England v West Indies: 1st Test - Lord's, Broads and IPL Flaws

England can smile again after taking their first home victory of the summer against the West Indies at Lord's.  Batting the side home, Cook and Bell provided England with the partnership required to chaise down 191 runs on day five, but not before the Windies demanded Jonny Bairstow's presence at the crease with England on 189 after Alistair Cook opened the bat looking for glory, but instead finding the hands of Kirk Edwards.  Despite the score sheet now reading 1-0 to England, the West Indies can take away a wealth of positives from their performance at Lord's.  Shiv Chanderpaul showed off his class, forcing the game to extend to five days, and should have been rewarded with his name on the Lord's honors board.  His trademark anti-reflective strips, worn on his cheek bones, appeared like facial war-paint, as he ground England's bowling attack to a halt.  "The war will be over by Christmas" they cried in 1914, that phrase coming to mind late on day three when Surrey announced their free entry policy for Lord's ticket holders the following day.  Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing?  

The West Indies would have felt they could have done better than their 243-all out in the first innings, allowing England to take early domination of the game.  The atmosphere in the ground on day one was electric as the crowd rose from their seats to congratulate Broad's five-fore.  What a bowler Broad is, nearly left out of the side this time last year, he has well and truly silenced all critics.  Now his name is eternalised on all three honors boards, a test match 100, 5-wicket haul and a 10-wicket haul.  Broady is England's all rounder, no question.  England's first innings finally put an end to the run drought which has plagued the side over the winter.  Strauss smashed 100, whilst Ian Bell batted back into form with 61 off 105 balls.  Through the innings raised yet another question about Strauss' batting, he is still unable to convert an overnight 100 into a double hundred, the runs have silenced his critics...at least for now.  

This test match also threw up questions to cricket's future and its morals.  Where were key West Indian's like Chris Gayle?  Knocking hundreds for IPL teams rather than representing their country at the home of the cricket.  Why do we now live in a generation where domestic league cricket becomes bigger than representing your country at a test match? Everyone knows that, if they too were in Gayle's position they would take the money and the IPL season, but players should not be put into a situation where they have too choose money over playing international cricket.  The ICC should not be allowing the IPL to get bigger than playing test cricket with the national team.  The IPL teams are engineered each year, dictated to by dollar signs, and should not make players compromise their international duties.  These types of competitions are doing nothing for the future of test cricket or the development of young players and their dominance and importance should be culled and controlled by the ICC, before a situation like the English Premier League develops, where individual clubs are bigger than the national team.  I sincerely hope that the ECB take a different approach to improving domestic cricket and don't follow the advertising, money monster that is the Indian Premier League.    

Stuart Broad who took an 11-wicket haul in the match

Shiv Chanderpaul, number one batsman in the world with his trademark anti-reflective strips 

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. 

The Mystery of the Desert Sands

8th January 2012

I'm writing this as I should be watching the BBC's new series of 'Sherlock', a program that has pulled Arthur Conan Doyle's Victorian mastermind into the modern day - a process that, until now, the England Cricket team appeared to have also undergone.  However, today in the UAE there were signs that the England team could be stuck somewhere in the middle.  A batting collapse occurring after Alastair Cook did well to set the boys up, a declaration made by Straussy as England fall short of the required total and a number of batting superstars failing to do what was needed, and to make matters worse, the opposition are the ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate.  With a lack of coverage of the game (no TMS or Sky yet) I can only report on what the score card tells me, but the first half does not make happy reading.  These past few days have uncovered major cracks in England's batting ability on the flat, dry wickets of the Middle East and these must be addressed before facing Pakistan.

If one was looking for an explanation, maybe we should go back to the summer, particularly the ODIs against India.  England were playing on home wickets that the RHS Chelsea Flower Show would be happy to exhibit as an example of pristine lawn cultivation, rather than making any attempt to mimic a wicket of the sub continent.  Like the 'hounds of the baskervilles', this summer's wicket choices are coming back to haunt the team.  In the batting department, England are showing worrying signs of the team of old, a lonely Alastair Cook at the crease as each great name comes-and-goes without making an impact.

But, once England have put the bat down and Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Swann pick up the ball, England reflect the sharp, slick, savvy Sherlock.  It appears that Stuart Broad  is taking on Benedict Cumberbatch's role as the game-maker, a step-ahead of the rest.  With an economy rate of 1.67 and statistics reading 2-15 in 9.0 overs, for a second day running Broady is impressing.  Dr Watson, in this case Jimmy Anderson, is supporting Broad's sharpness by keeping hot on his heels, racking up 2-15 in 12.0 overs.  So together these two are settling the fan's nerves and reassuring us that we can support our world number 1 status.

Our boys are half way between a globally successful formidable fighting force and a domestic goddess, a team of two halves.  However, the mentality of this team makes me think that Sherlock will prevail, like he always does on TV, because we have a trump card - unity.  Cricket is a team sport, every member must pull their weight and make their contribution for the good of the team, and through Swanny's Ashes Video Diary's the fans know that what this team have, above anything, is unity.  The relationship between them and their mentality makes even the most cynical of supporter breathe a little easier when the going gets tough.  I believe that the success of the bowling unit, of Sherlock and Dr. Watson, will be enough to inspire and encourage those currently below par.  Oh and let's not forget, Alastair Cook.  Beneath that chiseled jaw line, piercing dark eyes and  sportsman's physique is a tyrant, who will simply remain at the crease, minding his own business,  for hours.

Until next time, the Seam-Mistress.