International Cricket (Men) – Page 2

Lords digest

The second test match created lots of talking points and an amazing spectrum of dull cricket to extremely exciting cricket. Here is my view of the key points.

Its just not BazBall

Despite all the hype, England are not playing the cricket they played last year. They need to look closely at what worked last year. They have lost the sharpness and the excitement of last year in the field, the variety with the ball and the common sense with the bat. One of the most memorable moments of last year’s home season for England was the way Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow battled and ‘dug in’ against India before taking the attack when chasing the target in Birmingham. That is missing from 2023.

Cosy and Comfortable

For some of the players, it has got too cosy. Whilst we do not want to go back to 30 players a series (see 1988 and 89), the players need to know that if they fail, they can be dropped. Equally, county players need to know they can get into the team. It does not seem to be the case at the moment.

Bowling: the true difference between the teams

England’s batting lacks variety, and they miss having Ben Foakes coming in down the order to play differently if needed. Lack of variety is an even bigger problem when bowling. At Lords, we failed to pick a spinner, and we had 5 right arm bowlers, most of whom were unable to get past 80mph. That collection of ‘samey’ bowlers were poor on Day 1 – and that is where the Second Test Match was lost.

Equally, Australia won the game on Day 4 with brilliant bowling to get rid of Root and Harry Brook. England will have to shake up the bowling quickly – Mark Wood has to join Josh Tongue and Stuart Broad. Ollie Robinson needs to go away and find that little bit of ‘nip’ that he has lost. And, sadly, it has been one too far for James Anderson.

I am not convinced by Scott Boland or Cameron Green, but Josh Hazelwood, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are all brilliant. Baz Ball or not, it is bowlers that win test matches.

Steve Smith (again)

I mean, what can one say, other than that England needs to get Steve Smith out. One more big Smith score and it is all over. Smith looks angry but driven. He is not a nice batter to watch. But he is brilliant.

My biggest frustration is that England falls into a trap of bowling where he wants them to. It has been happening for years. They see him walk across so they bowl at his legs. Guess what? It’s 4 to midwicket. They see his footwork and bowl wide, and it rockets past point for 4. Like that South African nemesis of the same name, Graeme Smith, England needs to bowl the same way at Smith as to everyone else. When bouncer theory works, use it, but otherwise, top of off stump, please.

Bodyline 2023

England were vilified for getting out to bouncers. They want to lose, said Michael Vaughan, who seems determined to see England lose. The criticism was widespread but went too far – the fact is that nobody on either team had an answer on that Lords pitch to the bouncer.

We will see if it is just that modern players can not deal with it or if the pitch was awkward because we will see a lot more in the final three games.

The Lyon roars

I have not always been a fan of Nathan Lyon but in this series, he has come over well. I was sad to see him out of the series injured. He still made a remarkable contribution with the bat – on one leg. That hopped run will live long in the memory and deserves the greatest respect. Lyon allowed 15 runs to be added by batting as he did. That would have got England’s target into the 20s – which always changes things.

Endless Extras

Before we talk about the controversial moments, let’s deal with the careless ones. England lost by 43 runs but conceded 74 extras. If we dismiss the byes, it is still 25 no-balls and wides. And of course, we had the standard Ben Stokes wicket off no-ball, though he made up for it. A couple of dropped catches, and suddenly, you have found those 43 runs.

Sack the bowling coach, get some practice in. For crying out loud, STOP THE NO BALLS.

Silly Starc

I have no time for this one. Starc caught the ball and then dragged it along the ground with his fingers over the ball. Of course, it’s not out. I cannot understand why anyone would think it was out.

Of course, maybe in the past, those were given. That does not make it right to give it now. That being said, we need consistency, which has been lacking for years when it comes to catches.

Bonkers Bairstow

I do not have much time for the Jonny Bairstow controversy either, but we will spend a bit more time on this. Bairstow was correctly given out after he strolled out of his crease. It really should not be more controversial than that. In the same way as the so-called Mankad, the whole mess can easily be stopped if batters just stay in the crease. He was sloppy and dozy. He deserved to be out and should have walked off.

These are professional cricketers who cannot afford to throw games away. To expect them not to appeal or to withdraw the appeal is not fair or realistic. Captains like Paul Collingwood, and even Brendan McCullum, made the decision to appeal and afterwards wished they had not. But afterwards is pointless – the game is lost by then.

But what about ‘The Spirit of Cricket’?

It seems to me that the so-called ‘Spirit of Cricket’ does nothing to create good spirit. It creates controversy and anger. It creates self-righteousness. It creates conflict and aggression. It gets MCC members so angry that they have to be suspended.

All the conflict around ‘Mankads’ would not exist but for ‘The Sprit of Cricket’. The problem is that it relies too much on individual interpretation. That interpretation often comes in high-pressure moments when vast numbers of people are watching. Often, many of those people watching want to see a particular team win. They are watching cricket, not listening to The Moral Maze. The idea that a Captain takes a choice that risks a winning position is hard to accept. We will have to see if Ben Stokes lives up to his rhetoric – cricket is such a funny beast that he is sure to find himself on the other side of controversy at some point in the summer.

As far as I can tell, the Spirit of Cricket does more harm than good. Here is a crazy idea. If we do not like the rules of a game – change them. Let’s make the rules around Run Outs at the bowler’s end clear. Let’s not allow run-outs unless the batter is intending to run. Change the rules. Don’t expect Captains to interpret the nefarious ‘Sprit of Cricket’ and all make the ‘right’ decision. Because I promise you – they won’t. Under pressure, with people watching, they will make the decision most likely to win the game.

Scintillating Stokes

As for Stokes the batter, we have seen it before. He has the ability to see through the impossible that not many people have. I have no words that have not already been uttered. A captain can do little in that situation. In the end, Stokes could not do it. Imagine if we had not conceded those extras though.

Saying all of that, Stokes did need runs. He really is not going to be a bowler for much longer and will have to convert himself back to that batter at 5 who can play in different ways at different times. To be honest, it is debatable how long he will be around for at all. We must treasure it while we can.

Ashes 2023: Day 6 minus 1: Stop the Slop

Tomorrow, England start again, and they simply have to win the second test match. I do not mean that they need to ‘feel like’ they have won. I mean that they actually need to win, and the scoreline needs to be 1-1.

Sloppy and over-confident?

A lot of attention has focussed on the first innings declaration. My view is that England would soon have been bowled out anyway. Probably, England would have lasted 3 more overs or so for little benefit, and the Aussies would not have batted until the next morning. Then everyone would have been critical of the none-declaration.

You can agree or disagree with the declaration – and its not a call I would have made – but it is not why England lost the game. Neither did over-aggresion. Equally, the Australian negativity did not win them the game and neither did Pat Cummins captaincy. His batting and bowling won them the game – not his tactics.

England lost because they were sloppy – simple as that. When I say they were over-confident, what I mean is they picked players who were not match fit and hoped to get away with it. They were wrong.

They might have got away with carrying one or two players, but all of Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Ollie Robinson and Jimmy Anderson looked either rusty or were unfit. That is almost half the team. Add in Stuart Broad’s no-balls, Harry Brook’s failure to convert starts into scores and Joe Root’s second innings shot, and it looks very sloppy.

BazBall is working

Despite all this, BazBall is working. I have never seen so much noise and moaning coming out of Australia during an Ashes series. Not a day goes by without the wisdom of one of the Aussie old boys. Matt Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Mark Taylor, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin….the list goes on. Except for Marnus Labuschagne, the players have been quieter since the first game, but before that, they were pretty bullish.

The Australians know that BazBall presents the greatest threat, and they would love nothing more than to see the England players go all ‘meek and mild’. Then it would be back to the last Ashes series, which, as we all know, is null void.

