A winding tunnel with no visible way out; the occasional, illusory glimmer of light. An apt summary for the fortunes of England's one-day side prior to Kevin's Pietersen's reign as captain; likewise for the career of Andrew Flintoff following three golden, glorious months back in the summer of 2005, when he stood tall and the cricket world sat at his feet. Almost a year ago, Flintoff's career was again ruptured by injury - terminally, it was feared at the time. He hobbled around the Twenty20 World Cup, the sort of tournament he might have dominated, bowling medium pace as England toiled. His batting was a broken wreck, the confidence and eye which once sustained a suspect technique had deserted him. It could have been a crushing end to an exhilarating career.
England had to prepare for a future without their biggest star. How desolate it seemed. The batting, to which Flintoff - along with the also departed Marcus Trescothick - had once given impetus, looked listless and blunt. They ground away - fading to dust in Sri Lanka, doing just enough to hold off New Zealand. Even Kevin Pietersen seemed to be succumbing to the collective inertia, his average and stike rate sucked into the morass. The bowling too was almost devoid of edge: once good batsmen were set, England looked to have no way of dislodging them. Flintoff was missed in the field too: for his bucket hands in the slips, inadequately replaced, and his totemic, galvanising presence. Victory across two series against a transient New Zealand outfit concealed harsh truths, already apparent to a burdened Michael Vaughan, as he was to later reveal.
In the event, Flintoff's return came too late to save Vaughan, feeling his way back into an underperforming and fractious side. But when he huffed, puffed and blew Jacques Kallis down on an electric evening at Edgbaston, Flintoff was back. He was unable to sustain the intensity as England fell away, but a statement had been made; Kallis, past 50 and belatedly setting out his stall for the series, has yet to recover. Briefly, England and their supporters were reminded of the power of Flintoff, his ability to stand toe to toe with the best players in the world and be England's champion. It is an exalted level of performance they have lacked without him and will need if they are to progress under Kevin Pietersen's leadership.
But while Flintoff looked a work in progress during the Test series, the transition to limited-overs cricket has seen him return to his all-encompassing best and fire England to undreamt-of heights. While other captains might have been tempted to forget about Flintoff's misfiring batting and concentrate on his ever-reliable bowling, Pietersen took the risk-reward path. Promotion to 5 in the order had not been earned and was a gamble, albeit one covered by England's batting depth. That has scarcely been needed, Flintoff anchoring two first-innings efforts which would have faltered without him and blasting England over the line in a 20-over chase. More telling than the runs themselves is the way he has made them: as has always been the case when Flintoff is in form, it is not power but timing that underpins his batting. Just a fraction of his fearsome strength is needed to dispatch bowling to all parts and Flintoff, batting well within himself, has shown full knowledge of this. His bowling, needless to say, has been supreme.
Stumbling blocks lie ahead, most tangibly over seven matches in India where his fitness and fallibility against spin will be examined. He will also need to translate his batting form to Tests, where he has always been less at ease. England, for all their one-day strife of recent years, have still managed a good home record, and more than one series win against an overripe South African outfit will be needed to convince cynics that there truly has been a renaissance. But, for now, Flintoff is flying and taking England with him. And it is a long time since we have been able to say that.
Sunday 31 August 2008
Saturday 23 August 2008
All aboard the KP express
And suddenly, it's all about Pietersen. Pietersen the master batsman; Pietersen the golden-arm; Pietersen the intrepid leader. King Midas, Nostradamus and Paul McKenna all rolled into one. It could have happened no other way. In time, salutary questions such as where the golden touch led Midas will need to be addressed; for now there is little option but to hold on tight and enjoy the ride. What must be said for Pietersen is that he has wasted no time in putting together the team he wants and thinks can be successful. Owais Shah has finally been shown to a seat at the top table after years of fighting for scraps; Andrew Flintoff's batting ego has been massaged with promotion; while Steve Harmison, the player drawn most tightly into the Pietersen embrace, is back to add snap to the change bowling.
The immediate signs are promising: Flintoff, back at 5 where he has produced his best in one-day cricket, constructed his most significant innings since his 2005 zenith; Harmison took two important wickets and was inexpensive. England, for so long lacking in one-day cricket, looked to have deep resources in both batting and bowling. Indeed so well did the specialists deliver in the first game against South Africa that all-round luxuries Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright were little more than window-dressing. One of them will be cut to make room for one-day lynchpin Paul Collingwood, who adds experience as well as balance, which looked slightly askew with so many all-rounders cluttering the lower-middle order.
