For many, 2013 was about two all-time greats: Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis. Both took their bows from Test cricket, albeit in very different circumstances. The Little Master's departure was choreographed along the lines of a British royal wedding while, typically, the South African all-rounder signed off with much less fuss, a sedate century, his 200th catch and plaudits of cricket fans worldwide. But because neither really took the eye on the pitch, neither make my Test XI of the year. Indeed, it's not necessarily the best eleven players, either, and doesn't follow the ICC rankings. After all, Sri Lanka played virtually no Test matches at all. But for me the team are those who produced the most consistent run-scoring, wicket-taking, etc at the top level during 2013.
It wasn't a great year for openers. David Warner and Alastair Cook probably scored more runs than anybody else in this position but both had very mixed years. I have therefore plumped for two men currently in opposition and who played relatively few matches. Graeme Smith continues to be a successful skipper and run maker for the world's number one ranked team, South Africa, while Murali Vijay has made some decent scores against boh Australia and South Africa. He can also bowl a few overs to keep the attack leaders fresh.
Candidates for the middle-order are much thicker on the ground. Dhawan and Rutherford made sensational debuts last winter, Ian Bell had a superb home Ashes series, Virat Kohli finally demonstrated the maturity to excel at the most demanding form of cricket and Hashim Amla also averaged more than 50. However, none manage to squeeze into my team of the year. Instead, I have included India's number three, Cheteshwar Pujara. Besides amassing huge innings in domestic cricket, he contributed more than 800 runs and, at the time of writing, three hundreds for the national cause. First defeated, then victorious Ashes captain Michael Clarke was one of only two batsmen to compile more than 1000 Test runs in the calendar year (Bell being the other) whilst coping with the considerable mental pressures of leading his side in the most gruelling of series. New Zealand's Ross Taylor marked his return to the fold with centuries in three successive Tests against the West Indies. Then there's the incomparable AB De Villiers. Officially the best Test and ODI batsman in the world, AB has delivered almost a thousand runs at an average of 90+, whilst taking the gloves. He's hardly ever off the field of play!
Nevertheless, I want a specialist wicketkeeper in my team and Brad Haddin's combination of glovework and vital lower-order runs throughout the year, at the age of 36, fit the bill superbly.
The retirement of Kallis hits home the dearth of international all-rounders in the modern game. I can think of nobody in Tests capable of delivering match-winnng batting and bowling on any consistent scale. Vernon Philander may have the potential and Ravi Ashwin hit 124 against the Windies at Kolkata a few months ago. However, Ashwin earns his place for his spin demolition of Australia and the Windies. Will he be able to reproduce such form on away pitches, I wonder?
Watching him and his hapless team-mates struggling in Australia in the past few weeks, it is har to remember the impact Stuart Broad made earlier in 2013. He has by far the most Test wickets in the year (62), including five five-fors, and all atr an average of 25.80. When he's poor, he looks very average but when the modd and fancy takes him, he is almost unplayable. Even Jimmy Anderson was knocked from his pedestal as England's best bowler. The contrast with Mitchell Johnson is stark. His career having hit the doldrums after previous Ashes horrors, he stormed back with a vengeance to destroy English hopes and batting with a twirl of a new moustache and a renewed line in aggression. He claimed 34 wickets in only six Tests at under 18 apiece. His colleague Ryan Harris would have joined him but for a certain Mr Dale Steyn. He may have been displaced at the top of the ICC tree by Philander but he continued to exude skill and venom on the friendliest of batting pitches, amassing 48 wickets (with a day to go). Like Johnson, his average sits below 18 and his economy rate of 2.49 is one of the best around of the major wicket-takers.
If my Team of the Year has to play on a pitch requiring five front-line bowlers, then I'd drop Haddin for New Zealand's left-arm seamer Trent Boult, who took 46 wickets at 25 against a range of opposition, home and away. No Pakistanis make the XI but I hope their dominance of my ODI side of the year is adequate compensation!
