Essex, Derbyshire and Eoin Morgan storm into the last eight

The Vitality Blast group stage provided an exciting climax, especially in the South Group where the quarter-finalists weren’t decided ‘til the last evening. Sussex and Gloucestershire had done enough to qualify by the Thursday night. Michael Klinger may be in his 40^th year but the 8^th T20 century of his career, together with Ryan Higgins’ three wickets, ensured a five-run defeat of Kent at Canterbury. The top two met on the final day and a Van Buuren six from the last delivery meant Gloucestershire could book their Bristol home for the knockouts.

Come Friday evening, former leaders Kent were still in the hunt for one of the other places, along with Somerset, Hampshire, Middlesex and Essex. The Eagles looked down and out last week but pulled off a fabulous week which consisted of a tie with Hampshire and two close wins against Surrey and Sussex, before ending Kent’s hopes with a ten-run victory at Chelmsford. Ravi Bopara capped a fine individual week by striking 47 not out and taking 2-27. Mohammad Amir also bowled consistently well, conceding fewer than 30 runs in each of the four fixtures. They’ll need his pace and guile if they are to reach the semis.

At Taunton, it was a winner-takes-all clash between Middlesex and Somerset. Tom Abell’s improvement in white-ball batting looked complete when he reached a maiden T20 century off the last ball to set Middlesex a massive 227. That would prove impossible for most opponents but this side boasted a formidable top-order of Stirling, Malan, Hafeez, De Villiers and Morgan. They raced to 50 inside three overs and never really took the foot of the pedal. Every time I switched channels to watch, AB or Eoin Morgan seemed to be swiping sixes, and it was the England captain’s 29-ball 83 which swept the pink princes to victory with three overs still remaining.

Elsewhere, Hampshire’s chances were extinguished at Cardiff where Glamorgan finally registered a two-point result in fourteen attempts. When the sides met earlier in the month, the Welsh were dismissed for 84. This time they amassed 216-5, including thirteen sixes, which proved beyond even Vince and Northeast. 

In the North group, the top four had already broken away by Friday, and Lancashire held onto the top spot with a five-wicket defeat of Leicestershire. Aided by the return of Alex Hales, Nottinghamshire finished second despite losing to Durham, but it was Derbyshire who finished stronger than anyone in the country. They smashed Northants and Leicestershire each by nine-wicket margins, before overcoming the table-topping Lightning courtesy of Wayne Madsen’s 69 and Ravi Rampaul’s 3-19, propelling them into third.

Moeen Ali’s unintended stint with Worcestershire yielded plenty of runs this week, just about keeping the chasing pack at bay. Yorkshire were just one victory over Notts from stopping them. Their opening pair of Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Adam Lyth did everything you could hope for, not just for their runs but also Lyth’s ten wickets, but the rest of the attack let them down a bit.

And so the quarter-finals beckon later this week. Old Trafford is otherwise engaged with some Test match or other, so Lancashire’s home tie against Essex has been shifted cross-country to Chester-le-Street. I’d rate the ‘home’ side narrow favourites. Nottinghamshire v Middlesex is closer to call. Neither have shone particularly brightly but if AB can turn out for Middlesex, they will have the edge. Sussex’s array of spinners could well stifle Worcestershire at Hove next Friday, while in the concluding match, Derbyshire’s squad look particularly useful in the Blast and may well edge Gloucestershire for a place in Finals Day in three weeks’ time.

Team of the Week: Kohler-Cadmore (Yor), Lyth (Yor), Klinger (Glo), Moeen Ali (Wor), Morgan (Mid), Bopara (Ess), Carey (Sus +), Abbott (Ham), Shutt (Yor), Batty (Sur), Mohammad Amir (Ess)

World Cup woes for South Africa

The 2019 Cricket World Cup has been an inevitable slow-burner. With all ten nations playing each other, it has taken three weeks to reach the stage where big names are facing the certainty of an early plane home, or even possibly an unexpected short-term contract with a county.

It hasn’t helped that so many fixtures have been so one-sided. My three live experiences at Cardiff have been enjoyable but really could have been enhanced by much closer encounters of a cricketing kind. New Zealand made short work of Sri Lanka, Roy, Buttler et al plastered the Bangladesh spinners for an array of sixes then Afghanistan predictably succumbed to South Africa.

Thank goodness for some surprises elsewhere. The West Indians’ pace dealt Pakistan an early blow, Bangladesh creamed an unassailable 330-6 off South Africa then even England’s cruise towards the semis hit a rock as Pakistan bounced back but still an exciting finale was lacking.

Rain caused some disappointing washouts and abandonments, particularly at Bristol, and robbed us of the intriguing India v New Zealand contest. The much-anticipated India-Pakistan fixture was also affected by the wet stuff, as well as the latter’s inability to shackle Rohit Sharma. However, when the British weather improved, so did the tournament, even if the big four threatened to run away with it. In just two days we had some crackers.

On the longest day at Headingley, England’s seemingly infallibility when batting second was severely dented by Sri Lanka. Nice to see Lasith Malinga finding some of his old magic as they triumphed by 20 runs. At Southampton the following day, Afghanistan’s spinners choked India so hard that their target was a distinctly manageable 225. They didn’t quite manage it, of course, thanks largely to the nous of Bumrah and Shami’s final over hat-trick, but we neutrals revelled in the excitement of a near-shock. Meanwhile, some lusty blows by Chris Gayle and an extraordinary century by Carlos Brathwaite so nearly rescued the Windies against the Black Caps, for whom Kane Williamson batted so beautifully.

With teams having just two or three matches left to play, the top four placings are not yet decided. As in the last World Cup, New Zealand have demonstrated their undoubted class slightly beneath the radar. At the time of writing they are unbeaten, as are Virat Kohli’s India and each muct surely reach the semi-finals. I wasn’t sure how Australia would fare in the aftermath of the Warner-Smith bans. However, they have been almost England-esque in their run accumulations, with David Warner and Aaron Finch striking some stunning scores, and are almost home and dry.