Lords: Room to improve

I heard Jim Maxwell calling for Ben Foakes, saying that the Aussies can get better, but England can’t. The good news for Stokes is that this is not true. When a team makes as many sloppy errors as they did in Birmingham, it gives a great deal of room for basic improvement.

All we need now is for Michael Vaughan to ‘roast’ Jonny Bairstow. That is a sure-fire way to generate a Bluey Hundred.

Ashes 2023: Day 3

A classy knock

An alien landing at Edgbaston would quickly work out that England fans seem dislike Steve Smith but also fear him. David Warner has won the fans over a bit, but he is also feared. Everybody expects Marnus Labuschange to make runs at some point.

However, I, for one, did not realise that Usman Khawaja could play like that. He ground England down while playing classy shots. It was a great relief when he was bowled by Stuart Broad, and a surprise when he did not press on for 200, done in by a bizarre Ben Stokes field.

I remember a loose player coming in against England at 2010/11. Like Smith, the early impressions were very wrong.

Missed chances

England could and should have had a lead of 100. They missed useful chances, with Broad’s no-ball being particularly frustrating. Broad was self-critical and did not look to make any excuses, and he was right to point out that over his career, he has not bowled many. English cricket has a real problem with no-balls – yesterday I was at Old Trafford and saw another one when Luke Wood overstepped for Lancashire. I do not remember Lord Botham bowling very many – though he did not have a third umpire to contend with. But this is surely basic stuff that any coach should stamp out.

The Jonny Bairstow situation is more difficult. At the start of the summer, I could not see how Bairstow could be fit to keep wicket in a test match given his injury last year. Even if he is fit, he is out of practice. When was the last time he ‘kept for England for any sort of period? I can not see how you get Ben Foakes into this team without making a tough call on someone, and all the top-order are going to know it. Having already decided that Root stays at 4, the openers are safe. So Ollie Pope and Harry Brook need to score runs as Bairstow will have to improve to keep the gloves.

Are they fit?

I am not convinced Bairstow is fit. Ollie Robinson speant half the day off the field on Day 2, though he did make a spectacular comeback on day 3, though I do not approve of the way he spoke to Khawaja. Moeen Ali is suffering with an injured finger that perhaps should have been thought about sooner. Stokes is clearly not fit to bowl, and at some point, his knee will give up – for good.

As Michael Vaughan pointed out on BBC, these guys are not getting time on the field and are not able to build up match fitness. I am not sure it would help, but it does feel very touch and go as to whether we can put a set of bowlers out.

But does it matter?

Whatever we say, this team is in a different world to the England team that played in the last Ashes series in Broad’s ‘void’ Ashes. It is easy to complain about the negatives I have outlined. But let us not forget how dreadful it was. Things are a great deal better, and the transformation has been incredible. It is going to be quite a series.

Ashes 2023: Day 1

I suspect that I will not manage to write something every day. By necessity, these thoughts will not be exhaustive – work and children (and other cricket) prevent me from seeing too much. However, when I can, I will offer some thoughts about the key parts of each day.

The first ball

The Aussies kept saying that England would not be able to do it against them. That England lost 8 wickets on day 1 suggests they were right. However, it was only 8 wickets – they did not get the chance to take any more – and England charged to 393/8.

It all started with the first ball, which Zac Crawley crashed through the covers for four. It was reminiscent of Michael Slater in 1994 when he smashed four off a wayward Phil Defreitas first ball of the series. In 1994, it set the tone of Australian dominance. This one was different – it certainly did not set the tone of English dominance. It set the tone of ‘BazBall’. It validated what we all knew – that England are not going to hang about.

Crawley got England off to a good start, and today, it took a really good ball to get him out. I would have dropped Crawley, but he has already shown why he got picked. Mind you, I still think he needs a lot more runs.

Nathan Lyon

I find Nathan Lyon to be rather arrogant. I don’t think he will be too worried about that. Indeed, he will probably be quite pleased because I think it’s a bit of an act to annoy us English fans!

Irrespective of that, he is a darn good bowler. He went for 149 but took 4 wickets – on day 1. Arguably, Moeen Ali handed him a wicket on a plate, but the one to get Jonny Bairstow was a beauty.

And did I hear on TMS that this is the first time a ‘keeper has claimed two stumpings in the first innings of a test match since Jack Russell in 1989? Not sure if I heard that right (let me know!), but it can not happen often. I can not imagine what Fred Trueman would have said.

Joe Root

‘BazBall’ or not, England need Joe in the middle order. Before the game, I suggested that Root open to replace Crawley and accommodate Bairstow and Ben Foakes. Once again, I got that one wrong. Joe Root was class today, and it was in the middle order where he was needed. As was the case in the One Day team for so long, Root is the ‘glue’ that holds the middle order together.

Mind you, behind the big grin, Root is full of determination. He really wanted that hundred today and perhaps wants to conquer Australia, against whom he has not quite had the success he has had against others. I said a couple of years back that he can take inspiration from Graham Gooch who struggled against the Aussies until late in his career. Root still has time.

Declaration

I would not have declared. I would not have declared against New Zealand in the winter. But I do not have massively strong feelings about it, and it certainly ‘spooked’ David Warner. It could have worked, but it did not this time. It is doubtful England would have got too many more runs and it was worth a try.

Don’t get too funky, though, Ben.

Tomorrow

In the old days, I would have said that England will be in the field all day and on Sunday. That Australia will rack up 600, and England will be out of the game. That will be the plan.

But who knows these days. Certainly, it will take imaginative Captaincy and early wickets tomorrow. Often, scores around 400 lead to very exciting games. Let’s hope so.

It was ever thus

I do not know what Cricket will look like in 40 years. But if we still have cricket in 40 years, I can guarantee that the players will be complaining about the schedule, while the spectators bemoan the latest ‘new thing’. The media (whatever that is in 2063) will be full of stories about how the end is nigh. Everyone will agree that the good days are almost over.

I love a seasonal diary or tour diary. The most recent ones in my collection are from 2019 (Test Match Special and Ben Stokes kept diaries in that remarkable year). I do not think as many are published as was once the case – probably because so much is shared on Social Media. But I have recently acquired a number of these diaries, the oldest of which is from 1978 (Bob Willis’ Diary of the Season which I have not yet read). They can be acquired cheaply on Amazon (other options are available) and I find them fascinating. All of them include themes that are familiar in 2023.

Bob Taylor and David Gower independently chronicled the 1978/9 Ashes Series, with the help of the evergreen Pat Murphy. Two more different personalities you could not hope to find, and Gower might have said a couple of things that he perhaps would not say in 2023. Its a wonderful read, and you get a real feel for how the series went. An England team with a brittle batting line-up heavily dependent on Geoff Boycott, Gower and Lord Botham. A bowling line-up dependent on Willis, Botham and Spinners. A series that England won, but I wonder if Graham Yallop would like to claim Stuart Broad’s line about the series being ‘void’. It was all played under the shadow of Kerry Packer and World Series Cricket. Both teams had lost star performers – Taylor himself filling the vacancy created by Allan Knott. Australia probably did suffer more than England, but Gower has always been keen to remind us that Rodney Hogg was no slouch. A major test match series played under the shadow of a controversial new tournament? Ring any bells?

A couple of years later came Graham Gooch’s Diary from 1981. It documents a shambolic tour to the West Indies by England, a tour where an England team was badly let down by politics (think 2003 World Cup) and a key member of the Management Team in Ken Barrington died mid tour, indeed in the middle of a game. That game went on without a break – certainly, that would not happen now. Gooch went from a fearome opening batter who could handle the fearsome foursome to an out of touch batter who was dropped during the 1981 Ashes before he got back into the team for the India tour. Reading it now, it is no surprise at all that Gooch took the money to go to South Africa. Indeed, it is surprising that anyone turned it down. Gooch’s complaint is the structure of the cricket season and, in particular, the lack of opportunity to play first-class cricket between test matches. Often, a Sunday League Game would be the only chance Gooch would get to play between test matches. England players not being able to practice between games? Ring any bells?