To summarise, here is the Test Team of 2013: Smith (SA), Vijay (Ind), Pujara (Ind), Clarke (* Aus), Taylor (NZ), De Villiers (SA), Haddin (+ Aus), Ashwin (Ind), Broad (Eng), Johnson (Aus), Steyn (SA).
My overall players of the year, taking in all senior cricket, will be revealed shortly....
Showing posts with label Brad Haddin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brad Haddin. Show all posts
Sunday, 29 December 2013
Wednesday, 25 December 2013
Old is the new Young
Happy Christmas, everybody! The old man in the beard has made his global sleigh ride and Rudolph and co are putting up their hooves and vowing never to touch another carrot again. It's not just Santa who strikes a blow for the more mature man. 2013 has been a great year for the thirty-somethings, including those with beards.
Hashim Amla remains one of the world's best batsmen, Moeen Ali had a wonderful county season and everybody wants a piece of Mushtaq Ahmed. So Matt Prior messed things up at the end, but Monty Panesar could yet rediscover some form in Melbourne. Less bushy beards, and younger owners but Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan enjoyed sparkling years, too.
Sachin Tendulkar finally called it a day aged 40, but Misbah-ul-Haq is not far behind and yet scored more ODI runs than anyone else in the year to date whilst skippering Pakistan with some merit. Shivnarine Chanderpaul is another in his 40th year but is still a valued accumulator of runs for the West Indies and Derbyshire. Brad Hodge and Azhar Mahmood are about to turn 39 yet at the time of writing, nobody has more T20 wickets than the Pakistani all-rounder and only three have more runs in the short format than the veteran Aussie.
Speaking of Australians, the Ashes have been reclaimed by a team boasting six thirty-somethings. Ponting and Mike Hussey may have quit Test cricket but age and experience have proved triumphant in recent weeks Down Under. While the new brigade of Aussie pace bowlers have wilted, it has been left to Ryan Harris (34), Mitchell Johnson (32), Shane Watson (32) and Peter Siddle (29) to blow England's batting to kingdom come. 36 year-old Chris Rogers earned a surprise recall to the opener slot, captain Michael Clarke seems in prime form, George Bailey's limited-over success has won promotion to the Test side at 31, and Brad Haddin (36) has finally made the Test wicketkeeper position his own, claiming 76 first-class victims across 2013 whilst scoring heavily against England throughout December. Michael Hogan may not be in the Test team but he claimed many more first-class wickets than anyone else in 2013, racking up 108 for Glamorgan and Western Australia. Yes, he's also 32.
Obviously it is unlikely that the same XI will be lined up againat South Africa and India in five years' time. A succession strategy is still required for Cricket Australia. Nevertheless, if you're good enough, you're young enough. Hughes, Khawaja and co may yet get a decent run in the side, but greater experience of Sheffield Shield or County Championship cricket will come in very handy. Bird, Cummins and co must be brought on and improve their fitness but in the mean time, Lehmann's charges can roll back the years and prove that passing 30 doesn't necessarily mean imminent retirement or brushing up the bon mots and wit for the commentary box. Facial hair is optional.
Hashim Amla remains one of the world's best batsmen, Moeen Ali had a wonderful county season and everybody wants a piece of Mushtaq Ahmed. So Matt Prior messed things up at the end, but Monty Panesar could yet rediscover some form in Melbourne. Less bushy beards, and younger owners but Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan enjoyed sparkling years, too.
Sachin Tendulkar finally called it a day aged 40, but Misbah-ul-Haq is not far behind and yet scored more ODI runs than anyone else in the year to date whilst skippering Pakistan with some merit. Shivnarine Chanderpaul is another in his 40th year but is still a valued accumulator of runs for the West Indies and Derbyshire. Brad Hodge and Azhar Mahmood are about to turn 39 yet at the time of writing, nobody has more T20 wickets than the Pakistani all-rounder and only three have more runs in the short format than the veteran Aussie.
