Given Prior Thought?

Taken from Swinging Balls Magazine, published 31/07/2011

The make-up of England’s test team over the last few years has been a topic of much debate. Despite a winning streak that could see them rise to the top of the test match rankings by the end of the summer, cricket writers and pundits have repeatedly asked the question as to whether playing only four bowlers is the best way to go as they look to bowl sides out twice on hard, flat wickets.

Prior has been in imperious form,
and could hold the key to England's
problematic number six position

The man who could hold the key to a change in the line-up is Matt Prior. The wicket-keeper has been in imperious form over the past 18 months with both bat in hand and behind the stumps. His century in the first test against India was one of his best and he is now arguably the world’s best in his position in five-day cricket.

From 44 matches, the Sussex man averages over 45 with the bat, and has gone past fifty on 23 occasions. Not many middle-order batsmen have records that equal that, never mind those that bat at number seven.

When you compare Prior’s statistics with those of the current holder of the number six position, Eoin Morgan, then it makes grim reading for the Dublin-born left hander. He has passed fifty only three times in his 14 test innings (prior to the second test at Trent Bridge), and has only reached 20 on a total of five occasions.

Many would ask why the England selectors would want to tinker with a formula that has been so successful, but with Prior in the form that he is, the selectors and Andrew Strauss will have undoubtedly thought about moving the stumper one place up the order.

Some may question whether playing only six recognised batsmen may leave them short in the runs department, but with a lower order that would most probably consist of Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann, then that may not be the case.

Between the three of them they have gone past the half-century mark 14 times, and Broad especially is looking more and more like an international all-rounder with every match he plays. With the addition of an extra bowler, it could be argued that the England team would have all bases covered.

I, like many others, are fans of Morgan in the limited overs sides, but whether he can adapt his game for the test match arena is yet to be seen, and if England feel the same, the form of Prior means that they have the flexibility to change the way in which they line-up.

England's opening dilemma

After Kevin Pietersen's good start to life as an opening batsman, many thought that England had finally found a someone to partner Andrew Strauss at the top of the order.

However, a hernia injury means Pietersen has had to travel back to London for surgery, with Eoin Morgan being called up in his place. The selection of the Irish-born Morgan shows that England are going to have to find a new opener within their current World Cup Squad, with none of the other fourteen players being genuine opening batsmen.

Pietersen's 59 against Ireland showed he may be able to open
for England in future years

Who will England now turn to? Andy Flower has revealed he knows who will open in against Bangladesh in Chittagong on Friday, but also said they may review the position on a game-by-game basis. 

So who are the main contenders....

Ian Bell. Bell has previously opened in One-Day Internationals, and many people asked before the tournament began whether he would partner Strauss. He averages 33.33 from his 26 innings' as an opener in ODI's, but the last time he featured at the top of the order was in 2008. His style of play suits batting in the powerplays as he looks to pierce the gaps and play his shots, and he could prove the perfect foil to Strauss, who has been England's most aggressive batsman thus far.

Ravi Bopara. Bopara's impressive innings against South Africa should have made the selectors sit up and realise that the Essex man is, on current form, a much better man to have in the middle-order than Paul Collingwood. However, after Pietersen's injury, they may again have to move Bopara from a position he looks comfortable in. He has previously opened in ODI's, and averages less than 30 from his fourteen innings', with only one half-century. Despite having the experience, the selectors would face some criticism if Bopara were to find himself opening again, as his batting style and ability to hit over the top would be much better suited to the middle and late overs.

Bopara's innings against South Africa may have assured him
a place in the side for the rest of the tournament.

Matt Prior. Prior is another of England's middle-order who has experience of opening the batting, most recently in the seven-match series against Australia. However, from his 32 innings' he only averages 24.2. Since Morgan's injury, he has been batting in the number 6 position and has been enlisted as 'the finisher'. However, with Morgan back in the side he may not be needed to fill this role, and this could see England revert to having their wicket-keeper doubling up as their opening batsmen.

Luke Wright. It would be a massive shock if Wright was handed the role of opener for the remainder of the World Cup, especially since in his six previous innings at the top of the order in ODI's he has only mustered 107 runs. However, the selectors seem to feel he has something to offer the squad, and stranger things have happened...

