Wello's Cricket World

Anyone who enjoys a close cricketing contest should relish the next month or so as England take on the might of South Africa in what promises to be an absorbing test match series. Since South Africa were re-admitted to international cricket in 1991, England have played them in 6 test series and the tally reads 2 series apiece with 2 drawn. In that time, both teams have won 8 matches each though interestingly, South Africa have never won in England drawing 2 series and losing once whilst England played some excellent cricket to win in South Africa in 2004/5.

The 2008 series shows two teams who, for the first test at Lord's at least, will possess significantly different weapons with which to win the game. England have some excellent swing bowlers in Ryan Sidebottom and James Anderson allied to the bounce and control of the constantly improving Stuart Broad. Monty Panesar's presence as arguably the leading finger spinner in the world gives England a definite advantage if there is turn available and if England are to win this series, Monty is going to have to play a significant part.

Where South Africa have the edge is in pure pace. With Andrew Flintoff one test away from being recalled to the squad, the visitors are able to parade an array of fast bowlers, several of whom nudge the speed gun well into the 90 mph bracket, that England simply cannot match. Dale Steyn is South Africa's key man. In 2004/5, Steyn made his debut against an England team used to winning and found the going very tough, taking just 8 wickets at an average of over 50. The Barmy Army, not noted for their subtlety in mocking under-performing opposition players, made up their own little ditty about him which went 'Sh*t Steyn, there's only one Sh*t Steyn, there's only one Sh*t Steyn' repeated ad infinitum.

Suffice to say the young speedster from the Highveld was not rated particularly highly. How things have changed. Now, Steyn is the hottest fast bowling property in world cricket with his ability to swing the ball late at searing pace allied to excellent stamina which sees him tearing in throughout the whole day with no loss in gas. The chances that he will demolish the England batting line up on at least one occasion are very high. Morne Morkel is another new kid on the block and he presents a totally different kind of problem, being similar in style and pace to an in-form Steve Harmison. At 6 ft 8, Morkel releases the ball from a height exceeding 9 ft and gets horribly disconcerting bounce at around 90 mph. He is the bowler Graeme Smith will turn to to inflict a few bruises on the bodies of the England batsmen and also the one player the South African players themselves choose not to have a gentle net against.

Makhaya Ntini adds to the quality of the South African's pace attack with his relentless energy and bustling approach and he has an excellent record against England taking 10 wickets in the match the last time he played at Lord's. Slip Jacques Kallis and the theatrical but highly talented Andre' Nel into the equation and in terms of pace bowling alone - which so often has proved the biggest influence on series between the two countries - it appears South Africa have a distinctive edge.

Thus a fantastic series awaits. England's victory 3 years ago was based on some superb batting from Andrew Strauss and Marcus Trescothick, and two bowlers who caused the South Africans all sorts of trouble: Andrew Flintoff and Matthew Hoggard. Hoggard in particular caused palpitations in South Africa's burly Captain Graeme Smith, frequently trapping him LBW on the crease. With both bowlers out of the England team at the moment and with a scoresheet that shows 3 wins out of 3 playing at the home of cricket in tests since 1994, South Africa going 1-0 up in the series is a distinct possibility.

Wello

The increasing importance of limited overs cricket has produced new and innovative methods of gaining an advantage over the opposition. In a 20-20 game against Pakistan in 2005, Australia's Brad Haddin was the beneficiary of a 'free hit' after Shoaib Akhtar overstepped. Instead of swinging lustily from a normal batting position, the quick thinking Haddin ran behind his own stumps thus allowing himself more time to hit a boundary off the express pace of Shoaib. The ball eventually hit the stumps and went for leg byes but the idea was pure genius.

Bowlers, under increasing pressure from batsmen with bigger bats as well as bigger biceps, have developed a range of deliveries designed to counter this threat and balls bowled with split fingers, out of the back of the hand or with devastating reverse-swing are much more common place than they once were.

