2-0 down and counting…

So, when England lost the first One Day International CricketChicks said a 6-1 scoreline (in Australia’s favour) was possible but unlikely. Yet, they are starting to change their minds. If England continue to play in the manner which they have, both in Melbourne and Tasmania, a series defeat seems imminent.

While England started well with the ball, reducing Australia to 142-8, some undisciplined blowing saw them reach 230; with Marsh being the last man out for 110. When it came to the batting, England were even worse. A top score of just 32 is never going to win a One Day match. While it’s been said before, England are somewhat depleted in their bowling. Graeme Swann is injured, as is Stuart Broad. While James Anderson has been given time to return home. The latter two are now back with the team and are expected to play, if not in the next game, then the one after. This will bolster England’s death bowling, if nothing else. As for the batting, there really is no excuse. The top six are who most would pick for a starting eleven. Bringing Matt Prior back into the squad, on paper at least, made the batting stronger (even if it was a little hard on Steve Davies). Yet, he scored a duck . Prior was not, however, the only batsman to fail. Blown away by the pace of Brett Lee and Shaun Tait, England were (as in the ODI series at home last summer) found wanting. One of the biggest question marks though, hangs over Jonathon Trott. Is he or isn’t he a One Day player? The debate continues every time he plays. Last summer against Bangladesh he seemed unable to switch gears. Playing a cumulative innings is fine, if you are going to go on and make a big score. What is not acceptable, is getting out in the 30’s - as he did on Friday. Time to bring back Paul Collingwood? After all, the World Cup is only a few weeks away.

An Eye to the World Cup

So, the ODI series has gotten underway and CricketChicks can’t help remembering what happened the last time England played a one day series straight after winning the Ashes in 2009. Yes, that’s right, they lost (or to be more precise, they were humiliated) 6-1. Looking at events in Melbourne a couple of days ago, the same sort of scoreline is possible, though one would have to say unlikely. In the shorter format of the game Australia look a better side. They have a solid and rather rapid pace attack with Brett Lee (even though he is 34 now) and the possibility of Shaun Tait. The batting doesn’t look to bad either. As while Shane Watson is a make-shift Test opener, he is a genuine one day opener. A powerful hitter, who plays predominantly straight of the wicket, Watson showed just what he was capable of on Sunday with a brilliant 166 not out. The highest one day score for an Australian against England. What was even more fitting about his achievement, is that he comes from Ipswich; the Brisbane town devastated by the floods. His innings at least gave them something to cheer about.

How long Australia’s winning streak will continue, however, is uncertain. As while Australia do look a better ODI side and are still currently ranked number one in the world, England are more than a fair match. The narrowness of the victory (and the closeness of the twenty20 games) proves that these two sides are more than compatible; with more narrow victories likely to follow. What let England down in the first game was some indiscipline bowling. Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shazad simply gave away too many runs at the death - full tosses and no-balls are no no’s in ODI cricket. In all likelihood though, if England had the side they would have liked to have picked (both Stuart Broad and James Anderson being absent) they wouldn’t have been in that position and England may have sneaked a victory. However, they also could have done with their batters getting a few more runs. With the start Andrew Strauss and Steve Davies got them off to (backed up superbly by KP) England should have made 320/340. Yet, too many batsman came and went. The dropping of Paul Collingwood was also an interesting move. One, however, that didn’t pay off for me. He may be having a torrid time with the bat, but he is indispensable in the filed and with the ball in ODI cricket. Maybe he does need some rest, as Strauss explained but I would like to see Colly back sooner rather than later. Especially, as he could be a key player for England in the World Cup.

Talking of the World Cup, the squads have to be announced by Wednesday. So, CricketChicks thought they’d share who they would take on the plane.

CricketChicks 15 Man World Cup Squad :-

1) Andrew Strauss
2) Steve Davies
3) Jonathon Trott
4) Kevin Pietersen
5) Paul Collingwood
6) Ian Bell
7) Eoin Morgan
8) Ravi Bopara
9) Graeme Swann
10) Michael Yardy
11) James Tredwell
12) James Anderson
13) Stuart Broad
14) Tim Bresnan
15) Ajmal Shazad

Collingwood, we salute you!

He jumped before he was pushed. That’s the crude assessment of Paul Collingwood’s retirement from Test cricket. With no score of significance (OK, with no score at all) in the five match Ashes series and with his fellow batsman all achieving a century at some point, Collingwood was the obvious blot on otherwise rosy picture. Yet, while a series average of less than twenty is no where near good enough, this should not blight the reputation of a true English Lion.

Born into a working-class family, Collingwood grew up in Shotley Bridge, a Durham village famous for sword making. A north eastern lad through and through, Collingwood is as tough as it gets. Never the most naturally gifted of players, his strong belief that you have to fight to get where you want to be and that your mark is made over the hard yards, has served him well. Playing for Durham and then finally getting his big break into the national side, during the 2005 Ashes, Collingwood never looked back. Since that memorable series, he has missed just three Tests. Something which reflects both his immense fitness and passion to serve his country. One of the best fielders in world cricket and a handy bowler too (his last Test wicket being that of Mike Hussey) Collingwood has been indispensable to the side. In fact, whenever England have been in a whole, Collingwood’s been the man they turn too. Dogged and determined, he is the arch battler. His most memorable innings have been when England’s backs were against the wall. Who can forget the 2009 Ashes series, were Collingwood batted for most of the final day of the first Test in order to ensure England secured a draw. A feat which was vital to England’s overall success and something he repeated less than six months later out in South Africa. Collingwood also has a double hundred against Australia. In fact, his batting average of 40.82, is nothing to scoff at. Being higher than both Michael Atherton and Nasser Husain.

Overall though, what England fans will miss most about Collingwood is his spirit. He’s been proud to wear the three lions and has always given it his all. An ordinary lad from Durham who achieved his dream of playing for England at the highest level. He said in a recent interview that he “wasn’t made for fairytales”, but that seems like a pretty good one to me.

Anyway, while he may have retired from Test cricket he’s still Twenty20 captain and a vital One Day International player. There’s still plenty of life in the boy from Shotley Bridge yet.

A Record Breaking Series

What a difference four years make. 5-0 was the scoreline, as England succumbed to a humiliating defeat, in that (best forgotten) 2006/07 ashes series. Now its the turn of the Aussies. As stand-in-skipper, Michael Clarke, explained “It hurts even more in your own country”.

Comprehensively beaten at the Sydney Cricket Ground then, (the third time in this series that the Australians have lost by an innings), the final scoreline of 3-1 is a true and just reflection of the huge gulf between the two sides. England were simply outstanding. The Aussies weren’t simply beaten, but annihilated; being outplayed in every facet of the game. From the moment they stepped off the plane, England were focused and determined. Their aim was simple; to win every match they played. Apart from the Third Test at Perth (a loss for England which can partly be attributed to giddiness but mostly attributed to the anomaly that is the WACA wicket), England succeeded in every area.

It was in the batting department that cricket history was re-written and numerous records broken; with Alastair Cook being chief breaker. What a difference six months make. Rewind to the English summer and Cook was hanging on to his place by a thread. CricketChicks were at the opening day of the Oval Test Match between England and Pakistan and, did indeed, share in the views of most of the crowd when Cook, once again, failed to get a score in the first innings. “That’s the end of Cook, he wont be going to Australia now”, was the almost unanimous cry. Yet, in England’s second innings, he managed to reach 110 and thus managed to book his seat on the plane, at least. Fast forward to today and Cook was the ‘man of the series’ with a total of 766 runs. Over the course of these five Tests Cook has batted for a staggering 2,171 minutes (the longest anyone has batted in a five match series), he has shared record partnerships with both Andrew Strauss and Jonathon Trott, beaten Don Bradman’s record to achieve the highest individual score at the Gaba and the sixth best Ashes score of all time for an England player, and has officially scored more runs than anyone else and batted longer than anyone else without being out. Cook has simply been outstanding. Demonstrating a more comfortable and relaxed technique, and both a supreme mental and physical strength, no one has come close to what Cook has achieved. At only 26, lets hope there is plenty more were this came from. While Cook’s achievements deserve all the accolades, he was superbly backed up by a number of batsman. In total the England team achieved nine centuries; the highest number ever scored by an England team in an Ashes series and way ahead of the measly three managed by Australia. Paul Collingwood aside, England’s top seven all managed to reach a century at some stage of the series. Kevin Pietersen’s 227 at the Adelaide Oval was his best score yet, while Trott further cemented his place at number three with a consistently good performance and Ian Bell just gets better and better. The fact that most of England’s batsman averaged over fifty, speaks volumes.

