England still have much to do
Judhajit
25-Feb-2013
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Simon Wilde in the Sunday Times believes the excitement at England leaving Cape Town with their series lead intact needs to be tempered. Though he is relieved that England's bowlers can bat, it's the shaky performance every third game from the top order that is a cause for worry.
In the same paper, David Gower expresses his concerns over Kevin Pietersen's 'rough patch' in South Africa. Gower believes a tough twelve months has possibly seen him fail to perform with the audaciousness of his previous visit five years ago.
For a man who seemed to be made of bravura and machismo, it appeared out of character but maybe it shows that he undertands the benefits of being shown a bit of appreciation. Even the best like to be patted on the back now and again. He is renowned for being a good pro and a hard worker. When that on its own is not enough to bring the right results then it is never a bad thing for a captain or manager to show a little well-judged understanding.
England's selectors must keep Andrew Flintoff away from national honours if the team are to build on the progress made in South Africa. These are the thoughts of Derek Pringle, who also mentions in the Sunday Telegraph that Flintoff's reputation has been held together by slim pickings and sutures ever since the successful 2005 Ashes campaign.
Not that captains should avoid accommodating "difficult" personalities. Not that Flintoff, the wealthiest of England's recent players, is awkward in the way Geoff Boycott or Andy Caddick was.
Yet, whenever talk in the England camp turns to big Freddie and his future, the phrase you hear most, almost as if it is insurmountable, is that "he must buy into the new dressing-room philosophy".
The seventh rebel tour to South Africa, led by Mike Gatting in the year Nelson Mandela walked free, was the most damnable of all. Paul Weaver remembers the scenes from 1990 in the Guardian.