England in crisis after Ashes defeat

On June 23^rd, Australian cricket was officially plunged into crisis, following the sacking of South African coach Mickey Arthur just seventeen days before the start of the 2013 summer Ashes series. Despite the appointment of new coach Darren Lehmann, Australia could not emerge from the doldrums and England went on to convincingly win the series 3-0.

As we now know, England’s retention of the precious urn did not last long. Just one-hundred-fourteen days on from the final day of fifth Test match at the Oval, England’s grip on the Ashes had already been relinquished, as Australia completed a 3-0 win of their own at the WACA, winning by 150 runs to add to their 381 and 218 run victories in the first and second Tests.

It has been an incredible turnaround by coach Darren Lehmann, captain Michael Clarke and their boys in Baggy Green, but for England, the series has been a complete catastrophe. The tourists have not just lost every game, they have been utterly humiliated and totally outplayed in every department. The batsmen have failed to put together a first innings score of any consequence; the fielders have dropped a number of significant chanced; the seamers have toiled unsuccessfully; whilst the spinners have been carted out of the park and out of the attack.

As three coin-toss defeats out of three for Alastair Cook suggests, England’s luck has run out. Thus far in the series, very few positives can be taken from England’s performances. Australia’s bowlers have gelled supremely as a unit and their batsmen have played with aggression, consistently putting together good partnerships and big totals. England have simply had no answer, no Plan B to counteract Australia’s dominance. The English players have wilted in the heat and under the pressure of a hostile media campaign and a brand of cricket to back it up.

Alastair Cook has done his best as a captain, but there is no doubt that the mental toil of captaincy has taken its toll on his batting. Kevin Pietersen remains England’s greatest enigma, the superstar batsmen lacking in common sense and any consideration of a cautious mindset. Could the scorer of 8,000 Test match runs have played his last for England? Matt Prior’s form has been simply woeful, particularly with the bat, whilst his glove work has also come under scrutiny after a poor performance at Perth. He too is another man some are suggesting is past his best, along with experienced spinner Graeme Swann and swing machine (but not with the Kookaburra ball it seems) James Anderson.

Whilst it is unlikely the later two will be dropped, there is a distinct possibility that Jonny Bairstow could replace Prior behind the stumps in Melbourne. Fellow-Yorkshireman Gary Ballance could also feature, but it remains to be seen whether one of the three big seamers will get an opportunity. Steven Finn, Boyd Rankin and Chris Tremlett have all been criticised for not pushing their case heavily enough in what ought to be perfect conditions for tall fast-bowlers Down Under.

There is a slight silver lining to the horizon. Michael Carberry has come in at the top of the order and batted with maturity and composure, but at the age of 33, it is unlikely he play a part in future Ashes series. Joe Root, promoted to no.3 due to the unfortunate departure of Jonathan Trott, will be a key man for England in the coming years, but he still has a long way to go before he reaches his full potential. Ian Bell has shown glimpses of his class, whilst Ben Stokes underlined his promise with a maiden Test century at the WACA.

There are two Tests left in the series, but the outcome of the final two games is redundant, for Australia have already regained the Ashes. Regardless of the reasons for their performances, the inquest has well and truly begun. Question marks hang over the heads of a number of key players and also over the future of coach Andy Flower, although the Zimbabwean is remaining tight-lipped on the subject. England must try to regain a little pride from the Melbourne and Sydney Tests, show some backbone, and avoid a 5-0 series whitewash. If they were to do so once again, it could have disastrous consequences for English cricket.

Flat Track Bully’s Alternative Ashes XI (summer 2013)

(Please note that any players guilty of “boring” cricket have been made unavailable for selection.)

1. David Warner
2. Shane Watson
3. Kevin Pietersen
4. Michael Clarke ©
5. Steve Smith
6. Brad Haddin (wk)
7. Stuart Broad
8. Graeme Swann
9. Peter Siddle
10. Ryan Harris
11. James Anderson

Openers

As per the above rules, picking a pair of opening batsmen from this summer’s Ashes series is a rather tricky decision. The difficulty lies in that England’s openers, Alastair Cook and Joe Root, a) batted far too slowly, and b) didn’t score enough runs. Last time around in Australia, Captain Cook was England’s hero, scoring a mammoth amount of runs (766) and anchored the English batting line-up to some big totals. There was no such repeat this time around however, as Cook made just three fifties and reverted back to his old ‘pushing one to first slip’ method of dismissal. As for Root, his 180 was an outstanding innings under very little pressure, but the Yorkshireman’s submissive stance – having been promoted to opening the batting – was simply dreadful for the modern day (t20 junkie) cricket fan to watch. Less casual supporters will remember the headline “Edgblaston” from back in 2005, the day when England scored 400 runs in one day. Root, Cook and Trott all failed to entertain in such dramatic style. Talk about digging in…

