A 4-0 Whitewash

“We’ve got the best team in the world, we’ve got the best team in the world…!”

So rang out the chant of the Barmy Army as England secured another resounding victory, wrapping up the series 4-0 and securing their place at the top of the world Test rankings. This being the first time, since the ICC’s official Test ranking came into existence in 2003, that England have been ranked number one. A massive achievement in itself, yesterday also marked another milestone; a 4-0 whitewash. At the beginning of the series many thought the result would be a draw and while CicketChicks predicted an England victory, we (along with everyone else), never dreamt England would win 4-0 and, more importantly, by the margins they have. Yesterday saw another innings victory for England, the second of the series.

The question then, is have England really been that good or have India been that bad?

The answer is probably a combination of both. India came into this series ‘undercooked’, unprepared and unfit. Some of their key players had not played a Test Match since January, opting to miss a tour of the West Indies (surely it can be no coincidence that Rahul Dravid, the Indian ‘Man of the Series’, did play) and looking somewhat more rotund than usual. When you combine this with the ageing nature of the current Indian team and some injury problems, the result was never likely to be the competitive series we had all hoped for. Nothing, however, should be taken away from the England team. They were simply outstanding. Being fitter, stronger and more drilled then their Indian counterparts. While the Indian bowling attack was at best mediocre, the England batsman could only play what was in front of them; and play them they certainly did. Consistently making big runs (over 700 at Edgbaston and 591 at the Oval) and with a number of the England players contributing with much lauded “daddy hundreds” (Kevin Pietersen, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell all made scores in excess of 200), their batting was relentless. With the inclusion of Tim Bresnan (after the injury to Chris Tremlett) England batted all the way down to number ten. The bowling was equally superb. Taller, faster and more skilled than the Indian bowlers, England’s attack (led brilliantly by Jimmy Anderson) never allowed the Indian batsman to find any sort of form. As equally relentless as the batsman, they complemented each other perfectly and exerted the sort of pressure which resulted in the Indian team only reaching 300 once in eight innings. Indeed, it is testament to the way England bowled that Sachin Tendulkar never managed to reach the illusive milestone of his 100^th international century. This being the first time since 2008 that the ‘Little Master’ has not reached three figures at least once in a Test series. This is undoubtedly one of the best bowling attacks he, and his other superstar batsmen, have had to face in a very long time. After all, this same line-up, managed to make runs against South Africa late last year.

The Indian team, though, could have been a little tougher. As Dravid showed, runs could have been made. It would be difficult but not impossible. Unfortunately for Dravid, who ‘carried his bat’ at the Oval and was one of India’s only shinning lights (Praveen Kumar perhaps the other), many of his counterparts lacked such courage and resilience. The attitude of Virender Sehwag in the filed and the antics of Suresh Raina and Gautam Gambhir, are three of the most blatant examples of a questionable attitude. A criticism which can be aimed higher than at just the players themselves. One has to wonder what the BCCI were thinking, delaying Sehwag’s shoulder surgery so as he could play a full season of the IPL. Moreover, what were they thinking when they decided to recall RP Singh (someone who hasn’t played Test Cricket for three years)? Is too much emphasise on the shorter format of the game hampering India’s Test Match potential? It is interesting to note that England have the fewest number of IPL players. As the number one Test team in the world and, facing a huge series against your biggest aspiring rivals, India should have been primed and pumped for this series. Unfortunately, they were anything but.

So, what now for England?

Totally focused and utterly ruthless, England, under Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower, have all the makings of a truly great team. With this current eleven having an average age of just 28, they have the potential to dominate for years to come. Moreover, as has been proven in this series, they posses the strength in depth needed to sustain that higher level. Two away series in the subcontinent will be England’s next big challenge. But we wouldn’t bet against them succeeding there as well.

England are Number 1!!

England are the number one Test team in the world. Official. England are number one. What is so impressive, however, it is not merely the fact that England have managed to climb to the top of the rankings, but the way they have gone about it. England’s thrashing of India (with a victory by an innings and 242 runs there really can be no other word for it), was a million miles away from their abysmal 57 all out against the West Indies back in 2009. Since then, Andrews Strauss and Andy Flower have taken the reins, instilling a professional, focused and winning mentality. The odd Ashes victory was no longer going to be enough. England not only want to be the best, but the best for a very long time. The domination of world cricket, in the same vein as the West Indies team of the 1980s and the Australian team of the 2000s, is now in England’s sights.