Gooch does not exactly criticise the test matches without rest days, though he does suggest that weekend test matches should not be televised, so as to avoid impacting crowds at other fixtures. It seems crazy now that the television schedules would ever not be the first consideration for a player. Mike Gatting goes further in his diary of the 1986/7 triumph. He suggests the Australia schedule was too harsh – certainly, such a long tour would not happen now. Of rest days, he says they are critical and should not be compromised. Rest Days are long gone now, and obviously, it is right that test matches run over weekends when many people do not work, and children are not at school. It is a source of deep, personal frustration that so often no international cricket is played on UK Bank Holidays. Cricketers complaining about busy schedules? Ring any bells?

Constantly the talk is that the proper cricket is going to be lost to the modern slog about. How could the modern world be up to the quality of the past? Well, it is always worth challenging the Rose Tinted spectacles. Try Jonathan Agnew’s diary of the 1988 County Season, a wonderful read but a tale of dreadful county itineraries and, of course, that old chestnut of the 1980s and 1990s – dreadful England selections. Lots of amazing overseas players, but some low quality moments too and an England team that was thrashed. Whilst Agnew must identify with Ben Foakes, who has been inexplicably left out of the England Test Match team. Things are a lot better than they were in 1988, but we can still say it. Dreadful England selections? Ring any bells?

Phil Tufnell’s ‘postcards’ from the 1998 West Indies tour is perhaps not the best written book ever published, but it tells of another awful England tour of The Caribean. This was the year of the ‘Sabina Park Pitch of Death,’ which led to an extra seventh test match replacing the abandoned first test match. England ought to have been able to beat that West Indies team, but despite Angus Fraser’s heroics and what we hoped was the big breakthrough for Mark Ramprakash (sadly not to be), England were not very good and it was one too many tours for Captain Mike Atherton. But England encountered aweful practice facilities and dodgy weather. They never had a chance. A burnt out skipper on a badly planned tour with inadeqaute training facilities? Ring any bells? Perhaps Mike Atherton would also like to adopt Broad’s ‘void tour’ line?

We’re not cars where you can just fill us up with petrol or diesel and then let us go. It does have this effect on you, the amount of playing and travelling we do – it all adds up.
Ben Stokes speaking to Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain

Is it the end of test match cricket? Many have written off One Day Internationals already. Last summer, Ben Stokes packed in the One Dayers, saying that “We’re not cars where you can just fill us up with petrol or diesel and then let us go.” A few months later, it was Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali complianing about the One Day Series in Australia which came just after the T20 Final. Of course, they found time for the Indian Premier League. Crazy, conflicting schedules. Ring any bells?

It has amazed me how the players of thev 1980s were describing so many issues that are still prevalent today. The biggest parallell, though, is surely World Series Cricket. Yet these events are over 40 years ago. As is only too clear from Agnew’s and Tufnell’s writing, some things were not so good in the past and needed to change. Indeed, when one reads about the state of West Indian Cricket in 1998 (they won but it was a mess), it is no surprise that so many West Indians put the franchies first. They offer the security that the national team failed to offer. Agnew may well have made a similar decision after being repeatedly rejected by England – Gooch and Gatting did.

Is it not the reality that nothing has changed? Test match cricket is simply as precarious now as it was in 1979.

First Ashes Test Match: How the heck do you pick the team?

While the Aussies are getting themselves in a total flap about short boundaries on English Grounds, the England Selectors need to pick a team for the First Test Match. The BBC Sport website (other media outlets are available) is running a ‘Pick your England team for first Australia Test at Edgbaston‘, so I thought I would have a go. It is just a bit of fun, but then I have always fancied Luke Wright’s job. Indeed, if I had been Chairman of Selectors in the 1990s, things would have been better (they could hardly have been worse). At the moment, though, picking an England team is rather difficult. I was stumped (excuse the pun).

The men’s Ashes are almost here!

We want you to put yourself in Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s shoes and pick the England side that are going to face old enemy Australia at Edgbaston from 16 June.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/65460563

The one everybody is talking about is Jonny Bairstow. Surely Harry Brook is undroppable, so how does Bairstow fit in? But it is equally difficult with the bowling. England have two of the best bowlers they have ever had in Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad. They have a potentially lethal wepon in Jofra Archer, while Mark Wood was the only player to come out of the last Ashes series with any credit. Ollie Robinson and Jack Leach were at the opposite end of the spectrum in the last Ashes series – who can forget Robinson backing away to square leg giving Australia the final wicket of the series in Hobart?) but are almost mainstays of the team now.

What is almost certain is that England will stick with the players who have got them to where they are now – and it has been a remarkable year or so. That means that Leach is likely to stay as the senior spin bowler, and I do not expect Ben Stokes to call upon Rehan Ahmed ahead of Leach, at least not yet. We can also expect Zac Crawley to keep his place, opening with Ben Duckett. That logic is harder when it comes to the faster men. Anderson has been a fixture , but we saw in New Zealand that he does tire more quickly when he has to come back for more spells, particularly if the follow-on is enforced. Broad has not been a permanent fixure, and sometimetimes lacked penetration. Robinson has been constant, but surely Archer and Wood must play a role if fit. Matty Potts had a brilliant start, but it is hard to see him usurping any of the names already mentioned.

Team balance looks to be set as well. Stokes will bat at six, with Joe Root at 4 providing that stability in all of the BazBall craziness. Ollie Pope seems established at three – though I think he needs more runs and less walking around in his crease – Alex Carey will have noted the way that Pope was so easily unnerved when Tom Blundell stood up to the stumps in Australia. If the groundsman respect Stokes’ request for pacey wickets, it is unlikely two spinners will play in England – though England should not dismiss this so quickly as they do. It means that the team structure is to have a top 5, an allrounder at 6 and ‘keeper at 7, followed by 3 pace bowlers and a spinner.

What about Rest and Rotation? Surely the batters and ‘keeper will be consistent all series, barring a terrible loss of form or an injury. But it is inconceiveable that England will get the same three pace bowlers through 5 test matches so close together. Rest and Rotation can work – it did work well for England in 2019 when they were clear about roles – but that fell apart on the India tour when selection was totally random. Stokes and Brendon McCullum must consider combinations. I expect England to start with Anderson, Robinson and Archer / Wood. Any bowler who is to be roated in or out later in the series must know that from the start. Of course, it is a risk to play either Archer or Wood if Stokes fitness is not guaranteed, but a certain amount of risk is needed if England are to be victorious.

So, we have the bowlers, but what aout the top 7. Assuming everyone is fit, I can see four options, none of which are satisfactory.

Make no changes. Bairstow does not play. After Bairstow’s destructive powers in 2022, surely this will not do.
Bairstow comes in to open and replaces Crawley. Bairstow has never had success up the order except one century in Sri Lanka batting at three. It is not his role.
Foakes is dropped in favour of Bairstow to keep wicket. Appart from the fact that this would be harsh on Foakes, Bairstow’s success in 2022 was as a middle order player with a clear role. One also must worry about Bairstow’s fitness to keep wicket for multiple days in a test match so soon after returning from injury.
Bairstow replaces Crawley but comes in at 4 with Root to open. The worry here is that Australia could get rid of Root very early on. Root at 4 offers some stability. Let’s not forget – without Root at Lords last year, BazBall would not have got off the ground.