Then there's Kevin Pietersen. Without doubt, he is the leading innovative batsman in world cricket at present, as well as being one of the most talented and most powerful. In form, he is a daunting prospect to bowl at, and that's when he's batting right handed. Now, with his 'switch hit' slog, Pietersen is pushing the boundaries of batting genius to a previously undiscovered level. Reverse sweeps have been a part of cricket for decades now with the most infamous attempt at the shot being Mike Gatting's when facing the occasional teakers of Alan Border in the 1987 World Cup Final. Gatting's injudicious stroke ended up in a simple top-edged catch to wicket keeper Greg Dyer and England lost the match by 7 runs.

The not so subtle difference with the old reverse sweep and the new Pietersen version is that the traditional reverse shot was played with the batsman staying in his original stance position whilst cleverly swapping his hands so instead of the top of the handle facing the bowler, the bottom of the bat would. Skilful batsmen could then deftly use the pace of the ball to manoeuvre it behind the wicket.

The Pietersen variety is a whole different ball game. His reverse hit involves him changing from a right handers position to a left hander as the bowler gathers to release the ball. This opens up vast areas of the field where previously right handers could not conceive of hitting boundaries let alone sixes and makes it virtually impossible for a captain to set a field to. Instead of clever deflections for 2, the switch hit style allows batsmen with sufficient skill and power to hit the ball for 6. Pietersen has both of those characteristics in abundance and so is able to hit a medium pacer like Scott Styris over what would be long off for 6 by changing his stance from right to left handed.

This amazing stroke has caused all manner of debate in the cricketing world which can only be good for the game. Today (June 18th 2008) MCC have announced that after convening a special meeting to discuss the switch hit, they are happy for the stroke and the manner of its execution to continue. This is surely the right decision. Spectators the world over will pay their money to see such extravagant strokeplay and with ever increasing competition for cricket, anything that keeps the game in the public eye has to be a bonus. To my memory, Pietersen has attempted the switch hit 5 times in international cricket and on 4 occasions the ball has sailed out of the ground for 6 including once against Muttiah Muralitharan in a test match - a world first.

Is it unfair? Some might think so and perhaps such people have a point. I would add two observations to this. Firstly, go to your local nets, ask someone to throw a tennis ball at you underarm at a pace that suits you and then try to switch hit the ball for the equivalent of a 6. After 100 go's, give up and ask your partner to try. 20 minutes will have elapsed before you both realise it's virtually impossible to play the shot without being a batting genius - such as Pietersen.

Secondly, pop down to your local junior practice session and see how the youngsters have been enthralled with Pietersen's brilliance. As a coach, it puts a smile on your face when the 12 year olds can play a stroke that you have no idea how to demonstrate never mind play in a match. This is the current legacy of KP's impact on English cricket and it's helping to enthuse children the world over with a love of cricket.

Wello

England's draw against New Zealand in the 1st Test at Lord's showed them to be a competitive side, capable of pulling themselves out of the mire as was shown when they teetered to 208 for 6 in their first innings. Michael Vaughan's timely hundred showed what folly it would be to jettison such a high quality player when he has so much good cricket left in him and it also re-established his authority at a time when certain sections of the press and cricketing public suggested it was time to look for another leader of the national team.

However, it is bowling attacks who win test matches and England's current 4 man unit, though fairly reliable and well drilled, lacks the killer punch needed to turn promising situations into victories. Ryan Sidebottom is pure class and Monty Panesar is a top class test finger spinner but there is one thing absent from this England line-up - pace. James Anderson and Stuart Broad are both capable of bowling lively spells yet neither could be described as truly fast. When the new ball gets soft and the pitch flattens out, pace is the key to creating pressure and taking wickets.

Over the past few years, England have had access to several bowlers of high pace including Steve Harmison, Simon Jones and Andrew Flintoff. Currently, James Anderson is probably the bowler capable of delivering the sharpest spells but they only really occur when he has the new ball in his hand. Pace allied to bounce is a lethal weapon and Flintoff's recent performances with the ball for Lancashire (before he strained his side) have been nothing short of ferocious. Conversely, Steve Harmison has a long journey ahead of him to regain the confidence of the selectors and the wider public who view him as weak.