So what about England? With the exception of the Sri Lanka debacle, they have been passing 300 with impressive regularity. Sixes have come right down the order, and Eoin Morgan’s blitz against Afghanistan was particularly brutal. Intriguingly their final three games come against their three closest rivals, beginning with the Aussies, followed by India at Edgbaston and then NZ. I reckon they’ll win at least two of them but even so I can’t see the planets aligning so perfectly that one of the other pretenders such as Pakistan or even Bangladesh could disturb the status quo.

What have I learnt so far? Well, batsmen were always likely to be on top, but who would have predicted Shakib al-Hasan would have been top of the run charts? Jofra Archer and Mark Wood have been the most devastating bowling partnership as the short ball has proved the most effective bowling weapon of the tournament. Imran Tahir, Rashid Khan and co may yet have a say in proceedings but for certain neither SA nor Afghanistan will be raising the trophy this year. Faf du Plessis’ men have been out of sorts in most areas. Their batting line-up was already weaker than it’s been for a long time and their one true global star Hashim Amla, has scratched around for runs, even against the Afghans.

I’m sure there’ll be more twists and turns in the coming weeks but it looks likely that the ICC will get the top four it wanted, and that India-England final remains a distinct possibility.

India Serve Up a Feast of Runs

Poor Virat Kohli. It must be so tough to taste defeat on home soil. After all, yesterday’s five-run reverse in Kolkata was the first time it had happened to him as captain in nineteen matches. So India are not quite invincible, and England gave them a real contest over the three ODI fixtures.

At Pune, it took a blistering innings of 120 in 76 balls from Kedar Jadhav to overhaul England’s excellent 350. A few days later, the Cuttack encounter produced 747 runs, with a Morgan-inspired chase falling a mere 15 runs short. The five-run victory at Eden Gardens was no more than the tourists deserved, especially having failed to chalk up a single major triumph so far.

For the first time in a three-match ODI series all six innings delivered at least 300 runs. Never before has such a series produced an aggregate exceeding 2,000. It’s not often you get two centurions in one innings in consecutive matches either.

Jadhav and Kohli may have dominated the opener but it was a fairytale in Cuttack when the two 35 year-olds MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh shared a stand of 256. With all the hullabaloo around Kohli’s successful leadership and Dhoni’s stepping down before the series began, it seemed like a re-run of times past when the latter delivered a vintage century. Even more impressive was the fact that his partnership with Yuvi turned a score of 25-3 into a match-winning 381-6.

It wasn’t all about the Indian batsmen. England’s line-up had more than a few moments, too. Jason Roy passed 50 on all three occasions. Root and Stokes did so twice, while captain Morgan’s rum run of low scores ended with a measured century that came close to reaching that huge target in the second game.

Of course, for all the entertainment generated by such a run-fest, it was no fun to be a bowler. Chris Woakes topped the wickets table with a mere six. Ravi Jadeja was the only man to concede fewer than six runs an over. Ball, Stokes and Bumrah all conceded at least 200 across the series. Moeen Ali failed to take a single scalp in 20 overs. No, no fun at all!

All in all, a splendid advert for 50-over cricket, and I doubt the forthcoming Twenty20 encounters will serve up three such brilliant contests.

An England World Record!

England. 50-overs. World record. Three words and phrases I never expected to appear in the same sentence! And yet this was just one of the many records which tumbled this week at Trent Bridge.

The match result states boldly but barely that England beats Pakistan by 169 runs, but that conceals a multitude of amazements. Just about everything Eoin Morgan’s side did worked a treat. Jason Roy may have gloved a catch behind in the sixth over but Alex Hales finally delivered on his promise. He not only reached three figures but also proceeded to whack the Pakistani attack all over the place to notch the highest ever ODI score by an England player. His 171 eclipsed Robin Smith’s 23 year-old 167 not out.

What surprised me was not Hales’ own performance, but that it had taken an England player so long to knock Smith off the top. In these days of short boundaries, high-tech bats and a more attacking mindset, 23 years is a long time to hold a batting record.

When Hales finally fell LBW, he and Joe Root had compiled the highest partnership scored against Pakistan. Root himself achieved his fifth successive score of 60 or more, itself no mean feat. And then the fun really began!

Jos Buttler, returning after a long layoff, came together with Morgan and together they plundered 161 from a mere 12 overs. Buttler struck the fastest ever England 50, in 22 balls, and the skipper would also have equalled the record had Jos not broken it minutes earlier! Sixes were flayed from Azhar Ali, Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz, whose 110 runs conceded was the second highest in ODI history.

Buttler’s last ball boundary then took England’s total past the best ODI innings total by any international side, ever! 444-3! There had been 16 sixes in all, in contrast to the way Sri Lanka had recorded the previous world best ten years previously against the Netherlands at Amstelveen. Then, despite rapid centuries from Jayasuriya and Dilshan, only three of the 59 boundaries actually cleared the ropes.

As for Pakistan’s reply, it was never going to come close to the target. Chris Woakes bowled well for his four wickets, but Sharjeel Khan did at least go for his shots, taking 54 of his 58 runs in boundaries. However, the last record of the day was a positive one for a Pakistani player. Mohammad Amir’s final ‘what the hell’ onslaught brought him 58 from 28 balls, he first ever ODI half-century for a number eleven!

So a sensational day for England, and it was almost incidental that they wrapped up a series win with just three matches gone. I expect some team changes on both sides now that there is no trophy to play for. However, the way teams are playing, more records are sure to follow in quick succession, not necessarily in England this summer. There have now been 18 scores of 400 or more, eight of them in the past two years. Can 500 be far away….?

Women’s Cricket Deserves Centre Stage

There were many reasons why August Bank Holiday in Cardiff was so enjoyable. Firstly, it actually refrained from raining between 10am and 6pm. Secondly, the T20 double-header provided twice the entertainment value that I expected.

I rarely glean much satisfaction from watching a Twenty20 match. Too much biff-bang, little finesse and despite the paucity of balls bowled, there’s no guarantee of an exciting finish. However, if there’s an opportunity of watching two matches in succession, I can be persuaded!

