Can England succeed on tracks that don't seam
With Australia's era of dominance coming to an end, the field is wide open in the race for the top spot in Test cricket
Nitin Sundar
25-Feb-2013
With Australia's era of dominance coming to an end, the field is wide open in the race for the top spot in Test cricket. Duncan Fletcher writes in the Guardian that England are one of the contenders and their performance on flat tracks that don't suit their seamers will determine whether they can break away from the pack.
If England are going to become the top Test team in the world they need to be able to win on flat pitches in conditions that will not suit Anderson nearly as much as those at Trent Bridge. In Australia and India, Graeme Swann will become the key to the balance of the side. He will have to keep it tight at one end while the quick bowlers rotate at the other. If the opposition can discomfort him, suddenly England's attack is not going to look nearly so effective.
In the Telegraph, Geoff Boycott writes that the England-Pakistan series is more like Men v Boys. Even if England win all four, the Ashes will be a different ball game.
This mismatch is the reason why we have to be careful reading too much into England’s performances and tactics and get carried away about The Ashes this winter. On a tactical front England are always going to pick six batsmen because they don’t make enough runs in the first innings to pick only five. They make too many mistakes and get themselves out.
Nitin Sundar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo