Wello's Cricket World

I am angry today.....India did not lose this SCG test, they had it stolen. I'm reckoning on the Aussies getting 200 more runs in their 1st innings than they actually deserved courtesy of that Symonds stinker from Steve Bucknor and the ridiculous 3rd umpire stumping decision. Beating Ricky Ponting's team in Australia is hard enough without the ball always bouncing in their favour. The reality is that far from losing the game with an over to spare on the last day, India would probably have been winning never mind drawing it if the umpiring had been at all competent. Symonds' admission afterwards that he did indeed edge Ishant Sharma to Dhoni when on 30 combined with Ponting's team equalling the world record of 16 consecutive test wins makes swallowing the pill a very bitter experience. Fair Dinkum? I don't think so.

Wello

The recent test series defeat to Sri Lanka was tough to take for England fans who genuinely believed their side had a good chance of improving upon an outstanding win in the previous one-day series. The first hour of the Kandy Test, when Matthew Hoggard reduced the hosts to the perilous position of 42 for 5 proved to be a false dawn and with each day's play the series moved inexorably towards Sri Lanka's favour.

A 1-0 defeat in Sri Lanka is no disgrace - very few teams manage to win in the oppressive heat and humidity there and England have not become a bad side overnight. There is however a crucial aspect of England's team that desperately needs addressing sooner rather than later - slip catching.

During the run of six successive test series victories in 2004/5, England's potent pace attack of Flintoff, Harmison, Jones and Hoggard created numerous chances in the form of edges towards the slip cordon. And therein lies the crux...batsmen offering those chances would usually find themselves back in the pavilion courtesy of a settled catching unit of Marcus Trescothick (arguably the best 1st slipper in the world then), Andrew Flintoff (usually safe and often spectacular) and Andrew Strauss (also a natural slip fielder). When Flintoff was bowling, Strauss would move to 2nd slip with Ashley Giles providing excellent cover at 3rd or gully.

Allied to an attack that contained so much pace, bounce, accuracy and mastery of reverse swing, England were arguably the best side around for those two years and even the mighty Australians could not withstand them. The England of now - in test terms at least - lack the pace bowling line-up of their predecessors meaning their chance creation is reduced and every catch offered to the slips is that much more precious and simply has to be caught.

For one reason or another, the entire slip and gully unit of 2005 is no longer present in the England team requiring other players to fill the breach. At present, Paul Collingwood stands at 2nd slip to the quicks and he has a very decent record but is also England's best outfielder so they lose his energy and run out capabilities. First slip is such an important position and during quiet periods may be the only slip in place and Ian Bell has been tasked to do this vital job. Bell is a naturally good fielder and may grow into the role but he is also England's best bat-pad catcher and a good ring man so the Sri Lanka series saw the result of England's two best outfielders standing at slip with the athletic prowess of Steve Harmison gracing the stage at cover-point.

Usually, top four batsmen are bankers for the slips and if you look at world cricket at present, the names of Jacques Kallis, Matthew Hayden, Graeme Smith and Stephen Fleming stand out as test class batters who make excellent slippers. Compare England's current top four and you can see the problems facing coach Peter Moores. With Michael Vaughan, Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen making up three of the players, the ideal candidate to take the crucial match-winning slip catch from the opposition's best player does not readily spring to mind.

The recall of Andrew Strauss will be a godsend to Moores' England catching cordon demonstrating again how important it is to offer more than just one specialist skill. Conditions in New Zealand will suit the swing and cut of Matthew Hoggard and Ryan Sidebottom, two high quality bowlers in the old fashioned sense, but the outcome of the series will depend heavily on whether England can grab the chance when it comes.

Wello

The approach of Christmas is a joyous occasion for most people when family members can catch up after a year apart and children dream of Santa Claus delivering eagerly awaited presents. For the cricket lover, there can be only one item on the agenda for Xmas night - make sure you watch the opening session of the 1st test between Australia and India at the MCG.

There's so much international cricket taking place at the moment that many series arrive without notice then slip into the memory banks without so much as a murmur. This time it's different. Australia, the undisputed world champions of test cricket, will be pitted against an Indian side whose self-belief continues to grow in the wake of test series wins over England and Pakistan and a magnificent victory in the ICC 20/20 World Cup.

The four test series will see a real clash of styles with Australia's raw pace pitted against an Indian batting line up replete with class and experience whilst the free scoring Australian batsmen will be tested by an Indian spin bowling duo who have over 800 test victims between them in Anil Kumble and Harbahjan Singh. When India last visited Australia, the result was 1-1 with India scoring 705 in their first innings at the SCG, Brett Lee taking a punishing 4 for 201 off 39 overs.

Therein lies the key to the whole series - can the veteran batting line-up of India withstand the blistering pace barrage of an Australian attack the like of which has not been seen since Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson were together? Brett Lee was the fastest bowler in the world but if the speed guns are to be believed, he has been supplanted by the sling of Shaun Tait. Mitch Johnson is that rare breed of left armer who bowls with serious speed meaning the Aussies have three bowlers who consistently exceed 90 mph in their arsenal. Add the guile and relentless accuracy of Stuart Clark, curently rated the best seam bowler in the world, and it makes for a potent, some would say unbeatable mix.

However, there are weaknesses in the Australian team and their primary one comes from an unexpected and somewhat ironic source - spin bowling. When Shane Warne was still playing, Australia had arguably the best spinner ever in their ranks, a bowler who could bowl long spells whilst taking plenty of wickets at a miserly economy rate. What's more, they had Stuart MacGill available as the ideal replacement, a leg spinner with a strike rate better than Warne's.

Now, the cupboard is a lot more bare. MacGill is unavailable for at least the first two tests through injury and lack of fitness meaning Australia's only realistic option is Brad Hogg, an excellent limited overs bowler but a man who has just 9 test wickets at an average of over 50 and whose last test came against Zimbabwe in 2003. Hogg is a crafty performer but the Australians will be acutely aware that the Indians are amongst the best players of spin in the world and could murder his left arm wrist-spin.

Thus after a decade and a half of dominance based on the mercurial talents of Shane Warne, it seems that Australia might do the unthinkable and base their attack around four pace bowlers and not pick a specialist spinner at all. Glenn McGrath has voiced such an opinion and in amongst the usual Australian bravado and confidence, there will surely be some concern over such a strategy, especially when two of the four tests are being played at the spin friendly venues of Sydney and Adelaide.

Kumble and Harbahjan wheeling away at the vaunted Australian batting line-up will be a fascinating contest and the Indian seamers Zaheer Khan and RP Singh can cause the Aussies trouble with their expert use of swing but the real crunch will be how the Indians play the pace of Lee and Tait. Not renowned for their love of the short pitched ball, the Indians will face an onslaught of bouncers and intimidation from the two fastest bowlers in the world that will make compelling viewing. There is obduracy in the Indian batting in the form of Jaffer and Dravid, the latter having an excellent record against Australia. Where India can take the game away from Australia though is with their strokemakers, and the hope is that Sachin Tendulkar still possesses the desire and technique to really take it to the Aussies.

Sourav Ganguly has been in imperious form recently whilst Virender Sehwag is recalled to increase the shot making potential of the Indians. However, two players stand out when looking for Indian batsmen who can dominate the Australian attack: VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh. Laxman has an incredible record against the Australians and his 281 made when India followed on at Calcutta in 2001 resulted in one of the most astonishing comebacks in test cricket history with India winning the three match series 2-1 after being thumped in the first test. His wicket will be much sought after by the Australians. Yuvraj is arguably the most talented batsman in world cricket; an absolute gem of a player to watch. His elegant, languid style has a touch of Brian Lara about it and if he can make the side and withstand the short pitched stuff the Aussie quicks will surely pepper him with - and the jury is definitely out on that one - the Indians have a player who can decimate an Australian attack that will rely heavily on blasting players out at the expense of economy.

Whatever happens, this should be a series to savour regardless of your cricketing allegiance and Boxing Day can't come soon enough. For those of you tempted to part with your hard earned, India are curently 8/1 against winning the series in Australia with the Aussies 9/2 on and the draw 5/1. That's got to be worth as little flutter hasn't it?

Merry Christmas,

Wello

For most people, a holiday in Barbados with the family is an ideal opportunity to sit on white sandy beaches, drink luxurious cocktails and generally do absolutely nothing for a sustained period.

