Will Collingwood get his chance?

Australia will respect Paul Collingwood for his mental toughness; but saying they fear his dogged batting at Test level is simply a fallacy. Regularly included in the squad, but not the final eleven, until a year ago, Collingwood has found a niche for himself in the side as a tenacious batsman to go in between Messrs Pietersen and Flintoff. In this time, the 30-year-old has done much to shed his reputation as a one-day specialist, averaging 53 in his last 11 games.

Although an inventive accumulator in the shorter format of the game, Collingwood’s role in the Test side is to provide grit, guts and reliability; his current strike-rate is just 41. His qualities may not be particularly glamorous but Collingwood’s technique, perhaps surprisingly, has prove more than able to cope with the rigours of Test cricket so far. Games in the sub-continent and against Asian sides in England have brought several vital innings. Whether he can replicate them against the bouncing Australian ball and the guile of Shane Warne remains to be seen. For Collingwood, however, the immediate question is whether he will get the chance.

Given that England have only selected six batsmen for their main touring party, it seems unlikely Collingwood will play in the First Test. His will feel frustrated at seemingly being the ‘fall-guy’ yet again; but the selectors will remember his struggles when he batted at four in ODIs against Australia last summer and, especially, his Matthew Hoggard-esque exploits in the Fifth Test. If England are struggling, there are few better men to bring in than Collingwood; but, if things all go to plan, than he appears unlikely to feature.

Tagged with: Paul Collingwood, Ashes 2006/07

Can Pietersen keep his machismo in check?

No one on either side will attract more attention than Kevin Pietersen this winter. His flamboyant and brash personality mimics his batting. Throw in his intriguing relationship with Shane Warne, and it is clear KP will never be far from the spotlight this winter; being the man he is, he will doubtless relish it all.

But how will he fare? The Champions Trophy game was surely an indicator of where Australia’s fast bowlers plan to target him. Short and hostile bowling, followed by full balls outside the off stump, will be the order of the day.

Providing he uses his head, Pietersen should enjoy considerable success down under. If he lets arrogance get in the way of common sense, he will try and hit sixes of Warne and Brett Lee; this will prove successful a few times before Pietersen tries it once too often. However, if he is prepared to play in a subtler manner, then he will find Australia’s big outfields to his advantage; after all, he does not need to take risks to score at a more-than-satisfactory rate. Australia, on the back of his exceptional 158, certainly fear him; several men will be put on the boundary. But will he be able to keep his machismo in check?

As is his wont, Pietersen, if and when he falls in a seemingly reckless manner, will hide behind the unsatisfactory excuse of “that’s the way I play.” It seems very likely his idiosyncratic way will yield at least a couple of vital innings in the Ashes. But, if he mixes his characteristic offensive brilliance with the nous he seems to be slowly learning, then he could conceivably be the single most important player on either side, as well as the most talked about.

Tagged with: Kevin Pietersen, Shane Warne, Ashes 2006/07

Not looking for a repeat performance

In 2005, Ian Bell was bafflingly picked in the Ashes side ahead of Graham Thorpe. Save for a pair of impressive fifties in the Third Test at Old Trafford, his series was a disaster: seven single scores from 10 innings amounted to an average of just 17.

But thankfully, Bell’s scarring summer does not look as if it will have long-term implications. The boyhood prodigy has grown in confidence (he believes body language is key) since his rather traumatic series 14 months ago. Playing classical and increasingly authoritative shots all round the wicket against Pakistan, he recorded three consecutive centuries to secure his place on tour and, almost certainly, selection for the First Test.

Australians will believe he is easy meat. But they will be surprised. Bell has matured and, providing he can assert himself against Shane Warne (he strike rate was just 31 against him last year), he should prove many Aussies wrong. Bell’s chief problem against Australia last summer was in his mind. If, as it seems, this facet of his game has been improved, then Bell could just be England’s most successful batsman down under.

Tagged with: Ian Bell, Ashes 2006/07

Not the captain, but still vital

Andrew Strauss was narrowly overlooked for the captaincy on the Ashes tour. But he is nonetheless an invaluable member of the side; indeed, he was the only player on either side to score two hundreds in the epic series of 2005.