Monday was just such an occasion. The headlines focussed on the men’s game. They enjoyed the full house, the patriotic, vociferous support (maybe not from the few Welsh locals, of whom I am an honourable member!) and the enthralling climax. There were Eoin Morgan’s seven sixes, a beautiful innings from Moeen Ali, Steve Smith’s excellently paced 90 and the thrilling catch by Ben Stokes which turned the game England’s way. There was also the unfortunate dismissal of Shane Watson which not only stirred the derision of the crowd but also hilarity of his own bench upon the repeat showing on the big screen later on. I know because I was sitting close to the Aussies. Even Darren Lehmann was laughing heartily!

However, to concentrate on the men’s one-off fixture would do the women’s game a gross injustice. I hadn’t bought my ticket just to see Hales, Watson, Buttler, Starc and co. I was intrigued by the prospect of watching first-hand the newly-professionalised Women’s teams doing battle for their version of the Ashes. While a batting collapse at Hove a few days earlier had rendered the Cardiff tie redundant as an Ashes decider, there was still much to play for.

I’d familiarised myself with the leading players with a few snippets of gams in the past year or two so I was keenly awaiting the chance to see global stars such as England’s skipper Charlotte Edwards, her Aussie counterpart Meg Lanning, star all-rounder Ellyse Perry and our own wicketkeeper-batsman Sarah Taylor, my new favourite cricketer!

It was interesting to compare the two games. Of course the men’s game provided more power, pace and sixes. However, the opener featured no less skill and was played in great spirit. One reason I like watching Sarah Taylor is her enthusiasm and obvious enjoyment of playing. Something the men should remember from time to time.

Two performances stood out. Anya Shrubsole ripped out the first four Aussie wickets, including the ever-dangerous Lanning and newcomer Jess Jonassen. Perry stuck around for 16 before becoming one of Natalie Scriver’s four victims. Grace Harris struck a few sixes but 111 didn’t look a formidable total. Nevertheless, England had failed to reach even 90 in the previous T20, so anything was possible, especially when Edwards, Wyatt and Taylor were all gone by the fourth over.

Enter Scriver once more. She steadied the ship, put on 55 with Katherine Brunt and was run out with only six needed. Lydia Greenway did the rest and victory came in the nineteenth over. A wonderful all-round display from Sciver but I was mightily impressed by all the bowlers and in particular the fielding, every bit as smart as the men’s.

The awards and celebrations were a bit muted. Maybe it was because the Aussies had done most of their champagne cork-popping at Hove. However, most of the players on both sides were happy to sign autographs and pose for selfies afterwards. These weren’t the big strapping selfish sports stars we have become familiar with. They were young ‘normal’ athletes keen to build a rapport with the fans, and they seemed genuinely pleased to do so.

I sincerely hope that women’s cricket continues to grow and attract not only TV audiences but also youngsters willing to pick up a ball and bat. From what I experienced at Cardiff on and off the field, they are going about it in the right way. Those who couldn’t be bothered to turn up in the morning at the SSE Swalec missed a real treat.

England v New Zealand – Memorable but for the wrong reasons?

Now that we’ve all caught our breath, it’s time to reflect on the truly memorable ODI series between England and New Zealand. I always felt it would be a competitive contest between a side in captain Brendon McCullum’s mould and one desperately seeking to copy it after that dismal World Cup just a few months earlier. And so it proved.

However, the astonishing turnaround in England’s fortunes must have surprised most onlookers. Of course, the pitches, boundary distances, bat technology and fielding restrictions have all been created to boost run rates and the six count. All that was needed for England to capitalise was introduce the ethos of ‘take a gamble; there’s somebody else padded up should you get out’. The bold policy of picking a bunch of T20 specialists signalled the new regime’s intention and all the players had to do is carry it out to the letter.

Easier said than done, of course, and the Black Caps, as England found out to their cost in the World Cup, are amongst the best in the business when it comes to the fifty-over format. Nevertheless, it has been an exhilarating series for the batsmen and spectators who drool over a succession of heaves over square leg, ragged top-edges over third man and flicks into the crowd just 50 metres from the crease. The records racked up rapidly;
- The most runs in a series of five or fewer matches (3,151);
- The highest ever run rate a five-match rubber (7.15 an over)
- England’s first ever score of 400 (408-9 at Edgbaston)
- England’s biggest winning margin (210 runs, in the same game)
- The fastest ever England century (by Jos Buttler – again!)

And yet New Zealand would have triumphed had Jonny Bairstow not stepped up to the plate in the rain-hit decider at Chester-le-Street! When Joe Root and Buttler smashed centuries in the first game, we knew something special was on the cards. 27 sixes featured in the second at The Oval, where England narrowly failed thanks to the Duckworth/Lewis intervention. At the Rose Bowl, it was the turn of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor to plunder hundreds in a well-measured run chase, before the feat was repeated by Root and Eoin Morgan at Trent Bridge. Here, England made a target of 350 look ridiculously easy. The clincher in the North East included fewer runs and ‘only’ seven sixes but far more drama.

The statistics show that Williamson, Taylor, Morgan and Root each aggregated more than 250 runs, the former finishing on an amazing 396. Of the fifteen players who faced at least 50 balls, only three had strike rates of under 100 per 100 balls. Curiously these were Taylor, Martin Guptill and England’s supposedly big-hitting opener Jason Roy. Morgan’s six tally of 16 easily outnumbered anybody else’s but I have more respect for Willamson’s ability to find the gaps, collecting a mightily impressive 49 fours throughout the series.

So it was all brilliant, wasn’t it? Not if you’re a bowler, it wasn’t! Nobody took even ten wickets. Ben Stokes, Steve Finn and Adil Rashid led the way and, while Mark Wood claimed only two at 78.5 apiece, his economy rate was a very commendable 5.23. Chris Jordan and Neil McCullum went for at least nine an over. The balance between bat and ball has become hideously distorted, but one good thing has been the standard of fielding. Catches will always be dropped occasionally but the athleticism in the deep is better than it has ever been. Just think about the Southee-Boult boundary ‘relay catch’ in the second ODI. And in recent years, Southee seems to make this look routine.