Despite reservations, it is the last option I have plumped for. I can not drop Ben Foakes as I just think he has done nothing wrong and a lot right. I like his solidarity and proper technique down at 7 – I think England will need digging out of holes. Last year, Bairstow benefitted from time to get in – he did not need to go ‘hell for leather’ from ball one.

The big risk is that Root goes early, and it is a massive lift for the Aussies. But Root has not had much success against the old enemy since 2015. Maybe it is time to try something different.

My XI: Duckett, Root, Pope, Bairstow, Brook, Stokes (c), Foakes (+), Robinson, Leach, Archer, Anderson.

For the second test match: Duckett, Root, Pope, Bairstow, Brook, Stokes (c), Foakes (+), Broad, Leach, Wood, Anderson.

2022 Men’s International Summer: Test Matches v New Zealand and India

I wrote reviews of all the International Games that involved England last summer. I never quite completed them. However, it is interesting to look back at the end of last summer. Remember when England were useless at Test Match Cricket, with no Coach or Captain?

I must confess that I did not get to much of the International Cricket this summer – I only got to the 2 One Dayers at Old Trafford. I should have been at Day 2 at the Oval, which did not take place, and Day 4 at Old Trafford but the game did not go that far.

However, I have followed it quite closely and I enjoy going back and looking at it all at the end of the men’s summer. However, it has to be broken down into sections as it is too much for one article.

Test Matches against New Zealand and India
One Day and T20 series against India
One Day and T20 series against South Africa
Test Matches against South Africa

New Zealand and India Test Matches

We will take these as a block, and it is fair to say that things did not go as expected. It could so easily have fallen in a heap at Lords, but for Joe Root’s century. From then on, it was all a bit mad, and England dominated.

For the purposes of this review, I have treated the India game as part of the New Zealand series, because those games came thick and fast.

First Test Match: England v New Zealand – Lords

England win by 5 wickets

The start of so called ‘BazBall’, but we will not use that term given that Brendan McCullum hates it. But it actually could easily have backfired at the first hurdle but for a wonderful second innings 115 by Joe Root. Root played a classic Root innings, good strike rate but ‘proper’ batting.

The first innings were largely as the summer would pan out – sub 150 scores, the highest individual score in either first innings was Zac Crawley’s 43.

Second time around, New Zealand were getting away from England, Darryl Mitchel (108) scoring the first of his hundreds on this tour in partnership with Tom Blundell (96) who deserved a century – also a sign of what was to follow. Then Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson broke through and Colin de Grandhomme managed to run himself out for a duck – however dozy he was, Ollie Pope was equally sharp. de Grandhomme would later suffer an injury mid-over when bowling and drop out of the series. It would turn out to be the end of his Test Match career.

In the last innings, Root needed support from Stokes (54) who gave it away going for aggression late on Day 3. We would spend all summer worrying that Stokes was being too aggressive, but here he hit Ajaz Patel out of the attack which would turn out to be influential later in the series Personally I would have given Patel a bit more of a chance. New Zealand were slightly caught napping after Stokes was out when Root scored very quickly but in that quiet way he has, and all of a sudden the target was under 50.

Ben Foakes came in and played well for 32 not out. He stuck with Root on Day 3, a late wicket would have changed things. On Day 4 he was more than a support act and made his own contribution. Before the game, I would have dropped Foakes, moved Jonny Bairstow to keep wicket at 7 and picked Harry Brook at 5. However, Stokes put faith in Foakes, who needed that game to establish himself in the team for the summer. Brook would have to wait and Bairstow would flourish, so it was clearly the right call to play Foakes, who also would have a good summer.

A word for Matt Potts who made a fine debut with 7 wickets accross the 2 innings, and snaffled Kane Williamson both times. Potts would lose his place late in the summer, but a fine start and he will surely go on the winter tour.

This would also be Matt Parkinson’s only test match of the summer when he came in as a concussion substitute for Jack Leach injured when fielding. Stokes has invested confidence in Leach while Parkinson never seems to tick England’s boxes. He surely must go to Pakistan.

Second Test Match: England v New Zealand – Trent Bridge

England win by 5 wickets

It was Nottingham where the real madness started. New Zealand were very unlucky to lose Captain Kane Williamson at the eleventh hour due to Covid. When you add in the loss of de Grandhomme and also the second innings loss of Kyle Jamieson, New Zealand lost a key part of what got won them the World Test Championship. It showed – New Zealand were a shadow of the team that thrashed England a year earlier.

It was a tough gig for vice-captain Tom Latham who was never able to establish control in the field and eventually they fell victim to the ‘Jonny Bairstow juggernaut’. Until Bairstow got going, New Zealand were never totally out of it, but they failed to make the most of good positions and never landed the killer blow.

New Zealand were 169/4 and the big guns (Tom Latham and Devon Conway) out. Mitchell and Blundell would then go big (190, 106 respectively) and Michael Bracewell on debut added 49. A score of 553 looked big, but included two scores in the 40s from Will Young and Conway. If New Zealand had got to 600 it might have been a different game.

Predictably England were quickly 6/1 and would presumably dig in to ensure they did not lose. Alex Lees (67) missed the chance for a century and would end the summer having not quite proven himself. Pope batted sensibly for a lovely 145 and with Root coming in at 145/2 he was able to push along to 176 at a strike rate of over 80, and he bought out a remarkable reverse scoop for six out of nowhere. Stokes would perish for an astonishing 46 of 33 balls which certainly set the tone. Foakes would bat well (56) before he was run out and the tail was blown away. England would concede a small lead, being bowled out for 539.

New Zealand then were not sure whether to stick or twist, the third innings often is problematic. They should have gone super positive – play England at their own game. England bowled well, but all in all, New Zealand were poor in being bowled out for 284. The two run outs were costly.

In the final innings, Lees again would make an important 44 but fail to make the big score. When Root was out it was 93/4 and Bairstow would come in under pressure. He had a good start to 2022 but needed to get into the game after returning from the IPL. I think we can agree that 136 off 92 balls did that. Nobody could forget in a hurry those sixes he kept hitting when New Zealand inexplicably kept dropping short. Stokes appeared relatively sedate in scoring 75 but his strike rate was still 107.

This was the first game where the doors were thrown open on the last day and a strong last-day crowd saw England romp home in a rare fifth-day finish. It was a wonderful advert for cricket, and the weather at that point was perfect.

We must make one observation on this game. Yes, it did go to Day 5, but an astonishing number of catches were dropped by just about everyone. I cannot remember them all, but I am certain that the first innings scores would have been closer to 300 if the catches had been taken. It would not have gotten to Day 5.

The final word on this game is for Stokes. His input was clear to see. The team were smiling, and going for victory at all costs. The positive mantra turned Bairstow into the destructive player that we know he can be. We cannot be critical. However, Stokes should have scored a century in the first innings and taken England past 650. The ultra aggression did border on the reckless, and slightly let New Zealand back into the game. In the second innings, he was perfect – not reckless, willing to throttle back and let Bairstow dominate, but still scoring at an incredible rate. He can afford to play his natural aggressive game. Slogging is not needed.

This was also the time when we saw Stokes’ knee issues. For a while, batting with Bairstow he could not run. It did clear up but it clearly impacted him. Something is wrong with his knee but he has just decided to ‘cope’ with it. In all likelihood, his knee will just give up at some point and that will be the end. We can only hope it will last a couple of years yet. We must appreciate him while we have him – and that means accepting the reckless shots because when it comes off it is world-beating.

Third Test Match: England v New Zealand – Headingley

England win by 7 wickets

A quick look at the batting scorecards and you might think that it was the same game as the one before. Runs for Mitchell, Blundell, Root and Bairstow and a record run chase. It was a very different game to the one before, but it had a lot of similarities as well.