In my opinion, Ian Bell is the best candidate to partner Strauss at the top of the innings. However, it would come as shock if England's selectors went with Matt Prior, as it would open up the finisher role for Morgan to come into, whilst not disrupting the middle-order.

This article can also be found at worldcricketwatch.com and sportsvoice.co.uk

Is this the end of the road for Paul Collingwood?

Paul Collingwood has long been a staple of England’s cricket team. He holds the record for one-day international appearances in an England shirt, and only last year he captained the Twenty20 side to World Cup glory.

However, after retiring from test cricket at the end of the Ashes, he was left out of the team for the first one-day international against Australia in Melbourne. His recent poor form may mean there is no way back for the man who still holds the record for the best all-round one-day international performance.

Collingwood is no stranger to being on the brink of being discarded by the national team, but every time he has find a way to persuade the selectors to stick with him, mostly by scoring great centuries or picking up a crucial wicket. His fielding has also set the standard for the modern-day England team, with some of his memorable catches his main legacy.

Collingwood had a poor Ashes series to say the least, and his retirement at the end of the Sydney test match only seemed to spare him from being dropped. However, when this form carried on into the two Twenty20 international, the England selectors have found themselves with no option but to leave him out.

Collingwood's poor Ashes series led to his retirement after the
Sydney test

With only six matches left in the series, he may not have the chance to prove his worth ahead of February’s World Cup. England’s middle order looks very strong, with Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Eoin Morgan looking as if they will be very difficult to dislodge when it comes down to their batting compared with Collingwood’s, especially on recent form.

However, after defeat in Melbourne, many commentators have said Collingwood’s medium pace may have come in handy, as England’s five frontline bowlers struggled under the floodlights. James Anderson and Stuart Broad should be back for the World Cup though, and this should strengthen the bowling attack, leaving Collingwood even more out in the cold.

It remains to be seen whether Paul Collingwood will be given the chance to represent his country in the forthcoming World Cup, but seeing him on the podium as part of a winning England team would be a great way for him to bow out of international cricket. 

This article can also be found at worldcricketwatch.com

Who should be lining up for England in the 2014-15 Ashes?

Following Matthew Wood and Ben Roberts’ discussion regarding who should feature in the Australian side for the 2014-15 Ashes, I thought it only fair to give them some opponents, and draw out my own England side for four years time.

Opening the batting in my side is current vice-captain Alastair Cook, who, despite questions surrounding his technique, has managed to keep his place in the side. Given the ECB’s recent policy of simply picking the most experienced player in the squad to be skipper, the Essex man also gets the nod as captain.

Alongside the skipper is Yorkshire’s Adam Lyth, who is already showing great promise despite only having two full seasons in first-class cricket. After becoming the first man to reach 1000 runs in 2010 County Championship, he is well and truly on the national selector’s radar. He will also be 27 by 2014, and in the prime of his cricketing career, giving him more than a good chance of facing the Aussies in four years.

At three I have chosen Ian Bell, who will still only be 32 come 2014. Despite not having the best record against Australia, he seems to be now eventually becoming a quality international batsman, and by the time he reaches his 30’s he has every chance of being in the top 10 test match batsmen in the world.

James Taylor is my choice at number four. He currently averages over 45 in first-class cricket, and at only 20, he is one of the brightest prospects in English cricket. He has already impressed in the England Lions side and if he continues his good form should be one of the most exciting young batsmen in world cricket by the time 2014 comes round.

Eoin Morgan takes his place in the team at number five. His innovative style of batting has catapulted him into the limelight, and it won’t be long before he begins stamping his authority on the test match stage. At 28, he will be another who should be in the prime of his cricketing career, and he has every chance of being the man the Australians most fear come 2014.

At six I have gone for the slightly controversial choice of Ravi Bopara. Many Australians would be rubbing their hands with glee at the sight of Ravi walking to the crease, but I feel in four years time he will have matured and be more consistently showing the form he showed against the West Indies in the summer of 2009. Also, batting at six should give him slightly more freedom, instead of having to come in when the pressure is on after the first wicket.