I don’t know whether such a runfest is good for cricket but it will add to the already massive Ashes mania, and boost Sky TV ratings. Bums on seats are already assured, even at Cardiff, although sadly mine won’t be amongst them. Too expensive and not enough remaining holiday entitlement! In my view, from an England perspective, Hales, Roy and Billings have not justified their own hype. However, the series has demonstrated once again that, for all the country’s previously poor recent ODI performances, especially at home, Joe Root and Jos Buttler are world-class.

The other element to celebrate is the spirit in which the series was conducted. McCullum and Morgan are fierce competitors but good friends, and it showed. In this respect, Broad and Anderson were not missed at all. England fans should doff a cap to New Zealand for showing their side how 50-over cricket can be played. Now we just need to allow spectators to admire the skills of Southee, Boult, Henry, Finn et al as bowlers rather than as six-fodder!

Bangladesh crash England's World Cup party

So despite all the ICC's attempts to guarantee the aristocracy's progress to the quarter-finals, England prove to be so bad that one of the nouveau riche has crashed the party. After sacking Cook and shaking up the management and coaching staff, England may not have realistically expected lifting the World Cup but to garner fewer points than Ireland is definitely nothing to crow about. In fact it's a sporting disaster.

George Dobell's article on ESPNCricinfo perfectly picks over the bones of the defeat to Bangladesh and the implications for England's ODI future but I'll have my own say, too. All the talk pre-tournament was of the wrong batsmen and wrong run-making strategy. Maybe there are still lessons to be learnt there. Yet again I feel Ian Bell has been unfairly singled out for criticism. He did at least score more than 200 runs, double the aggregate made by skipper Eoin Morgan, who seems to collect more ducks than Tory politicians.

The fastest scorers Jos Buttler and James Taylor have languished at seven and six and they, rather than Alex Hales or - God help us! - Kevin Pietersen who need to be promoted up the order. I haven't changed my mind about Joe Root; the next ODI captain without doubt. Probably in Tests, too. Moeen Ali has the talent to hold his international place for years to come, too. Forget the batsmen for a moment; England's real problem lies with its bowling.

You have to go a long way down the wickets table for the competition so far to find one of our bowlers. Steve Finn is at twenty with eight wickets but his economy rate of almost 7 is worse than anyone else in the top 50 other than Kevin O'Brien! Chris Woakes has performed adequately but the 'star' seamers Anderson and Broad have been extremely disappointing. I agree with most commentators that the persistent refusal to countenance James Tredwell as a frontline spinner does seem peculiar and not only in retrospect.

As the Cricinfo feature elucidates, the truth is staring us in the face: we simply don't have bowlers to win World Cups. Those who catch the eye in county cricket are whisked away to have their pace and personality removed so that the very reasons for their recognition in the first place has been destroyed. Then people perversely blame the county system, and that's a fallacy.

Anyway, enough of England. Congratulations to Bangladesh! They deserved to win and have a small chance of reaching the semis for the first time. India and New Zealand remain unbeaten and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara is accumulating centuries like schoolboys collect stamps. Associate nation players like Scotland's Josh Davey and Kyle Coetzee, Shapoor Zadran (Afghanistan), Shaiman Anwar (UAE) and Zimbabwe's Sean Williams have enjoyed their time in the spotlight. Time which the ICC are determined to deprive them of in future years.

If only Ireland could join the leading eight. However, they will almost certainly have to defeat Pakistan to do so and I reckon Misbah's men, particularly the bowlers, will be too strong when it really matters.

Pakistan join England in the Doldrums

England's humiliation at the hands of New Zealand was almost matched by Pakistan's abject batting performance last night against the West Indies. At Christchurch, Andre Russell's final overs blitz with the bat ultimately proved irrelevant as most of the Pakistani XI capitulated to the Windies attack. Jerome Taylor and Jason Holder left the opposition reeling at 1-4 before Sohaib Maqsood and Umar Akmal steadied the ship. However, by that time, they had no chance of overhauling the 300+ target.

Skipper Misbah gave an honest appraisal that his side were well beaten, and it was an encouraging response from Holder's team following their embarrassing defeat against Ireland. It boosts their chances after all of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Progressing from the group stage is still possible for England, despite being hammered by both hosts in their opening fixtures. Scotland, Afghanistan and Bangladesh should be easier opposition and even if they lose to Sri Lanka six points should be sufficient to go through. However, the sheer scale of their walloping at Wellington must have hit their confidence.

Tim Southee's masterclass in swing bowling put even Jimmy Anderson into the shade. His 7-33 was a Black Cap best and the third most impressive bowling performance in World Cup history. Joe Root, not for the first time, was the only England batman to demonstrate the right temperament to set any kind of challenge, but the wickets fell quickly at the other end. 122 all out in 33 overs was simply pathetic.

Their misery was compounded by Brendon McCullum's dazzling onslaught when he and Guptill came out to bat. The England pacemen had nowhere to hide and Steven Finn's generous helpings of off-stump deliveries were thankfully thumped for four consecutive sixes. Finn's two overs went for 49 and the NZ captain struck the third fastest ODI hundred. Had Chris Woakes not been introduced to dismiss both openers, nobody would have betted against McCullum beating AB De Villiers' recently set record as fastest ODI century.

As it was, the speed of the successful run chase (74 balls) was one of the swiftest ever, and probably the worst experienced by England in this form of cricket. It began and ended with wides and there was no hiding place for Eoin Morgan. At least as a batsman he had got off the mark for a change but 17 runs in 41 balls did little to restore his barely deserved reputation as a world-class 50-over exponent. He now has to steer a demoralised outfit against the lowly Scots to get off the mark as a World Cup captain. Mommsen, Coetzer et al must be licking their lips!

Australia and India win the first big battles

The ICC schedulers ensured that the 2015 World Cup was guaranteed an interested audience right from the off. All the big guns have opened their accounts, and results have arguably gone with expectations, although none of the matches have produced an exciting finale.

The New Zealand-Sri Lanka opener was perhaps the hardest to predict, but Brendon McCullum's destructive innings and Corey Anderson's 75 off 46 to ridicule the death bowling reputations of Malinga and Kulasekera got the Black Cap off to a blistering start in Pool A. Across the sea at the MCG, fellow hosts Australia demolished the old enemy in considerable style.

Still no Michael Clarke so George Bailey skippered the side whose only failure was to win the toss. Aaron Finch became the first centurion of the tournament with 135, then Glenn Maxwell and Brad Haddin gave the England pacemen a late mauling before Steve Finn's end-of-innings hat-trick lent the fielding side a spurious air of confidence. Eoin Morgan's men had after all conceded 342 runs and were about to see Starc, Hazelwood and Johnson unleashed upon Moeen Ali and Ian Bell. In the end, it was Mitchell Marsh's medium pace which did the damage, together with a few superb catches, leaving England's final partnership of James Taylor and Jimmy Anderson 13 overs in which to knock off 150-odd runs.

A shame the match ended in controversy after the umpires came unstuck over an lbw decision which turned into a run-out. Taylor may feel aggrieved that the mistake deprived him of a likely debut ODI century, but England were never going to win the match. Morgan's position looks perilous after notching his fourth duck in five innings. However, England can hardly sack him mid-tournament,and he will get his chance of making runs against Scotland, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the coming weeks. Quarter-final qualification should be assured. Failure to progress may leave selectors no choice but to replace him with, in my humble opinion, either Root or Taylor.

Earlier today at Hamilton, Zimbabwe handed South Africa an early scare dismissing the top four for only 83 after barely 20 overs. However, the Proteas bat deep, and this merely spurred David Miller and JP Duminy into thrashing a world fifth wicket ODI stand of 256. Elton Chigumbura's team were certainly not overawed by Steyn and Morkel, but the consistency of Philander and Imran Tahir proved more problematic. Hamilton Masakadz struck a defiant 80 but SA triumphed by 62 runs.

One of the greatest rivalries in international sport is India v Pakistan at cricket, and Adelaide had the pleasure of hosting the latest contest between the pair, with their ever-exuberant hordes of colourfully-attired fans. India came into the competition on the back of some dismal results but Virat Kohli's return to form, some fine stroke play from Dhawan and Raina plus 4-35 from Mohammed Shami were too much for Pakistan. They were bowled out three overs short, every single dismissal a 'caught'.

The West Indies enter the fray tonight, along with Associate hopefuls Ireland and Scotland, with the UAE and Afghanistan in the following few days, but the big four have laid down their gauntlets in style.

Cook had to go

I was about to call this blog 'Cook has to go' but then I read the Cricinfo headline which indicated the decision had already been made. A lotn of vitriol has been tossed in the England captain's direction but I don't blame him for standing his ground. A class act in Test cricket, he has recovered from a slump in form before and was confident that he could do so again in the 50-over stuff. Sadly that confidence hasn't translated into action.

The quotes and messages had become more open and vague in the past week, once England succumbed to Sri Lanka so meekly, but I kinda hoped Alastair would wake up, smell the coffee and stand down of his own volition. Maybe Paul Downton had dug himself too deep a hole but the anti-Cook bandwagon had proved unstoppable.

The Essex man must realise that his position as opener was untenable and therefore so was his retention of the captain's role. England need someone who can keep his head and hit Powerplay runs, often against spin which has often caused his undoing. Gary Ballance probably ought to come into the side, with Alex Hales tested as Moeen Ali's opening partner.

Joe Root and James Taylor should be guaranteed middle-order slots for the World Cup, no question. Where there is a problem is on who takes Cook's place as skipper? Unlike football, the captain has to do more than call heads or tails and shout a bit. However in this day and age he has to be worth his place as a cricketer, be it with bat, ball or both. Eoin Morgan's aggregate of 90 runs in the 7 ODIs this winter is atrocious. Without the 62 in match 4 in Colombo, he would be above Cook in line for the axe. Yet the calm Irishman seems to lead a charmed life.

I'd give the captaincy to Root and give Morgan the boot. If not Root, then be brave an pick Taylor, a successful leader of the Lions. I'd rather have Ian Bell in the side. At least he is a reliable run-maker, albeit in a more conventional mould. His ODI average us similar to Morgan's and strike rate not far short.

However skipping a generation is not in an England selector's DNA. Root could be a Steve Smith. Why not? Get in-form players, forge a united dressing room and be a force to be reckoned with in Australia. All we need now is some good bowlers......

Is Cricket in England on its last legs?

Two big cricket stories emerged this week: Eoin Morgan's moan about the state of English T20 and the publication of the ECB's 2014 National Playing Survey. Both were rather negative but I would hesitate to say that they completely support each other.

Morgan seemed to be criticising the prolonged nature of the T20 Blast as it prevented players (presumably like him) from increasing their exposure to overseas tournaments and overseas stars from bringing a little glitz and glamour to our shores. True, the ECB revealed that average attendances for the domestic T20 last summer fell but you can't judge a new concept on one season, especially for a sport that is so reliant on good weather. However, the experiment with a summer T20 window and Finals Day separated by a month was deemed unsuccessful, and that doesn't surprise me at all.

Morgan wants an IPL-like city franchise format. True, there are too many counties to fit in a twin league system where every side pays every other. However, the ECB rightly confers primacy on first-class cricket, and I still feel the county system has served us well in that regard. T20 is so unpredictable that England were winners just a few years ago and there remains no obvious favourite to triumph next time around. A bunch of pointless teams like London Lions, Brummie Bulldogs or Chelmsford Chieftains will merely kill T20 while simultaneously confusing the casual or potential cricket fans, thus killing the domestic game entirely - and then where will English cricket be?!

Of course Eoin Morgan probably doesnt care much about the system that has brought him fame and fortune. He is a failure at Test level and has done very little for Middlesex's Championship credentials in recent years either. If, like that man Pietersen, he wants to travel the world warming benches while trousering huge quantities of dollars, that's fine. Off you go. Naturally, players are divided between their preferences for the short or long versions of the game. Horses for courses.

