Monday 9 July 2007

Clash of the sub-titans

The last time England and India crossed swords in Test cricket, it was a case of the two teams best placed to topple Australia fighting it out to determine who had the right to call themselves second best in the world. England, their lustre slightly dimmed in the dust of Pakistan, were nevertheless reasonably fresh from their Ashes triumph and the hottest property on the scene; India, an alluring mix of experienced, superstar batsmen, and thrusting young pace bowlers, were still one of the toughest propositions for any team on their own pitches. A battle of titans was promised.

But then disaster struck the England camp, running far deeper than dodgy prawns or curry ever could. Inspirational captain Michael Vaughan, who had returned after missing the first Test in Pakistan, went over on his knee again and was ruled out, with nearly a year elapsing before he was fit enough to return to the fold. Far less expectedly, another rock of the top order, Marcus Trescothick, captain in Vaughan's absence, suddenly left the tour for what was initially reported as personal reasons but has in time proved to be a much more debilitating problem. This was a cruel blow: Trescothick was not only England's senior pro, but by far the most accomplished player of spin in the side, an irreplaceable presence who had been expected to be a major part of England's batting on the tour. The final twist came as Simon Jones' knee buckled under him in the nets just days before the opening Test. He has barely bowled since, and it still seems unlikely that he will be able to resume his international career.

In the end, neither team finished the series especially pleased. England had been denied the chance to mount a serious assault on Steve Waugh's "final frontier", although they did produce a heroic performance at Mumbai to sink India on the last day of the series. India, on the other hand, were near full-strength and would have been expected to put away the weakened opposition, which they looked well on course for when Anil Kumble bowled them to victory in the second Test. Yet a drawn series was the outcome, and although their subsequent 5-1 demolition of England in the tortuous one-day series masked their previous shortcomings, they have generally been on the slide since, culminating in their dismal failure at the World Cup, followed by the subsequent melt-down of Greg Chappell's regime and the ensuing retribution and back-biting, enough of which was evident to scare of Graham Ford, Bob Woolmer's successor as coach of South Africa and the BCCI's preferred candidate for the Indian job.

The year following the last encounter has been a difficult one for both teams, although the dust has finally begun to settle. There are more casualties on the Indian side, with three mainstays of the team: Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan at such a low ebb they were not selected for the 16-man touring party. The demise of the first two is especially surprising and a loss for both India and world cricket. On his day, Sehwag is amongst the most destructive openers in the game, as a Test match strike rate of 75 (about the same as most England batsmen in ODI cricket) would attest. And there were enough of his days to give him a Test average of almost 50, still impressive despite recent inflation worldwide. That falls to just over 30 in his last ten matches, with only one century against what England fans will know is an unremarkable West Indian attack. With the career of Anil Kumble, a big fish in the large pond of Indian spin bowlers, drawing to a close, it was generally assumed that Harbhajan would grow into the role as premier spinner. Yet his career average, 25 at his peak, now drifts around the 30 mark, a figure which rises to almost 40 in his last 10 Tests. As Kumble moves unerringly towards his well-deserved cricketing pipe and slippers (delete as applicable from pen/microphone/tracksuit), Harbhajan has also drifted to the fringes. Despite his now habitual quicker and flatter style, the old zip has gone, and doubts over his action have meant he shies away from bowling his once deadly doosra. That he has failed to be recognised as one of India's best three spinners shows how far he has fallen, especially bearing in mind that two (Ramesh Powar and Piyush Chawla) are relative international rookies.