The difference was in the pitch and the hero bowler. Jimmy Anderson was missing – he was injured, but I suspect he might have played if England had not already won the series. Broad led the attack, but it was Leach who made the difference, while New Zealand opted not to play a spinner. Bracewell had looked full of potential at Trent Bridge, but on a helpful pitch showed himself to be more of a part-timer.

The similarities started in the first innings when New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first. It must be said that England’s only loss of the summer came when they had to bat first, something for opposing toss winners to learn from. New Zealand again did not get enough out of the big guns, with Williamson returning and struggling to 31. He needed to kick on. Once again, Blundell joined Mitchell for another century stand, but it was not quite the massive partnership we saw in Nottingham and a score of 329 looked thin.

Leach broke the big partnership and took out the lower middle order for 5 wickets. It was the best he has bowled for England, though he got an astonishing piece of good luck to dismiss Henry Nicholls, who had a wretched summer. He smashed an on drive into the middle of Mitchell’s bat at the other end, which neatly deflected to Lees at mid-off. The eventual wicket of Mitchell though was hard-earned, coming from some careful field placement combined with aggressive bowling which lured Mitchell into one shot too many. Until then, Mitchell was magnificent and he has surely claimed a spot in the New Zealand eleven for a long time. He made a Steve Waugh or Graham Thorpe type of contribution – runs when they were really needed, here coming in at 83/4.

Then the game changed a bit. England got in a total mess at 55/6, and 329 looked a huge score. England played well but New Zealand lacked penetration again. Trent Boult was left on his own in the absence of Jamieson, and while Tim Southee was better than at Trent Bridge, he was far short of his best. Broad and Anderson have taught us not to write off old bowlers though, he may well be back.

This allowed Bairstow to join forces with Jamie Overton in his only game of the summer. Overton deserved a hundred but was out for a fine 97, while Bairstow just did what Jonny does. England had a lead.

Overton would make another big contribution. His bowling was not up to standard, but he did manage to remove Tom Latham (76). Williamson also looked set for a big score, but Potts got him again for 48. Blundell and Michell put on more runs but once Mitchell (56) fell to Potts, Blundell was left not out for 88*, and has filled the space created by BJ Watling.

By this point, New Zealand were utterly frazzled and England raced to 296/3 to take a 3-0 clean sweep. The game went to Day 5 just – mainly due to the weather, but at one point it looked like England would achieve victory within the 40 overs or so available on day 4, with Pope and Root going along like ‘tracer bullets’, Root bringing out the reverse scoop again with mixed results. Root (86*) was destined for another century but Bairstow again stole the show with 71 off 44 balls.

It was all over. New Zealand were battered and shell-shocked. They never got going in the series. But England did not give them a chance to get out of the blocks. The new Stokes era was launched.

Fifth Test Match: England v India – Edgbaston

England win by 7 wickets

India have only themselves to blame. Last year at Old Trafford England were falling apart and would have been thrashed by India. India should not have got away with clearing off in the way they did (and neither should England when they failed to go to Pakistan). India would have gone away with a 3-1 series victory that would have made history. The game should have been forfeited which would have left the series 2-2, but the eventual result was 2-2 in any case. India came across a very different England team, even if most of the players were the same. Not only did both teams have different captains from when the series started last year, India had a substitute captain as Rohit Sharma was not available. Jasprit Bumrah had to fill in and faced the same problems as Latham – an unstoppable Bairstow, in addition to a familiar obstacle for India in Joe Root.

England chose to bowl first, allowing them to bat last as they prefer. As was the case all summer, initial batting conditions were harsh, but as the ball aged it became a lot eaiser. Thus India scored 416 having been 98/5. It is the batting of Rishabh Pant we remember as he bludgeoned his way to 146 off 111 balls. Ravindra Jadeja was also also brilliant for 116. Broad then gifted India 35 runs in a single over by bowling bouncers. We saw later on in the summer that bouncer theory can work – but England persist with it for too long when it fails.

England were quickly in trouble at 83/5 and Stokes played another overly ambitious shot to leave them 149/6. Sam Billings replaced Foakes for this game who was struck down with Covid, and stuck around while Bairstow does what he does, although his strike rate was a mere 75 this time. Potts grabbed a few runs (19) but England were left over a hundred behind.

India’s second innings left the impression of not having quite made the most of things, but it still left England needing what would traditionally have been considered to be a massive score batting last. After the first innings one cannot criticise Pant, so Cheteshwar Pujara needed to make more of his 66. Other than that India made too many scores around 20. Virat Kohli is a shadow of himself currently, but when Stokes got him it was still vital and then he blew the tail away.

We looked at each other and said ‘England cannot do this again’, but while we were doing it Lees and Crawley went off like Ravi Shastri’s ‘tracer bullet’ and raced to 107. In doing so they broke the record for the fastest opening fifty partnership for England, which bizarrely was set not by Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick, but by Graham Gooch and Michael Atherton. Crawley and Pope got a good ones but Lees was carelessly run out – he does have a habit of throwing away good starts.

At 107/3 it could have gone both ways, but it felt like India had had the stuffing knocked out of them. Root and Bairstow had to dig in and play careful cricket for a while though – they sped up but still ended up with strike rates around 80. It was arguably the best partnership they shared all summer, and was also Root’s last big contribution – he could not go on forever!

It was another seven-wicket win for England and they deserved it. Despite being so far adrift after the first innings, they continued to bowl with attacking fields which gave them a chance. Another 50 runs from India would have meant England chasing 425 but I am not sure it would have mattered. India were not brilliant except for Pant, whereas England were brilliant as a team.

Summary

Remarkable. England went from being hopeless to being brilliant. Rob Key has work to do with the One Day teams, but Stokes and McCullum are onto something. The winter will be a different challenge, as will the Aussies. But this aggressive game brings out the best in England. Yes at times it was too much, but I would rather have that than the timidity we saw under Root.

2022 Men’s International Summer: ODI and IT20 Matches

I wrote reviews of all the International Games that involved England last summer. I never quite completed them. However, it is interesting to look back at the end of last summer in the light of the T20 World Cup victory. To think I wrote off Jos as Captain….

Test Matches against New Zealand and India
One Day and T20 series against India and South Africa
Test Matches against South Africa

India ODI and T20s Matches

The test match results were unexpectedly positive for England. The short-form cricket was equally unexpected, but it was a total negative for England. If struggling against India was predicatable, almost acceptable, failing to beat South Africa was poor.

England’s short form batting would not really ‘click’ all summer, with Jason Roy horribly out of form, but Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone looking worryingly short of form too.

One thing that must be said is that the fixture list really fails again – we knew that the Test Match Team would get hardly any first-class cricket ahead of the South Africa series. But th T20 Blast was just cranking into life during the India T20 series, so the best players missed the Blast, having had no preparation. The likes of Roy needed more game time.

India T20s

Confession Time. I can remember a lot about the test matches in the early season. But the IT20 fixtures are long forgotten. It says something about the format. So I had to go and refresh my memory.

This was essentially a second England team, with big names missing. Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes were rested, Adil Rashid unavailable and Joe Root oddly not in the frame for T20 cricket. Then of course, the England fast bowler injury crisis rumbles on, with Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Saqib Mahmood all out.

First IT20 England v India – Southampton

India win by 50 runs

India won the toss and batted, and while wickets did fall the scoring did not slow. Rohit Sharma, back from Covid, raced to 24 off 14 balls and Deepak Hooda, new to those of us to do not keep up with the IPL, scored 33 at a strike rate of 194. We had not seen anything though. Suryakumar Yadav (39) achieved a strike rate of over 200, and we all know the danger of Hardik Pandya.

The England bowling looked ragged except for Chris Jordan who bowled his four overs for just 23. Reece Topley improved as the game went on, and a look at the bowling figures make one wonder why Sam Curran only bowled 2 overs. He went for 18, but Moeen Ali, Tymal Mills and Matt Parkinson all went at over 10.

As would be the case all summer, the batting never got going and England quickly found themselves 33/4 at the end of the Power Play. Harry Brook and Moeen threatened, but the task was too steep, risks had to be taken and wickets fell. England were 148 all out.

Second IT20 England v India – Edgebaston

India win by 49 runs

Anyone who watched Lancashire in the T20 Blast would say that Richard Gleeson deserves his chance with England. In this game he showed it taking 3/15 off his four overs. He shared wickets with Jordan who was excellent again for his 4. It pegged India back to 170/8 with Ravindra Jadeja top scoring with 46*. The other bowlers else struggled, though again Curran only bowled 3 overs. Buttler really struggled with Captaincy from behind the sticks too. At one point I heard him imploring his fielders to hurry up getting into position.

With the batting it was the same all over again and when Dawid Malan was out it was 55/5. Predictably people criticised Malan for scoring slightly slowly and then not going on with it. But for me the bigger worry is Jos Buttler who is out of form. Roy needs a score and Livingstone, Harry Brook and Moeen all look a spot to high up the order. David Willy top scored with 33* and makes the card look a bit better. England do not look at all settled.

Third IT20 England v India – Trent Bridge

England win by 17 runs

Better from England here, who changed the balance of the team, going with seven batters. It still does not quite look right as Brook this time ended up at 7 with England’s obsession with mixing the left hand and right hand combination. It can work, but can also make it look a bit haphazard. Malan showed his credentials with 77 at nearly 2 runs a ball. Livingstone finally made a sensible contribution with less crazy swipes and a bit more care. It took England to a commanding 215/7.

England had enough, but only just. This was the game where Yadav showed astonishing powers of destruction with a century at two runs a ball. Not many bowling attacks would have been able to handle this type of assault. If India do not win the World T20 they will have failed – as England did last year.

For England, the left arm trio of Willy, Topley and Gleeson proved more effective than Mills or Curran, both left out of this game. With 3 wickets, Topley again showed his skill and one wonders what he could achive if his body would left him. Jordan was not quite so tight in this game but took important late wickets.

A major concern for England is the spin department. Matt Parkinson has not been able to capitalise on the few chances he has had, but looks too slow to challenge at international level. With Rashid missing, and also getting older, the spin department was just Moeen and Livingstone. Moeen lost some of his effectiveness in 2019, and certainly does not bowl as well when his close friend Rashid is at the other end. Livingstone was murdered by Yadav. Whilst Livingstone can be quite effective, he can also go for runs.

So it was 2-1 to India, who look a far better side at the moment.

India One Day Internationals

Fifty over cricket should be unpredicatable and full of excitement. It should be fast paced, though I do not mean the scoring rate, I mean the over rate. We can all think of brilliant One Day games we have experienced – in my case mainly domestic finals featuring Lancashire. But a number of ODIs stick out too. Not this series.

No game threatended a close finish. The games were slow moving. The over rate was poor. Frankly, it was boring. The death knell is sounding for ODIs. It would be so sad – it is a great form of the game.

First ODI England v India – The Oval

India win by 10 wickets

At 26/5 this game was effectively over for England. India bowled extremely well, but it was a worry that England’s much vaunted batting line up could not get going. We remember a time when Moeen Ali was a very effective fifty over batter, and a repeat of that hundred against West Indies would have been great. It was not to be though so it was soon 68/8. Buttler got 30 and needed to keep going.

The problem with England’s aggressive style is that they have lost the ability to grind out a total. Scrap to 230 like they did in the World Cup Final and at least its a game. Its a trend I saw in the T20 blast as well. Sometimes, sticking in is the right way.

Mind you, England probably thought 110 would give the bowlers a chance to warm up for later games. Not a bit of it. Rohit blasted his way to 76. Shikhar Dhawan just sat in with him. England were thrashed.

Second ODI England v India – Lords

England win by 100 runs

This time India would collapse to England’s good bowling, but the game went on for longer because England were put in by Rohit. This time they did scrap to 246, though it was a rescue act from Moeen. I criticised him above but here he dug England out of a hole, but he could have done with turning 47 into 70. Earlier, Liam Livingstone showed us his six hitting, but too often this summer he tried for one too many and chucked his wicket away. His 33 was the only lively bit of batting in the day.

India were quickly 73/5 but it was all down to Reece Topley who took six wickets. The more the summer went on, the better he looked. England’s second string pacers looked ok in this game and the spinners had an easy ride but did take a wicket each. 1-1 then.

Third ODI England v India – Old Trafford

India win by 5 wickets

This was an incredibly hot day. Very noisy and not a nice place to be for England fans. I was one of them. England never seemed to be in the game. The big guns did not do enough, Buttler’s 60 being England’s top score. Rishabh Pant would score 125* not out which is what was needed from Buttler. 259 all out was not good enough.

India were 72/4 when Pant and Hardik Pandya and Pant did get a life. However, when Carse got Pandya on 71 the score was 205-5 with plenty of time left. That Ravindra Jadeja ended up on 7 showed the power of Pant who would dominate the stand with Jadeja. It was a dull game though.

England fans were in the minority to too much of a degree for a home fixture, and it was incredibly loud with horns blaring all the time. The over rate was slow, the concussion checks endless and the paying fan got a poor experience. One Day Cricket like this will not survive, and does not deserve to.

First ODI England v South Africa – Chester-le-Street

South Africa win by 62 runs

Talking about incredibly hot days, this was the game when Matthew Potts had to go off due to the heat. Durham had to open up air-conditioned rooms and shaded areas, and ship in all the water they could find. It was during the peak of the hot weather, and cricket needs to consider how it can remain viable given increasing temperatures.

This was also the game where Ben Stokes packed in One Day International Cricket. As far as I am concerned, the longer the game the better it is, so I am disappointed that Stokes has thrown away what is his best format of the game but chosen to continue playing T20 Cricket where he has made little impact for England, though Carlos Brathwaite might disagree. However, you can see why he wants to play T20 cricket financially, and something had to give. Its a bad day for the format.

For South Africa, Rassie van der Dussen is a good, gritty player who often threatens against England. He would prove unlucky in the test matches falling to injury, this was a fine century, eventually falling for 134. Aiden Markram is turning into a bit of a mystery – he should be dominating bowling attacks, and here he showed himself to be a fine player with 77. Fortunes quickly change, van der Dussen would fall to injury in the test match series where he was South Africa’s best batter. Markram would be dropped, his 77 would be quickly forgotten – more danger for this format.

It must be said, though, England ended up with an odd bowling lineup. I cannot remember who was injured and who was unavailable, but the best bowlers of the India series were Topley, Gleeson (who is T20 only) and Jordan, none of whom were playing here. Rashid was rusty and expensive, Brydon Carse looked short of the standard needed. Stokes looked like a bowler who was no longer interested in the format, and also looked unfit. It was an ODI too far for him. Sam Curran did ok, but is far from England’s best opening bowler. Livingstone showed what he can do as a bowler – yes he will go for runs but he can get wickets, and he got the top scorers out, otherwise, South Africa might have got 350.

We knew the potential of South Africa’s bowlers, but it was a clever move by Keshav Maharaj to open with himself. Roy and Bairstow put on a 102, but never got away from South Africa. England really needed one of them to stick around, but they fell for 43 and 63 respectively. Roy in particular would live to regret not making a big score. From then on England never looked like getting going, despite a fine 86 by Root, his last big score of the summer. Stokes and Buttler never looked like getting going, and Livingstone fell to Anrich Nortje who was brilliant. These days, 6 an over is ok, but he also claimed 4 wickets to finish England off, when Root looked like he might have pulled something out of the bag. Eventually, he needed support and did not get it. England were disappointing again.