However, for the cricket obsessed Englishman (me), 10 days in the Caribbean provides the perfect juncture to assess whether cricket still has a place in the soul of most West Indians or as some commentators would have us believe, the game's appeal has died a death in the face of a consistently hapless West Indian team and the lure of American sport and in particular, basketball.

Thus one warm evening, I found myself playing pool in a bar in Speightstown with two Bajan youngsters when one of the locals offered some wisdom on how to pot a particularly difficult ball. 'Thank you' I said, 'How's your knowledge on cricket?' I asked. 'You like cricket? he replied. 'Come and have a drink.'

The next hour proceeded along a route of passionate debate and regular purchasing of Banks' beer interspersed with generous volumes of rum and coke. Strong opinion is not in short supply in Barbados and the conversation that night was echoed in my other meetings with cricket followers on this beautiful yet tiny Caribbean island - people in the West Indies still love their cricket but feel let down by the game's administrators and the attitude of the players.

When the West Indies were the undisputed champions of the cricketing world, their success was built upon aggressive batting and a battery of supremely quick and talented fast bowlers backed up by faultless catching behind the wicket. What's clear is that there was a failure to plan for the future and an assumption was made that the replacements for Malcolm Marshall and Curtley Ambrose would simply appear off the Caribbean production line.

While the rest of the test nations were looking at every possible avenue to improve the performance of their national team in the form of central contracts and elite academies, the West Indies relied on the notoriously cyclical formula of natural talent. This has resulted in a decade of poor results for the West Indies team (they were beaten 5-0 in the 1998 test series in South Africa despite having Walsh, Ambrose and Lara in the team) which has made people question the very nature of the sport in the Caribbean.

Despite the negativity surrounding West Indies cricket, in my short stay I saw enough positive signs to indicate that the game is still thriving amongst young and old and that all is required is some coherent management of cricket in the numerous islands allied to a more professional approach from the players. Fortune decreed that my visit should coincide with the Grand Final of the Barbados Premier League Competition at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. The day's cricket there was a true reflection of where West Indies cricket is at, offering prodigious talent and some priceless comedy moments alike.

Maple Club were batting against some excellent finger spin from Banks, who conceded a 24 run lead on 1st innings. This was it...my chance to see what top standard Caribbean quick bowling was all about. The first ball was delivered by Kemar Roach, who the locals told me was in the Barbados side, and it whizzed through to the keeper at head height at a speed of at least 85 mph. 'This chap's quite lively' I thought. The next five legitimate balls went for 27 runs, in an over that contained 7 no-balls, 5 bouncers, 3 fours and one top-edged six and took 14 minutes to complete.

27 runs off the first over of an innings is an unusual occurrence but what also surprised me was the level of abuse being directed at the Banks' batsmen from the Maple fielders - I had always heard that West Indian cricketers weren't big sledgers. Chaos reigned. A quick single in the 2nd over resulted in a collision between batsman and fielder who together flattened the stumps at the non-strikers end before flooring the umpire in the same movement. More abuse followed both from the fielders and the crowd of 400 sitting in the Greenidge and Haynes stand.

When the wicket-keeper missed a routine throw back to the stumps which went straight through his gloves hitting him smack on the forehead, I couldn't take any more and burst out laughing as one would when watching a compilation of the best of Blackadder Goes Forth.

Eventually I regained my composure and was able to settle down to watch an intriguing game unfold. Throughout the match I witnessed a high standard of batting and some excellent bowling with a surprisingly good array of spinners. The fielding however, was of a completely different quality. Routine catches were dropped, diving over the ball seemed regulation and bowlers consistently had to pick balls thrown to them off the floor as nearby fielders could not avoid casually offloading the ball one bounce into their shins.

Being such natural athletes, I found the attitude of the players to their job in the field disappointing so it was a welcome surprise to find fielding of near professional standard at the final of the Barbados 20/20 'tapeball' competition the next evening. Under floodlights and with a background of reggae music, over 600 people watched St Peter's parish defeat St Lucy by 1 wicket at a ground no bigger than a small school pitch. Tapeball is a tennis ball wrapped in tape and has been a West Indian tradition since years ago. The pitch was sprinkled with several players who had represented Barbados and despite the batsmen not requiring pads or gloves, the result of this match clearly mattered to the 2 teams and the large crowd present.