Subsequently, it is two Australians who slot in at the top of the order for FTB’s Ashes XI. Chris Rogers – who impressed for a man of his age – nudged and nurdled far too much for our selectors liking. Thus, Australia’s conundrum man Shane Watson finds himself opening the batting once more. His lusty style and canny knack of getting out LBW all the time is just the sort of thing cricket fans today want to see. Likewise, everyone loves a pantomime villain, and the XI would not be the same without Australia’s very own [insert Rocky Balboa opponent here] David Warner. His boxing skills, twitter antics and plentiful stroke play certainly got his name trending. Thus having showed (in glimpses) the sort of destruction they are both capable of piling upon an opposition attack and therefore, these bully boys are in the FTB team.

Middle-order

            Now you know the rules by now – no boring batsmen allowed. Sadly this means our man-of-the-series Ian Bell doesn’t actually make our series best XI. Okay, so he made a stack of runs including three hundreds and two fifties, but who wants to see someone stealing all the limelight, eh? We’d much rather watch Michael Clarke for example, who one day might get out to the ball of the series or on another, might get a massive score. After all, this side needs a skipper who refuses to let his team get bowled out and so Mr Tactical Declarations gets our vote. As for the other two batters, Kevin Pietersen picks himself on ego alone, but more importantly, he scores at more than one run an over. He’s a mystery, he’s an enigma and he’s a run-scorer. Steve Smith, like KP, very much bats in his own way, but who cares about technique when you score runs quickly and consistently? Despite not being selected for the initial squad, Smithy did his country proud and was arguably the tourist’s most consistent player with the bat. Without Belly, this team probably needs a bit of consistency.

In the wicket-keeping department, batting slightly higher than perhaps he ought, is Brad Haddin. Now there’s a proper batsman. No man at mid-wicket? Lovely jubbly. He also took a fair few catches behind the stumps (when he wasn’t letting the ball pass in between himself and first slip) and you probably need that in your Test team. Not that he had much competition for the gloves, because the usually irrepressible Matt Prior batted like Glenn McGrath with his eyes closed for the whole series. So yeah, we’ve gone for five batters and a keeper. Six batsmen is so last week.

Bowlers

Yep, we’ve got five of them and if you weren’t particularly impressed by our flat-track-bullies at the top of the order, this lot will get your tongues wagging more than a troupe of IPL cheerleaders. At seven, it’s Stuart “I only walk when I run out of petrol” Broad, because what this team doesn’t need is gentlemen. Screw the spirit of cricket; this is the flaming Ashes! Broad is big, bad and he’s a much better all-rounder than James Faulkner and Chris Woakes. Broady was back with the bat and on a roll with the ball this series, so his selection is a no-brainer. The same applies for team mate Graeme Swann – the offie with bags of character, magic spinning fingers and hands as safe as houses. He gives it a whack too and we like that, so much so that we’ve promoted him to number eight.

Two Aussies are up next as they were the only two didgeridoos that eve nr looked like taking more than two wickets. Peter Siddle is a marvellous chap, isn’t he? With aggression pouring out of his ears like steam, a Lion’s roar waiting to emerge from his mouth, he hits the pitch hard and gets the ball to talk. Moreover, he takes wickets aplenty and even when he is sent in as the night-watchman, he still scores at more than a run a ball. Watch and learn England. As for Ryan Harris, nobody knows how he has made it this far without being shot down by injury, but Ryno proved in this series that he is a damn good bowler when his body allows him to be. May all the Australian physiotherapists and masseurs be given knighthoods. Oh and don’t forget that Mr Harris enjoys a little skip to square leg and a big thrash of the old willow. Blooming brilliant.

Last but not least, it’s Jimmy. Okay so he went AWOL for a couple of Tests, but he’s got to be the finest operator of the swinging ball currently playing Test cricket. That ball to Clarke at Trent Bridge was nigh on unplayable (a bit like FTB’s Ashes XI). In fact, in light of this team selection, hopefully the ICC will allow the return series Down Under to be played in a quirky new format involving Tests, ODIs and t20s, with a point system deciding the winner of the urn. Because no matter what the format, this furiously competitive bunch of showmen would entertain the crowds until the clowns come home.

Why KP’s absence would be a good thing for everyone (but him!)

