Ok lets get this out of the way before I go any further;
Q) What do English batsmen and a drug addict have in common? both spend most of their time wondering where there next score will come from!!
Q) What is the difference between Cinderella and the English batsmen? Cinderella knew when to leave the ball!!
Now that you have had a good laugh lets see if I can analyse our performance and the way forward.
Batting
I have previously stated that our batsmen just have not scored enough runs for nearly 18 months and the last time we scored over 400 runs Gordon Brown was still PM (slight exaggeration)
The top 3 would normally score big then allow KP and Bell to play a free scoring innings and take the game away from opponents. Cook, Bell, KP and Root are our best batsmen and we just don't have better players to come in so perhaps they need to get back into county cricket to get some runs before the next test series.
I gave KP as much stick as anyone #KPtoTheTower but he was top scorer on the tour, the talk of making KP Vice Captain to make him more of a team player and be more responsible could be an interesting option.
I also feel sorry for Carberry he did not do much worse than others but I think he could be a scapegoat due to his age (Note to selectors remember Chris Rodgers)
Bowling
The lack of runs has obviously effected the bowling unit, rather than frustrate and tie down opposition batsmen and wait for mistakes they have had to work out a different plan to take wickets and THAT just didn't work.
Jimmy Anderson was fortunate to take as many wickets on the last Ashes tour as we all know the conditions and ball don't suit him, for someone who excels in England he's struggled in Australia.
For all Aussies dislike, Broad he was our best bowler and we should not forget that there were a number of occasions the Aussies were 5 or 6 wickets down for less than 150 because of his efforts only for Brad Haddin to walk in. (Note to selectors remember Haddin's age)
The emergence of Ben Stokes does freshen up the bowling attack and give more variety to the unit and if the selectors let Steve Finn use his full run up and bowl at around 90mph rather than changing both and make him carry the drinks tray we may have a far more potent attack in the next 6 months.
Captain Cook
Still not too sure if the leadership role suites him but who is a better option? If he is to stay as Captain then Flower needs to encourage him to develop a more decisive style as it sometimes appeared others were deciding field placings and sometimes under minding him. Having 3 different Captain's for each form of the game doesn't help either. Much was made of Clarke's & Lehmann's ability to think and rebuild on the hoof last summer, can Cook & Flower do the same?
and finally
This has been a reality check for fans and players, we have been out played and out thought on the pitch and lost the mind games off it. But it does not mean wholesale changes should happen just yet, perhaps 2 or 3 changes at most. However I would consider changing some of the backroom staff and certainly not adding to them as some have suggested and this would result in more confusing ideas.
Neither should we panic and start to blame "the system" for all the problems during this Ashes series. The system of the Lions or Development teams feeding the one day and test squads works, in previous times the best emerging players were not ready for test cricket until mid-twenties.
Now Root(2) and Stokes both scored centuries before their 23rd birthday, something only achieved 4 times in the last 50 years!! Add Buttler, Balance and Jordon to that mix and you can understand why many think a rebuilt team will be competitive again and may even score over 400 runs again. Bring on Sri Lanka & India.
To End on a Controversial Note
I listened to an ex player suggesting England's younger players should be allowed to play in the IPL thus missing the beginning of the season. His reasons, "it will toughen them up mentally playing cricket in a pressure cooker atmosphere with win or bust matches against some of the world's best cricketers" Interesting point of view.
That's all for now until we lose the ODI series and I get my soapbox out again.
