I have an uneasy feeling about the changes to English cricket that have taken place since England’s Ashes defeat. Ashley Giles and Chris Silverwood have been axed as Director of Cricket and England Head Coach. England need to change, that much is true, but how effective will that change be if the key issues remain in the English game?
Leaders set the tone for an organisation and Tom Harrison does so for the ECB. He enthusiastically endorsed the creation of The Hundred but has, if truth be told, overseen a miserable period for English cricket.
Harrison succeeded David Collier in the role and I was surprised to read that his appointment was as long ago as 2015. One of the first things that Harrison did was instigate a review of the domestic cricket schedule. The review and subsequent changes have reaped little reward in the test arena.
That is not to say that Harrison’s tenure is without merit. Indeed, England have been successful in the white ball game, winning the World Cup in 2019. But his relentless focus on the white ball game has cost England’s Test team dearly. England suffered a humiliating defeat in the recent Ashes series. The squad was hardly aglow with fresh talent bursting from the County Championship because the format has been neglected and no longer provides fertile ground for cricketers to hone their craft. The test team lacks identity and new ideas as a result.
Broad and Anderson have been superb and have treated England fans to some wonderful bowling spells year-after-year but now that both are in the twilight of their career – what does the future hold? Broad, axed in a 5-minute phone call for the upcoming West Indies series, is understandably frustrated.
How do England move on when the cupboards are bare? Perhaps it is unfair to place blame for that solely at the feet of the ECB, indeed if it wasn’t for injury, England would have one of the most exciting fast bowlers in world cricket at their disposal in Jofra Archer around whom a fresh attach could be built. But, in his absence and with Broad and Anderson overlooked, who takes over the mantle?
England’s batting is perhaps the most evident of the neglected red-ball game. It was woeful during the recent Ashes tour and is too flaky and prone to collapse to provide England supporters with much confidence. Look at the formidable side that Andrew Strauss captained and you see a team capable of amassing 400+ on a regular and consistent basis. No sane person would put money on them doing that now with such an unstable line-up.
Now is the time for change. England’s squad for the upcoming West Indies series is experimental. Lees, Mahmood, Fisher and Parkinson could all make their debuts. With so little first class cricket available, now is the time to find out if the players can perform at the highest level before the next Ashes series in the summer of 2023. In the months ahead, England need to identify, select and consolidate their best side and a style of play that allows them to compete. It is not an easy task.
Perhaps it is understandable that the ECB saw the pound signs flashing after COVID-19 pandemic hit the game hard. Perhaps, for that reason, they can be excused for the gimmick that is The Hundred, but the assertion that The Hundred will encourage the development of high quality players for the red ball game is laughable. What value does another short format of the game really offer? It is the narrative and aggressive marketing, not the change in format, that makes The Hundred attractive to a new audience.
If England are going to become the best test side in the world once more, they need a sustainable strategy to get them there and a clear path to follow. Without leadership from those at the top of the sport and a reassessment of our priorities as a cricketing nation, the head coach will not matter. Giles and Silverwood are scapegoats for systemic failure and a focus which values money over cricketing success.
England’s leaders need to make tough decisions and establish buy-in from all those around them in order that England can work towards becoming the best test team in world cricket instead of treating red ball cricket as a side-show to the glitz and glamour of the shorter, money making form of the game.
As captain, Strauss created a culture which steered England to No 1 in the test rankings in 2011. 11 years later, now the Interim Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, Strauss must facilitate a meteoric rise once again. Deciding who to take on that journey is an unenviable and difficult task. If Joe Root is to remain as captain as Strauss has indicated, he will surely be surrounded by many new faces when he takes to the field at Lords in July 2023 for the first ball of The Ashes.
The first ball of the Edgbaston test is just 16 months away. The clock is ticking.