Despite the lack of the three mentioned, as well as Munaf Patel, who had impressed in his debut series against England last year, there is a familiar look to the Indian squad. Sehwag notwithstanding, the batting is largely unchanged from the 2002 tourists, Sourav Ganguly having been reinstated alongside hardy perennials Dravid and Tendulkar. Wasim Jaffer will also make his second tour of England, something which is unlikely to have escaped the notice of Hoggard in particular. He is likely to open, having salvaged himself with a century in the recent series against Bangladesh after he was knocked over for a golden in the first Test. Dinesh Karthik, whose international hopes looked to have been quashed by the emergence of Dhoni, has re-invented himself as an opening batsman, who could well fill the void left by Sehwag, in form if not style. Then comes the old-firm, 40 years of international cricket between them. Captain Rahul Dravid will be the prized wicket, and much of the responsibility for India's batting is on his shoulders. For years he lived in the shadow of the man who still inhabits the next place in the batting order. But with Tendulkar's star on the wane, his position is now that of pre-eminence, and his title as India's best has been earned time and again. His sobriquet, "the wall", rightly implies his impeccable defence against pace and spin alike. Indeed there are few weaknesses in his game, and unlocking the defences of a man who averages 87 in England in the absence of chief battering-ram Flintoff could prove troublesome for England, no stranger to immovable objects this summer.

It is 17 years since Sachin Tendulkar first toured England, then a precocious teenager whom it was clear to all who saw him was set for greatness. And unlikely many of the huge talents who emerge young and never make the grade, Tendulkar has written himself into cricket history for posterity. A record number of Test centuries, ODI runs and a profile greater than perhaps any other, Bradman included, are all his to keep. But of late, the lustre has dimmed somewhat, and in his last 15 Tests, a career average of 55 falls to under 40. Take away his two recent centuries against Bangladesh and it barely exceeds 30. Now the man with whom he contested the title of the world's best has retired, Tendulkar must have begun to think of his own future. While Lara, whose game was based around an inherent talent Tendulkar could never quite match, the Indian was easily the most organised and adaptable batsman in the game; his game-management was impeccable, there was no situation which he was not able to emerge from with credit. But while the genius in Lara never died, and despite a shallow depreciation in his returns he maintained his reputation until the end, with advancing age, Tendulkar increasingly struggles to match his feats of old. Whether that is because the eyes and reflexes have lost the split-second sharpness which separates good from great, or the competitive fire has been quenched, the recent perception of Tendulkar is that he is a fast-declining force. Indeed the realisation appears to have forced him into his shell, and his centuries against Bangladesh were markedly slow in the circumstances, against poor bowling in low-pressure situations. No-one deserves a happy end more than Tendulkar, and successful tours of England and Australia, both of which he has achieved before and still might again, would be a fitting finale to the career of one of India's best , albeit a man running out of chances to sign off in style.

Completing the trio is former captain, Sourav "Dada to his friends, Lord Snooty to his enemies (both groups are legion) Ganguly. His axing from the leadership and indeed the team itself was the cause of much breast-beating and heated debate across India. But now Greg Chappell, the antichrist (something most Indians agree on) has gone, Ganguly is ensconced back in the fold, and has thus far proved his worth. Whether his place should be held by a younger player is a moot point, but Ganguly is still a player of class, if one a few notches below the men above him in the order.

There are some numbers and statistics ingrained firmly into the mind of nearly all cricket fans, anorak or not. Principally Bradman's average of 99.94, Brian Lara's innings of 501 and 400* and Jim Laker's 19-90. Another was the score achieved by VVS Laxman in the epoch making Calcutta Test against Australia in 2001. The score of 281 needs no research, and the number itself is as memorable as the innings, a classic not just for modern times, but the ages. And with 80+ Tests behind him, one would expect Laxman to be indelibly inked in on the team sheet. Yet while the wristy on-side strokes sparkle, and the off-drives gleam, the average just in excess of 40 is less glittering. Indeed since the last series against England, his appearances have been sporadic, and his selection ahead of Yuvraj Singh remains in doubt, despite his 95 against Sussex and an endorsement from his captain. Big hitting keeper MS Dhoni will cross swords with similarly minded Matt Prior in the important #7 slot, but despite his excellent ODI record, he has yet to put his Test position beyond doubt.

While the batting is strong, despite the inexperienced opening pair, it is the bowling which will have caused the Indians most worry. Irfan Pathan and Munaf Patel, a formidable opening pair should form and fitness permit, will not tour, and Zaheer Khan resumes where he left off in 2002 as opening bowler, the experience of that tour and a successful summer last year with Worcestershire behind him. Sreesanth is likely to share the new ball, and has the character of a true fast bowler, with the potential to back up words and stares with deeds. Thereafter, the seam resources descend into the realm of gross inexperience, numbering RP Singh, Randeep Bose and Ishant Sharma. The former is another left-armer, unprepossessing in his brief time at Leicestershire, but highly rated within Indian circles. Bose has a firm grounding in Indian domestic cricket, and has been brought in on the premise that English conditions will suit his style of bowling, while Sharma is the wild card, tall at 6'4' and, although only back-up for the Tests, he could yet find a place in one of the 7 ODIs. But while the pace attack is tyro, Anil Kumble, along with Tendulkar a survivor of the class of 1990, is a paragon of experience. Now with 550 Test wickets behind him, his a complete master of his craft, and an unusual leg-break bowler. He does not impart significant side-spin on the ball, but more than compensates with his top-spin and biting bounce, allied with subtle variation. Nevertheless, he averages over 45 with the ball in England over 3 tours, and this will be his last chance to make good.

The continued one-day turmoil notwithstanding, England have few selectorial dilemmas as the series approaches. One concerns the top order, with Andrew Strauss's recent slump well documented. He has just a maximum of three more innings in first-class cricket to register a score before the series, and his selection as captain of the England A team to face the tourists is an admission by the selectors that his inclusion no longer goes without saying. Strauss' cause has not been aided by the success of county team-mate Owais Shah, a lone shining light with the bat for England in the recent ODIs. Shah joins Strauss as the only other over 25 in the A team, and stands as the only realistic challenger to his place. His selection would necessitate Michael Vaughan's return to open the innings, although he will have happy memories batting against India in that position. Should Shah get the nod, he could well swap places with Ian Bell, who would otherwise continue to fill Andrew Flintoff's boots at 6. In the long-run, it would probably benefit England to drop Strauss and give him the remainder of the summer to rebuild his confidence in county cricket. That way, he stands a better chance of being revitalised for a difficult double-header this winter, while England also get the chance to have a proper look at Shah, who might show up a bit better than he did in his last Test with the guarantee of his place for the whole series.

The rather more troublesome dilemma is the #8 position, where England are crying out for a bowler who can bat. Liam Plunkett is best qualified in the all-round regard, but he would doubtless be better served by a spell in county cricket. West Indies were a weak enough Test team to permit fielding the best available bowling attack in the 4th Test after Plunkett had totally unattatched himself from the rails. They might just get away with it again, with Matt Prior an effective 7th batsman, while the time spent with Durham might hasten Plunkett's permanent rise to Test level. Steve Harmison improved as the West Indies series progressed, but Peter Moores and Allan Donald will still have hearts in mouths when watching his first few overs at Lord's to see if his improvement has lasted. The reliability of Hoggard is not in question, and his job will be to expose the inexperience of the opening duo and get Tendulkar, in particular, to the crease early doors. Ryan Sidebottom did well enough against West Indies to justify his continued selection, and this series, against quality batsmen in less friendly bowling conditions should be a good test of his worth at international level. Once again, however, England may have to fall back on the talents and enthusiasm of Monty Panesar, much improved from his first outing against the same opposition last year. The West Indies series showed how good he is as a bowler, while the Indians, accomplished players of spin, will make him work harder for his wickets, and this series will be a surer gauge of his standing in the game.

It is disappointing that the series will only comprise three Tests, while the far weaker West Indies team took up four of the summer's allocation. Nevertheless, the three games are likely to provide the sort of contest the one-day series will prove not to be. With the first match at Lord's, where the last three Tests have been drawn, a positive result is unlikely, especially bearing in mind the batting strength of both teams. A lot could boil down to the Trent Bridge game, a venue where the ball has started to swing regularly since a new stand was built a few years ago. While this will suit England's pair of Yorkshiremen, it could also be a springboard for the Indians, and England must beware the sucker punch, with the Indian attack so talked-down. Following England's Ashes drubbing, and India's fall from grace, the clash is one of lower stakes than previously, but will prove an important step for the winning team as, knocked from their perches, the two countries reassmeble at the base camp of Mountain Oz.

