England’s defeat yesterday was a grand humiliation in the long term of events. But from a Westindian’s point of view this is a jubilant time and one to celebrate after a thoroughly convincing victory. You can most certainly hail the captaincy of Chris Gayle who led from the front and batted accordingly which represented a mature and thoughtful leader. I think what made it a unique occasion was the fact it was a team contribution in which everyone participated and also the fact that they bowled England over for 51 and as the famous Tony Cozier ; “ Jerome’s spell brought back shadows of the golden age when the West indies were a ruthless figure”.
There are many reasons as to why England went down in such a slump. IPL distractions could be a valid excuse but as Michael Holding mentioned other sides including Westindies have managed to cope so why can’t England? Or is the fame and glamour to high for them to deal with ? Also no coach and a brand new set up under a new leader could mean that it was difficult surroundings for players to adapt. Therefore it’s acceptable to consider the victory as a one off.
However from a technical aspect this defeat is unacceptable for an international cricketer?
Here below I’m going to show on why I feel England lost the match:
- KP playing in T20 mode and was getting out in a careless manner in the first innings and indeed payed the penalty.
- Andrew Strauss, Cook and Ian Bell struggled for timing and form. Their footwork was in mess.
- Monty Panesar bowled well in patches and certainly made the ball talk by producing the “magic ripping spinner” frequently through his spells. His repetition of the “jaffa” was an admirable art and an overwhelming sight of perfection. This is one the true beauties of test match cricket and I feel Monty could have easily picked up a 5 wicket haul with the class and guile he bowled with. However at times he looked a bit too predictable and lacked variation which perhaps demonstrates as to why he only picked up the single wicket. He also looked much more casual in approach and managed to control his excitement when picking up the wicket. At the start his body language was low on confidence. But with Mushy’s experience in the background Mont should feel assistance is at the door step.
But take nothing away from this convincing and outstanding victory to the awesome Westindies. The Nash innings was a significant contribution and the ideal stabiliser batting in association with the lower order. In Sulimen Benn Westindies found a matchwinner and was a revelation capturing 8 wickets. Jerome Taylor and Powell may have exploited weaknesses in the left hand opening pair. Jerome’s spell on that Saturday afternoon was a spell of sheer quality which took the game completely away from England’s reach.
Now following that victory I feel the series is very much alive and open and Westindies should really feel inspired and motivated with such a perfect victory. Full credit has to given to the grounds man for producing a cracking wicket which produced gripping drama and also favoured a result. Exactally the type of wicket one can dream of so applauds to him.
Had I been in the shoes of the England captain I would make 2 adjustments for the next match in Owais Shah for cook as Bell perhaps should open the innings. I feel Owais Shah and Pieterson respectively are the best batsmen in the team. Also I feel England don’t really require or value the presence of a swing bowler in the Caribbean heat and therefore recommend Adil Rashid to fit in at number 8 and accompany Panesar especially if the wicket was like this.
The moment of the test match in my opinion was the Prior dismissal in the second innings. Building up to that wicket the discipline maintained by Taylor was perfect mapping and that dismissal was truly wonderful off cutter which deviated to hit the top of off stump. A true sight of perfection which summarised the energy and skill shown by Gayle’s troops that afternoon.
Tomorrow England and the Westindies commence the test series. This is an essential programme for England’s build up in their mission to repeat the resounding Ashes success of 2005.
I feel England will have a bit of a selection dilemma on their hands of whether to play 2 spinners. Graeme Swann toiled in the warm up matches and went wicketless and therefore the logical approach will be to go along with 2 spinners in Rashid and Panesar especially with Mushy’s expertise and presence in the background. Also I feel a couple of the fast bowlers toiled in the Caribbean heat whereas when England had Panesar and Rashid operating in tandem they were winning and picking up wickets ever so convincingly.
Although the tradition in the Caribbean is to go along with a single spinner and u may argue that St ‘Kitts side were a weaker force but I personally feel that Rashid has proven enough and deserves the opportunity to be granted with a test debut. Therefore I recommend England pick 2 spinners along with 3 fast bowlers considering the all-round balance of Flintoff is fit or if not England will still be able to play 3 fast bowlers as Rashid is an idealist to fulfil those shoes. From a general overview I feel that Harmison will be the ultimate threat against the Westindies as the wickets tend to suit his type of bowling.
As regards to the batting England have generally done well. Recognitions for KP and the left hand opening pair who seem to have stolen the headlines in the warm up matches. Meanwhile Owais Shah has given the selection committee a headache to ponder over. But Ian Bell’s continuous struggle for form seemed to have justified that position. The only reason I can think England will opt for Bell is as a short leg fielder when the spinners are in operation! Sorely that factor doesn’t come into consideration at test match level. Does it?
Although during this preview I’ve been focusing on England we shall not write of the Westindies though as they have the “block wall” in Chanderpaul in their ranks who England must conquer. However, Westindies have struggled to compete in the last 5 or 6 years as represented by their position in the ICC rankings and therefore put England as firm favourites.
Overall an interesting and exciting series on the menu. I predict England will win 2-0 under the captaincy of Mr Strauss . But test cricket can be a funny game and if Westindies A can make England surrender than why can’t Westindies?
http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/iclarchive/content/story/388715.htmlThe link above provides reliable evidence that the ICL players have been groomed and permitted to represent their domestic teams in the climax stages of Pakistan's premier domestic competition. Although the ICC still haven’t changed their stance on the inaugural league I am convinced that if they perform in domestic matches the pressure will be on the PCB and the players will be able to have a safe return to international cricket.Meanwhile we have an exciting summer of cricket on our hands with IPL/T20 world cup and the ultimate test series of the Ashes to look forward to. I find it ridiculous about the actual length and duration of the IPL and even more so the fact that the T20 drama immediately follows straight after in England. All I can say is brainless planning which will make cricket less intriguing and worthwhile from a player’s and fans perspective. One can also question if player burnouts will come into play ?Pakistan has also wiped out the participation of their players in the IPL due to the current falter in the relation with neighbours India. On the one hand this is a missed golden opportunity for the Pakistani cricketers on which I’m sure they’ll express disappointment. But on the other hand this time could be spent wisely on preparing and setting up various camps in preparation for international drama in June. Or perhaps they could adapt to the different conditions and apply themselves in the county set up and put their names forward for selection. In my opinion this T20 world cup will be the most important event in this eventful international calendar.So summing up. Hats off to the Sind high court for grooving back the ICL kilari in the domestic scene. Also plenty of excitement to look forward to in the cricketing world. Let the drama commence.............