Elderly Bajans sat and swigged from Banks bottles whilst youngsters played softball cricket during the break. The ground was alive and the party continued until well after midnight. I was fortunate enough to speak to many supporters who all wanted to see West Indies cricket return to the top of the tree and who all expressed the opinion that cricket was still the lifeblood of Caribbean sport. During my 10 days in Barbados, I saw two games of football taking place but not a single game of Basketball. Talented cricketers were everywhere. If the West Indies can amalgamate their natural flair for the game with better structure, professionalism and discipline, they will be on the road to restoring pride in Caribbean cricket and will be back to winning ways soon. Cricket is alive and well in the West Indies - go and see for yourself.

Wello

The absence of Andrew Strauss from England's test squad to tour Sri Lanka in December is the major talking point of what looks like a well balanced and talented group of players. Strauss made such an immediate impact when he made his entrance to test cricket against New Zealand at Lord's in 2004 that within 5 months, he became England's most reliable batsman and was a major factor in the 2-1 series defeat of South Africa that winter.

Strauss's great strength is a simple gameplan allied to an unflappable temperament and resolute mental toughness. These qualities have temporarily deserted him over the past year and can be attributed to a combination of excessive workload, poor umpiring decisions and some bad luck. His break from all forms of cricket is a sensible and obvious choice for a man who never gives less than 100% whether opening the batting against the best bowlers in the world or providing encouragement and leadership in the field. His time will come again.

The omission of Strauss provides an excellent opportunity for two talented young England players - Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara. Both have shown a cool head under pressure and no little skill in their England careers thus far, and with Graeme Swann relishing his return to international cricket providing a compelling option as England's second spinner whilst offering crucial runs in the lower middle order, the competition for places in the starting XI will be fierce.

Shah's deft touches against spin should see him make the side though whether he or Ian Bell will bat at No.6 will be an interesting decision. England's seam bowling looks particularly strong at the moment with Matthew Hoggard, Jimmy Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad vying for three places at most. Sidebottom in particular has the look of a real thoroughbred about him, bowling the ball exactly where he wants to at a good pace with enough movement to worry the best players. What a find he has been begging the question of how many more players there are in county cricket like him who are waiting for their chance whilst quietly producing the goods at county level?

Sri Lanka are a very tough side to beat at home but England have a squad which offers much in many different areas. The start of the series is some way off yet but on a surface offering spin, England's team should look something like this:

Vaughan
Cook
Bell
Pietersen
Collingwood
Shah
Prior
Swann
Sidebottom
Hoggard
Panesar

On a quicker wicket, Anderson or Broad may scrap it out for the 3rd seamer's slot.

As for Andrew Strauss, expect bigger and better things from him in 2008 - form is temporary but class is permanent.

Wello

It's 15.45pm on Saturday October 6th.....................the happiest moment of the year for an English sportsman. The England rugby union side have pulled off the most amazing result in years in beating the odds-on favourites Australia. How sweet that sounds. Written off by all and sundry, not least the southern hemisphere know-alls (why do we in the UK always listen to them so reverently as if they have all the knowledge when it comes to sport?), the England team played with passion and absolute commitment to snatch a most unlikely win.

Whatever they do in the rest of the tournament and whoever they play in the semi-final, the whole nation can be rightly proud of a team who showed true Dunkirk spirit against the old enemy in a match no one thought they could win, perhaps with the exception of the players themselves. I bet Australian Rugby Chief Executive John O'Neill really hates us now....

You beauty,

Wello

Being a lover of cricket means having strong opinions on the merits of certain players. Many a discussion has taken place over who is the greatest spin bowler ever - Shane Warne or Muttiah Muralitharan? The greatest batsman of recent years.......? It must be Sachin Tendulkar. Or maybe Brian Lara. Actually it's probably Ricky Ponting. What about Kevin Pietersen? Could he eclipse these three greats with his astonishing strokeplay and absolute self-belief in his own ability.

Well, after a few innings I've witnessed recently, a new name is prominent in my mind when it comes to the title of the most talented batsman in the world - Yuvraj Singh. Before he launched poor Stuart Broad all over Durban during that astonishing over, I had always marvelled at his amazing backswing and purity of stroke. Hitting one of the outstanding young fast bowling talents in the world for 36 in an over is one thing, but the innings he played against the Australians in the 20/20 World Championship semi-final was something entirely different. In making 70 off just 30 balls with 5 fours and 5 huge sixes, Yuvraj treated the Australian attack with complete disdain and rendered them completely helpless to prevent him hitting the ball exactly where he wanted to.

