My last blog was 14th October and there has been quite a lot of cricket since. I know there was a T20 World Cup and we won! I have to say I don’t recall much from the tournament (yes I did watch); it was in Australia but it rained a lot. Ireland and I think the Netherlands took big scalps, a sign that the format is something of a leveller.
T20 is going nowhere, it raises a lot of money for the game and it draws in a new audience both of which are fantastic for the long term survival of the sport. Sometimes the quality is not great, but one memory I do have is of Adil Rashid bowling a half tracker that someone swatted down deep mid wickets throat. It screamed of mediocrity, but the commentators and crowd loved it … maybe that says more about me then them.
50 over cricket was back on the menu too, I’m not sure anyone watched England V Australia be that on TV or at the grounds. I have an inkling that India are also playing some series without context or consequence. I quite like the format, but I think the governing body need to make a grown up decision. The next 50 over World Cup should be the end of the format, as harsh as that is, tough decisions need to be made to keep the game relevant.
Despite the plethora of cricket and a dreadful pitch, England and Pakistan put on an incredible show in ‘Pindi’ and once again reinforced that test cricket is the best. I am pleased England are in Pakistan. I still believe that we owe Pakistan and West Indies a great debt for touring England during the pandemic.
There were several remarkable performances across the first test, most of which have been correctly lauded and applauded already. Ben Duckett and Ollie Robinson are two interesting characters, the type who may have been put in the ‘difficult’ box at one time. They have matured and both look like outstanding cricketers who can get right up the Aussies noses next year. Duckett has a hint of Warner about him.
Ollie Pope was remarkable in the first test, so good that he now has the gloves in the second test as I type. He seems to be growing as a cricketer and he is giving England an excellent dilemma. Since moving to no3 he has averaged comfortably over 40 and looks to be making that his position. He is a little skittish at the start of an innings, so was Ricky Ponting and he made a good fist of batting at no3 despite not doing so prior to playing test cricket (I am not saying Pope is Ponting, just that starting with a touch frenetically is not always a problem).
Pope also kept wicket for 250 overs in conditions that were not always easy, the ball dying on you means you must stand closer which in turn reduces reaction time. He was not perfect, but he was very, very good. His footwork was impressive and whilst he did not reach the heights of Foakes (does anyone?) he looked a much better keeper than Buttler, Bairstow and Bracey. He is at last the equal of Billings and that I think is very impressive.
Ben and Baz are starting to shape quite the test unit, the pace attack of Anderson, Robinson and Wood brings a range of complimentary skills. Broad, Archer, Mahmood and Potts will all be keen to push those three for a place.
The top 6 has a settled look, but they will surely want Bairstow back in the side once fit. I don’t think he will bat in the top 3 so it will be interesting to see how that develops. Bairstow or Pope could keep but more likely is that Foakes will keep and the top 6 will be pressurised by Bairstow and Lawrence.
Competition is great to have and injury is sadly inevitable but that’s approximately 16 players all of whom have a serious case to play. One area I am still not sure about is spin, Leach will do a job and is clearly no1.
Parkinson and Bess seem to be out of the picture, Jacks is in the picture and is a very good all- around package but if I’m honest he’s a bit too slow and inconsistent (cue another 6 for 😊 )
Rehan Ahmed is on tour and we may yet see him play a test over the winter. He is ‘on paper’ a good package but I have not seen enough to pass judgement. Borthwick, Crane and Parkinson have set a slightly uneasy trend for English leg spinners of late.
Sky filled some column inches with an odd article about Jos Buttler ‘not ruling out’ a test return. I suspect this was probably a daft question posed to him whilst on the sofa of the Sky studio. Jos is doing a good job with the white ball team but I can’t see his relevance to this test side.
In other news, a story has leaked to suggest the County Championship will use a Kookaburra ball in the 2023 season. This I think is a great idea. In England, the weather and pitches provide assistance so there is less need for the ball to also assist. Hopefully this allows batsmen to hone a more orthodox technique and bowlers to develop skills for taking wickets.
Looking ahead to Australia, I sincerely hope that Steve Smith is not allowed to sign for a County before the Ashes. I can understand why a county would want him, and attach no blame to anyone who does sign him. However, I have written before about my frustration at providing acclimatisation for touring teams.
Finally, Mr David Warner has withdrawn his appeal on the captaincy ban. I think this saga is a curious insight into Australian cricket. He does not want the whole episode dragged up, understandable as it must be pretty painful. At the time Australia allowed Warner, Bancroft and Smith to carry the can for ball tampering. I have yet to speak to a cricketer who believes that the whole team did not know.
Several of the team bowled with that ball, including the current captain. The wicket keeper and slips will have seen it after each delivery. It would appear that the team chose to allow 3 people to carry the can whilst a number of their team mates were able to not only continue to but progress their careers.
Since that time they have spat both Langer and Paine out of the system in a classless way, lets not forget these two were credited with fixing Australian cricket. I think all is far from well in their camp, and I’m really looking forward to the Ashes.