England restore pride with impressive ODI display
Feb 22 2012 |
Written by
Felix Keith
Alastair Cook led from the front with back-to-back hundreds in the ODI series
England completed an ODI whitewash of Pakistan by winning the 4th match by four wickets. After a woeful Test campaign it was reassuring to see England return to imperious form to dominate the shorter format. The England camp will no doubt be relishing the upcoming challenge of the three T20 games for a further chance to gain more experience in subcontinent conditions. There were many positives to take from this series and the stand-out performers were undoubtedly Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Steven Finn.
Cook has looked for some time now the real deal. He doesn’t have a massive array of run scoring shots, but instead relies on simple, compact and relatively risk free shots – working the ball into gaps for twos – and is especially adept at punishing anything short. Scoring 137, 102 and 80 in consecutive games maintaining a decent strike rate, he was the basis of the innings, providing a platform for others and a target for the bowling attack to defend. This was particularly important as the regular ship-steadier Jonathan Trott struggled throughout. Cook was exemplary and continues his rise through the rankings and England hierarchy.
Pietersen came into this series in a certain amount of strife, but you can never write him off too soon. By all accounts he had a terrible Test series, consistently struggling with left-arm spin and contributing to several eminently forgettable middle order batting collapses. Under pressure and put in to open the batting alongside captain marvellous, he was castled by Shahid Afridi in the first ODI for 14, LBW to Saaed Ajmal in the 2nd for 26 and looked all at sea. But suddenly he decides to remind us why he’s possibly the most innovative, destructive and entertaining batsman around with consecutive hundreds. He described his 130 in the 4th ODI as ‘probably the best knock I’ve ever played in one-day cricket’ and I’m inclined to agree with him. That century takes him onto the incredible accolade of being tied on 28 with batting coach Graeme Gooch for the most centuries scored by an England player.
Finn returned to the England first XI with consistently excellent performances with ball in hand. He now looks a certainty for the side, especially in the subcontinent, due to his express pace, seam movement and dependable line and length. His consistency was marked by his exact same bowling figures in the first two ODI’s, picking up 10-1-4-34 on both occasions. He finished the series with a great return of 13 wickets and crucially the best economy rating of the England bowlers; he bowled the maximum of 40 overs for an impressive 3.35 runs per over – a considerable improvement for someone who used to be considered effective but expensive.
Finally, the icing on the cake for England and its supporters was the final ODI, which included four changes as Andy Flower gave the opportunity to young and fringe players. This was particularly pleasing as it shows the much needed flexibility and strength of the squad: in came Jos Buttler, Tim Bresnan, Jade Dernbach and Danny Briggs. Buttler unfortunately didn’t grasp the chance with both hands, but still looks a great prospect. The ever reliable Bresnan was returning to the side after an injury and didn’t cause much of a stir. The best performer was Dernbach who picked up a well-deserved 4-45 and once again showed why he can be an attribute to the squad; his variations of pace are particularly useful. But for me the inclusion of debutant Briggs was the highlight, as he became the first Isle of Wight born player to represent England. He has been unfortunate to be behind the impeccable Graeme Swann and hasn’t been helped by Samit Patel’s recent solid form, but was given the chance which will hopefully only encourage him further. He finished with 2-39 and was instrumental in restricting Pakistan to a reachable target.
All in all it has been an enjoyable series which highlighted England’s extremely good bowling attack, encouraged competition for places, raised confidence and saw a return to form for the enigmatic Pietersen. Let’s hope it continues in the T20s and into the all-important coming series.
Shortlink: http://redbrick.me/38883
Written by
Felix Keith
on Feb 22 2012. Filed under Online Exclusives, Sports.
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