Saturday 7 July 2007

Oops I did it again

Collins English Dictionary definition of deja vu: "the experience of perceiving a new situation as if it had occurred before. Sometimes associated with exhaustion or certain types of mental disorder". Sounds about right. New captain, new coach, new series and yet the conclusion is that it went just like those which had occurred before. Exhaustion has long since set in: after all, how long can one muse over the ineffectiveness of the top 3, the inability to take wickets in the middle overs and the utter hopelessness of the death bowling before the mental disorder sets in?

Today's performance by England was like pudding in a posh restaurant. A little bit of everything just to see what it tastes like. And within 94.2 overs, they managed to provide micro-examples of the major problems they face as a one-day team. Just one wicket (a gift) by the 20 over mark and a healthy run-rate of almost 5 by West Indies. Worse, after that same period had elapsed again, the batting team was only 3 down, even though overs 30-40 had yielded just 37 runs. Perhaps now over 100 has been milked from the last 10 overs for two consecutive games, England might come to realise that simply starving off runs in the middle overs is a false economy. It might help if England had any pace bowlers proficient at bowling towards the end of the innings. Talented as today's trio no-doubt are, they do not posses the necessary attributes to prosper at the "death". None are slingy bowlers, like Darren Gough, with a good yorker and from whom a bouncer can be awkward; neither are they big intimidating men like Andrew Flintoff, bustling in and hitting pitch and bat hard, with an excellent toe-crusher to boot. Reverse swing, of which the two above have been amongst the best of England's practitioners, is another crucial factor; England's current crop, Sajid Mahmood excepted, seem unable to produce it, and indeed it has faded from their plans since it was sliced bread and all that in 2005. And last but never to be forgotten, our old friend extras; before play, Allan Donald mentioned that England's "bowling captain" James Anderson had nominated 5 as the maximum acceptable. What he meant to say of course, was 5 squared, in which case today's total of 24 (9 wides, 4 no-balls) is totally acceptable.

When chasing a big total such as 290, common knowledge suggests a good start is essential. We'll forgive Matt Prior, who was meant to be getting on with it anyway. But for Alistair Cook to get another start and get out when the anchor role was needed from him was, well pretty idiotic, especially from a man who has rarely seemed flustered in his England career to date. England's two victories against West Indies in the two ICC organised one-day events last winter were both won chasing totals in excess of what they had to reach today. The common thread was Pietersen, who scored roughly 1/3 of England's runs in those two games combined. But after he had an easy time of it in the Test series, he has been royally stuffed in his supposedly better form of the game, slotting in between Broad and Anderson in the series batting averages. In truth, West Indies have bowled excellently to him, exposing a weakness against a short ball to quick for him to play off the front-foot. Daren Powell's salutation today flew harmlessly over the keeper's head for byes, but like Curtley Ambrose at Edgbaston in 1995, it was merely the harbinger of English sorrow, as Pietersen went hard at the next and edged to slip.

Much of England's play this series has been decidedly repetitive; an affliction in most cases, it was a boon to Owais Shah, who has grabbed a lifeline to an international career sinking fast after he copped out on his Test recall in May. His third consecutive score (fourth if you count the 20-20 games) gives credence to the belief, held by some for many years but latterly in danger of never being fulfilled, that he could become a fixture in England's middle order. He alone has made runs (due to his fidgety nature one could never say of him that he looks comfortable), and with some considerable style. It's stretching a point, but with Andrew Strauss chalking up successive second ball blobs for his county in the 20-20, Shah may find himself back in the Test side, unless his Middlesex-fellow can find form in the limited 4-day cricket available to him before the Indian series begins.