Much was good about England, but even the all-encompassing figure of Pietersen could not mask all the old flaws, still mainly concerning the beginning of the innings with both bat and ball. A partnership of Ian Bell and Matt Prior at the top showsis no progress from England's post-Trescothick stagnation. In a way they did their job, Prior especially, setting up a platform for the middle-order to expand upon. The potency of Pietersen when coming in at around the 20-over mark and batting through was thoroughly demonstrated. But Bell batted too long and unwisely, before perishing slightly unfortunately to a stunning catch from AB De Villiers. Had his square cut sped away to the boundary, Bell might have gone on to make the big, anchoring contribution that is being asked of him. Certainly his fortune contrasted with that of his captain, who might have been adjudged leg-before twice before he had got going. But Bell is not the type of character to make his own luck; whispers suggest that the new regime may not have too much patience for him, either. And with England now travelling very much under the KP brand, Bell could easily find himself sidelined. Pietersen may have shown an inclination to embrace awkward characters - akin to Nasser Hussain, as Vic Marks has suggested - but there are always the faces that do not fit, and Bell may be one of those left behind.
While the return of Harmison sharpens England's attack, the new ball pairing is still a conundrum. It seems a long time since England have seen the best of James Anderson with the white ball, a curiosity considering he has begun to settle into Test cricket and has been a given in England's one-day line-up for some time. An off-colour Anderson destabilises the balance of the attack, especially when he opens alongside Stuart Broad, who will continue to have good and bad days. Ryan Sidebottom, when he returns from injury, might be needed to shore up the new ball attack, with Harmison and Flintoff either unwilling or unwise options in that regard.
More than anything, England were lucky, with decisions and the attitude of the opposition. South Africa, although reinforced with some one-day specialists, are yet to recover the focus they left behind at Edgbaston. The fielding was lax and three of their top 4 gave their wickets away, when only one needed to score big to win the game. No-one understands cricketing hangovers better than England of late; some would say there are suffering from an extended one themselves, while in the past they have benefited from them at the start of one-day series. It would be a surprise if South Africa, who are competing for the title of No.1 ODI side, do not come at them hard under the lights at Nottingham. At least England will be ready, Pietersen having acknowledged the trend when England start a series well. But there is more work to be done if a familiar tale is not to unfold.
The immediate signs are promising: Flintoff, back at 5 where he has produced his best in one-day cricket, constructed his most significant innings since his 2005 zenith; Harmison took two important wickets and was inexpensive. England, for so long lacking in one-day cricket, looked to have deep resources in both batting and bowling. Indeed so well did the specialists deliver in the first game against South Africa that all-round luxuries Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright were little more than window-dressing. One of them will be cut to make room for one-day lynchpin Paul Collingwood, who adds experience as well as balance, which looked slightly askew with so many all-rounders cluttering the lower-middle order.
Much was good about England, but even the all-encompassing figure of Pietersen could not mask all the old flaws, still mainly concerning the beginning of the innings with both bat and ball. A partnership of Ian Bell and Matt Prior at the top showsis no progress from England's post-Trescothick stagnation. In a way they did their job, Prior especially, setting up a platform for the middle-order to expand upon. The potency of Pietersen when coming in at around the 20-over mark and batting through was thoroughly demonstrated. But Bell batted too long and unwisely, before perishing slightly unfortunately to a stunning catch from AB De Villiers. Had his square cut sped away to the boundary, Bell might have gone on to make the big, anchoring contribution that is being asked of him. Certainly his fortune contrasted with that of his captain, who might have been adjudged leg-before twice before he had got going. But Bell is not the type of character to make his own luck; whispers suggest that the new regime may not have too much patience for him, either. And with England now travelling very much under the KP brand, Bell could easily find himself sidelined. Pietersen may have shown an inclination to embrace awkward characters - akin to Nasser Hussain, as Vic Marks has suggested - but there are always the faces that do not fit, and Bell may be one of those left behind.
While the return of Harmison sharpens England's attack, the new ball pairing is still a conundrum. It seems a long time since England have seen the best of James Anderson with the white ball, a curiosity considering he has begun to settle into Test cricket and has been a given in England's one-day line-up for some time. An off-colour Anderson destabilises the balance of the attack, especially when he opens alongside Stuart Broad, who will continue to have good and bad days. Ryan Sidebottom, when he returns from injury, might be needed to shore up the new ball attack, with Harmison and Flintoff either unwilling or unwise options in that regard.
More than anything, England were lucky, with decisions and the attitude of the opposition. South Africa, although reinforced with some one-day specialists, are yet to recover the focus they left behind at Edgbaston. The fielding was lax and three of their top 4 gave their wickets away, when only one needed to score big to win the game. No-one understands cricketing hangovers better than England of late; some would say there are suffering from an extended one themselves, while in the past they have benefited from them at the start of one-day series. It would be a surprise if South Africa, who are competing for the title of No.1 ODI side, do not come at them hard under the lights at Nottingham. At least England will be ready, Pietersen having acknowledged the trend when England start a series well. But there is more work to be done if a familiar tale is not to unfold.