England’s wicket keeping position is always up for much debate, but I have gone with Steven Davies to fill the position by the time 2014 comes around. He has established himself in the one-day side after some good performance against an admittedly downhearted Pakistan side, and the fact he has been taken to Australia this year as back-up for Matt Prior shows that he is very much the man the selectors see as Prior’s long-term replacement.

As much as I would love to put Yorkshire’s Adil Rashid in my side, I am going to instead going to give Graeme Swann one final ‘Swann-song ‘ (sorry) and choose him in my side. He will be 35 by 2014 and most probably coming to the end of his career, but spinners always seem to get better with age, and I believe Swann will be no different.

England’s seam department should be fairly similar to what it is now, with Stuart Broad and Steven Finn both looking likely to be top quality international bowlers, whilst with their height they should both do well in Australia. 

The third seamer position goes to Warwickshire’s Chris Woakes, who at 21 is the best young seamer in England at the moment, having already recorded to eight five-wicket hauls in his already short career.

As seems the way, England’s squad usually consists of 16 players, and therefore I have chosen Adil Rashid, Yorkshire’s Jonathan Bairstow (back-up wicket keeper), Hampshire’s Jimmy Adams, Durham’s Ben Stokes and Jonathan Trott, who could very well get a chance in the side if the pressure gets to the likes of Taylor or Bopara.

So there it is, a fine side if I do say it myself. Some familiar names, but also some exciting new faces. I look forward to looking back at this in four years time and giving myself a pat on the back, or most probably asking myself what was I thinking. 

This article can be found at worldcricketwatch.com

England's One Day Side: The Middle Order

Now that England's one-day series against Bangladesh has been decided (despite the third match taking place this Friday), the nations once ridiculed side is now looking like a professional outfit.

The omission of key players such as captain Andrew Strauss and premier bowler James Anderson has given opportunity to others to stake a claim ahead of the World Cup in 2011.

However these new candidates to be on the plane to India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will no doubt pose the selectors no end of new problems.

The Middle Order

When asked, many England fans would probably say that their sides middle order in the 50-over format of the game is now set in stone.

Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan have all staked a claim that they should be in England's first-choice middle order, and most cricket followers would struggle to argue against their inclusion.

Dublin-born Morgan is now seen as the first name on any England limited overs team sheet. His fantastic timing and power mixed in with some audacious reverse sweeps and cheeky flicks mean that he is the perfect modern-day 50 overs batsman. His match winning innings in the 2nd ODI was one of the all time greats, with the huge six over the leg side to finish the game a fine example of what he is all about.

Collingwood has also cemented his place in the side due to him mixing his raw talent and grit with a consistency, that was majorly lacking in his early international career. Add to that his fantastic fielding and more than useful medium pace and Colly rates up there as one of the top one-day players in the world.

The case of Pietersen is an entirely different one. Ever since he returned from the Achilles injury that ruled him out of the final three Ashes tests he has looked an entirely different batsman, one who is deprived of confidence and the swagger that used to accompany him whenever he was at the crease. Despite looking like he might be back to his best in the recent Twenty20 games in the United Arab Emirates, his total lack of form in both South Africa and now in Bangladesh must have the selectors scratching their heads.

So who else is there who could either replace or deputise for these three. Many of the other options are from the "Been there, tried them, dispensed with" school, with Owais Shah, Ravi Bopara and Robert Key being the most obvious names. Bopara's well documented Ashes failure has meant he has fallen of the radar, whilst even a match winning knock against South Africa in the Champion's Trophy wasn't enough to save Shah from the chop. Key, on the other hand, hasn't been given much of an opportunity to impress for the Three Lions, with his only match since 2005 being that infamous defeat to The Netherlands at Lords last summer.

So if not the tried and tested, who else is there to possibly take up the mantle. Current Lions and Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale did not cover himself in glory during the Lions' recent winter tour, and would have to play out of his skin to get a seat on the plane. However, Leicestershire's 20-year old James Taylor did have a productive tour, and after an excellent 2009, a good summer could see him banging on the door.