What marks Yuvraj as a cut above the rest is his ability to hit the ball with astonishing power off both feet and on both sides of the wicket. Bowlers pitching up to him are launched back over their heads or to his favourite midwicket region, regardless of the pace they bowl. This affront to their talent usually sees a switch to the short pitched stuff to see what Yuvraj is made of and when these deliveries meet the same fate as their fuller brethren, the bowler has nowhere else to go - apart from into the stands at deep square leg.

In a cricketing world where power and size are becoming increasingly prominent, the beauty of Yuvraj's strokeplay is a joy to behold. He doesn't 'whoosh' at the ball or try to generate artificially fast bat speed. Instead, he stands still, watches the ball like a hawk then with a carefree, easy swing of his magnificent bat, hits through the line of the ball in the same manner Ernie Else might caress a 3 iron.

At the age of 25, Yuvraj must surely take on the mantle from Brian Lara as the most attractive batsman to watch in world cricket. Good luck to him.

Wello

On the back of a 1-0 series defeat to India that might be deemed a tad on the unlucky side, England's wicket-keeping position has come under enormous scrutiny and Matt Prior has been the unfortunate recipient of intense media speculation about his supposed deficiencies.

Whilst aspects of Prior's game certainly need improving, the real truth is that England have been searching for a suitable replacement for Alec Stewart since his retirement 4 years ago and that the choice offered by the 18 first class counties has hindered, rather than helped the England selectors. In the last 12 months alone, England have used 4 different wicket-keepers against a variety of opposition at different times of the calendar year. 12 months ago, Geraint Jones was the man in possession only to be replaced in the test side by Chris Read because, quite ironically, he wasn't scoring enough runs.

When the Ashes started, Read himself was dropped because England were worried about the depth of their batting line-up and Jones returned, only to be removed again for lack of runs as Read came back. Then, come the 1 day series, England's lack of 'buzz' in the field prompted the call up of Leicester veteran Paul Nixon and he did a pretty good job during the Commonwealth Bank triumph and World Cup.

A new broom in the shape of Head Coach Peter Moores made a close call for the start of the West Indies series and Nixon headed out to pasture whilst young Sussex stumper Matt Prior came in. His initial successes were followed by some low scores and grave concerns over the quality of his glovework. And now, after an excellent show with bat and gloves in the Friend's Provident final, Durham keeper Phil Mustard is the current flavour on everyone's lips.

My point? England are blessed with some excellent first class wicket-keepers but because we have 18 counties to pick from, the only time we find out how good they really are and whether they will make the grade at international level is when they play for their country. As well as the 5 players already mentioned, there is also ample opinion expressed by knowledgeable commentators about the merits of Steve Davies (Worcestershire), Jon Batty (Surrey), James Foster (Essex), Nic Pothas (Hampshire), Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire) and just about anybody standing behind the stumps in the English 1st class game.

Prior will go to Sri Lanka and with a bit of luck, will display his considerable batting talent in addition to an improved keeping technique. but if it doesn't work out for him, can anybody honestly say who the next England gloveman will be? Read's the best keeper but his batting is not considered good enough. Jones? Has he had his go? Mustard? I'll admit he does look very good but so does Ambrose.

Whoever does become England's long term answer behind the stumps, let's hope he's, above all, a safe pair of hands.

Wello

The announcement last week that Nayan Doshi was leaving Surrey came as a shock to everyone with an interest in county cricket. Doshi has captured the imagination of thousands of youngsters who love the thrills and spills of 20-20 cricket with his beautifully flighted left arm spin and animated wicket taking celebrations.

Doshi became the first bowler to take 50 wickets in the ECB domestic 20-20 competition and has proved beyond doubt that slow bowling is the key to winning 20 over games. Batsmen arriving at the crease find there is no pace to work with when the spinners are on and their attempts to hit the boundaries they perceive need to be hit often result in stumpings or catches on the rope.

