England endure shaky start to World Cup
Michael Atherton in the Times writes that while it would be tempting to write off England's chances after a three-hour horror show in which they conceded - to an associate nation - more runs than on any occasion in the World Cup bar the 300 made
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
Michael Atherton in the Times writes that while it would be tempting to write off England's chances after a three-hour horror show in which they conceded - to an associate nation - more runs than on any occasion in the World Cup bar the 300 made by West Indies in 2007,everything we have seen from England in the past 18 months suggests that this was an aberration rather than some reversion to the mean.
As bad as England was, and Strauss admitted to a "shocker", these games can be difficult to play in, the few thousand spectators dwarfed by the vast Vidarbha Stadium failing to provide much in the way of inspiration. Things will undoubtedly be different on Sunday against India in Bangalore and England know that it must be different, too: sharper in body and mind.
Overreacting to England's poor display against Netherlands will help no one, writes Vic Marks in the Guardian but an additional spinner might.
To cover all options England would be better off with another specialist spinner, who turns the ball away from the right-hander, in their squad. Sadly Samit Patel and Ian Blackwell are deemed to be too fat. There would be a better case for Monty Panesar or Adil Rashid, who has obviously failed to convince the powers that be that he is reliable enough on or off the field. These two are not makeshifts but attacking bowlers for turning tracks.
Lawrence Booth, writing in the Wisden Cricketer blog steps over the fielding fiasco to asses Kevin Pietersen's first performance as an England opener.
Ahead of yesterday’s game against the Netherlands, Andrew Strauss declared himself “excited” at the prospect of opening with Kevin Pietersen. If he sounded like a teenage boy about to embark on a first date with the girl he’s always fancied in geography, then for much of their alliance of 105 the feeling did not always seem mutual.
In the same blog, Daniel Brigham, an unashamedly big Essex fan, ignores England completely to salute the real hero of the match: Ryan ten Doeschate.
He’s been demolishing bowling attacks for Essex down at Chelmsford since 2003, averaging 46.87 with the bat in domestic one-day games (and 26.55 with the ball). It’s not overstating the case, or simply my Essex bias, that I genuinely think he would walk into 12 of the 14 teams at this World Cup – including England’s.
In the Guardian, Rob Smyth looks at five aspects, all involving dropped catches and poor fielding, that marred England's start to the World Cup.
England had hinted at unusual sloppiness in the field early on but this was the first major howler. Ryan ten Doeschate slogged Graeme Swann up in the air, but Kevin Pietersen and Jimmy Anderson, running in from long-off and long-on, left the ball to each other. The ball plopped gently to the ground and Swann gave both evil looks. Ten Doeschate, on 47 at the time, went on to make a glorious 119 which pushed England all the way
Writing in the the Daily Telegraph Derek Pringle describes England's fielding in the game against the Netherlands as an "embarrassment".
England could spin this in the dressing room as the tough game they needed, but that would be denial. The new opening partnership of Strauss and Kevin Pietersen worked well against a gentle attack but there were worrying signs in the field. Ten Doeschate is a formidable batsman but England should be mortified by how easily they lost control of their emotions, their concentration and their plans
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo