It isn't just the poor form of his batsmen that Andy Flower has to worry about it as he prepares for the World Cup.
He also has to deal with a mounting injury list as the long tour down under begins to take its toll and those keeping an eye on the livescores will know the situation is now far from ideal.
The cricket calendar is already too crowded, with administrators keen to cram in as many games as possible.
Cricket though, unlike football, is played with smaller pools of players, meaning an ever-increasing strain is put on those stars to keep performing. Injuries can crop up at any time, like Stuart Broad's stomach injury at Adelaide, but that risk increases as the play more games without a rest.
There is also the fact these games are often played aboard – in England's case this winter on the other side of the world – so there is a mental strain to consider with players becoming homesick and unsettled. This tour began in October and will only come to an end this month and anyone who has been following the cricket live scores will have noticed how the side's performances have tailed off.
Already Flower has lost Tim Bresnan (calf) and Graeme Swann (back) as well as Broad. Ajmal Shahzad was then ruled out of the remainder of the series with a hamstring tear while Chris Tremlett will miss the fifth one-day international in Brisbane with a side strain.
There are just 16 days between England's final one-day international against Australia and their opening World Cup game against Holland. The race is on not just to get players prepared, but simply off the treatment table.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Hobart now takes on greater meaning for England and Australia
With the naming of World Cup squads this week the focus has been sharpened ahead of the tournament that begins next month in India, Sir Lanka and Bangladesh.
For England and Australia, who meet in Hobart for the second of seven One-day internationals on Friday, it means those included will begin the preparations for the competition in earnest.
And if the first match at the MCG is anything to go by both sides have plenty of work to do if they are to be ready for their opening World Cup matches.
The fact Australia chased down an English record total on Australian soil hides the fact many of the players were below par – the outstanding Shane Watson aside, who put the distraction of the catastrophic floods in his home town to one side to hit a magnificent unbeaten 161 to guide Australia home. Anyone following the live cricket scores would have known the result was never in doubt going into the last few overs.
Should Watson fail this time then the rest of the Aussie line-up will need to display more aptitude and aggression than on display in Melbourne – Michael Clarke's timid 36 from 71 balls was indicative of a side low on confidence and form after that bruising test defeat by England.
England aren't immune from blame either though after their batsmen, Kevin Pietersen aside, squandered an excellent position at 174 for 3 where 300+ seemed inevitable, to finally limp home with 294 on the board. People following the Livescore Goalwire would have been disappointed with the final total.
Their bowlers too failed to threaten on a consistent basis, meaning Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad won't have to worry too much about regaining their places when they return to Australia in the next few weeks.
The dumping of Steven Davies for Matt Prior shows the selectors can display a ruthless streak should a player not perform.
And so the players must be aware that simply being named in the squad isn't a guarantee of starting against the Netherlands on February 21st and their performance against the Aussies in Tasmania will be closely watched with interest.
For England and Australia, who meet in Hobart for the second of seven One-day internationals on Friday, it means those included will begin the preparations for the competition in earnest.
And if the first match at the MCG is anything to go by both sides have plenty of work to do if they are to be ready for their opening World Cup matches.
The fact Australia chased down an English record total on Australian soil hides the fact many of the players were below par – the outstanding Shane Watson aside, who put the distraction of the catastrophic floods in his home town to one side to hit a magnificent unbeaten 161 to guide Australia home. Anyone following the live cricket scores would have known the result was never in doubt going into the last few overs.
Should Watson fail this time then the rest of the Aussie line-up will need to display more aptitude and aggression than on display in Melbourne – Michael Clarke's timid 36 from 71 balls was indicative of a side low on confidence and form after that bruising test defeat by England.
England aren't immune from blame either though after their batsmen, Kevin Pietersen aside, squandered an excellent position at 174 for 3 where 300+ seemed inevitable, to finally limp home with 294 on the board. People following the Livescore Goalwire would have been disappointed with the final total.
Their bowlers too failed to threaten on a consistent basis, meaning Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad won't have to worry too much about regaining their places when they return to Australia in the next few weeks.
The dumping of Steven Davies for Matt Prior shows the selectors can display a ruthless streak should a player not perform.
And so the players must be aware that simply being named in the squad isn't a guarantee of starting against the Netherlands on February 21st and their performance against the Aussies in Tasmania will be closely watched with interest.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
England take backwards step in World Cup selection
Having done so well recently it is hard to criticise England under Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss. After navigating their way serenely through the Ashes to record a historic 3-1 victory over the old enemy, English cricket is in a position to push on after this victory, not fade away as they did so spectacularly after the 2005 Ashes win.
Cue the announcement of the 15 men charged with bringing the World Cup trophy home with them alongside the Ashes.
Surrey Wicket Keeper Steve Davies looked set to go to the World Cup in February having been in charge of the gloves from Pakistan’s summer tour of England to the Twenty20 series and the start of the ODI series against Australia. Now he has been unceremoniously dumped by the selection panel and the decision will only serve to turn the spotlight on the selectors themselves.
In his brief stint in the team, bigfreebet would likely have considered Davies to have done more than enough to warrant a place in the squad. Averaging just shy of 35, the former Warwickshire glovesman also had an impressive strike rate of over 100 runs per 100 balls. Crucially test keeper Matt Prior has a far inferior average in the early 20’s and his strike rate is somewhat less spectacular than Davies’s.
But more than statistics the decision to replace Davies with Prior seems to go against all that England have been building for the previous two years. The foundations of the emergence of English cricket have been built on selection consistency giving the players the confidence to go out and play.
Alistair Cook was given time to correct his game after a barren spell left him desperately short of runs ahead of the test series against Australia. Davies has made an excellent start to his one day career and no indication was given of the impending decision to drop him from the team, making it all the more baffling.
Davies will not doubt be angered by the decision after sitting patiently through the Ashes series with an eye on the ODI’s and the World Cup.
Why was Davies selected for the first one day international against Australia on Sunday if the selection panel had no intention of taking him to the World Cup?
The selection of Prior harks back to the days of relying on big names rather than big performances, and should sound the alarm bells for England supporters. Mark Ramprakash called the decision “strange” and at the very least represents a sudden change in policy.
England coach Andy Flower will defend the move suggesting Prior’s excellent Ashes series, where he averaged over 50 (then again Chris Tremlett had an excellent ashes series but was dropped in place of Ajmal Shahzad, so where is the logic there?) and has suggested his game is suited to the pitches England will face on the sub-continent. Prior is certainly a leader on the pitch and as wicket keeper is a ball of energy and hub for the team.
Big free bet will see him as one of the more dangerous wicket-keepers at the World Cup, but he has not shown himself as clinical as Davies in the shorter form of the game.
The only way for Prior’s inclusion to be vindicated is for the Sussex man to score bug runs at the tournament. The sudden inconsistency displayed is worrying ahead of a competition that England will expect to do well in. Davies looked to be establishing himself by scoring runs at a pace needed in international one day cricket that Prior has so far showed himself unable to do. What more can Steve Davies do?
Cue the announcement of the 15 men charged with bringing the World Cup trophy home with them alongside the Ashes.
Surrey Wicket Keeper Steve Davies looked set to go to the World Cup in February having been in charge of the gloves from Pakistan’s summer tour of England to the Twenty20 series and the start of the ODI series against Australia. Now he has been unceremoniously dumped by the selection panel and the decision will only serve to turn the spotlight on the selectors themselves.
In his brief stint in the team, bigfreebet would likely have considered Davies to have done more than enough to warrant a place in the squad. Averaging just shy of 35, the former Warwickshire glovesman also had an impressive strike rate of over 100 runs per 100 balls. Crucially test keeper Matt Prior has a far inferior average in the early 20’s and his strike rate is somewhat less spectacular than Davies’s.
But more than statistics the decision to replace Davies with Prior seems to go against all that England have been building for the previous two years. The foundations of the emergence of English cricket have been built on selection consistency giving the players the confidence to go out and play.
Alistair Cook was given time to correct his game after a barren spell left him desperately short of runs ahead of the test series against Australia. Davies has made an excellent start to his one day career and no indication was given of the impending decision to drop him from the team, making it all the more baffling.
Davies will not doubt be angered by the decision after sitting patiently through the Ashes series with an eye on the ODI’s and the World Cup.
Why was Davies selected for the first one day international against Australia on Sunday if the selection panel had no intention of taking him to the World Cup?
The selection of Prior harks back to the days of relying on big names rather than big performances, and should sound the alarm bells for England supporters. Mark Ramprakash called the decision “strange” and at the very least represents a sudden change in policy.
England coach Andy Flower will defend the move suggesting Prior’s excellent Ashes series, where he averaged over 50 (then again Chris Tremlett had an excellent ashes series but was dropped in place of Ajmal Shahzad, so where is the logic there?) and has suggested his game is suited to the pitches England will face on the sub-continent. Prior is certainly a leader on the pitch and as wicket keeper is a ball of energy and hub for the team.
Big free bet will see him as one of the more dangerous wicket-keepers at the World Cup, but he has not shown himself as clinical as Davies in the shorter form of the game.
The only way for Prior’s inclusion to be vindicated is for the Sussex man to score bug runs at the tournament. The sudden inconsistency displayed is worrying ahead of a competition that England will expect to do well in. Davies looked to be establishing himself by scoring runs at a pace needed in international one day cricket that Prior has so far showed himself unable to do. What more can Steve Davies do?
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Sydney test warms up nicely
The closest test of the series so far looks to be developing at Sydney after England and Australia traded blows in a fascinating contest at the SCG.
Those following the Live match score centre will note that Australia started the day on 134-4 but as England played a choking game to starve the batsmen of runs before the new ball, key wickets also began to tumble.
Brad Haddin and Michael Hussey – Australia’s two (and only) in-form batsmen - were dismissed cheaply before Strauss could call on the shiny new Kookaburra and when Steve Smith and Peter Siddle also went cheaply, leaving the hosts 187-8, another below-par score seemed likely.
But the game was wrenched from the hands of England when the Aussies tail wagged in spectacular style.
Mitchell Johnson, who entered the middle with the taunting songs of the Barmy Army ringing in his ears, responded in the finest way possible, smashing 53 of 66 balls. He was ably assisted by Ben Hilfenhaus, who scored a handy 34.
Livescore cricket pundits note that the vital ninth wicket stand of 76 helped Australia on their way to a far more competitive 280 and left England with some thinking to do.
But just as Australia were getting on top England hit back, with Captain Andrew Strauss blasting a quick fire 60 of 58 balls and Alastair Cook continuing on his merry way this series with an unbeaten 61 – passing 5,000 test runs in the process, the second youngest player ever to do so.
Wit England 98-0 the stage was set for another large score but the match was thrown into the mix yet again thanks to two wickets from Mitchell Johnson and another from Hilfenhaus.
At 167-3 England are still in a decent position to build a first innings lead, but if the second day is anything to go by Australia are displaying more fight than we have seen for most of the series.
The Ashes may have gone but the series, as an evenly matched contest, looks to have finally come alive.
Those following the Live match score centre will note that Australia started the day on 134-4 but as England played a choking game to starve the batsmen of runs before the new ball, key wickets also began to tumble.
Brad Haddin and Michael Hussey – Australia’s two (and only) in-form batsmen - were dismissed cheaply before Strauss could call on the shiny new Kookaburra and when Steve Smith and Peter Siddle also went cheaply, leaving the hosts 187-8, another below-par score seemed likely.
But the game was wrenched from the hands of England when the Aussies tail wagged in spectacular style.
Mitchell Johnson, who entered the middle with the taunting songs of the Barmy Army ringing in his ears, responded in the finest way possible, smashing 53 of 66 balls. He was ably assisted by Ben Hilfenhaus, who scored a handy 34.
Livescore cricket pundits note that the vital ninth wicket stand of 76 helped Australia on their way to a far more competitive 280 and left England with some thinking to do.
But just as Australia were getting on top England hit back, with Captain Andrew Strauss blasting a quick fire 60 of 58 balls and Alastair Cook continuing on his merry way this series with an unbeaten 61 – passing 5,000 test runs in the process, the second youngest player ever to do so.
Wit England 98-0 the stage was set for another large score but the match was thrown into the mix yet again thanks to two wickets from Mitchell Johnson and another from Hilfenhaus.
At 167-3 England are still in a decent position to build a first innings lead, but if the second day is anything to go by Australia are displaying more fight than we have seen for most of the series.
The Ashes may have gone but the series, as an evenly matched contest, looks to have finally come alive.
Friday, December 31, 2010
To Australia and beyond…
Unless you’ve been nursing a festive hangover in bed or have been spending Christmas under a rock, you won’t need telling that England have retained the Ashes with their biggest triumph over Australia since the 1950s.
Of course, the celebrations amongst the dressing room and the Barmy Army will last a few days down under, despite the hosts still having a match left to square the series for pride.
But when the dust settles from the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, be it a win, loss or draw for Andrew Strauss’ side, the 2010/11 tour of Australia will go down as one of the most memorable for England of all-time.
Of course, those who get free bets are aware that retaining the urn will be all-the-sweeter if the series ends two or three matches to one in the tourists’ favour.
Captain Strauss and head coach Andy Flower simply cannot top a series win in Australia given the euphoria that surrounds the Ashes, though according to the ICC, there are bigger fish to fry for England.
So, where to now? The destination has already been established by Strauss. To the top of the Test world rankings.
Sri Lanka are followed by world number one side India in touring England in summer 2011 and two more series victories would go a long way to securing that precious number one spot.
It’ll be easy for Strauss and Flower to deem that if it isn’t broke, not to fix it ahead of their summer programme. But then again, nobody deemed a change necessary ahead of the Melbourne Test, which saw Tim Bresnan come in for the unlucky Steve Finn.
The decision to drop the inexperienced Finn for the Yorkshireman was more than vindicated and perhaps demonstrated that constant evolution of a settled England side is beneficial.
Though those who Bet with Paypal will agree England’s four-pronged attack has bowled magnificently in recent months, a long-term successor to Paul Collingwood could arise soon.
The Durham super-fielder’s cutters and runs are more likely to be replaced by a specialist bowler, allowing Ian Bell and Matt Prior to bat higher up the order.
With Stuart Broad, Bresnan and Graeme Swann at seven, eight and nine respectively, England have three specialist bowlers that are capable to support the middle-order.
With James Anderson and Finn or Chris Tremlett (or even good old Monty on the sub-continent) at 10 and 11, there is an attack which is more than capable of taking 20 wickets on any surface.
And thus, world domination for England. But let’s finish the Aussies off first.
Of course, the celebrations amongst the dressing room and the Barmy Army will last a few days down under, despite the hosts still having a match left to square the series for pride.
But when the dust settles from the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, be it a win, loss or draw for Andrew Strauss’ side, the 2010/11 tour of Australia will go down as one of the most memorable for England of all-time.
Of course, those who get free bets are aware that retaining the urn will be all-the-sweeter if the series ends two or three matches to one in the tourists’ favour.
Captain Strauss and head coach Andy Flower simply cannot top a series win in Australia given the euphoria that surrounds the Ashes, though according to the ICC, there are bigger fish to fry for England.
So, where to now? The destination has already been established by Strauss. To the top of the Test world rankings.
Sri Lanka are followed by world number one side India in touring England in summer 2011 and two more series victories would go a long way to securing that precious number one spot.
It’ll be easy for Strauss and Flower to deem that if it isn’t broke, not to fix it ahead of their summer programme. But then again, nobody deemed a change necessary ahead of the Melbourne Test, which saw Tim Bresnan come in for the unlucky Steve Finn.
The decision to drop the inexperienced Finn for the Yorkshireman was more than vindicated and perhaps demonstrated that constant evolution of a settled England side is beneficial.
Though those who Bet with Paypal will agree England’s four-pronged attack has bowled magnificently in recent months, a long-term successor to Paul Collingwood could arise soon.
The Durham super-fielder’s cutters and runs are more likely to be replaced by a specialist bowler, allowing Ian Bell and Matt Prior to bat higher up the order.
With Stuart Broad, Bresnan and Graeme Swann at seven, eight and nine respectively, England have three specialist bowlers that are capable to support the middle-order.
With James Anderson and Finn or Chris Tremlett (or even good old Monty on the sub-continent) at 10 and 11, there is an attack which is more than capable of taking 20 wickets on any surface.
And thus, world domination for England. But let’s finish the Aussies off first.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Re-shuffle maybe needed for final Ashes push
The one positive an England fan can take following the horrendous display at Perth is the fact the Ashes series has well and truly come alive.
The Aussie supporters are notoriously fickle and the empty seats at Brisbane and Adelaide on the final day suggested they had all but given up on their side and gone off to support a team that is winning elsewhere.
But since leveling the series at the Waca they have been given a sniff of glory once more. Reports amongst those looking at the Live match score of the Australian cricket team’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, and interest in the series has soared again.
Everyone seems to have an opinion on what could or should happen at the MCG on Boxing Day. Be it issues with the pitch, Ricky Ponting’s finger injury, the enigma that is Mitchell Johnson, Paul Collingwood’s poor form, Ian Bell’s good form or the makeup of England’s bowling attack.
What is clear though is that with the final test at Sydney beginning just three days after the conclusion at Melbourne, England coach Andy Flower will have to closely monitor the fitness of his players.
Steven Finn is one player who looked jaded at Perth. With Flower seemingly determined to stick with four frontline bowlers, and the Melbourne pitch now not expected to take spin (as per Aussie instructions) a lot of pressure and workload will be piled on just three quicks.
The fiery Ajmal Shahzad is waiting in the wings. Shahzad also has the advantage of being able to bowl well to left-handers. With Mike Hussey proving to be an immovable object in the middle, Shahzad maybe Flower’s latest weapon. Tim Bresnan is also waiting in the wings and has the advantage of being able to bat a bit.
With the crowded cricket calendar putting an ever greater strain on players the sport is now well and truly a squad game. Those studying the Latest Test match scores believe that the way Flower utilizes his full complement of players could be the key to their success at Melbourne and Sydney.
The Aussie supporters are notoriously fickle and the empty seats at Brisbane and Adelaide on the final day suggested they had all but given up on their side and gone off to support a team that is winning elsewhere.
But since leveling the series at the Waca they have been given a sniff of glory once more. Reports amongst those looking at the Live match score of the Australian cricket team’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, and interest in the series has soared again.
Everyone seems to have an opinion on what could or should happen at the MCG on Boxing Day. Be it issues with the pitch, Ricky Ponting’s finger injury, the enigma that is Mitchell Johnson, Paul Collingwood’s poor form, Ian Bell’s good form or the makeup of England’s bowling attack.
What is clear though is that with the final test at Sydney beginning just three days after the conclusion at Melbourne, England coach Andy Flower will have to closely monitor the fitness of his players.
Steven Finn is one player who looked jaded at Perth. With Flower seemingly determined to stick with four frontline bowlers, and the Melbourne pitch now not expected to take spin (as per Aussie instructions) a lot of pressure and workload will be piled on just three quicks.
The fiery Ajmal Shahzad is waiting in the wings. Shahzad also has the advantage of being able to bowl well to left-handers. With Mike Hussey proving to be an immovable object in the middle, Shahzad maybe Flower’s latest weapon. Tim Bresnan is also waiting in the wings and has the advantage of being able to bat a bit.
With the crowded cricket calendar putting an ever greater strain on players the sport is now well and truly a squad game. Those studying the Latest Test match scores believe that the way Flower utilizes his full complement of players could be the key to their success at Melbourne and Sydney.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Is there another Test happening?
With the Ashes currently dominating the cricketing world, and attracting millions of betting fans seeking out the best odds, and perhaps rightly so as the series carries with it a huge amount of memories and great moments, the current series between cricket's world number one and two sides is currently being left firmly in the shade.
Despite the fact that India and South Africa are battling it out to show who is the best in the world, the glamour and passion of the Ashes has shown that the historic series still ranks as the biggest in test cricket, with only a small percentage of betting fans seeking out fixed odds for the clash between the countries. With Australian and English fans more concerned with seeing their side defeat the other rather concentrating upon their team's ICC world ranking position, or that of any other team, the fact remains that for a test match to be truly popular, there needs to be some history and bad blood between the two sides, something that is clearly the case with the current Ashes series.
However, with Australia suddenly showing themselves to be nothing more than a mediocre cricket team and England firmly on the rise, the fact remains that the Ashes series may begin to lose its allure if it returns to the uncompetitive nature that dominated from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. Should Australia fail to arrest the slide that has seen its cricket side slip to depths that South Africa and India would be devastated to witness then maybe, just maybe, the cricketing world will start to turn its head away from the Ashes series and instead look for more recent rivalries to focus upon.
Having said all this, a sudden twist in the current series, or an Australian comeback would surely cement the Ashes as the best test series in terms of both the quality and passion that is on display.
Despite the fact that India and South Africa are battling it out to show who is the best in the world, the glamour and passion of the Ashes has shown that the historic series still ranks as the biggest in test cricket, with only a small percentage of betting fans seeking out fixed odds for the clash between the countries. With Australian and English fans more concerned with seeing their side defeat the other rather concentrating upon their team's ICC world ranking position, or that of any other team, the fact remains that for a test match to be truly popular, there needs to be some history and bad blood between the two sides, something that is clearly the case with the current Ashes series.
However, with Australia suddenly showing themselves to be nothing more than a mediocre cricket team and England firmly on the rise, the fact remains that the Ashes series may begin to lose its allure if it returns to the uncompetitive nature that dominated from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. Should Australia fail to arrest the slide that has seen its cricket side slip to depths that South Africa and India would be devastated to witness then maybe, just maybe, the cricketing world will start to turn its head away from the Ashes series and instead look for more recent rivalries to focus upon.
Having said all this, a sudden twist in the current series, or an Australian comeback would surely cement the Ashes as the best test series in terms of both the quality and passion that is on display.
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