England think tank overlooks spin
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
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Continuing with the formula that worked against South Africa at Lord's on the turning pitches of India is sheer folly, writes Vic Marks in the Observer.
Somehow, England forgot the basics upon arrival and were 2-0 down in the blink of an eye. In India, proper spinners are required. I thought we all knew that. England have one in their squad - Graeme Swann - and for two matches, he carried the drinks. His presence in the third game at Kanpur on Thursday could not change the result, but at least the captain had somewhere to turn.
And so England are 3-0 down in the series. They are improving; of that there can be no doubt. But they are also losing, and brave defeats must be for the romantics only. There are still too many nagging questions about both the composition of England's optimum XI in these conditions and the form of certain players, writes Steve James in the Telegraph.
Paul Collingwood, in particular, worries me. His groping around against the spinners in Kanpur was all too reminiscent of his travails last summer. He is not alone, but he seems at present to be finding Harbhajan Singh harder to read than Dostoyevsky. And while wicketkeeper Matt Prior has no such problems deciphering Pietersen's part-time twirlers, he missed a leg-side stumping in Kanpur and with it, according to Pietersen, a golden chance to win the match. That is a harsh judgment. But Prior does look short of confidence.
Steve James also caught up with India coach Gary Kirsten.
There is quite simply no coaching job like it in cricket. Its last two occupants, John Wright and Greg Chappell, have also been outsiders. And their tenures were not exactly a bed of roses. So is Kirsten worried? Is he heck. And it is not just the Indians' current on-field brilliance that promotes such a remarkable calm. This is Kirsten's nature. He is unflappable. He is confident in his abilities. And while he goes about his work quietly and unobtrusively, India are playing some astoundingly skilful cricket. It is a powerful, if unexpected, mix.
England can keep the series alive today but the jury is still out on Peter Moores, writes Simon Wilde in the Sunday Times.
Moores’s relationship with the media was shaped by a desire not to be the man who went before him. Duncan Fletcher had been taciturn and mistrustful of the media, so Moores set himself to be nonconfrontational and upbeat. The strategy has worked. So far he has been given a gentle ride ...
... There is anecdotal evidence, too, of Moores ruffling the players’ feathers. Last month Pietersen let slip that one reason England had not performed well in Sri Lanka and New Zealand was that they had spent too much time on fitness work.
England had Sidebottom's back scanned here yesterday, and sent the results for analysis, which last night confirmed a tear that rules him out of the one-day series. He will remain here in the hope that he will recover fitness for the Test series, but some judges - and there are a few former international fast bowlers among them - suspect his brief, but successful, international career is as good as over, writes David Hopps in the Observer
George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo