Flintoff's loss poses question of balance for England
The lack of a real allrounder exposes the shallowness of Andrew Strauss's side's batting, writes Duncan Fletcher in the Guardian .
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
The lack of a real allrounder exposes the shallowness of Andrew Strauss's side's batting, writes Duncan Fletcher in the Guardian.
My one major concern, though, is the length of the tail. I know it's an old hobby horse of mine, but look at how South Africa won in Australia at the end of last year – it was thanks in no small part to contributions from the lower order. Australia used to have Adam Gilchrist at No7 and clever players like Shane Warne and Brett Lee beneath him. I'd prefer to see Matt Prior at No7, with Stuart Broad – promising though he is as a batsman – coming in at No8. It just shows you how the balance of the side is thrown when Flintoff is not there. Finding that all-rounder is crucial – as Australia are themselves discovering.
In any culture - sporting, business or otherwise - fresh faces are an essential part of the process of renewal. The best teams and the best coaches manage this transformation seamlessly, but, as Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger have shown, manage it they must if triumphs are to become self-sustaining rather than isolated orgies of self-congratulation, writes Mike Atherton in the Times.
Green shoots are everywhere at the moment and certainly the Lord's pitch was tinged with green yesterday, which makes it all the more likely that Onions and Bresnan will play. Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, quipped that he had never even tasted onions, never mind seen him bowl, but the four left-handers in the touring team's top six should be wary, lest England's new boy induces some unwanted tears because, from his delivery close to the stumps, Onions enjoys bowling at southpaws.
England must satisfy two big goals during the West Indies series. Not only do they need a convincing win, they also need to come out of the second of the two Tests with a clear idea of what their best side for the Ashes will be, writes Geoffrey Boycott in the Telegraph.
Above all, England need to stop thinking that everything will be all right if Andrew Flintoff shows up fit at the end of May. It is time they stopped waiting for Freddie. Flintoff is still a very fine cricketer but I have a feeling that his magic period is gone. You have to say that 2005 will probably represent his peak as a bowler, because he has played in only half of England's Test matches since then. There is no way he can reach that same level without a decent spell in the team.
England's unnecessary series against the West Indies begins today, but few save Ravi Bopara and Graham Onions are looking forward to it, writes Mike Selvey in the Guardian.
With one eye on the Ashes later in the summer, the ideal scenario at Lord's would be a flat pitch, a total lack of swing and strong resistance from the tourists. That way, Andrew Strauss and his team will have to move heaven and earth to secure a victory some time on Sunday, and they will learn so much more about themselves in the process, writes Nasser Hussain in the Daily Mail.
Cold should not be such a problem at Lord's this week, nor rain. There is a chance of light drizzle tomorrow and showers on Sunday but the general forecast is for cloudy skies and temperatures in the high teens. The 16-1 being offered by Ladbrokes on snow falling is as tempting as betting on Kevin Pietersen scoring a hundred and dedicating it to Peter Moores, writes Patrick Kidd in the Times.
Also in the Guardian, Paul Weaver says "Today an unwanted Test match will be dumped on the doorstep of Lord's and there is a very real danger that no one is willing to take care of it."
Read Fazeer Mohammed's opinion on Chris Gayle's late arrival in England and the WICB allowing him to extend his IPL stint in the Trinidad Express.
And this is not a West Indian thing exclusively, not when you have so many big-name cricketing hypocrites across the globe who were apparently on the verge of collapse from burnout, that is until the seemingly bottomless money pit of the IPL generated a surge of boundless energy from almost nowhere, not to mention a fundamental reorientation of perspectives on the game itself to the extent that Savannah-style vupping for 20 overs is now peddled by them as an experience every bit as intense, intriguing and complicated as Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment". So if Gayle is guilty of looking after number one, he's only right in tune with the tenor of our times.
George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo