England selectors ponder top-order troubles
Jonathan Trott looked a shadow of the player that blew away the Aussies in the fifth Test of the Ashes
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Wednesday, 20, Jan 2010 06:21
By Will Haine.
On paper, England's drawn Test series in South Africa looks like a good result for the tourists.
But in reality, after battling into a position where they could not lose the series going into the final Test, England left Johannesburg disappointed, wondering what might have been. That crushing defeat at the Wanderers means England ended the series with more questions then answers.
Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen each had a very poor time with the bat, scoring just 537 runs between them. That aggregate simply isn't good enough for three of England's top four, who all averaged less than number nine batsman Graeme Swann.
The England captain will no doubt recapture his form, but the decision to miss the Bangladesh tour where he should find runs easy to come by is a peculiar one giving his recent barren patch.
Pietersen is England's most naturally gifted batsman, but his struggle seems to be psychological. His on-field body language appears to show someone disillusioned with their own form and the game itself. Perhaps a move up the batting order to number three could give him the freshness and renewed sense of responsibility his game needs, but it is now up to him to show more passion and aggression to silence his doubters.
It may be too early in his short Test career to judge Trott, but his performances in South Africa were worrying. Gone was the composure he showcased with his wonderful debut hundred in the Ashes, and instead he became a fidgety slow-starter seemingly low on confidence. It is, perhaps, a tad premature to compare his fortunes to those of Ravi Bopara in the Ashes, but the South African-born batsman needs to eradicate some technical issues if he is to become a regular - most notably his increasing candidacy as an lbw victim.
Matt Prior has also been culpable of failing to contribute enough runs to the England cause. The wicketkeeper has improved with the gloves almost beyond recognition, but his inability to construct an innings when England are under serious pressure is a real concern. Ok, so he scored 76 in the first innings at Newlands, but his second innings scores in the epic draws of Cardiff, Centurion and Cape Town were 14, 0, and 4. Not exactly inspiring.
It is a worry that, as a team, England seem incapable of following up a good performance with another. After winning by an innings in Durban, they rode their luck to scrape a draw at Newlands and were thrashed in Johannesburg. It is this failure to maintain a level of consistency that can be so frustrating for England supporters.
But there were, of course, enough positive performances in South Africa to suggest that England still have plenty of potential in the Test arena.
The continued rise of Graeme Swann has been simply sensational. The first England spinner to take 50 wickets in a calendar year, two man-of-the-match awards on tour, the leading wicket taker in the series, and a shared man-of-the-series award. Not a bad return in a country where finger spinners seldom prosper.
It is also worth noting that the off-spinner has taken the final wicket in each of England's last three Test victories. And lest we forget his important performances with the bat - without his 85 in the first innings at Centurion, England would probably have failed to secure a draw in the second innings. Other than that of the captain, his name should be first on the England team-sheet.
The batting efforts of Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell went some way to disguising the failings of the middle-order throughout the series. The latter's 140 in Durban reaffirmed his undeniable talent, but it was his 213 ball 78 in Cape Town when England needed him most that could be the making of Ian Bell. Collingwood ended the Ashes with some doubting he was still worthy of his place in the side, but he left South Africa as England's most reliable batsman.
Rarely has a bastman failed to score a century in a series when his efforts deserved one as much as Collingwood. He is a man for all occasions - whether he is in block mode to save a Test match for his country, or at his free-flowing counter-attacking best as he demonstrated in Johannesburg.
Graham Onions was treated disgracefully by the England management in Johannesburg, but he showed enough in the previous matches to suggest that he has a promising Test future. Although the statistics may say otherwise - eight wickets at 45 runs apiece hardly make him Glenn McGrath - he was often England's best bowler with his nagging line and length. He was also terribly unlucky, with Swann dropping Graeme Smith off his bowling and having a number of wickets overturned after successful referrals by the South African batsmen.
The next task for England is to go to Bangladesh and win well. It is down to the beleaguered batsmen to cash in on flat pitches and weaker opposition.
Although winning comfortably against lesser opponents may not provide any concrete answers as to where the side is headed, it is a perfect opportunity for the likes of Trott, Pietersen and Prior to not only gain some confidence but score some much-needed runs.
The England squad will now get some rest (some more than others) before flying to Dubai for some one-day cricket in late February, after which they begin the Test series in Chittagong on March 12th.