vamos_rafa Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 Why is the England cricket team suddenly so much better than we thought - even out in the 50-over fields? I know, already you think, "Here comes another of those colonial lectures - suffocation by England, his England." Well, maybe, but you have to admit they look a pretty good outfit. Yes, the conditions are handy right now - hand warmers, the moving ball, the long, slow drip of an innings - and the Australians looked "a point", as the French might say. But believe it, Captains Cook and Strauss and their merry men have got something going that is the envy of just about everyone else. The biggest change in English cricket has been attitude. Not so long ago, rain meant a day off; now it means a missed opportunity. County players rejoiced in not playing - the suits can't fire you if you haven't taken guard - and young players had their enthusiasm chipped at by old pros who wanted baths run and drinks served. You dared not speak unless spoken to. Ah, that wretched rite of passage that earned England many a moniker abroad. Now, though, much of abroad is in England and the immigrant minorities drive the culture every bit as much as do the locals. Two of the last three coaches have been out of Zimbabwe, a place where the chance of a game of cricket is not a given. Slowly, over a decade, and with the telling purpose of Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss galvanising the dressing room, the idea of playing international cricket has done a 360 - from Fear Index to Fun House. In Test cricket, where you can grind an opponent down, the results of this new philosophy were apparent the minute a bowling attack emerged. In one-day cricket, where risk has a greater premium, England did not break out of their introspection so easily. Shackled and drawn, those players plucked from the county game's inglorious past were overrun by the free spirits they faced overseas. The first people to understand this and react to it (not easy) were Dermot Reeve and Adam Hollioake, at Warwickshire and Surrey respectively, but neither was a truly international cricketer himself, and thus had no more than a fleeting influence on the game around him. Both knew that it was okay to be caught at long-off or to bowl a long-hop in an attempt at a bouncer. "Let go of yourself," they cried, "show off your crazy diamonds!" But, like the ghostly runs made from midfield by Martin Peters in 1966, they were before their time and not so widely appreciated. England have come so far that these days it is a bit of a let-down if Ian Bell does not smash the new ball over mid-off for six - like the Stones not playing "Satisfaction". Alastair Cook, of all people, has taken to backing outside leg stump and rifling a respectable delivery through cover. Stuart Broad bowls a collection of allsorts that Derek Shackleton could no more relate to than the salary Broad ear A clear, uninhibited approach has allowed the tactics to advance alongside it. England's strongest suit is a set of bowlers who look to attack. "Keep it tight, son" has morphed into "Knock him over, Finny" ns from them. England are winning 50-over matches - 12 without a loss in a row, which include four consecutive successes against Pakistan in the drier than dry UAE, some sort of compensation for the Test series thumping - because their minds are in the fun house. This is not to say they are without discipline. Far from it, discipline is at the core of their performance. It is a philosophical thing and is spreading to the county game, allowing players such as Jonny Bairstow and Jade Dernbach to arrive in the England set-up all clued up. A clear, uninhibited approach has allowed the tactics to advance alongside it. England's strongest suit is a set of bowlers who look to attack. "Keep it tight, son" has morphed into "Knock him over, Finny." So regularly do England take wickets that momentum against them is a rare thing. The selectors are choosing specialists and it shows. The bowlers are comfortable in their skin; the batsmen understand the construction of an innings and then apply that knowledge to the demands of a run rate, each with their own take on innovation; the fielders hunt run-outs as an expression of their desire, not as an option with an overthrow as the downside. Of course, the two new white balls have played into English hands and will continue to do so, even on the subcontinent, where much is left to prove. India is not convinced by England because England have never been convincing in India. Good fast bowlers and batsmen who rely on method for their initial progress thrive on the luxury of two new balls, the hardness, the seam, the sheen. Wristier batting and more fiddly bowling - old ball, soft ball cricket - will be needed in MS Dhoni's land early next year. For the minute, though, it is South Africa who must tell us just how good England are. On the green and pleasant lands of home, no one else is running close and most are running scared. Amongst these South Africans are some of the best in the world. Graeme Smith will not be bullied and Jacques Kallis will not be moved. The bowling attack is worthy of the name and the fielders catch flies. But they will have to be at their best to break this England - confident, cocky, charismatic England, where the culture changed and so did the results.
Spiderguy252 Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 5 ODIs, 4 Tests and a couple of T20s in India coming up, b*tches. After which they'll wish their single syllabled Bell/Cook/Trott/Swann can sit at home all year and bash the Windies and New Zealand all year.
maverick451 Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 I think we (England) will give you a good game in the tests, I dont think India's spinners are as good as Pakistan spinners. On the other hand though our strength is out pace bowlers and I think they will be pretty ineffective in flat dry tracks. Odi's you'll kick our ass and 20/20 who knows also just to add the lack of DRS will wok heavily in Englands favour against the spinners
Spiderguy252 Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 I think we (England) will give you a good game in the tests' date=' I dont think India's spinners are as good as Pakistan spinners.[/quote'] Ah but then there was a Rangana Herath who spun you out as well, to script your very own 4-0. Quality doesn't matter, apparently. England are weak against spin bowling of any standard.
zaqw222222 Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 Ah but then there was a Rangana Herath who spun you out as well, to script your very own 4-0. Quality doesn't matter, apparently. England are weak against spin bowling of any standard. They did manage to win a test match against sri lanka. They will b tough to beat in tests
vamos_rafa Posted July 12, 2012 Author Posted July 12, 2012 They did manage to win a test match against sri lanka. They will b tough to beat in tests Yeah and one thing in their advantage is that they have played 5 test mathces already in the SC. So, they have had a fair bit of experience going into the series. Also, the temperatures in Nov, would be on the lower side, which is again an advantage for them.
Crookbond Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 I think England will fare well in Test matches. In certain conditions, they may even trump India.
adi B Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 I think we (England) will give you a good game in the tests, I dont think India's spinners are as good as Pakistan spinners. On the other hand though our strength is out pace bowlers and I think they will be pretty ineffective in flat dry tracks. Odi's you'll kick our ass and 20/20 who knows also just to add the lack of DRS will wok heavily in Englands favour against the spinners i say tests- india 2-0, england would be close in winning one,but luck nd some conditions will snatch that chance from them..although england will play well in tests in patches. odi`s - if its 5 match odi , then 4-1 india win,if 7 then 5-2 india win t20`s- very simple 1-1 draw
Pagalpanti Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 I think we (England) will give you a good game in the tests' date=' I [b']dont think India's spinners are as good as Pakistan spinners. On the other hand though our strength is out pace bowlers and I think they will be pretty ineffective in flat dry tracks. Odi's you'll kick our ass and 20/20 who knows also just to add the lack of DRS will wok heavily in Englands favour against the spinners Ravi Jadeja vs England Mat:5 Wkt: 11 Avg: 17 Seriously, you think England stand any chance against any spinner we put out?
Crookbond Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 Ravi Jadeja vs England Mat:5 Wkt: 11 Avg: 17 Seriously, you think England stand any chance against any spinner we put out? That was ODIs - we are talking about Tests.
Trichromatic Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 If we don't prepare rank turners then I won't be surprised if India struggles to win the series against England. England might even draw the series if pitches are quite flat. I expect India to win 1 match. Anything more than that would be very difficult. England would have to play very badly to lose the series. It's the weakest Indian team in long time and best time for England to tour India.
Dravid_TheWall Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 Prepare Kanpur pitch that Bhajji liked-the one the ICC investigated. Play 3 spinners and ZK.
Dravid_TheWall Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 If we don't prepare rank turners then I won't be surprised if India struggles to win the series against England. England might even draw the series if pitches are quite flat. I expect India to win 1 match. Anything more than that would be very difficult. England would have to play very badly to lose the series. It's the weakest Indian team in long time and best time for England to tour India. I don't think we will lose a match though, our batting will be good at home.
Trichromatic Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 Prepare Kanpur pitch that Bhajji liked-the one the ICC investigated. Play 3 spinners and ZK. +1. Though even good turning track might be enough.
maverick451 Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 A few points Remember there is no DRS so spinners wont be as effective as in UAE Our pace bowlers were still very good in UAE and have improved a hell of alot in flat conditions its the batting that let us down but that I hope will have improved, KP especially seems to have conquered his spin demons. Indian spinners im sorry but I just dont rate that highly, they dont have the same mystery as chuckmal who was awesome in that series. Id make India slight favourites but only just, England will be determind to put the pakistan series behind them, I wouldnt get over confident and think it wil be a walk in the park.
CG Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 We have a lost captain,Spineless Coach,Rifts in team, .........................But we will beat eng.
Hell Raiser Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 IMO Eng won't go down as easily as some of the Indian fans think so in the test series. It will be a good contest if pitches doesn't have much turn. And I won't be surprised If Eng wins the series by a narrow margin or draw the series. In ODi's Eng is doing well and are turning into a brilliant side particularly at home but irrespective of that I believe they will be thrashed again.
Needforspeed Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 Most Indian pitches are flat, not dry dustbowls like in Sharjah and Dubai. On these flat tracks the English batsmen will not be as easy, because the ball will turn slowly and the English batsmen are a very patient lot. English bowlers have always done well in Indian conditions and also the SG balls swing well. The Indian batting doesn't fill one with much confidence. The only way forward for India is to prepare tracks which spin for day1.
MechEng Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 England are unlikely to win the series here in India. And those who rate Ajmal highly, it was not the turn with which he got wickets, but his accuracy did the job. The English batsmen were struggling to read the length of spinners, that's a very very basic flaw......Plus the turn in Dubai is nowhere as demonic as the Chennai or the Kanpur pitch, where the ball spits fire on day 3 itself. Having said that, our spin attack is terrible atm. Our spinners are very very mechanical, they generate no drift at all......Just look at Ashwin in Australia....
CG Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 England are unlikely to win the series here in India. And those who rate Ajmal highly, it was not the turn with which he got wickets, but his accuracy did the job. The English batsmen were struggling to read the length of spinners, that's a very very basic flaw......Plus the turn in Dubai is nowhere as demonic as the Chennai or the Kanpur pitch, where the ball spits fire on day 3 itself. Having said that, our spin attack is terrible atm. Our spinners are very very mechanical, they generate no drift at all......Just look at Ashwin in Australia.... ashwin and oja do drift the ball,on indian pitches its a whole diff ball game.
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