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