The better cricketers tend to prefer first-class cricket while T20 allows them to let their hair down a bit and wear colourful pyjamas in front of large crowds. Younger ones brought up on twenty-over thrashes might go the other way, preferring a hit-and-giggle to the more demanding, skilful, thoughtful and patient version. With two quite different approaches to the same sport, cricket must be unique in professional world sport. Not even FIFA has proposed a Ten10 format of ten-minute ten-a-sides with ten metre wide goals, and let's hope Sepp Blatter doesn't read this blog!

There must surely be room for both in the English game. I have to admit that my closeness to cricket has waned ever since Sky hoovered up all but the occasional Test highlights programme on a minority channel like Five. While never as big as football, cricket has become an even more niche entertainment, slipping below even tennis and golf, which still attract interest albeit in relatively short windows during the summer. The vagaries of the British weather, economy and society have each played their part in falling TV audiences and the numbers who play the game, arguably more important than any other group of people in cricket.

For all of Sky TV's bombast and hype, live audiences for even the biggest ODI, T20 contest or even England Test match are way below what used to be achieved by BBC2 coverage twenty years ago. The media landscape has changed, of course, with Sky money bolstering the ECB and Test grounds pricing all but the richest corporate spectator out of the stands. Bring your young boys (or girls) with you and the day could easily set you back £200-plus. Ridiculous! Football - and its extended 11-month season in particular - has a lot to answer for.

I'd like to see cricket back on the BBC - even if only in a Match of the Day-esque highlights package at 10pm each night on BBC2. With Test players mostly banned from domestic cricket (again a huge PR disaster for counties) we need to become more familiar with the rest of the performers who grace our grounds week in week out, and that can only happen through exposure on terrestrial channels which attract audiences fast greater than those on the self-described Home of Cricket. It's not just about the Cooks, Andersons, Buttlers and Pietersens. There's so much to enjoy from the Hogans, Rashids, Overtons, Wheaters and Bell-Drummonds of this world, the experienced and the international stars of the future, if only we know who they were.

I have got to know many through researching this blog, with the help of websites such as ESPNCricinfo, but to see them live or on the box would be so much more enjoyable. However, I doubt it will happen. Money talks and the authorities will always prefer to take the cash and see cricket dwindle to a lucrative rump of T20 Finals Day and Ashes Tests. I hope this doesn't happen but I fear the worst. Morgan's moans are just bringing that dreadful day even closer.

Prior on Fire, Morgan in the Mire

Two men looking to restore their relationships with the England selectors experienced mixed fortunes in the opening round of County Championship fixtures. Sussex thrashed Middlesex by an innings and 127 at Hove, with Steve Magoffin and veteran Jon Lewis ckaiming fourteen cheap wickets between them and Matt Prior striking a rapid 125, his 28th first-class century. Eoin Morgan's decision to abandon his usual position in an IPL dugout for county cricket looked misguided when Lewis bowled him first ball on the first morning. He was caught behind off Anyin second time around. Steve Finn's 6-80 was the only bright spot for Chris Rogers' side.

At Trent Bridge it was a closer affair but Nottinghamshire came out on top against newly-promoted Lancashire. Tom Smith enjoyed a great all-round haul of 118 runs and a second-innings 5-56, Ashwell Prince reached three figures and James Anderson also recorded a five-for. However, Samit Patel and Riki Wessels each made 90s and all the bowlers contributed to the home side's 45-run victory.

In Division Two, Glamorgan stunned promotion favourites Surrey at The Oval. After Graeme Smith's team gained a slight first-innings advantage, Graeme Wagg (6-29) and Michael Hogan (4-31) demolished Surrey for 81 in the second innings, then Graham Rees and William Bragg polished off the 153 required without loss. Jim Allenby also started the 2014 season the way he ended 2013, with 4-47 and a half-century. Perhaps the Welsh are about to fulfil their potential after all. In the other game, Worcestershire had the better of a rain-affected draw against Hampshire. Moeen Ali made 69 but opener Daryl Mitchell, in his tenth season with Worcester, starred with 172 not out.

The rest of the couties join the fray on Sunday, but Yorkshire will be without both England batsmen Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow with broken digits. They'd better keep Gary Ballance wrapped up in cotton wool for the trip to Taunton! Of course I'd be perfectly happy with a Somerset triumph, although preferably with neither Nick Compton nor Craig Kieswetter attracting the attention of the ECB's Whitaker, Fraser and co! Sussex will look to continue their good form against Warwickshire while Notts, including Peter Siddle, might fancy their chances against a shellshocked Middlesex.

Durham entertain promoted Northants, who won't want Graham Onions to resume last summer's wicket-taking blitz, and Essex and Derbyshire open their 2014 accounts against each other at Chelmsford. Moeen Ali shoudl get some decent batting practice at home to Kent while Hampshire travel to Bristol with a certain degree of optimism.

It's Australia's day on Australia Day

With only a few end-of-term slog-and-hopes to come, England's proper tour of Australia has finally concluded with yet another defeat. At least the ODIs have seen some closer contests than the Tests, and Alastair Cook can also cling to the Perth victory for some comfort. That, and the bowling performance which almost clinched another consolation triumph today in Adelaide.

Even Darren Lehmann voiced the opinion that it looked a 240-250 run pitch, crediting both sides' bowlers for making it such a hard-fought encounter of a 220 target. Broad, Jordan and Stokes put the brakes on the home team, forcing several batsmen to throw away their wickets in an attempt to escalate the scoring rate. George Bailey was the only man to pass 50 although some late blows from Faulkner gave him and his fellow seamers something to aim at.

Following Shane Watson, Ben Stokes became the second number three to fall for a duck. Bell made little impression, Cook scraped 39 but the dependable Eoin Morgan and Joe Root shared a valuable fourth wicket stand of 64 to keep hopes strong. Both departed in quick succession but when Buttler and Bresnan failed to stick around it was left to Ravi Bopara to steer England to the 24 runs needed at only a run a ball. That he was eventually declared to have been stumped by a Matthew Wade fumble may add to the conspiracy theories but it may not have cost England the game. Even in ultra-slow motion, the comparative positions of Bopara's toe and the temporarily-dislodged bail are so difficult to assess. Almost certainly the verdict would have gone the batsman's way in England but he was unlucky not to get the benefit of the doubt in Adelaide. Unfortunate but not 'robbed'!