Shah once again finished without a really big score to his name, but with the rate mounting he can hardly be blamed. The last two games have followed a pattern illuminating about how batting in one-day cricket should be approached. Scenario: West Indies lose just 3 wickets in first 40 overs; result: they get over 100 in the last 10 overs. Scenario: England lose 3 wickets in the first 12 overs; result: you know the rest. Both those have happened twice, in the last two games as it happens. A no shit Sherlock conclusion to be drawn.

So, can't bat, can't bowl. Can they field Martin Johnson? Dropping equal top-scorer Chris Gayle twice suggests maybe not. In contrast, West Indies have been exemplary in the field, their general sparkiness pervading the previously doleful batting and bowling. The batsmen even did their job with just a 30 from Chanderpaul to help them on their way. The bowling has been in stark contrast to England's; Ravi Rampaul has looked extremely useful; Daren Powell a man reborn after a patchwork-quilt of a Test series. The revelation has been Edwards; extreme pace has finally been joined by accuracy and gumption. A man who can force Pietersen onto the back foot, in real and metaphoric terms, is some bowler. Consistency over a number of series must come before he can be talked about with the world's best, but Edwards is a rising star, one badly needed not only by West Indies but world cricket, crying out for top-drawer quicks to capture the imagination. West Indies are certainly on the way to becoming a one-day side competitive with the top nations, of whom it goes without saying England are not included in, but just like England in the Test series, celebration should be tinged with the realisation that the opposition was substandard.

England's captain Paul Collingwood predicts a "bright" future for his young team. And maybe he's not a long long tunnel away from the truth. Throw Trescothick, Flintoff, Bopara and Jones into the team and maybe things start to look up. But that's a maybe. For now the only bright thing related to England and ODIs is the glint of silverware in the hands of the opposition. And that's something none of them could claim not to have seen.

Wednesday 4 July 2007

The well-worn path

Perhaps predictably, the critics have not had long to wait to get stuck in to England's new one-day setup; indeed one game is not really long enough for the knives to have been properly sharpened, but coach and captain will still find themselves forced to do some explaining in the wake of a considerable defeat to a fast-improving West Indies side. Ryan Sidebottom had fallen ill prior to the first game, and the inclusion of Liam Plunkett, trusted by the management to bat at 8, in his stead permitted the selection of premier spinner Monty Panesar. Sidebottom's recovery meant that the pendulum swung the other way today; having made the statement at Lord's that the left-armer was first choice, the selectors felt compelled to draft him back in. They could not drop Anderson or Broad, the two best bowlers from Saturday, and so axed Plunkett, a decision with the result that Michael Yardy had to usurp Panesar, for the sake of preventing an overlong tail. The bottom line is Panesar should have played: however, the management opted for sentiment by refusing to allow a player to lose his place due to injury and in the resulting self-correction process contrived to lose one of their most important bowlers.

Overcast conditions, with rain a constant threat, allowed the selectors further self-justification; you might not have guessed that England had chosen to bowl, Collingwood finally having won a toss, as Chris Gayle and Devon Smith smote the bowling to all parts. If the opening salvo was unexpected, the demise of both openers was sadly predictable; Smith swished his bat while exercising neither feet nor brain, while Gayle decided one six in an over was insufficient and was held at mid-on. The predictable theme continued with the promotion of Chanderpaul to first drop: to say that West Indies rely on him in the absence of Sarwan and Lara is like remarking that Don Bradman could bat a bit, and he let no-one down as he consolidated the West Indies innings accompanied by Marlon Samuels.

Having shown in the 20-20 games at The Oval that the biggest ground in Britain is nevertheless too small to contain him, Samuels now carries a fearsome reputation to the crease. However, no-doubt coerced by the man at the other end, he opted for caution in the first half of his innings, preserving his wicket on a pitch which was not the easiest to score runs on and made 220 look a defensible total. As the run-rate stalled mid-innings, England were lulled and the slower bowlers rattled through their overs, Mascarenhas being particularly impressive and always ensuring he stayed a step ahead of the batsman with his clever changes of pace, making him harder to hit than his sedentary speed would suggest.

But wickets are the key currency in one-day matches and, for all the containment, England allowed Chanderpaul and Samuels to build the largest third wicket stand in an ODI at Edgbaston. Yardy bowled 6 overs, none too expensively, but equally lacking in threat. England missed Panesar as a frontline spinner who would have been a good bet to lure Samuels, especially, into a misjudgement. By the time the middle overs, medium-paced in all senses, were over, West Indies' hydra like line-up had 8 wickets left in hand. England, and Anderson in particular, were made to regret the omission of Panesar and a regulation missed chance in the most unlikely circumstances, by Collingwood off his own bowling, as the previously reticent West Indians blossomed and ripped the English bowling to pieces en route to Chanderpaul's century and a total in excess of 270, about 50 more than England would have reckoned on. After he had waited in line behind Morton and Samuels at Lord's, Chanderpaul rightly went in early today, and lived up to his description by West Indies coach David Moore as the most adaptable batsman in world cricket, unleashing some fearsome cover drives, a speciality, to complement the leg-side cuffs, agricultural, but like his technique, deadly effective. The official "wall" of cricket, Rahul Dravid, will tour later this summer, but even he will struggle to match the feats of Chanderpaul, who has yet to be dismissed in the ODIs, and for whom it would be fitting should he go unbeaten throughout the series to match his unbeaten 1000 minutes in the Tests.

When Peter Moores and Paul Collingwood decided on their opening pairing for this series, it would have appeared obvious to them which roles the two players would assume. While Cook was expected to do his utmost to bat through the innings, it was envisaged that Prior would aim to score as quickly as possible, and take advantage of the power plays. Somewhere, somehow, wires were crossed, and for the second time Cook was first man out, both times to rash shots. It is important that Cook, as a Test match opener, perceived as a slow accumulator, does not go out of his way to try and prove that he does a neat sideline in Adam Gilchrist impersonation. Andrew Strauss has already perished, attempting to replicate the impact England used to get from Marcus Trescothick, and Cook would be well advised to stick to what he knows. Not to say he should not hit the ball when it is there for the taking, and play the shots he does well, but the merits of an aerial drive through a packed cover area were dubious, the misadventure costing him his wicket.

Ian Bell was sold short, both by umpire Brian Jerling, shot out when he was struck outside the line of the off-stump by a ball sailing over the stumps, and in all likelihood in his match fee, if as is likely, the match referee takes his cut. Rampaul then severely dented England's hopes, slipping a yorker under the cross-batted swipe of the charging Pietersen. The rain gods demonstrated what they thought of the shot, and indeed the home side's chances by delivering what had been promised all day, a shower heavy enough to cause a break in play. The game was poised with England's fourth-wicket pairing of Prior and Shah together, as they accumulated efficiently. As the required rate climbed, the inevitable situation arose whereby "something had to give". Unfortunately for England, Prior proved to be the generous soul, trying to flick over short-fine leg's head and managing only to offer an easy catch to square-leg. Collingwood was trussed up by Edwards, his two least favourite deliveries, the throat ball and the full inswinger, utilised in perfect combination to nail the England captain and seal his team's fate. Shah was just starting to give England a glimmer when Yardy was out, preceding his own demise. Broad and Sidebottom dragged the score above 200, but the game was long dead.

For the England fan, the cheer of seeing West Indies show up well, for once throughout a full-game, was quashed by the fact that England saw fit to assume the part of the hapless loser, and yet again a game between these two sides was nothing approaching a contest. Yet that is what this series remains, going into the final decider at Nottingham on Saturday. No doubt the rain, which has amazingly allowed two complete games so far, will have its revenge; a pessimistic outlook, but then melancholy is the overriding humour associated with this England one-day side, something which is still as long way from changing.