Speaking of Australians, the Ashes have been reclaimed by a team boasting six thirty-somethings. Ponting and Mike Hussey may have quit Test cricket but age and experience have proved triumphant in recent weeks Down Under. While the new brigade of Aussie pace bowlers have wilted, it has been left to Ryan Harris (34), Mitchell Johnson (32), Shane Watson (32) and Peter Siddle (29) to blow England's batting to kingdom come. 36 year-old Chris Rogers earned a surprise recall to the opener slot, captain Michael Clarke seems in prime form, George Bailey's limited-over success has won promotion to the Test side at 31, and Brad Haddin (36) has finally made the Test wicketkeeper position his own, claiming 76 first-class victims across 2013 whilst scoring heavily against England throughout December. Michael Hogan may not be in the Test team but he claimed many more first-class wickets than anyone else in 2013, racking up 108 for Glamorgan and Western Australia. Yes, he's also 32.
Obviously it is unlikely that the same XI will be lined up againat South Africa and India in five years' time. A succession strategy is still required for Cricket Australia. Nevertheless, if you're good enough, you're young enough. Hughes, Khawaja and co may yet get a decent run in the side, but greater experience of Sheffield Shield or County Championship cricket will come in very handy. Bird, Cummins and co must be brought on and improve their fitness but in the mean time, Lehmann's charges can roll back the years and prove that passing 30 doesn't necessarily mean imminent retirement or brushing up the bon mots and wit for the commentary box. Facial hair is optional.
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
England surrender to rampant Aussies
Well, who'd have thought it? After the flattering yet nevertheless emphatic 3-0 win in England, a closer contest on southern hemisphere pitches was widely predicted. But 3-0 to Australia? After only 3 matches?! Just about everything that could have gone wrong for Andy Flower's charges has, while Darren Lehmann could happily have written this script for Walt Disney only for it to have been rejected as being too sugary and fanciful.
AFter his superb batting last time out Down Under, expectations were high on Alastair Cook although three years ago he had none of the additional responsibilities of captaincy. Of course, he hasn't delivered and his first-baller to a brilliant Ryan Harris delivery yesterday was he nail in the coffin of England's defence of the little red urn. The loss of Jonathan Trott to a bout of depression was cruel but losing the form not only of the normally reliable opener but also the formerly world-class Matt Prior and Jimmy Anderson in particular suggests it wasn't just England who have been responsible for the hammering in the past three weeks. What on earth would they have done without the 82-page list of dietary requests which so amused the Aussie public?!
Brisbane was an unmitigated disaster but maybe that was down to unfamiliarity with a reinvigorated Mitchell Johnson, a lack of practice and losing the sledging battle. Adelaide saw another huge defeat but of course that was down to a lost toss, Trott and a fierce moustache or two. At Perth it would all be different. All England's towering seamers, seemingly picked with the WACA in mind, would extract the pace and bounce required to scare the hell out of Clarke, Warner et al. So what happened? Neither Finn, Rankin nor Tremlett were even considered, and in came the barely-fit, medium-pace ex-talisman Tim Bresnan to give the side a 'better shape'. D'oh!! And to put the tin lid on it, the tiny 6 ft 5 inch Stuart Broad has his foot broken by a Johnson yorker.
Yet the Australians have been absolutely brilliant in almost every aspect of the game. The only slight negative has been Chris Rogers, although he, too, scored a half-century in the Perth second innings while at the other end, feisty David Warner flayed the once invincible English attack to all parts for his second century of the series. Michael Clarke's captaincy hasn't affected his batting in the same way as Cook's and even Steve Smith won the Man of the Match award in the decisive third game. What's more, when you need to go for quick runs and rub Pom noses into the dirt, who better to turn to than Shane Watson and George Bailey who delivered to perfection.
Mitch Johnson has been a revelation, of course, but Ryan Harris has shown what a world-class swing and seam merchant he can be when fit, and the ever-dependable Peter Siddle has put the hex on Kevin Pietersen to such an extent that KP can only hoik the ball unerringly to a fielder. And Nathan Lyon has chipped in, too, unlike the supposedly superior Graeme Swann.