So it's a 4-1 result, but had Ravi or any of the tail-enders struck a couple of boundaries today and James Faulkner found a fielder in the deep during his Brisbane blitz, England could well have been celebrating a series win, deflecting a lot of the criticism of Cook's captaincy and of the overall administration. As it happened, neither came to pass. On such ifs and buts can whole series depend, and that's what makes 50-over matches so entertaining. India and Australia may lead the ODI rankings but neither will have an easy ride in next year's World Cup. Remember, too, that Australia could afford to rotate their squad; only Finch, Bailey, Faulkner and Coulter-Nile played in all five.

So what have England learned about their players? Eoin Morgan and Stuart Broad may have emerged with reputations enhanced while Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler did enough to keep their places. Root, Bell and captain Cook were so-so and can probably just look forward to a rest without the axe hovering. As for Tim Bresnan, Ravi Bopara, Boyd Rankin and Chris Jordan, they need to produce some consistent performances if they are to be World Cup squad members. Jordan has some fans in the media but I'm yet to be convinced. The aforementioned quartet are in the T20 squad but a few good T20 sessions in the next week won't be enough for me, I'm afraid.

Australia have named a few unknown (to me) faces in their T20 XIV. It'll be interesting to see whether the names of Ben Cutting, Chris Lynn and James Muirhead can appear in bright lights alongside those of Faulkner, Clarke, Johnson, Haddin, Harris and Finch from the previous two months.

One-dayers can never be Test practice!

So Australia and England continued in the first ODI where they left off in the Ashes series - a comfortable victory for the home side.
Alastair Cook couldn't even blame bad luck with the toss. He elected to bat first and immediately ran into trouble, lasting only four balls. Joe Root fared even worse, scratching around for only three runs in 23 deliveries. Ian Bell and Gary Ballance steadied the ship while Eoin Morgan posted a typically smooth half-century, Bopara and Stokes provided useful cameos and Jos Buttler some end-of-innings biffs to close on 269-7. In the past, that would have been a challenging target at the MCG but not so much in 2014.

The Aussie openers Aaron Finch and David Warner shared an opening stand of 163 in just over half the allotted time and the damage was done. Finch completed his second ODI century, Michael Clarke made a run-a-ball 43 and Baileyand Maxwell saw them home with more than four overs to spare.

So what doe this tell us about the two sides? For Australia, the national confidence is overflowing. Shane Watson may have failed yesterday but the T20 specialists Finch and Warner coped with anything Rankin, Jordan, Stokes, Bresnan et al could bowl at them. On the other hand, Clint McKay was the best bowler on show, and Clarke didn't really need his Test stars like Johnson, Siddle and Harris, although the latter was never going to be considered for this series; probably wrapped up in cotton wool in readiness for the South Africa tour.

It has been mentioned that these one-dayers are serving as a chance for some England players to showcase their Test credentials. Well, I can't see that myself. Eoin Morgan's skill as a late-innings strokeplayer and field manipulator is well-known. But so is his reluctance to play first-class cricket and learn how to bat more patiently when the need arises, essential for Test cricket. Ravi Bopara was one of the world's leading run-scorers in List A last year and, with his medium-pacers and T20 expertise, is a familiar name on the global T20 scene. Ben Stokes will undoubtedly figure in England's summer Tests, as will, I hope, Ballance and Root. Jonny Bairstow's failure to seize the day in Sydney has left the door ajar for Jos Buttler. However, the ex-Somerset 'keeper needs to do a lot more than slog some boundaries to be on the Test selectors' radar.

As for the bowlers, neither Rankin, Jordan nor Bresnan helped their cause in this latest trial by Oz. Is it still the case of a shell-shocked England, Kevin Pietersen screwing up the dressing room, strategic shambles from Flower or do we need to recognise Australia's resurgence as a major power in the international game? On the KP issue, Cook's resolute dead bat in the press conference betrayed obvious signs that the rumours of a major rift over the once-talismanic batsman were correct. As I've said before, if KP cannot commit to the team ethic, he should not be picked for England. End of. Not that he should be the scapegoat for the Ashes debacle, either. If anything , KP is more valuable to England in the shorter format, as a year's World Cup rehearsals begin to take shape.

I've always asserted that a top-class cricketer, be they Cook, Bell or Anderson, Clarke, Haddin or Johnson, should play in any format. Nevertheless, the cluttered calendar is making that harder and harder to achieve. International T20 line-ups are almost unrecognisable from the Test Elevens. Some twenty-over specialists are crossing over into fifty-over cricket with some success. However, even Aaron Finch has a first-class batting average below 30 which probably wouldnt get him into a English county XI. George Bailey has at least served his Sheffield Shield dues.

If T20 was a valid breeding ground for Test performers, India and Sri Lanka would be miles ahead in the Test rankings, but they aren't. For players to succeed in Test cricket on an consistent basis, they need plenty of exposure to the demands of first-class cricket. For a batsman, that means excellent shot selection and knowing when to leave the ball alone or take evasive action instead of risking a hoik to mid-wicket. For a bowler, it means knowing when to contain (permanenetly in T20!) and when to attack, bowling 20-odd overs a day.

If England are to assess the next crop of Test batsmen, then forget the 50-over stuff; focus on the County Championship and stop abandoning Compton and Taylor at the first sign of weakness. Where England have been unforgiveable is the way that promising fast bowlers are converted by the coaches into mediocre fast-mediums who can't even run to the crease without hitting the wicket and conceding no-balls. The Lions need to play proper cricket not one-day tours, and bowlers should return with vital experience of different conditions, not career-threatening injuries. Let the ODIs provide the shop window for World Cup hopefuls and domestic cricket, particularly in Division One, allow players to score runs, take wickets and develop proper match fitness. That means the ECB working better with the counties and, furthermore, giving up any idea of selecting IPL players for summer Tests.

Buttler comes of age!

