2014- The Sequel: England in 2015.
Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2015 4:09 pmLest we forget, 2014.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20271
Twenty-fourteen didn't feel so great for English cricket that it demanded a sequel, but it left so many stories hanging that inevitably part two would have to be commissioned. If we remember, part one ended with Peter Moores and Paul Downton dangling on the end of a rope, with the press standing on the edge of a cliff trying to stop them from plumetting into the ravine. Former England star Kevin Pietersen was in exile, his grievances laid before the public in a (pretty justified) best selling litany of point settling. Former England captain Andrew Strauss was establishing a new career as a plain speaking commentator, as if imagined by Viz magazine. The public awaited with interest the impact former Costcutter supremo Colin Graves would have as leader of English cricket. The ECB responded to the crisis surrounding Test and ODI captain Alastair Cook, by getting a video made of him having his hair cut.
And if the story of 2015 had its origins in that most dismal year, there is a sense that the arc has run its course. For that, it's fair to credit Andrew Strauss, Director, English Cricket, for good or ill. Strauss replaced Downton, and cut off the dangling Moores. After Graves offered Pietersen a way back, Strauss blocked that off and managed to shut up Graves. The press and tv were got back onside, by various means. The Putin-like Giles Clarke held onto influence simply by ignoring the end to his period in charge, rising to Emperor of the ECB. And so English cricket began to appear functional, in a way the pre-glasnost DDR was functional.
The year began at its lowest point, with England's ignominious exit from Cricket World Cup. The press and Moores had defined a minimum level of achievement, which was that they would qualify for the last eight by beating the minnows and rely on good fortune thereafter. But the plan appeared flawed when it became clear that England were one of the minnows. Little progress was made in the West Indies with a drawn Test series. The ECB chairman in waiting Colin Graves' assessment of the hosts as 'mediocre' didn't stop them winning in Barbados. At the airport on the way in, Cook and Moores had identified uncapped opener Adam Lyth as a chief reason for optimism, then neglected to pick him, or similarly capless leg spinner Adil Rashid. Recalled Jonathan Trott said a sad farewell to the England side with a string of low scores. Ian Bell scored his last Test century to date. If there was any real cause for optimism in the England bubble, it was the return to form of Alastair Cook, who began to co-ordinate his feet movement and scored his first ton for two years.
The ECB leaked Peter Moores' sacking before an ODI in Ireland, scheduled to take place while the players were still travelling back from the Caribbean. It was business as usual at the ECB, who leaked that Jason Gillespie would be the new coach. And so, with the Ashes approaching, assistant coach Paul Farbrace's old colleague, Trevor Bayliss took the job. In a way, the early summer series against New Zealand was a high point of the year, just for the vibe. The likeable Kiwis under the impressive leadership of Brendan McCullum brought with them their atavistic respect for the spirit of the game, and England responded in kind. In the drawn Test series, and the successful ODIs, England's new stars were prominent. Jos Buttler scored England's fastest ever ODI ton, and England compiled their highest One Day score as they sought to update their limited over game. New England become something other than an old song by Billy Bragg.
Australia arrived as big favourites, and though England regained the Ashes, and while this was unexpected, it didn't feel like much of a high. After England lost heavily at Lord's, very particular surfaces were provided at Nottingham and Birmingham, as they been for the Indians in 2014. It was the Goldilocks pitch. One that would provide sideways movement for the England seamers, but no pace for the Aussie quicks. At Edgbaston, Anderson and Finn bowled the visitors out cheaply. At Trent Bridge, Broad thrillingly routed the guests inside eighteen overs. On a flatter surface, with the Ashes won, England were pasted in the dead rubber at the Oval. And it was an Ashes too far, in a glut of meetings between the two sides.
In a way, the defeat to Pakistan in UAE felt a greater achievement. England were indebted to Cook in Abu Dhabi, where they did what they so rarely manage. They withstood scoreboard pressure; they didn't flunk a tricky examination of their stamina and mental strength. Only bad light robbed them of an astonishing win. The lower order very nearly scrambled a draw in Dubai. But, if England won the big points in the Ashes, they lost them in the Emirates, and their flaws found them out in the end, with the top order collapsing in Dubai and Sharjah.
In 2015, England were too reliant on two batters and two bowlers. Cook and Joe Root averaged sixty with the bat, the next highest scorer being Ben Stokes, who averaged thirty. Anderson and Broad took their wickets at under 26, but the next highest wicket taker, Moeen Ali, took his at 45.