The Aussie fielding has been far better, too, with the wicketkeeping of Brad Haddin particularly impressive, adding eight catches to his tally in Perth. The 36 year-old, in only his sixth year as a Test player, has also excelled with the bat in a mirror image of Prior's decline. He has accumulated 325 runs in five innings, passing fifty four times. Crucially his main contributions have come when the middle-order have wobbled early on during the first two Tests, and he has brilliantly added valuable late-order runs supported by Johnson, Harris et al.
Let's not forget that, for all the Aussie celebrations (and no pissing on the pitch unlike England's infamous drunken antics at The Oval) and Cook's downbeat press conferences, there are still two matches yet to play. Even though the Ashes are lost, Cook's side must fight to restore a little pride. Some of the grit demonstrated by new boy Ben Stokes in his 120 today would be welcome for a start. Jonny Bairstow deserves a starting place with the gloves, not because Prior is finished but because he is dreadfully out of form. The Yorkshire-Durham axis may give England's dressing room a boost, too, and I'm sure Bairstow could give as good as he gets in the banter stakes.
Melbourne and Sydney have been kinder to England on previous tours but psychological and physical recovery from the first three fixtures will be a tough ask. Cook winning the toss with an obvious decision could provide assistance but who would bet against England opting to bat first only for Watson, Siddle and Smith to rip through them by teatime? Just as the teams of Border, Taylor, Waugh and Ponting would have done, Clarke's squad will not rest until they have achieved a whitewash. This is payback, and humiliation of the old enemy - and the inevitable Test retirement of KP - will be the icing on the cake!
AFter his superb batting last time out Down Under, expectations were high on Alastair Cook although three years ago he had none of the additional responsibilities of captaincy. Of course, he hasn't delivered and his first-baller to a brilliant Ryan Harris delivery yesterday was he nail in the coffin of England's defence of the little red urn. The loss of Jonathan Trott to a bout of depression was cruel but losing the form not only of the normally reliable opener but also the formerly world-class Matt Prior and Jimmy Anderson in particular suggests it wasn't just England who have been responsible for the hammering in the past three weeks. What on earth would they have done without the 82-page list of dietary requests which so amused the Aussie public?!
Brisbane was an unmitigated disaster but maybe that was down to unfamiliarity with a reinvigorated Mitchell Johnson, a lack of practice and losing the sledging battle. Adelaide saw another huge defeat but of course that was down to a lost toss, Trott and a fierce moustache or two. At Perth it would all be different. All England's towering seamers, seemingly picked with the WACA in mind, would extract the pace and bounce required to scare the hell out of Clarke, Warner et al. So what happened? Neither Finn, Rankin nor Tremlett were even considered, and in came the barely-fit, medium-pace ex-talisman Tim Bresnan to give the side a 'better shape'. D'oh!! And to put the tin lid on it, the tiny 6 ft 5 inch Stuart Broad has his foot broken by a Johnson yorker.
Yet the Australians have been absolutely brilliant in almost every aspect of the game. The only slight negative has been Chris Rogers, although he, too, scored a half-century in the Perth second innings while at the other end, feisty David Warner flayed the once invincible English attack to all parts for his second century of the series. Michael Clarke's captaincy hasn't affected his batting in the same way as Cook's and even Steve Smith won the Man of the Match award in the decisive third game. What's more, when you need to go for quick runs and rub Pom noses into the dirt, who better to turn to than Shane Watson and George Bailey who delivered to perfection.
Mitch Johnson has been a revelation, of course, but Ryan Harris has shown what a world-class swing and seam merchant he can be when fit, and the ever-dependable Peter Siddle has put the hex on Kevin Pietersen to such an extent that KP can only hoik the ball unerringly to a fielder. And Nathan Lyon has chipped in, too, unlike the supposedly superior Graeme Swann.
The Aussie fielding has been far better, too, with the wicketkeeping of Brad Haddin particularly impressive, adding eight catches to his tally in Perth. The 36 year-old, in only his sixth year as a Test player, has also excelled with the bat in a mirror image of Prior's decline. He has accumulated 325 runs in five innings, passing fifty four times. Crucially his main contributions have come when the middle-order have wobbled early on during the first two Tests, and he has brilliantly added valuable late-order runs supported by Johnson, Harris et al.
Let's not forget that, for all the Aussie celebrations (and no pissing on the pitch unlike England's infamous drunken antics at The Oval) and Cook's downbeat press conferences, there are still two matches yet to play. Even though the Ashes are lost, Cook's side must fight to restore a little pride. Some of the grit demonstrated by new boy Ben Stokes in his 120 today would be welcome for a start. Jonny Bairstow deserves a starting place with the gloves, not because Prior is finished but because he is dreadfully out of form. The Yorkshire-Durham axis may give England's dressing room a boost, too, and I'm sure Bairstow could give as good as he gets in the banter stakes.
Melbourne and Sydney have been kinder to England on previous tours but psychological and physical recovery from the first three fixtures will be a tough ask. Cook winning the toss with an obvious decision could provide assistance but who would bet against England opting to bat first only for Watson, Siddle and Smith to rip through them by teatime? Just as the teams of Border, Taylor, Waugh and Ponting would have done, Clarke's squad will not rest until they have achieved a whitewash. This is payback, and humiliation of the old enemy - and the inevitable Test retirement of KP - will be the icing on the cake!
Sunday, 24 November 2013
Mitch sends Aussie confidence sky high
After yesterday's blog about the curse of Brisbane, Mitch Johnson's 5-42 was instrumental in maintaining the Gabba hoodoo for visiting countries. After ten winless Tests, Australia badly needed this victory and as a launchpad for Ashes revenge, a 381-run drubbing was almost as good as it gets. I say almost because back in 2002, the margin was 384 in favour of Steve Waugh's men.
That remains the tenth greatest winning margin in runs terms in Test cricket. Interestingly, four of the fifteen highest have come in Brisbane and eight in Ashes clashes. In 1928, an England side boasting Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Tate, Hendren and Larwood smashed the Aussies by an incredible 675 runs in the Queensland capital. A young Aussie batting at seven made his debut in that game but he was to be a thorn in the side of England, and everbody else over the next two decades. He was, of course, Don Bradman. At The Oval in 1934, he struck 244 and 77 to set up the second highest win of all time, by 562 runs.
Forward almost eighty years, and cricket is a very different game. Sledging, social media and hysterical hype have given the Ashes the feel of warfare, and the frontline trops have been happy to fire their share of verbal bullets. It's all a bit tame compared with the days of Merv Hughes, Rod Marsh and even Nasser Hussain's infamous welcome to Muttiah Muralitharan; "Here comes the f*!*ing cheat". Indeed, Michael Clarke was being perfectly hones by admitting there was "mutual respect" off the field, but he refrained from saying the same was true on it, too.
Of course, these are two experienced cricketing sides now very familiar to each other. Clarke v Cook, Pietersen v Watson, Broad v Johnson, Swann v Lyon, etc, etc. They may not share beers with each other any more, perhaps the odd punch. However, once the cricket started it was England who made the strongest start. Stuart Broad may be the world's most reluctant walker (apart from a few students I could mention!) but his 6-81 put the hosts in trouble before Brad Haddin and Mitch Johnson batted the side to respectability.
Broad himself said the pitch was actually great for batting, only for his team-mates to prove his words were just propagandist blather, sinking to 136 all out in the face of Johnson, Harris, Siddle and Lyon. Second time out, the restored David Warner continued his recent first-class form with an excellent 124 and Clarke put his back problems behind him with a brisk 113. Haddin made another half-century to set England 561 to win in two days. They didn't make it, and bogeyman Mitch was the pick of the bowlers combining consistent 90mph pace, aggression and not a little hostility towards Jonathan Trott.
No fairytale 100th Test for KP, nor a great personal debut for George Bailey but at least the latter could share in the post-match celebrations. Johnson was the rightful match award winner but all the bowlers could hold their heads up high. A stonking victory, and yet Rogers, Watson, Bailey and Smith could afford to misfire. England must hope that their own attack ups their game at Adelaide. However, recent games at the new-look stadium suggest the drop-in pitch tends to favour batsmen. Trott, Root, Carberry, Prior and co can therefore play themselves back into form. Cook is right to remind journos that there is time to fight back and retain the Ashes. However, the Aussies have the upper hand physically and mentally, so Adelaide will be a big test for England in the mind as much as on the field. It's one they can win and if so, they will take a lot of beating thereafter.
That remains the tenth greatest winning margin in runs terms in Test cricket. Interestingly, four of the fifteen highest have come in Brisbane and eight in Ashes clashes. In 1928, an England side boasting Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Tate, Hendren and Larwood smashed the Aussies by an incredible 675 runs in the Queensland capital. A young Aussie batting at seven made his debut in that game but he was to be a thorn in the side of England, and everbody else over the next two decades. He was, of course, Don Bradman. At The Oval in 1934, he struck 244 and 77 to set up the second highest win of all time, by 562 runs.
Forward almost eighty years, and cricket is a very different game. Sledging, social media and hysterical hype have given the Ashes the feel of warfare, and the frontline trops have been happy to fire their share of verbal bullets. It's all a bit tame compared with the days of Merv Hughes, Rod Marsh and even Nasser Hussain's infamous welcome to Muttiah Muralitharan; "Here comes the f*!*ing cheat". Indeed, Michael Clarke was being perfectly hones by admitting there was "mutual respect" off the field, but he refrained from saying the same was true on it, too.
Of course, these are two experienced cricketing sides now very familiar to each other. Clarke v Cook, Pietersen v Watson, Broad v Johnson, Swann v Lyon, etc, etc. They may not share beers with each other any more, perhaps the odd punch. However, once the cricket started it was England who made the strongest start. Stuart Broad may be the world's most reluctant walker (apart from a few students I could mention!) but his 6-81 put the hosts in trouble before Brad Haddin and Mitch Johnson batted the side to respectability.
Broad himself said the pitch was actually great for batting, only for his team-mates to prove his words were just propagandist blather, sinking to 136 all out in the face of Johnson, Harris, Siddle and Lyon. Second time out, the restored David Warner continued his recent first-class form with an excellent 124 and Clarke put his back problems behind him with a brisk 113. Haddin made another half-century to set England 561 to win in two days. They didn't make it, and bogeyman Mitch was the pick of the bowlers combining consistent 90mph pace, aggression and not a little hostility towards Jonathan Trott.
No fairytale 100th Test for KP, nor a great personal debut for George Bailey but at least the latter could share in the post-match celebrations. Johnson was the rightful match award winner but all the bowlers could hold their heads up high. A stonking victory, and yet Rogers, Watson, Bailey and Smith could afford to misfire. England must hope that their own attack ups their game at Adelaide. However, recent games at the new-look stadium suggest the drop-in pitch tends to favour batsmen. Trott, Root, Carberry, Prior and co can therefore play themselves back into form. Cook is right to remind journos that there is time to fight back and retain the Ashes. However, the Aussies have the upper hand physically and mentally, so Adelaide will be a big test for England in the mind as much as on the field. It's one they can win and if so, they will take a lot of beating thereafter.
Sunday, 25 August 2013
England's Ashes but Aussies can hold heads high....-ish
After bad light brought a promising series finale to a ludicrous and disappointing anticlimax, the urn may have been presented to Alastair Cook but Australia can take some heart from the 2013 Ashes. A 3-0 defeat sounds pretty emphatic, and the score was fairly predictable given the sides' respective rankings and recent performances. However, despite the change of regime in mid-tour, there are soe groumds for optimism in the Lehmann camp.
Michael Clarke and Shane Watson rediscovered the art of scoring big hundreds and I commend the skipper's courage to turn a near-certain rain-affected Oval draw into a thrilling series climax. Chris Rogers showed the skill and patience of an old-school opener that had been missing in the T20 era, and Steve Smith's first Test century, which I witnessed at first hand on Thursday, will dampen criticism of his Test credentials. Brad Haddin contributed a few important fifties and broke Rod Marsh's world record for dismissals in a Test series.