I had a very enjoyable day at the SWALEC to enjoy a game of fluctuating fortunes before England nicked it in the final over. The sunshine and temperatures were autumnal but at least the 4th ODI took place on the day in between two very wet ones and a near- full house enjoyed almost 100 hours of intriguing cricket which left the series poised at one-all with one to play.

Few of those I'd seen at Oval Test last month were playing in Cardiff, but it didn't matter, especially when England's three survivors were part of an uwanted piece of history. ANyway, back to the beginning when a wild opener from Steven Finn was followed by a full in-swinger which trapped Aarn Finch plumb LBW for 0. Shane Watson made only six before Michael Clarke and Shaun Marsh steadied the ship. It wasn't an easy ride because Finn and his almost equally tall partner Boyd Rankin were constantly beating the bat. So, too, was Ben Stokes, consistently bowling at 85mph+.

It was clear that Australia would need to target the spinner(s) when Eoin Morgan deigned to risk Tredwell and Root, and that's what happened. George Bailey had played himself in and, when joined by Matthew Wade, they took the opportunity to up the tempo somewhat. with a 250+ score now possible, Wade fell to a miscued hook, and the innings disintegrated. Bailey struck three towering straight sixes on his way to 87 when he feathered a catch to Buttler. From 209-5, Australia slumped to 227 all out and England looked the more likely winners.

When Pietersen flicked a leg-side boundary in the first over, it looked as if Morgan's side would take charge and I'd be home by 5 o'clock! Then came the third over. Clint McKay's first ball was missed by KP and the LBW decision was an easy one. In came Jonathan Trott who inexplicably followed a wide one and edged to Finch at second slip. On a hat-trick, McKay then induced another edge off a tentative drive by Joe Root. It just about carried to Watson at slip. Cue great jubilations from the men in yellow, and the crowd went silent.

Morgan came down the steps in his usual calm fashion but he and Carberry were given a real tough time by the five-strong seam attack, which looked a good decision by the selectors. McKay bowled another two maidens while Mitch Johnson delivered a number of very quick deliveries, one timed at 94.4mph. Even from square-on in the stands, I could pick the exceptional balls but when he bowled short, Carberry in particular looked extremely vulnerable. After 20 overs, England were floundering at just 51-3 yet in this T20 era, six an over to win is not as difficult as it once may have been. This batting line-up also packs a powerful punch down to eight and that made the difference at the end. Morgan and Carberry reached their 50s in quick succession, notchnig a century stand in the process before the skipper chopped on to his stumps on 53.

The Hampshire man followed three overs later. An unconvincing innings at times but he lasted to make a decent 63. Ravi Bopara never looked comfortable and Jos Buttler was fortunate to win his DRS appeal when the big screen showing the ball missig he off stump by a fraction. However, that reprieve, together with the arrival of Ben Stokes, changed England's fortunes dramatically. Needing more than 7 an over from the last 11 overs, some crunching shots were called for and these two were more than capable. Forty came from overs 40 to 43 as the Somerset 'keeper took control. Stokes' departure with nine still needed brought jitters to the crowd as Tredwell survived some dot-balls from McKay. Seven from the last over and Buttler on strike. The first ball from Johnson was despatched out of the ground and suddenly it was all over. A dispirited-looking Clarke brought his field shuffling in close but Buttler simply crashed it stight ov erthem for the winning boundary.

Not as many runs as his ODI best last week, but this time he took the responsibility for a run chase and it was successful. Rankin had an excellent game, but Jos took the Man of the Match award and his future possibly moving further away from his home county. That would be a severe blow to Somerset but he is looking the real deal as a number six or seven in England's 50-over squad.

The Luck of the Irish - er - English - er- Irish English?

While wickets were a-falling in the morning dew across England, it was the run-makers making late summer hay in two of cricket's British Isles outposts. North of the border, Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh helped themselves to useful centuries as Australia's one-day team demolished Scotland by 200 runs. However, the major action was taking place across the Irish Sea.

An incredible crowd of almost 10,000 flocked to the new stadium in Dublin to cheer the men in green against England's second-string ODI Eleven. Much was made beforehand of the nation-switching players and almost inevitably they were the ones making the headlines. Dublin-born Eoin Morgan struck 99 on his ODI debut for Ireland against the Scots seven years ago but today he was the captain of England. Boyd Rankin, son of Londonderry, began his international career for Ireland versus Bermuda but he, too, was representing the old enemy across the water in this contest. Even more complications were provided by Ed Joyce, once of Ireland, then England and then Ireland once more!

Much to the local fans' irritation, it was Rankin and Morgan who essentially won the game for the visitors. Ravi Bopara's 101 not out was another excellent contribution as he shared a record England fifth wicket partnership with Morgan. However, England didn't have it all their own way. Will Porterfield's name has been a reassuring one at the top of the Irish scorecard for several years, and has not disgraced himself as Rankin's team-mate at Warwickshire either. This afternoon, the home skipper produced a beautifully crafted century, number six in a 65-game career, to boost Ireland's total to a creditable 269-7. Then, with the estimable Tim Murtagh (born in London) and Trent Johnston (New South Wales) ripping through the top order inside fifteen overs, an upset really looked on the cards.

England debutants Michael Carberry and Gary Ballance failed to take their chances, the latter caught behind for a second-ball duck. Then Morgan found an ally in Bopara first to steady the ship then steer it home at such a rate of knots that the target was reached with seven overs in hand.

So what have we learnt? Ireland do have a useful squad, especially now that Middlesex's Murtagh has used his ancestry to represent the land of his grandparents. They still have the capacity to cause upsets, as they did so memorably in the World Cup. But will they be Test material by 2020? Not if they can't retain talent like Morgan or Rankin, they won't be. As for England, I certainly wouldn't discard Carberry and Ballance on the basis of one match. Indeed, I'd rather keep the Hampshire opener than Luke Wright in the 50-over set-up, although Bell, Cook and Pietersen should remain first picks when available. Tredwell performed well as prime spinner, but Steve Finn was again disappointing with the new ball. Anderson, Bresnan, Broad and even Rankin need not be too concerned in the future. Australia won't be too traumatised either at facing the reserve attack in the coming fortnight.