Such was the gulf between the two teams, in the latest Test Match, that it looked as if England and India were playing on totally different wickets. Finally winning the toss, Andrew Strauss took the decision to bowl first; one that seemed dubious when India reached 51-1 and Rahul Dravid and Gutum Ghambir were well set. But, that would have been to underestimate the England bowling attack. Tall, fit, strong and skilled they managed to bowl India out once again for under three hundred. With India’s batting line-up back to full strength, this feat was even more remarkable. As too was the brilliance of Alastair Cook. Batting for over twelve hours and amassing 294 runs (oh, how he deserved a treble hundred), Cook’s physical and mental strength are both supreme. With Eoin Morgan chipping in with his own hundred and decent scores from most of the others (Ravi Bopara being the most notable failure - may this have been the perfect opportunity to give a chance to a young, up and coming batsman?), England amassed a staggering seven hundred runs. With a lead of over four hundred the nail was all but sealed in India’s coffin. James Anderson’s opening spell in the second innings was brilliant as he accounted for the top four. Though MS Dhoni and Praveen Kumar played some shots, India were once again all out for under three hundred.

England deserve to be the number one team in the world and the nation should be very proud. There have been (as has already been indicated) some abysmal performances from England in the past, but this England side seem to have turned a corner. For all those supporters who have stuck by them through thick and thin, this is your reward.

An England Master Class…

Another fabulous Test Match, another fantastic win for England and a further step towards them becoming the Number One Test Side. Put into bat (again) on another overcast morning, England quickly found themselves eight wickets down. While many feared the worst, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann looked totally fearless as they came out to bat. With a partnership worth 70 runs from just 73 deliveries it was not only crucial in getting England up to a competitive total but also in seizing the momentum. India, however, appeared to have grasped it back when they reached 267 for four; the partnership between Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Sing being worth 128 and looking ominous. That was until Broad’s hat-trick. A spell of bowling that, a few months ago, would have seemed almost impossible. But, such has been Broad’s transformation (ah, the benefits of bowling a fuller length), he is now arguably England’s premier bowler. OK, so his glorious hat-trick was greatly aided by the absence of the Decision Review System (oh, the irony for India), but it was still a fabulous spell and was crucial in restricting India’s lead to just 67. What was even more remarkable about England’s performance was the way they then batted in the second innings. Having lost two wickets while still trailing, Ian Bell’s 159 was sublime, as was Eoin Morgan’s 70 and Tim Bresnan’s 90. (A key feature of the series has indeed been not only England’s depth but strength in batting). Pummelling the Indian bowling attack (albeit depleted, with the continued absence of Zaheer Khan and the injury to Harbhajan Singh) into submission, England amassed an imposing lead of 477 runs. The batting taken care of, it was over to the bowlers who, once again, were superb; being much taller, fitter and skilled than there Indian counterparts and, thus, much more effective. While the star this time was Bresnan (with his six wickets), it was most definitely a team effort. While the build up to the series often pitted it as a battle between England’s bowlers and the India super-star batsman, it is clear who is winning the contest. Failing to reach 300 in four innings now, India are in real trouble.

One side looks the best in the world and it’s not India.

…But Some Controversy

One issue which proved to be a massive talking point of the Test Match (other than how badly India were playing that is), was the ‘Ian Bell run-out’. Everyone, it seems, has given their opinion, so CricketChicks thought they would give theirs as well.

Firstly, despite the ball looking like it had gone for four (and Praveen Kumar’s theatricalism on the boundary didn’t exactly help), Bell should not have merely assumed the ball was ‘dead’ (and, if you look at the replays I don’t think Eoin Morgan had made that assumption as he grounded his bat and signalled for Bell to wait). He was naive, silly, idiotic - call it what you want. He was not, however, trying to score another run. While the laws say he was technically out, India did the decent and honourable thing. My problem, however, is with Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss approaching Duncan Fletcher and MS Dhoni during the Tea break to ask them to reconsider their initial decision. If India had of (and I’m sure they would have) reversed their decision on their own, then fine. But, the idea of the opposition going and asking is just wrong and, what’s more, has the potential to open up a whole can of worms. As one of the Sky Commentators said, everyone knew Harhhajan Singh had gotten a massive inside edge onto the pads, so what was to stop the Indian Captain and Coach appealing to the England team?