With the ball, Ryan Harris proved conclusively, in spite of the many young pretenders, he is Australia's premier fast bowler by taking 24 wickets at under 20 apiece. That's McGrath-esque! Seeing his line and length should prove a lesson to Starc, Bird and Pattinson. I remain a fan of Peter Siddle, at least in English conditions, and Nathan Lyon probably justified his place as his team's main spin option.
Australia held a first-innings lead in four of the five matches yet they contrived to lose twice and draw twice. That is where they were out-fought and perhaps out-thought in the second half of games. England played to the bitter end, and their bowlers were simply too good for the Aussie batsmen when called to arms for a second time. If it wasn't Jimmy Anderson, it was Stuart Broad or even Graeme Swann who ended up the leading wicket-taker from either side with 26. Tim Bresnan, too, proved his worth as a supporting act to the big three before injury presented Chris Woakes with his opportunity at The Oval. The latter's time may yet come again, but it will take a lot to allow Onions or Tremlett to add to their Test appearances. Steve Finn is a more credible alternative on conducive pitches.
England's batsmen did not enjoy a particularly successful series, with the notable exception of Ian Bell. He was a revelation. If he doesn't now get the recognition of being a world-class willow-wielder, I don't know what else he can do. Apart from Woakes in the single game he played, Bell was the only one on the home side who averaged 40+. Pietersen and Root made some telling hundreds but more than half of the young opener's 339 runs came in a single innings. His list of failures is more worrying, although selectors should definitely persevere with him. In the absence of any credible competitor, he should be retained as partner to Cook, whose moderate aggregate of 277 was one of the Ashes surprises.
So congrats to both teams on making the 2013 Ashes a closer contest than I had feared, even if the 3-0 result suggests otherwise. My combined team of the series reflects this:-
Rogers (A), Root (E), Pietersen (E), Bell (E), Clarke (A *), Watson (A), Haddin (A), Broad (E), Swann (E), Harris (A), Anderson (E)
Michael Clarke and Shane Watson rediscovered the art of scoring big hundreds and I commend the skipper's courage to turn a near-certain rain-affected Oval draw into a thrilling series climax. Chris Rogers showed the skill and patience of an old-school opener that had been missing in the T20 era, and Steve Smith's first Test century, which I witnessed at first hand on Thursday, will dampen criticism of his Test credentials. Brad Haddin contributed a few important fifties and broke Rod Marsh's world record for dismissals in a Test series.
With the ball, Ryan Harris proved conclusively, in spite of the many young pretenders, he is Australia's premier fast bowler by taking 24 wickets at under 20 apiece. That's McGrath-esque! Seeing his line and length should prove a lesson to Starc, Bird and Pattinson. I remain a fan of Peter Siddle, at least in English conditions, and Nathan Lyon probably justified his place as his team's main spin option.
Australia held a first-innings lead in four of the five matches yet they contrived to lose twice and draw twice. That is where they were out-fought and perhaps out-thought in the second half of games. England played to the bitter end, and their bowlers were simply too good for the Aussie batsmen when called to arms for a second time. If it wasn't Jimmy Anderson, it was Stuart Broad or even Graeme Swann who ended up the leading wicket-taker from either side with 26. Tim Bresnan, too, proved his worth as a supporting act to the big three before injury presented Chris Woakes with his opportunity at The Oval. The latter's time may yet come again, but it will take a lot to allow Onions or Tremlett to add to their Test appearances. Steve Finn is a more credible alternative on conducive pitches.
England's batsmen did not enjoy a particularly successful series, with the notable exception of Ian Bell. He was a revelation. If he doesn't now get the recognition of being a world-class willow-wielder, I don't know what else he can do. Apart from Woakes in the single game he played, Bell was the only one on the home side who averaged 40+. Pietersen and Root made some telling hundreds but more than half of the young opener's 339 runs came in a single innings. His list of failures is more worrying, although selectors should definitely persevere with him. In the absence of any credible competitor, he should be retained as partner to Cook, whose moderate aggregate of 277 was one of the Ashes surprises.