Strauss backed Alastair Cook as England Test captain. Cook won five and lost six over the year, drawing two series, winning the Ashes and losing to Pakistan. Strauss stuck with Eoin Morgan as limited overs skipper, which may well have had the benefit of protecting Cook from a challenge for his Test leadership. While Morgan's re-appointment looks like the vindication of a clear headed refusal to panic, Cook's retention feels increasingly an act of stubbornness. He's a better captain under Bayliss than he was under Moores, which suggests a problem. Left to his own devises, in a leadership crisis, he was hapless in the West Indies. Cook appears to be back as a Test opener, freed from his extended ODI experiment. But whatever feelgood in English cricket survives 2015, it comes from its younger players. It's time to give them the lead.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20271
Twenty-fourteen didn't feel so great for English cricket that it demanded a sequel, but it left so many stories hanging that inevitably part two would have to be commissioned. If we remember, part one ended with Peter Moores and Paul Downton dangling on the end of a rope, with the press standing on the edge of a cliff trying to stop them from plumetting into the ravine. Former England star Kevin Pietersen was in exile, his grievances laid before the public in a (pretty justified) best selling litany of point settling. Former England captain Andrew Strauss was establishing a new career as a plain speaking commentator, as if imagined by Viz magazine. The public awaited with interest the impact former Costcutter supremo Colin Graves would have as leader of English cricket. The ECB responded to the crisis surrounding Test and ODI captain Alastair Cook, by getting a video made of him having his hair cut.
And if the story of 2015 had its origins in that most dismal year, there is a sense that the arc has run its course. For that, it's fair to credit Andrew Strauss, Director, English Cricket, for good or ill. Strauss replaced Downton, and cut off the dangling Moores. After Graves offered Pietersen a way back, Strauss blocked that off and managed to shut up Graves. The press and tv were got back onside, by various means. The Putin-like Giles Clarke held onto influence simply by ignoring the end to his period in charge, rising to Emperor of the ECB. And so English cricket began to appear functional, in a way the pre-glasnost DDR was functional.
The year began at its lowest point, with England's ignominious exit from Cricket World Cup. The press and Moores had defined a minimum level of achievement, which was that they would qualify for the last eight by beating the minnows and rely on good fortune thereafter. But the plan appeared flawed when it became clear that England were one of the minnows. Little progress was made in the West Indies with a drawn Test series. The ECB chairman in waiting Colin Graves' assessment of the hosts as 'mediocre' didn't stop them winning in Barbados. At the airport on the way in, Cook and Moores had identified uncapped opener Adam Lyth as a chief reason for optimism, then neglected to pick him, or similarly capless leg spinner Adil Rashid. Recalled Jonathan Trott said a sad farewell to the England side with a string of low scores. Ian Bell scored his last Test century to date. If there was any real cause for optimism in the England bubble, it was the return to form of Alastair Cook, who began to co-ordinate his feet movement and scored his first ton for two years.
The ECB leaked Peter Moores' sacking before an ODI in Ireland, scheduled to take place while the players were still travelling back from the Caribbean. It was business as usual at the ECB, who leaked that Jason Gillespie would be the new coach. And so, with the Ashes approaching, assistant coach Paul Farbrace's old colleague, Trevor Bayliss took the job. In a way, the early summer series against New Zealand was a high point of the year, just for the vibe. The likeable Kiwis under the impressive leadership of Brendan McCullum brought with them their atavistic respect for the spirit of the game, and England responded in kind. In the drawn Test series, and the successful ODIs, England's new stars were prominent. Jos Buttler scored England's fastest ever ODI ton, and England compiled their highest One Day score as they sought to update their limited over game. New England become something other than an old song by Billy Bragg.
Australia arrived as big favourites, and though England regained the Ashes, and while this was unexpected, it didn't feel like much of a high. After England lost heavily at Lord's, very particular surfaces were provided at Nottingham and Birmingham, as they been for the Indians in 2014. It was the Goldilocks pitch. One that would provide sideways movement for the England seamers, but no pace for the Aussie quicks. At Edgbaston, Anderson and Finn bowled the visitors out cheaply. At Trent Bridge, Broad thrillingly routed the guests inside eighteen overs. On a flatter surface, with the Ashes won, England were pasted in the dead rubber at the Oval. And it was an Ashes too far, in a glut of meetings between the two sides.
In a way, the defeat to Pakistan in UAE felt a greater achievement. England were indebted to Cook in Abu Dhabi, where they did what they so rarely manage. They withstood scoreboard pressure; they didn't flunk a tricky examination of their stamina and mental strength. Only bad light robbed them of an astonishing win. The lower order very nearly scrambled a draw in Dubai. But, if England won the big points in the Ashes, they lost them in the Emirates, and their flaws found them out in the end, with the top order collapsing in Dubai and Sharjah.
In 2015, England were too reliant on two batters and two bowlers. Cook and Joe Root averaged sixty with the bat, the next highest scorer being Ben Stokes, who averaged thirty. Anderson and Broad took their wickets at under 26, but the next highest wicket taker, Moeen Ali, took his at 45.
Strauss backed Alastair Cook as England Test captain. Cook won five and lost six over the year, drawing two series, winning the Ashes and losing to Pakistan. Strauss stuck with Eoin Morgan as limited overs skipper, which may well have had the benefit of protecting Cook from a challenge for his Test leadership. While Morgan's re-appointment looks like the vindication of a clear headed refusal to panic, Cook's retention feels increasingly an act of stubbornness. He's a better captain under Bayliss than he was under Moores, which suggests a problem. Left to his own devises, in a leadership crisis, he was hapless in the West Indies. Cook appears to be back as a Test opener, freed from his extended ODI experiment. But whatever feelgood in English cricket survives 2015, it comes from its younger players. It's time to give them the lead.