England’s decision to throw James Taylor into an Ashes tour match for Sussex against Australia on Friday seems to suggest that Kevin Pietersen’s calf strain is a serious one. The injury could keep him out of the third Ashes Test at Old Trafford beginning on August 1^st and 23-year-old Taylor could be the man to replace him. The Nottinghamshire batsman – who has played in two Test matches for his country – has thus been given the opportunity to prepare for a potential Ashes debut.

Taylor, who averages 47.83 in first-class cricket, could make his third international appearance one year on from his England debut, which came against South Africa on August 2^nd last year. The former England Lions skipper has been in good form in all formats this summer, averaging over fifty in the county championship and over a hundred in the YB40 competition. Although he only made 48 runs from his three innings against South Africa last summer, it is believed that Taylor is the next in line for KP’s slot, with the prodigal Ravi Bopara just behind him.

From an English perspective, should Pietersen be unfit to play at Old Trafford next week, it may be no bad thing at all. Taylor is an in-form young player with plenty of potential and on the basis of his domestic form, deserves a chance again at international level. KP meanwhile has looked far from his majestic best in the series so far, having made just 85 runs from four innings at an average just over 20. His much awaited return to the team has not quite gone according to plan for the South African-born batsman, having been absent over the past year due to personal differences and injury. The team dynamic would certainly not be affected by the absence of Pietersen’s ego, even if his undoubted talent leaves the batting line-up a touch short of experience.

This will be the opinion of the Australians – that an England side without Pietersen is a weaker one. Lehmann and co. will feel that Taylor’s lack of experience at international level is something they can exploit and having toured Australia with the Lions back in February, the Aussies should have some footage of him batting to analyse as well. One might suggest that Taylor’s lack of height (5 foot 6 inches) probably means that “Titch” will receive a polite welcome to Ashes cricket through a barrage of short pitched chin music.

England’s batting line-up, although not as bad as the Australians, have already shown frailties in the first and second Test matches, and without KP’s experience and “x-factor” ability, the Aussies will feel they can continue to unsettle the hosts relatively inexperienced top-order. Alongside the youthful Root, Bairstow and Taylor, Pietersen’s absence will put pressure on Cook, Trott and Bell to stand up and perform.

So let’s all hope that Pietersen’s injury keeps him out of the Old Trafford. It could be a good thing for everyone (apart from KP!) – for Englishman, for Australians and even more so for the neutrals, the cricket fans all over the globe who are hoping for a slightly less one-sided contest come August 1^st at Old Trafford.

England won’t target individuals, says Broad

Ahead of the start of this year’s Ashes series next week, England fast-bowler Stuart Broad says that England are not planning on copying dominant Australian teams of the past and targeting specific players in the Australia team.

Speaking at the Investec Ashes press conference in London, the Nottinghamshire seamer said that discussions and strategies regarding Australia’s batsman would begin at a team meeting this Sunday.

“I think every team would always target members of the opposition batting line-up. Whether they make that public is up to their personal preference.”

He added, “The Aussies probably used to target people but it’s certainly not something I’m going to do.”

Fast-bowling compatriot Steve Finn agreed with Broad, “Those days are past. We’ll have our meeting on Sunday and talk about how we can get people out, but in terms of actually targeting someone specific, there’s nothing like that.”

Meanwhile the retired former Australian Ashes winner Damien Martyn suggested that Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen would be the two key men in the England side that the Australian’s may look to target.

“From an England point of view, for us, I think Cook is a massive one. He’s an amazing player, an amazing leader and his record is outstanding. He stabilises that side, he’s always making runs, he opens the batting and he’s the captain as well.

“And then the X-factor is [Kevin] Pietersen. He is a match-winner. He’s been out a lot recently with injury and hasn’t played much cricket, but those are the two guys Australia will take a look at very closely.

“When Pietersen is in the side, he is always going to be dangerous from an opposition point of view.”

Martyn also stated that there would be no such Glenn McGrath “5-0” predictions or Shane Warne “Sherminator” style outbursts from the Australian team. He suggested that under new coach Darren Lehmann, the tourists will keep team business more private, rather than choosing to air their dirty laundry in public.

Coach-cum-commentator Tom Moody, suggested that the public humiliation of players meant that former-coach Mickey Arthur’s sacking became “inevitable”, stating that he “lost control” and “lost the trust” of the Australian players.

He also believes that the Australians under Lehmann will play with an “underlying confidence” and that the Aussies have been “written off far too early”.

“The unknown can happen in Ashes series. There’s unique pressure and a lot of expectation on both sides, particularly England.”