Wednesday 6 August 2008
Pietersen the inheritor of a tainted legacy
In an age when it seems perfectly normal for a team to finish a Test match on the Saturday under one captain and begin the next five days later with a new leader, one could almost be convinced that Kevin Pietersen is the sane choice to succeed Michael Vaughan as England's captain. In all seriousness, the selectors had almost nowhere else to go once they had decided to unify the captaincy. If nothing else the appointment will provoke heated debate, as the man himself has never failed to do throughout his career. But those who seek to label Pietersen as nothing more than an ego with all the trimmings miss the point: none but an uncommonly precise and driven character could have successfuly completed the unconventional road to stardom Pietersen has manufactured for himself. Indeed his presence is so all encompassing that it is amazing to think he has been in the team but three summers.
One thing he will not lack is the courage of his convictions. In increasingly troubled times for English cricket he will need them. The success of the team during the Duncan Fletcher era showed what can be achieved. But it was self-contained; the lessons and policies have proved non-transferable and the connections with that team - diminishing now Vaughan has gone - must not disguise that England are at their lowest ebb for almost a decade. Fletcher's tenure was successful in navigating the team away from the mismanagement and whimsy that undermined a talented generation in the 1990s. But, towards the end of his time and ever since, they have continued on the same course unabated, drifting further away from the happy medium towards the equally capricious opposite extreme. In the batting, especially, there seems to be an unhealthy lack of competition: form needs to become an almost national issue before anyone can be axed. Pietersen cannot effect change overnight on the team ethic, but he must ensure a gradual shift in dynamic. Vaughan achieved something similar, as a sympathetic counterpoint to Nasser Hussain, whose disciplinarian regime had run its course. In whatever way he chooses, Pietersen must restore England's edge.
Even before the first 'leading out England, Kevin Pietersen' has reverberated around The Oval, he has made a statement of intent. His first team will contain five bowlers, with Steve Harmison reinstated and Andrew Flintoff back in the all-rounder's berth at 6. In one hand he has grasped two nettles: both have questions hanging over them in their chosen positions and Pietersen has prudently sought to resolve them early on. Nevertheless, the honeymoon could last little longer than a few days: his old friend Graeme Smith will have been re-energised by the turn of events, and any prospect of the South Africans relaxing in the wake of their series victory has dissolved with Pietersen's elevation.
Like any England captain he will be judged on results against Australia. At this stage, his chances look slim. After The Oval there are just six Tests to refine the line-up, focus minds and build the necessary momentum. Foremost in his priorities must be establishing the best bowling attack. Flintoff should be the lynchpin, but establishing whether or not he can fulfil an all-round role will be crucial. Whether he plays as one of three or four seamers, another strike bowler is needed: in that regard they will need to examine the relative merits of Harmison and Simon Jones. Stuart Broad adds a nice balance but cannot play a part unless his bowling has improved. With his head spinning over that delicate conundrum, Pietersen will then need to set his mind to the thorny issue of the top 3, and the hardy perennial that is the wicket-keeper debate. He won't want to forget about his own batting either. That could be important. No sweat, King Kev. Give it 110%.
One thing he will not lack is the courage of his convictions. In increasingly troubled times for English cricket he will need them. The success of the team during the Duncan Fletcher era showed what can be achieved. But it was self-contained; the lessons and policies have proved non-transferable and the connections with that team - diminishing now Vaughan has gone - must not disguise that England are at their lowest ebb for almost a decade. Fletcher's tenure was successful in navigating the team away from the mismanagement and whimsy that undermined a talented generation in the 1990s. But, towards the end of his time and ever since, they have continued on the same course unabated, drifting further away from the happy medium towards the equally capricious opposite extreme. In the batting, especially, there seems to be an unhealthy lack of competition: form needs to become an almost national issue before anyone can be axed. Pietersen cannot effect change overnight on the team ethic, but he must ensure a gradual shift in dynamic. Vaughan achieved something similar, as a sympathetic counterpoint to Nasser Hussain, whose disciplinarian regime had run its course. In whatever way he chooses, Pietersen must restore England's edge.
Even before the first 'leading out England, Kevin Pietersen' has reverberated around The Oval, he has made a statement of intent. His first team will contain five bowlers, with Steve Harmison reinstated and Andrew Flintoff back in the all-rounder's berth at 6. In one hand he has grasped two nettles: both have questions hanging over them in their chosen positions and Pietersen has prudently sought to resolve them early on. Nevertheless, the honeymoon could last little longer than a few days: his old friend Graeme Smith will have been re-energised by the turn of events, and any prospect of the South Africans relaxing in the wake of their series victory has dissolved with Pietersen's elevation.