Doshi has been an integral part of Surrey's domestic 20-20 success so there was great surprise in his exit. An old fashioned slow left armer with deceptive flight, Doshi will surely be snapped up by another county eager to make use of his undoubted talent. There are many who feel he should have been part of England's 20-20 World Championship squad, such has been Doshi's influence on the game in this country. Perhaps with the odd injury and a bit of luck, he will receive the recognition he deserves. Here's an interesting thought - if Monty Panesar was injured and England needed to play a spinner in either test or limited overs cricket, who would get the nod? The answer can't be that far away from the ex-Surrey man.

One thing's for sure, Nayan Doshi is champing at the bit to play for his country and the upcoming South African competition to decide the best 20-20 side in the world would be the perfect place to start.

Wello

After the travails of a very difficult winter, England exorcised any lingering Ashes demons with a comprehensive defeat of an admittedly poor West indies side. Despite the lack of real quality in the opposition, there is much to be optimistic about in Peter Moores' revitalised England team.

The batting looks as strong as it has for many years and there is an excellent blend of the dependable (Cook, Collingwood & Bell) interspersed with the dynamic (Pietersen & Prior). The real jewel in the crown could be the return of Michael Vaughan at his best, remembering that it was only 4 years ago that he was rightfully ranked the No.1 batsman in the world. Perhaps due to injury and technical glitches in his game, Vaughan's star waned after his sensational 2002/3 performances but there were indications during the West Indies series that he may be approaching a second coming as one of the top batsmen around, rather than the very good one he has been for the past 4 years. If this did happen, England's middle order of Vaughan and Pietersen would present formidable problems for test opposition around the world.

Andrew Strauss has seen a dip in his form, something that happens to all test cricketers. He is a class batsman playing below his best and he will be the better for having experienced this low point in his career.

Matthew Prior's selection has added welcome solidity to England's batting line-up and although the West Indies bowling can't be described as the best attack around, his confidence and self-belief in tough situations echoes that of his superstar team mate Pietersen. His glovework should improve with time making Prior an excellent selection by Moores and England can now say they have a player of real class coming in at No.7 - a very healthy situation.

England's bowling attack has not had the same smooth ride as the batting. There were times during the last month when the seam bowling resembled one of those belt fed mini-guns Arnold Schwarzenegger blitzed away with in Teminator 2, with projectiles flying all over the place but generally doing very little damage.

From a coaching perspective, I think far too much emphasis has been put on the biomechanics of the bowling actions and not enough on the end product. Roughly speaking, biomechanics deals with the movement patterns of the body and in bowling, the idea is to get all your energy going towards the batsman. Though important in helping bowlers to improve their basic action, biomechanics isn't everything and there were times during the recent series when Liam Plunkett and Steve Harmison looked all at sea, confused by a plethora of over-analysis and self-doubt. Thankfully, Plunkett was left out of the last test and now has a chance to hone his skills in the less demanding environment of county cricket whilst Harmison was back to something near his best in the last innings of the 4th test. If Alan Donald has helped to effect this change then he is worth every penny the ECB are paying him as England's consultant bowling coach.

His knowledge of the mental demands of bowling fast in international cricket is second to none and one gets the impression he keeps things nice and simple, focussing on building a bowler's confidence by developing rhythm - by far the most important factor in seam bowling.

Ryan Sidebottom's selection was met with puzzled looks throughout the country but it has proved a masterstroke. Years of plying his trade for Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire in the county championship have helped him become a very good bowler who can be relied upon to bowl the ball where it should be bowled. He is, in short, a high class, dependable swing bowler who should have a long England career ahead of him.

Last but not least there is Monty Panesar, the effervescent left arm spin bowler who has become a cult figure in the English game. This cult status began in part due to Monty's well-intentioned but nonetheless hopeless fielding at the start of his test career. Now, through a combination of desire and an amazing work ethic, he has become England's most effective slow bowler since Derek Underwood and a competent fielder to boot. He is England's matchwinner, deadly on any wicket with turn and bounce and a vital part of the team's make-up in that due to his ability to bowl long spells, England can field a four man attack, much the same as Australia did when Shane Warne was playing. Amazing as it may seem, were Muttiah Muralitharan to become injured or stop playing for some reason, would there be a better spinner in test cricket than Monty? The answer is undoubtedly no. Monty is an absolute gem of a bowler and his duels with the Indian batsmen later this summer will be a delight to behold.

Next up for England is the one day stuff and a chance to put our limited overs cricket back on track. Watch this space..

Wello