surely be a game worthy of the occasion.

Discover a proven twenty20 cricket trading solution for guaranteed profits on Betfair.