Second ODI England v South Africa – Old Trafford

England win by 118 runs

The challenge of the British summer was made clear again. You can talk about climate change, but the sudden arrival of rain is hardly a new problem in Manchester. Old Trafford these days possesses amazing drainage, so it was a mad rush for the author when, all of a sudden, an 1830 start was announced for a 29 overs a side game.

England desperately needed to beef up the batting so bought in Phil Salt who came in at three behind the failing Roy, out before I found my seat for 14. It meant Root batting out of position – in One Day Cricket he must bat at 3. Nothing made sense about England’s batting order, and they quickly dug themselves into a hole at 101/6. Livingstone, Curran and David Willey dragged England up to what would prove a good score. Willey is most unfortunate to miss out so often for England. It was Dwaine Pretorius who made life difficult for England here, the conditions really suited his type of bowling, but England batted poorly. Buttler would go on to laud England’s positivity, saying that is what got them a score, but you cannot go on chucking wickets away.

By the end of the third over it was all irrelevant, when Buttler completed a brilliant run out of Markram to leave South Africa 6/4. With the entire top 4 dismissed for less than 6, with 3 ducks, it was always big trouble, and batting was hard. Topley was top class again, and Rashid looked better as he tidied up the lower order. South Africa were blown away for 83.

Third ODI England v South Africa – Headingley

No result

It felt like England dodged one here. Play was abandoned with South Africa 159/2 off 27.4 overs, with Quinton de Kock set on 92. de Kock missed out on a certain hundred, and if he had pushed up towards 150, South Africa could have got well past 300 again. It was a shame that the game could not be completed – South Africa deserved to win the series, England did not deserve to draw it.

First IT20 England v South Africa – Bristol

England win by 41 runs

Too many T20s means that games cease to become memorable, but this game would be the first time I would see Tristan Stubbs. I will certainly see more of him. England batted first, and it was ‘man of the moment’ Bairstow that would finally make his T20 mark. He would eventually get the top-order spot he should have had all along but break his leg playing golf. Here he was brutal, and if he had opened would probably have made a century, but the 90 was bruising enough. Malan showed his T20 colours again with 43 off 23 balls before Moeen went ballistic with an 18 ball fifty and 6 sixes.

Without Stubbs, it was easy for England, who ran out winners by 41 balls. However, the relief was palpable when Gleeson finally got Stubbs to go for one hit too many. Another over of Stubbs would have been an interesting finish. As it was, Stubbs departed for 72 off 28 balls. Madness. Reeza Hendricks also belted 57 – thirty three balls feels also these days. Gleeson suffered rather and ended up going for 51 runs off his four overs, but took 3 wickets. Topley was the best bowler again for England, though again Rashid bowled better for two wickets.

Second IT20 England v South Africa – Cardiff

South Africa win by 58 runs

Again the side batting first would win. Rilee Rossouw was brilliant, a bit like he was for Hampshire in the Royal London Cup Final a few years ago. His 96* combined with another good score from Hendricks (53) propelled South Africa to 207/3. Moeen was probably England’s best bowler here, though Curran and Topley did well to go for under 40, and Jordan went for 43 and grabbed a wicket. Gleeson and Rashid were expensive off 3 overs but at least Gleeson took a wicket.

The trouble with T20 cricket is when a team has to chase a score like 208. If the chasing team does not get a good start, it can be a dull 20 overs. England did not have a disastrous start, but again needed Roy or Buttler to press on. Malan failed, but only took 4 balls to fail, but it left Moeen and Bairstow with too much to do, and England quickly fell to 149 all out.

Third IT20 England v South Africa – Southampton

South Africa win by 90 runs

Justice for South Africa and a series win, after the One Day series, was rained off. If Stubbs’ stike rate of 257 is the most memorable aspect of this series, Hendricks had a brilliant series with another 70 here, backed up by David Miller with 51. England bothered to pick Willey and he took 3 wickets in the game, but again the other bowlers struggled. Too often in the One Day Summer one England bowler made a contribution, but they did not function well as a pack.

England fell in a heap for 101, Bairstow top scoring with 27. Tabraiz Shamsi took 5 for, but really it was the early bowling again of Maharaj and Nortje that put pressure on the England’s top 4, Shamsi piling through the last 5 wickets.

The great England team of 2015-19 is well and truly gone, and a lot of questions need to be asked after a summer where England only won 3 games out of 12.

2022 Men’s International Summer: Test Matches v South Africa

Test Matches against New Zealand and India
One Day and T20 series against India and South Africa
Test Matches against South Africa

South Africa Test Matches

We expected England’s Test Match challenges to get sterner as the summer went on. New Zealand were undercooked and India could not hope to reach maximum intensity in a single game. However, South Africa had had a good run and possesses good bowling stocks. It initially looked like South Africa could challenge England, but the challenge vanished as quickly as it came.

It is hard to assess the quality of the cricket we saw. It saw some moments of brilliance, but also some pretty awful batting. People talk about exciting test matches – but none of these games went to 4 days, let alone 5, and the last game contained a certain element of farce as it only just made it into 3 days of actual cricket – but should have been completed in 2 if we could only apply some common sense to the policy around bad light.

First Test Match: England v South Africa – Lords

South Africa win by an innings and 12 runs

This one felt like it was all over when Stokes was walking back after another poor shot at 100/5 after 25 overs. That England got to 165 was thanks to 73 from Ollie Pope, who was perhaps lucky to get that far. One feels that a really top class number 3, like Jonathan Trott, would have ground out a few more runs and perhaps dragged England to 200, which would have been enough to put South Africa under pressure. England’s long tail looked long, and they never had enough runs.

Saying that, South Africa should not have been able to rocket to 85. Sarel Erwee and Dean Elgar are no Gordon Grenwich and Desmond Haynes – England bowled poorly and once again Stokes had to drag it back. He very nearly did, but Marco Jansen (48), Keshav Maharaj (41) and Anrich Nortje (28*) dragged South Africa up to 326.

England flopped again and were bowled out for 149. Alex Lees looked ok, but both he and England needed 135 rather than the joint top score of 35 with Stuart Broad, scored in typical fashion. England were thrashed, and some thought that ‘Bazball’ was over.

Second Test Match: England v South Africa – Old Trafford

England win by an innings and 85 runs

Sometimes, people and teams make very odd decisions. Surely whoever won the toss would bowl first. England love to bat last, and South Africa’s bowlers had just decimated England’s batters. For some reason, Elgar chose to bat first. It felt like South Africa made decisions before they looked at the pitch, based on old history. At Old Trafford you bat and play two spinners. Not in the crazy summer of 22.

It was another game that was all over after 30 overs when Anderson took the wickets of Simon Harmer and Maharaj in 2 balls and it was 92/7. Not long afterwards, Broad snaffled Kyle Verreynne. Kagiso Rabada found his way up to 36 to drag his team up to 151.

It was peculiar how much fuss was made about Zak Crawley’s 38. It was important that he kept Stokes in the pavillion until the next day, along with Jonny Bairstow. But whilst Bairstow had a lot of credit in the bank, Crawley could have done with big score. Rabada and Nortje were brilliant again in reducing England to 147/5 – but of course, that was pretty much parity. For once, Stokes dug in and scored an excellent 103 – his strike rate of 63 low for Stokes, but excactly what was needed. Ben Foakes needed runs and got them with a really good 113 not out.

South Africa were out of it, but perhaps could have dragged the game into day 4. However, they were all out on day 3 for 179. Keegan Petersen and van der Dussen put up a fight, the latter with a broken finger. Ultimately though, a couple of 40s was never going to be good enough, and once Anderson and Ollie Robinson got hold of the second new ball, they bowled England to victory. It was good to see Robinson back, looking trim. He has potential to be a very effective England bowler.