The return of Simon Jones, now playing for Worcestershire, is a huge boost for English cricket and he regularly exceeded 90mph in last night's FP Trophy game against Hampshire. If he can stay fit and produce the same match winning spells that made him the best old ball bowler in the world, Geoff Miller and Peter Moores will welcome him back into the England squad sooner rather then later. In the meantime, Chris Tremlett's steepling bounce may be the weapon with which England look to unhinge a New Zealand batting line-up with a touch more solidity than during the winter.

Wello

The quality of Ryan Sidebottom's bowling was mentioned in this blog a couple of months ago but it's now abundantly obvious that he is not just a good test bowler. Ryan Sidebottom is an exceptional, world-class bowler with no peer amongst the fast bowling ranks in test cricket.

His 7 for 47 against New Zealand earlier today pulled England back from the abyss with the Kiwi batsmen scoring at will against the other England bowlers putting them into a seemingly impregnable position and condemning England to an ignominious series defeat. That this situation did not come to pass is entirely down to the Nottinghamshire left-armer and his complete commitment to bowling for his country allied to rare skill, determination and powers of endurance.

The acid test for Sidebottom will come against the Australians in 2009 and his success against the current New Zealand batsmen must be qualified by their dearth of real test quality players. But all the indications are that his amazing returns in this three test series are no fluke and that England have their best fast bowler for decades. Charging in over after over whilst attacking off-stump with a relentless zeal, Sidebottom asks the question of batsmen in every delivery in such a way that if when facing him you make a mistake, you're out - it's as simple as that. He now has 52 test wickets at an average of 25 and if he stays fit and England's fielders catch effectively (not guaranteed I admit), those figures will continue to improve.

The current LG test rankings have Dale Steyn and Brett Lee along with Makhaya Ntini and Stuart Clark at the top of the fast bowling stocks but I wouldn't swap the long haired Yorkshireman for any of them.

Wello

Having watched the whole of the last session of day 1 of the 2nd test between New Zealand and England, I feel I can make the following statement: Tim Ambrose can play. My goodness he can play. His vibrant 97 not out, allied to Paul Collingwood's more obdurate 48 not out, rescued England from potential disaster as they lurched from 79 without loss to 136 for 5.

That he made such a score when his team needed it most says a lot for Ambrose's character but it was the way he made them that augurs so well for the future. Faced with the possibility of England's innings crumbling into insignificance, he showed courage - mental as well as physical - and launched a blistering counter-riposte upon the dominant Kiwi attack. Balls pitched up were driven down the ground with a full blade whilst short balls were scythed past point (Ambrose hit no fewer than 11 cut shots for four) or hooked imperiously for 6. His willingness to move down the wicket to disrupt Daniel Vettori's length worked beautifully and the frugal left arm spinner, nicknamed 'Harry Potter' by the Barmy Army, went at 4's in his 8 overs.

And herein lies the problem. England, for all the doom and gloom of the last week, have a crop of talented wicketkeepers all of whom tend to make a good impression with the bat. Matt Prior averaged a shade over 40 in tests and looked every inch a test batsman - if you fancy a wildcard bet don't rule out his re-emergence purely as a batsman only. The issue has been their keeping and Prior's fumbles (he dropped 8 edges off Ryan Sidebottom alone in his 10 tests) forced the England selectors to look elsewhere.

The modern wicketkeeper is now expected to be an allrounder and his runs at No.6 or 7 are crucial to sides building competitive totals. However, all the runs in the world can't hide mistakes behind the stumps, particularly if the batsman reprieved is a Ponting or a Sangakkara and they go on to make a double century having been dropped in single figures. It's tough on keepers but unlike other allrounders, they have to be consistently proficient in both disciplines.

