The Perfect Recipe: Cook with a handful of Onions

13th January 2012 

When you look back at the past week it is hard not to pass judgement over our great sport.  A week where the national team flexed its muscles in preparation for the first test against Pakistan on Monday and the domestic game was clouded in a dark haze of corruption.  

But let me begin with the positives of the past week - our national team.  Yet again they have shown measured skill and ability whilst playing in Dubai, and there are obvious improvements in individual performances.  As I write this, England dominates the score card.  Having scored 269 before a declaration in their first innings against the Pakistan Cricket Board XI (not forgetting Alastair Cook's contribution of 133 runs), England's ball-boys set about their task.  In a side adapting to playing on unfamiliar and unfavourable wickets, it was promising to hear of Monty Panesar's five-for, particularly as the inclusion of Panesar as a second spinner is an untried bowling attack formation for the world number 1 side.  

Panesar had to prove his worth to the team and coaches in this tour match, to both secure his place and settle any nerves at the sight of a changed bowling attack.  It's wonderful to see a player, who has not featured much recently in the international field, return to the England squad.  Already, Panesar has written a case for why he deserves his place alongside Anderson, Broad and Swann - bowlers who have achieved the heights of legends.  Yes, Panesar has played the part of the hero, most noticeably against the Aussies in Cardiff 2009, but never have places in an England side been so sacred and hard to come by.  

Additionally, the inclusion of another 'blast-from-the-past' appears to suggest that Flower and Strauss aim to gain an even stronger and deeper England squad.  This England side is not like that of the golden years of 2005 and 2009 - instead this is a well established team with strength filtering through to lower order batsmen and super-human bowlers.  One thing that England made clear against India this summer was their strength and lack of a weak link.  Even batsmen out of form contributed in other areas of the game.  So, the inclusion of Graham Onions instead of Steve Finn, to me, suggests that Flower wants the squad to be even deeper.

Steve Finn has been hanging out with this England side for months now, watching from the side-lines.  It is my firm belief that we're looking at the Jimmy Anderson of the future.  I believe Finny is being kept in and around the squad to learn by observing Jimmy, Broad, Bresnan and Tremlett, so that one day he himself can lead the England attack.  So why no inclusion here?  Well, Finn still has a way to go and has the issue of a poor economy rate.  He is a man knocking on the door, but it just won’t open for him yet.  Granted, I believe Finny is denied wickets in ODI matches, due to the field being set wrongly by Alastair Cook (Finn requires a large number of slips to catch edged balls, but Cook never supplied him with the attacking field required for his bowling style) and I think this unfairly boosts his image as a wasteful bowler.  Still, Onions is the obvious ingredient in the winter cooking pot.  On wickets so favourable to the opposition it is impossible to include a fast bowler who gives away runs and I just hope that Onions' second coming ends in results.  Like Monty, Onions needs to prove himself to this side and quickly.  

But as the Arab sun sets on a promising week for the national team, back at home there is a sharp frost in the air.  Corruption.  A word proudly dismissed by the ICC until the Pakistan scandal of 2010, which ended the careers of three internationally acclaimed cricketers, including the captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and the 19 year old Mohammad Amir.  However, yesterday the wave of corruption landed on British soil and most worryingly in the domestic game.  Already English domestic cricket is not a ground filler, an issue that needs to be addressed by the ECB, but county cricket being branded with the news of a match fixing scandal by Mervyn Westfield (Essex), is press the game does not need.  There is a saying that no press is bad press and true, the scandal has flung the county game to the front page of national and international newspapers, but the word "corruption" is so feared in sport it cannot help the game one bit.  If "corruption" ended the careers of international players - even banning them from playing any form of the game - imagine what it does to a domestic cricketer.  A 10 year jail sentence.  That length of time behind bars classifies a person forever.  This is undoubtedly the end of Mervyn Westfield's career.  

Are there any positives in this media coverage for our domestic game?  Yes.  A warning.  If you're going to involve yourself in match fixing, do not do it on British soil, they will catch you and they will finish you.  Strong words from the country holding world domination.  

Until next time, the Seam-Mistress.