A fine victory for England, but another very one sided game.

Third Test Match: England v South Africa – The Oval

England win by 9 wickets

We must be mindful of the circumstances under which the game was played. After Day 1 was rained off, Day 2 (which I should have been at) was cancelled following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The cricket authorities were quite right to cancel this day of cricket. With hindsight, it might feel like the game could have gone on, but those days were unprecedented days for so many of us. We saw the impact of a game being cancelled ‘on the day’ at Old Trafford last year when India did not want to bother, so it was good to see a clear decision being made the night before, within hours of the announcement about The Queen.

When the game finally started on Day 3, the atmosphere was sombre and full of respect. I think it was Jonathan Agnew who said ‘you could here a pin drop’. Laura Wright’s singing of the National Anthem and the way in which is was received, was the highlight of the game. What a moment. And we must recognise the role of the South Africans here – it was difficult for England, but also very difficult for them. The South African players were totally right to refuse to stay an extra day – they have families too – and, quite predictably, 3 days was more than enough.

When it comes to the actual cricket being played, it was dreadful. Stokes did not repeat Elgar’s Old Trafford toss suicide and made the obvious decision to bowl first – play to your strengths. For the third time in three games, the team batting first almost failed to make a hundred. This was the worst of the lot though, a first innings score of 118 was woeful, recalled Marco Jansen top scored with 30. South Africa had to make changes, the two-spinner policy was wrong anyway and they had injuries. However, the batting resources look incredibly thin, to say the least. Robinson and Broad bowled well, but it was never a 118-all-out pitch.

It was a-3 match series, locked at 1-1, and England wanted to win and knew they had limited time. The right approach here was to get a lead, look to bat once, and have time to bowl South Africa out again. However, England went with recklessness, and Stokes again chucked his wicket down the drain. Pope played well for 67, but he could do with more hundreds. Harry Brook on debut was slightly unsure of how to approach test match cricket and got out caught in the outfield – in a T20 he would have belted that ball out of the ground. England’s tail fell away and it was 158 all out. A lead, but small enough to let South Africa into the game.

For a while, it looked like South Africa were going to take the chance of setting England a difficult last-day target. They managed an opening stand of 58, Stokes the partnership breaker once again after a poor start by England’s bowlers, Erwee gone for 26. The Elgar Erwee partnership has potential but failed to put on that really big stand in this series. Petersen raced to 23 before Anderson and Broad came on and turned on the pressure. Nobody was willing to admit it, but these 2 warhorses rolled back the years and gave South Africa nothing to score off. It soon paid – a reminder that, whether batting or bowling, aggression is not always the only option. South Africa collapsed again and it was 169 all out.

Alex Lees and Crawley quickly proved that this game ought to have been a 3 day draw – the pitch was fine. They raced to 108 within 20 overs before Lees was out to Rabada – a summer where he has not done quite enough. Crawley was majestic and has done enough to keep his place, as has Pope who had to come in to finish the job and take England up to 130. Rabada had a game to forget here, but in the second innings, the South African team knew the game was up.

However, we had to have one more bit of madness before the end. While Lees and Crawley were smacking 90mph bowlers all round The Oval, the umpires took the players off for bad light when only 33 more runs were needed. It could be argued the match officials were just ‘following the rules’, in which case, the rules are stupid. My view is that they got it wrong on Day1 and went off for bad light before they needed to – but that set the benchmark. In either case, cricket needs to stop this madness. Turn on the gigantic flood lights and….PLAY THE GAME. Particularly when a team is going at over 5 an over and only 33 more runs are needed.

England finished the job on Day 3 but it was a poor end to a low-quality test match. A great summer for England, but I am not sure how safe the future of Test Matches is, or if this approach will work for England next year. Tougher challenges await ‘Baz-Ball’.

England Test Match Squad for Pakistan

England squad for Test series in Pakistan: Ben Stokes, James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Will Jacks, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.

During Lockdown, a lot of 1990s cricket highlights were uploaded to YouTube. You can watch highlights of just about every England test match of the 1990s. In virtually every game you find an odd selection. Selection in this era was somewhat inconsistent – particularly when Ray Illingworth was involved. But even post-Illingworth, players got few chances. Consider the case of John ‘Creepy’ Crawley. In 1996 he replaced Graeme Hick against Pakistan and embarked on a decent run of scores – not world-beating, but he did ok. Aftrr scoring a a fifty and a hundred against Pakistan he had a good winter tour which included 2 hundreds, a fifty and a vital not out against New Zealand. He struggled against the 1997 Austalians, but after scoring 2 fifties against McGrath, Gillespie and Warne he found himself dropped. A year later he would be back and would make a great 100 against Sri Lanka. Imagine if he had been given a bit more time?

These days, we tend to give players more time, but I think the players that will have challenged that desire for consistency will have been England’s top three. Alex Lees might feel unlucky, but he has failed to make a big score in his 10 games. Keaton Jennings, on the other hand, probably is fortunate to be in the squad, but it recognises a brilliant season for Lancashire and his success in India and Sri Lanka in the past. ‘Creepy’ Crawley’s namesake, Zak Crawley, along with Ollie Pope, have just about done enough to tour. Crawley in particular needs a hundred, but Pope also only has 2 centuries for England.

One thing that Brendon McCullum has provided is clarity around roles. This is most obvious in the wicket keeping department, with Ben Foakes the clearly preferred ‘keeper. Once roles are clear, selection gets easier. So we know that Crawley opens, Pope goes in at three, Joe Root at 4 and Ben Stokes at 6. The batting slots up for grabs are the Crawley’s partner and number 5. The obvious assumption is that Jennings and Harry Brook will occupy those spots, but the nature of England’s squad means this is not certain, particularly if England want to play two spinners.

For specialist batting cover, England have gone with Ben Duckett, who took his chance in the T20 series against Pakistan. Duckett will also act as wicket keeping cover, alongside Pope. For fast bowling, Jamie Overton is unlikely to be first choice – whilst he made a brilliant 99 in his one appearance of the summer, his bowling was eratic, but he does have a bit of pace. They have elected to go without a specialist back up wicket keeper, with Pope and Duckett available to keep wicket – this is definitely a risk, one that has caught England out in the past.

When it comes to spin bowling, it gets more interesting. With Matt Parkinson seemingly out of favour, Jack Leach was initially the only specialist spinner. Rehan Ahmed has since been added to the squad, which is a very positive selection, and whilst I would be surpised if Ahmed played in the first game, I do not think Stokes and McCullum would select a player to carry the drinks all series. Initially though, England went with Liam Livingstone and Will Jacks, as spin bowling all rounders who both bat in the way McCullum and Stokes would want

As ever, it will come down to how Stokes and McCullum want to balance the team. Surely England will want to play Mark Wood, but playing Stokes as a third seamer is risky already, without thinking about Wood’s fitness record. That might mean England play Jimmy Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood, alongside Stokes and Leach. This could mean Root acting as a second spinner, and would also create quite a long tail (Robinson at 8, then Wood, Leach, Anderson). To mitigate this, England might go with Jacks to open the batting instead of Jennings, therefore creating a more balanced attack.

I suspect England will do the most aggressive thing, which means Livingstone plays, who either replaces Brook or bats down the order and England play just three fast bowlers. And while I see that as a risk, super human Ben Stokes might see it differently.

The most aggrssive option: Jacks, Crawley, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes, Foakes, Livingstone, Wood, Leach, Anderson

The compromise: Jennings, Crawley, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes, Foakes, Robinson, Wood, Leach, Anderson

The 4 fast bowlers option: Jacks, Crawley, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes, Foakes, Livingstone, Wood, Leach, Anderson