In just 31 Tests, Strauss already has 10 Test Match hundreds; this is testament to his remarkable conversion rate (he has three more hundreds than fifties at this level), as well as his unerring consistency.

The player who gave Strauss the most trouble 14 months ago was Shane Warne. The phenomenal leg-spinner dismissed him six times; Strauss, who improved as the series went on, scored 120 runs. Having since played in both India and Pakistan, one would expect England’s vice-captain to improve somewhat against Warne.

Two hundreds in England’s Test series win over Pakistan proved that Strauss is currently near to his Man of the Series form against South Africa two winters ago. He will play in his trademark minimalist way and, aided by a fantastically calm temperament, should enjoy some success. England certainly need him to: with Marcus Trescothick’s many worries, he is the closest they have to a ‘banker.’

Tagged with: Andrew Strauss, Marcus Trescothick, Ashes 2006/07, Shane Warne

Phlegmatic Cook can be a huge star

Most Australians won’t need much reminding who Alastair Cook is. In a warm-up game last summer, Cook blazed a remarkable double century for Essex against the tourists, alerting Australians and Englishmen alike to a prodigious talent. Those in the know, however, would not have been too surprised: he has progressed seamlessly through age-group cricket and has long seemed destined for international stardom.

Yet, though that phenomenal innings suggested otherwise, Cook will not be doing much blazing in Australia. He will play with a straight bat, remain remarkably unfazed by any sledging and not seek to engage in scoring shots unless he is totally at ease; indeed, Cook’s strike-rate in Test Match cricket is a distinctly un-21st century 44. If a bowler is foolish enough to pitch the ball on his legs Cook, as he does, will, inevitably, flick it away in the classiest of manners.

There have very seldom been better 21-year-old batsmen than Cook. Unexpectedly handed a debut in India last winter, he responded by scoring a hundred; he added two more - 105 and 127 - against Pakistan over the summer. Yet, despite an outstanding average of 54 from nine Tests against sub-continental sides, lingering doubts remain over his ability to handle Shane Warne; he has a tendency to push too hard at the ball and get caught around the bat. He has doubtless been using his extra time at home to work on this slight technical glitch.

Australian supporters may view Cook as Ian Bell 2005 Mark 2. But, with far more experience at Test level than Bell then, and an admirably phlegmatic temperament, that would be wishful thinking indeed.

Tagged with: Alastair Cook, Ashes 2006/07, Shane Warne, Ian Bell 2005

The trouble with Trescothick

As the Ashes approaches, I will be assessing every Englishman’s chances of success down under. I will start with Marcus Trescothick.

Trescothick pulled out of the ICC Champions Trophy on account of his stress-related illness, though he has since professed to being in perfect mental condition ahead of the Ashes.

But I am not overly hopefully. Since his 193 in Pakistan last year, things have gradually deteriorated for Trescothick. If he is truly in peak condition, he should benefit from the absence of nemesis Jason Gillespie and the apparent decline of Glenn McGrath and enjoy a triumphant winter, especially given his aptitude playing spin. But, if my fears are correct and he is unable to focus entirely on the cricket, then Trescothick’s average will be considerably nearer the 26 in 2002/03 than the 43 he averaged in England last year.

Tagged with: Marcus Trescothick, Ashes 2006/07, stress-related illness, Jason Gillespie

England

Contributors to this site are primarily English, so we shall inevitably feature much on English cricket.

Sub-sections that have been categorised are:

England Test ratings - This features detailed, by-marks out of ten for all England Test series.

England ODI ratings - This features detailed, by-marks out of ten for all England ODI series.

County cricket - The county games receives scandolously little coverage in the mainstream media. Hopefully our weekly reviews, and extensive season reviews, will go a little way to providing ample coverage for the county fan.

We also will feature categories for every England series. Obviously, we refrain from doing conventional match reports, but invariably do many pieces analysing events.

England v India - 2007 Tests and ODIs

England v West Indies - 2007 Tests and ODIs

World Cup 2007 - Featuring preview articles, pieces on old tournaments, and post-mortems after England's inevitable humiliation.

CB Series 2007

Ashes 2006/07 - Relieve the series in all its horror with our 50+ pieces previeweing, analysing and reviewing the series.