While the quality of England’s batting allowed the bowlers plenty of time to rest and plenty of runs to play with, in order to win a Test Match, a team still has to take twenty wickets. Before the series started the composition of England’s attack was hotly debated. Should they pick five bowlers? Should they have picked Tim Bresnan? Being two of the key questions. In team selection and preparation, much credit has to go to Andy Flower and David Saker (the fast bowling coach). Not only have they made some good calls - most notably, dropping Steven Finn for Chris Tremlett (who, as the second highest wicket tacker of the series, has proved a revelation) and bringing in Tim Bresnan for the last two Tests (who, despite often being seen as nothing more than a journeymen, proved to be a more than adequate fourth seamer) - they have also conditioned the players well. The consistency, patience and accuracy of all England’s bowlers has been absolutely fundamental to the teams success. And while Cook deserves a special mention, so too does James Anderson. Four years ago, by his own admittance, he didn’t bowl well; wayward, inaccurate and low on confidence, he let the Aussies dominate him. Not so now. The undisputed leader of England’s attack, in possession of variation and with a razor sharp tongue, Anderson has grown into the potent, confident, swing bowler we all hoped he would be. If there could be two men of the series, Anderson would be the second.

In their fielding, fitness, strength of character and determination, England have outshone Australia. Confused in selection and lacking in talent, the Aussies failed miserably. If this Australian team is being branded as one of the worst ever, then this England team have the potential to be one of the greatest ever. Rising to third in the Test rankings, a series against India (the number one Test team in the world) in the summer and the Cricket World Cup only a couple of moths away, the 2010’s could be England’s decade. Looking at what they have achieved in just four years, anything is possible.

ENGLAND RETAIN THE ASHES!

England have retained the Ashes. Yes, England have retained the Ashes. Is it just CricketChicks or does that get better every time you say it?!

England’s performance at the MCG was a master class in how to play cricket. Winning the toss on an overcast day and with a green topped pitch, Andrew Strauss made exactly the right decision when he elected to bowl first. He (and Andy Flower) also made the right decision in electing to leave out Steven Finn (currently England’s leading wicket taker) for Tim Bresnan, who, on a slow and low pitch, provided control as well as chipping in with some vital wickets. Meanwhile, Chris Tremlett proved he was much more than a ‘horses for courses’ pick at the WACA, adjusting his length to snare four vital wickets. Together, Bresnan and Tremlett didn’t do bad for a second string bowling attack and, with James Anderson added to the mix, the result was carnage. Australia all out for 98. Yes, Australia all out for 98. Is it just CricketChicks or does that also get better every time you say it?!

England’s reply was mighty as the batsman, this time, conducted a lesson in leaving anything wide of off stump. Solid in defence and confident in his stroke play, Jonathon Trott was by far the stand out batsman. While he may not be pretty (and in fact at times rather annoying) he is a mighty effective number three. A line-up without him, seems unimaginable now. In contrast a line-up without Paul Collingwood seems ever more likely. Another low score and some missed catches, while fielding at slip to Graeme Swann, may prove to be the final nail in his coffin. The question, however, is whether England will give Collingwood another chance or prove to be as ruthless as they were with Finn. If he does play, the Sydney Test will be a massive opportunity for Collingwood to prove that he is still capable of playing at the highest level, while if he doesn’t, it will be a massive opportunity for his most likely replacement, Eoin Morgan, to stake a claim for the number five position.

While England’s only problem seems to be the form of Collingwood, Australia’s are much, much bigger. Well and truly hammered in this Test, the wheels appear to have well and truly come off for Ricky Ponting. His verbal tirade at both umpires shows a man desperate to keep not only his job but his place in the side. Yet, as was revealed today, this decisions seems to have been taken out of dear old Ricky’s hands as the selectors announced he would miss the final Test. While the reason given is Ricky’s damaged little finger, one can’t help feeling that it has more to do with national embarrassment and a lack of patience. It seems there can be no way back for Ricky. It’s a sorry end to a quality batsman’s career, but, if any consolation can be offered, it seems unlikely that Michael Clarke will do any better. Not only is he, reportedly, highly unpopular amongst the team but he simply doesn’t have the quality of players the Aussies once took for granted. It’s for this simple reason that Australia are two down and in all probability will be three down by the end of the series.

All England have to do is to continue as they have. 2-2 doesn’t nearly sound as convincing as 3-1. Now, that score-line really would be something worth re-saying.

Third Test Déjà vu

It’s the summer of 2009 and England have just beaten Australia for the first time in 75 years, in a Test Match at Lords. The nation is euphoric and expectant. After a draw at Edgbaston, the focus turns to the crucial third Test; a win at Headingley and England cannot lose the series. The result, a crushing defeat for the home nation by an innings and 80 runs. Unable to cope with both pace and movement, England’s batsman were undone by the Australian quick’s and outclassed by some solid batting. The result, 1-1 and everything still to play for.

The course of an Ashes series, it seems, is destined never to run smooth. Or so it would appear for England. All hopes of inflicting a crushing defeat on the home side (we were thinking 4-0) and of extracting some revenge for what they did to us four years ago, faded meekly on Sunday morning as Australia hammered England by a 267 run win. Another crucial third Test, another loss for England and once again, the Ashes held in the balance.

