The great thing about cricket is that every time you think you have the answer, it evolves. So it is that the premise of this article was solid last week, but maybe not today!
After the second One Day International, I was ready to give Heather Knight the plaudits. In the T20 series at The Oval, Ellyse Perry nearly dragged Australia over the line singlehandedly with a load of sixes at the end. In Bristol, it was Knight who did get England over the line. That Bristol performance contrasted with what we see so often these days when teams over-attack and lose vital wickets – particularly when chasing.
Knight kept things simple and made sure she was around at the end. Knight did not try to ‘hog’ the strike, and so we were spared the scene that has blighted the Men’s Ashes this year – where the bowling team focus on getting the tailenders out, allowing Ben Stokes or Travis Head to keep hitting the sixes (Travis Head suggestion – try hitting his stumps). It worked well for Knight when Kate Cross was able to get a few boundaries.
Then Nat Sciver-Brunt tried to do the same thing and it did not work. It failed in two ways for Sciver-Brunt on Sunday. Firstly, she was not quite at her best – at her best she would have got a couple more boundaries or sixes. She was still brilliant by the way – it is a measure of how good she is. The second issue was that, whilst Sarah Glenn stuck around, she did not quite score enough runs. I would have sent Cross out yesterday. However, whilst one can say that England did not win the game on Sunday, the fact they were even in with a chance owed to the fact that Sciver-Brunt was in. Similarly, Knight needed to be in at the end for England to win in Bristol.
I saw something similar last week in the County Championship when Lancashire lost in Blackpool. Lancashire tried to play some ‘BazBall’ and should be applauded for attempting to chase a massive total. They needed to switch into defensive mode a bit sooner, and they ended up being bowled out. However, they nearly got the draw because Rob Jones batted almost till the end.
Within the last week, I have seen at least 3 limited overs games lost where a team failed to chase a total – once in the T20 Quarter-Final at Old Trafford when Lancashire slipped up, and twice yesterday when Surrey and Essex failed to chase targets. All three probably should have been won by the team chasing. In the QF, Jos Buttler was in and needed to stay in. In the Semi-Final, Surrey went too aggressive. In the final, Paul Walter failed to take advantage of some luck, going for a big slog and getting bowled.
This is not about ‘one size fits all’. Different games of cricket will need different tactics. But generally, I think it is true that batters need to put a high price on getting out. In the Men’s Ashes, England have been careless with wickets and it has cost them. I do not accept that England would be 3-0 up – the Aussies are too determined for that. But I think it probably would be 2-1 to England but for some poor batting choices made by all of Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow. The point is not that they got out, but that they were set and could have scored runs quickly – but they got out.
England Men must look at this. I am all for positive batting and support ‘BazBall’. England have competed in this series in a way they did not in the previous series when they tried to play ‘proper cricket’ .However, they must remember that BazBall cannot be played in the dressing room. Once you are out, you do not score runs, and your style of play counts for nothing. Old Trafford will be tricky because of the weather, but the pitch will be a good pitch. Runs will be on offer for those who play well. Steve Smith will want runs. England need them too.
Cricketed 