So congrats to both teams on making the 2013 Ashes a closer contest than I had feared, even if the 3-0 result suggests otherwise. My combined team of the series reflects this:-
Rogers (A), Root (E), Pietersen (E), Bell (E), Clarke (A *), Watson (A), Haddin (A), Broad (E), Swann (E), Harris (A), Anderson (E)
Sunday, 14 July 2013
Ashes off to a thrilling start
What a great advert the Trent Bridge opener was for Test cricket. The spectators certainly had their money's worth. Indeed, after the events of day one, they were lucky the match even extended to the Sunday. Along came Ashton Agar, then Ian Bell and we had a proper five-day game on our hands.
The result says England won by fourteen runs, a piffling margin by first-class cricket standards. Yet were the two sides really that close? The marketing and TV execs, not to mention the Aussie team and fans, will say so, and we want a closer series than the form book had suggested before the start. However, that Australia produced a genuine contest owed almost everything to a couple of last-wicket partnerships worth 225, including that world record effort a few days ago. The rest of the contest was definitely England's, as Jimmy Anderson showed why he is one of the two best bowlers in the world, and Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook contributed runs which Cowan and Clarke would have killed for!
A lot has been said about a few key umpiring decisions, from the Stuart Broad controversy to the review which ended the match in anticlimactic fashion. Of course, Broad should have been given out; it was blatant, but you can't blame Michael Clarke for having run out of reviews. While I am disgusted at Broad's refusal to 'walk', it's no surprise because 99% of modern cricketers would have done the same thing. With regards to the last play of the match, I was watching on the TV and heard a distinct noise. Hotspot seemed to agree but for me the telling proof came by watching Brad Haddin look behind immediately after the missed stroke. When you nick the ball, it's human nature to check to see if you've been caught. Haddin would have heard and felt contact. It's just a pity that such a nerve-jangling finale came down to the third umpire.
However, while Anderson picked up the Man of the Match award for his ten wickets, surely the contest will be remembered more for that sensational debut innings from teenage spinner Ashton Agar. He didn't just break the world record for a number eleven, he accomplished it with such style and coolness. His rueful grin at being caught going for the century said it all. He'll probably never play such an innings again. In fact, with the ACB selectors' track record, he may not bowl again at this level for years, either. However, the well-deserved applause from both sets of fans, and millions of TV viewers should ring in his ears for the rest of his life.
The result says England won by fourteen runs, a piffling margin by first-class cricket standards. Yet were the two sides really that close? The marketing and TV execs, not to mention the Aussie team and fans, will say so, and we want a closer series than the form book had suggested before the start. However, that Australia produced a genuine contest owed almost everything to a couple of last-wicket partnerships worth 225, including that world record effort a few days ago. The rest of the contest was definitely England's, as Jimmy Anderson showed why he is one of the two best bowlers in the world, and Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook contributed runs which Cowan and Clarke would have killed for!
A lot has been said about a few key umpiring decisions, from the Stuart Broad controversy to the review which ended the match in anticlimactic fashion. Of course, Broad should have been given out; it was blatant, but you can't blame Michael Clarke for having run out of reviews. While I am disgusted at Broad's refusal to 'walk', it's no surprise because 99% of modern cricketers would have done the same thing. With regards to the last play of the match, I was watching on the TV and heard a distinct noise. Hotspot seemed to agree but for me the telling proof came by watching Brad Haddin look behind immediately after the missed stroke. When you nick the ball, it's human nature to check to see if you've been caught. Haddin would have heard and felt contact. It's just a pity that such a nerve-jangling finale came down to the third umpire.
However, while Anderson picked up the Man of the Match award for his ten wickets, surely the contest will be remembered more for that sensational debut innings from teenage spinner Ashton Agar. He didn't just break the world record for a number eleven, he accomplished it with such style and coolness. His rueful grin at being caught going for the century said it all. He'll probably never play such an innings again. In fact, with the ACB selectors' track record, he may not bowl again at this level for years, either. However, the well-deserved applause from both sets of fans, and millions of TV viewers should ring in his ears for the rest of his life.
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