Like any England captain he will be judged on results against Australia. At this stage, his chances look slim. After The Oval there are just six Tests to refine the line-up, focus minds and build the necessary momentum. Foremost in his priorities must be establishing the best bowling attack. Flintoff should be the lynchpin, but establishing whether or not he can fulfil an all-round role will be crucial. Whether he plays as one of three or four seamers, another strike bowler is needed: in that regard they will need to examine the relative merits of Harmison and Simon Jones. Stuart Broad adds a nice balance but cannot play a part unless his bowling has improved. With his head spinning over that delicate conundrum, Pietersen will then need to set his mind to the thorny issue of the top 3, and the hardy perennial that is the wicket-keeper debate. He won't want to forget about his own batting either. That could be important. No sweat, King Kev. Give it 110%.
Sunday 3 August 2008
Vaughan severs golden thread
If cricket is a game of fine detail and small margins, two incidents defined a Test match which has ended in crushing series defeat for England and the end of the line for one of their greatest captains. One was Vaughan's second innings dismissal: a scorching cover drive which skimmed just inches from the turf and was brilliantly pouched by Hashim Amla. Then, in pursuit of a steep target, his opposite number almost imperceptibly gloved Monty Panesar through to the 'keeper but survived. Providence allowed Graeme Smith to continue on his way to a career-defining achievement; for Vaughan, whose own apogee has begun to look increasingly distant, luck had run out and with it his time as captain.
The Ashes defined Vaughan's international career - as a batsman two tours ago and as captain in 2005. The natural end to his captaincy was against Australia next summer: based on a deeply disappointing second stint as captain, he must have decided that there was no realistic chance his team could be competitive in that series. There will be mixed feelings on his departure: relief that an increasingly torturous period for English cricket is at an end; regret that England have lost a man who epitomised good leadership. Class is the word that best describes Vaughan; it shone from his every action on the field. He has also shown in it the timing of his resignation, before his own position started to become a bigger issue than the team itself.
Well as he has served England, the need to sever the links with Duncan Flethcer's era, which Vaughan never stopped representing, had becoming pressing. The team has not moved forward since the painful Ashes drubbing 18 months ago, and there was little prospect of such an outcome under present circumstances. One feels there was never rapport between Vaughan and Peter Moores, who now has the chance to form a more even-handed relationship with a new captain. That seems likely to be Kevin Pietersen, with the selectors keen to move away from the split-captaincy. If that is the case, they will fervently hope that the effect is not the same as the last time the torch was passed to the team's outstanding batsman.
But before the feeding frenzy begins over the new appointment, it is worth pausing to reflect on the achievements of the outgoing man. Along with Duncan Fletcher he managed the remains of Nasser Hussain's unit well, quickly forging a team which was undoubtedly his own. He helped establish a team ethic which sustained England through to their Ashes victory, albeit which started to become corrosive as that team was dismantled. Many of his achievements chartered territory untouched for a generation or more. The greatest pity was that he never really had the chance to build on the success of 2005: injuries both to himself and other key men crippled the team almost terminally. By the time he returned the connecting thread had been stretched too thin. But he will be remembered for his successes, and, whether or not England fans ever glimpse the perfect cover drive again, his place in history is secure.
The Ashes defined Vaughan's international career - as a batsman two tours ago and as captain in 2005. The natural end to his captaincy was against Australia next summer: based on a deeply disappointing second stint as captain, he must have decided that there was no realistic chance his team could be competitive in that series. There will be mixed feelings on his departure: relief that an increasingly torturous period for English cricket is at an end; regret that England have lost a man who epitomised good leadership. Class is the word that best describes Vaughan; it shone from his every action on the field. He has also shown in it the timing of his resignation, before his own position started to become a bigger issue than the team itself.
Well as he has served England, the need to sever the links with Duncan Flethcer's era, which Vaughan never stopped representing, had becoming pressing. The team has not moved forward since the painful Ashes drubbing 18 months ago, and there was little prospect of such an outcome under present circumstances. One feels there was never rapport between Vaughan and Peter Moores, who now has the chance to form a more even-handed relationship with a new captain. That seems likely to be Kevin Pietersen, with the selectors keen to move away from the split-captaincy. If that is the case, they will fervently hope that the effect is not the same as the last time the torch was passed to the team's outstanding batsman.
But before the feeding frenzy begins over the new appointment, it is worth pausing to reflect on the achievements of the outgoing man. Along with Duncan Fletcher he managed the remains of Nasser Hussain's unit well, quickly forging a team which was undoubtedly his own. He helped establish a team ethic which sustained England through to their Ashes victory, albeit which started to become corrosive as that team was dismantled. Many of his achievements chartered territory untouched for a generation or more. The greatest pity was that he never really had the chance to build on the success of 2005: injuries both to himself and other key men crippled the team almost terminally. By the time he returned the connecting thread had been stretched too thin. But he will be remembered for his successes, and, whether or not England fans ever glimpse the perfect cover drive again, his place in history is secure.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
.jpg)