Yet, can England’s most recent loss simply be put down to giddiness, as was the case at Headingley? As while the prospect of a first win down under for over 25 years may be enough to cause the said effect, Australia have most definitely upped their game. Vilified by their press, slated by their fans and with a Captain hanging onto his job by a thread, the Aussies came out fighting. Opting not to pick a front line spinner, they (literally) hit England hard with an all out pace attack. The enigma that is Mitchell Johnson, went from zero to hero, as he finally found some form with both pace and late swing; a deadly combination, as six of England’s batsman were to find out in the first innings. Their low scores contributing to a poor overall total of 187. The second innings was not, however, much better. All out for a pathetic 123, the culprit this time being Ryan Harris, claiming half the English wickets. The fastest track in international cricket, the WACA, reminded the world what a joy to watch rapid, hostile bowling can be. While it reminded the English what a force Australia can still be.

One of the main reasons the Aussies were tipped as favourites (by the bookies at least) before the series began, was because of their home advantage. Nowhere is this more crucial than in Perth. In a world dominated by benign pitches, the WACA is the exception. While England’s bowlers did a reasonable job in adjusting (Chris Tremlett was outstanding, taking his first Test Five-For) the batsman did not. In fact, the only batsman who did (and in possession of the century to prove it) is Mike Hussey, who, incidentally, plays his cricket for Western Australia. That said, despite the pace and bounce of the pitch, England’s batsman should have done better. A fact which has left many asking whether England should consider making some changes to their line up. Paul Collingwood, who has failed to make any score of significance since the start of the series, is most in the firing line with talk of him moving down to six (the in-form Ian Bell consequently moving up) or even being dropped for Eoin Morgan. The bowlers may not escape unscathed either. Steven Finn, (who despite being England’s leading wicket taker) is also expensive and fatigued, seems most likely to be left out.

While, the loss at Perth is not ideal, England shouldn’t panic. Just look back at how the 2009 series ended.

Changing Fortunes

The series may stand at 1-0, but the gulf between England and Australia, is much greater than the score line would suggest. While England continued to improve on their performance at Brisbane, Australia seemed, if anything, to have gotten worse at Adelaide. Bowled out for a well below par 245, Australia’s bowlers once again proved ineffective (that being despite the introduction of Ryan Harris and Doug Bollinger), as England’s top order (with the exception of Strauss) once again cashed in. Another century for Alastair Cook - and more records broken - as well as a sublime 226 for Kevin Pietersen (a very much welcomed return to form), saw England rack up 620-4 declared. Facing a sizeable deficit it was time then, for the Australian top order to mirror that of England. However, a mixture of brilliant bowling (Graeme Swann finally finding his rhythm and taking a five-for) and out-of-form batsman (most notably Ricky Ponting himself and Marcus North), resulted in the inevitable concoction of a defeat by a staggering innings and 71 runs. To borrow that infamous heading by Martin Johnson, Australia, it seems, can’t bat, bowl or field.

Unsurprisingly then, the Australian selectors have made a few changes for the third test in Perth; many of which make little sense. Ok, so Australia have been forced to make a change at the top of the order (brining in Philip Hughes for the injured Simon Katich), while the replacement of North, for the young leg-spinner Steve Smith, seems to be a sensible move. But, dropping Doug Bollinger after only one test and brining back Mitchell Johnson (who hasn’t played a first class match since the Brisbane test and was hopeless in that match to boot) defies logic. As does the selection of the left-arm spinner Michael Beer. Relatively unknown, he is the tenth spinner Australia have tried since the retirement of Shane Warne. Playing for Western Australia, Beer seems to be a ‘horses-for-courses’ selection. While this can sometimes pay off, it invariably fails (remember the Darren Pattinson debacle anyone?). It’s also a little harsh on Xavier Doherty. Ok, so he’s not the best spinner in the world, but will Beer be any better? It’s also a little harsh on Nathan Hauritz, who continues to be overlooked despite the fact that he bowled relatively well in the 2009 Ashes series. What these changes highlight then, is that Australia are confused and muddled. Clueless as to when, or how, their next victory will come, they are desperately searching for the ‘X factor’. Unfortunately, players such as Warne and Glenn McGrath - who possessed such a quality - are rarer than an England win down under.

Talking of England, the only blot on their tour so far, is the injury to Stuart Broad. Forced to go home with an abdominal strain, CricketChicks hope the selectors pick Chris Tremlett as his replacement - for the Perth test at least. As at the WACCA he could be mighty effective. What were we saying about ‘horses-for-courses’?