So Tim Ambrose's wicketkeeping is what will determine his and England's future. If he snaffles nicks from Sidebottom whilst accepting stumping chances from Monty Panesar without more than the occasional lapse, he'll be a test player for a long time to come. As for his batting, it's a joy to watch.

Wello

Andrew Symonds is not universally popular outside of Australia but the news that he might be charged with serious misconduct for shoulder barging a streaker is one of the most nonsensical things ever heard in international cricket.

Symonds, battling manfully to rescue Australia from an awful start in the 2nd Commonwealth Bank One day Final versus India, had to pull out of his batting stance when play was halted by a pasty young male sprinting across the Gabba wearing nothing that he wasn't born with. As the streaker made a beeline for the stumps where the imposing Symonds was standing, the solidly built Australian all-rounder decided he wasn't having any of it and, as is his right, stood his ground before unceremoniously dumping the errant fan on his behind with all the alacrity of a Jonny Wilkinson tackle.

The idiotic supporter, immediately apprehended by Queensland's finest, was quickly whisked away to an evening in the cells and a £1400 fine. The game carried on and the reaction of most people must surely have been 'Well done Symonds.'

Now we are told he may face a life ban for physically assaulting a spectator under the ICC Player's Code of Conduct as if he had performed an Eric Cantona-like kung fu assault into a group of innocent bystanders. This is politically correct administration at its woeful worst. Maybe Symonds should have stood there and allowed the poorly endowed streaker to attack him or steal the stump microphone. Or perhaps a strategically placed autograph was all the sun-starved reprobate was after.

Common sense must prevail here. Andrew Symonds did what any 16 stone athlete would have done when confronted by a naked man displaying his undercarriage - respond with a tackle of your own and see who comes out on top.

The bare faced cheek of it...

Wello

When England were beating all comers during the period 2004 to 2005, the potency of their pace attack had much to do with it. Subsequent losses of form combined with injuries, particularly to Simon Jones, meant that the 'awesome foursome' have never bowled in tandem again and England have had to face up to the permanent absence of Jones and the reduced effectiveness of Andrew Flintoff.

In such times, replacements need to be found and quick and the England selectors deserve a lot of credit for backing their hunch that Ryan Sidebottom might be just such a man. First picked against Pakistan at Lord's in 2001 on the back of some excellent spells in county cricket, Sidebottom found test cricket a very tough baptism and in the absence of the swing he so easily found in the first class game, his bowling looked ordinary to batsman and spectator alike and he was quickly discarded.

6 years on after a period of re-learning his trade allied to a move to Nottinghamshire and the 2007 version of Ryan Sidebottom proved to be a completely different proposition. Right from the word go, Sidebottom has looked every inch the international opening bowler, providing both accuracy and movement in both limited over and test cricket. His ability to beat right handed batsmen on the inside of the bat combines with a knack of finding the edge of the plethora of left-handers in world cricket meaning Sidebottom is always 'at the batsman', offering very little for them to hit whilst relentlessly threatening their vulnerable off stump area.

Critics of Sidebottom point to a lack of pace yet the speed gun in New Zealand during the recent 20/20 series showed him nudging 90 mph on occasion as he consistently released his zippy swingers at a pace exceeding 85mph. Left armers are rarely fast with only Wasim Akram and the Australian Mitchell Johnson springing to mind but Sidebottom is no slouch and he looks to have increased the speed with which he bowls in the last year, perhaps due to the strenuous conditioning programme which England have undertaken and he along with the remainder of the team in the 20/20 games looked fitter and stronger than before Christmas.

England's one day cricket really looks to be going in the right direction after years in the wilderness and the penetration allied to the control that Sidebottom supplies at the start of the innings has a lot to do with that. The test side need to rekindle that winning mentality and if it does happen, expect a lot of 5 wicket hauls from the long haired left armer who has demonstrated that just because a player doesn't make the grade right away, he shouldn't be dismissed for ever.

Wello

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