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Sunday 17 February 2008

England must channel anger

By Derek Pringle in Auckland

Last Updated: 12:37am GMT 14/02/2008

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England's cricketers were given a sound rollocking immediately after their 10-wicket thrashing by New Zealand. But judging from their mood on the pitch it is the pep talks that really need to be addressed before tomorrow's third one-day international in Auckland.

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Unlike rugby players, cricketers do not perform at their best when wound to extremes, as many in this England one-day side seemed to be during the day-night game in Hamilton.


	The long walk: Ian Bell heads for the pavilion after his golden duck while the New Zealanders celebrate

In the 1990s, Australia deliberately used to niggle the West Indies fast bowlers in the hope that they would try to remove their heads, rather than their middle stumps. It worked too, but only if the captain was slow to calm them.

Angry minds tend to focus on opponents rather than the ball and watching Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara rushing into the batsman's line of sight in between deliveries the other night, to clap their hands and deliver their little sledges, looked pre-planned and from the playground.

Coach and captain are the main speech-makers within the dressing room, though this England side allow anyone wanting a little air time to address the huddle that takes place on the field before they bowl. But whoever delivers it, rhetoric can only get the blood flowing so far and much of the anger must be coming from within. Part of the problem could stem from the personality types of some of the players in the team. The talented trio of Bell, James Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom, all have the kind of passive personality that is forever being told to assert itself. Fair enough, you might think, but with no experience of what controlled aggression might feel like, they often overdo it to the point of self-parody.

Sidebottom famously blew some steam off in Hamilton, after Owais Shah dropped Brendon McCullum low down at first slip. His four-letter invective brought an apology from Sky's Paul Allott after it was heard loud and clear on television, but he isn't the first bowler to swear at a team-mate and won't be the last.

As England moved to Auckland and the full and frank discussions shifted from self-reproach to selection, the talk needs to be replaced by deeds if they are to make a contest of this 50-overs series. Two down with three to play has clearly rocked a side who only a week ago were playing with verve and confidence, a situation not improved now that Friday's day-nighter at Eden Park becomes a must-win game.

Changes in personnel and even the shape of the side are inevitable. Bopara, so much the live wire in previous games, now looks as if he is permanently wired up to the national grid and plainly needs a break. Either Luke Wright or Dimitri Mascarenhas could replace him, though England's batting has proved so flaky of late that both could play, the latter replacing Graeme Swann, whose off-spin would be high risk on the odd-shaped boundaries.

Changing players will be easier than changing tactics at the top of the order, where the positions from one to six look inflexible. One option would be to open with Bell and drop Phil Mustard down the order, but that was more or less scotched by head coach Peter Moores.

As England's two most talented batsmen, Bell and Kevin Pietersen should dominate opponents more often than they do. New Zealand's plan for Pietersen is to mix bouncers with full straight balls, in the hope of an lbw. At Hamilton he was eventually lbw but he was fortunate not to have been dismissed by the short balls after hooking wildly.

England's bowling could do with a shake as well, with Anderson just too hittable when conditions don't suit. New Zealand's best bowler was Jacob Oram, a 6ft 7in all-rounder who cherishes accuracy over heroics. Chris Tremlett is taller still and could cause discomfort to batsmen with his steepling bounce, but he must want to seize his chance, should it be offered.

"We'll look at the areas of concern and see if we need to change things or freshen them up," Moores said before a voluntary net session in Auckland attended by all but captain Paul Collingwood, Cook, Sidebottom, Stuart Broad and Shah.

Moores added: "We need to put a team on the park who believes they can win and can play the confident cricket managed in the Twenty20s. Part of it is confidence, so you play with a freedom that allows you to perform."

Second ODI scoreboard in full

Rekindling that confidence after the kind of thrashing meted out on Tuesday is one of the most difficult tasks in cricket and not to be envied. In 2001, rather than nets, Pakistan's management took their players to Blackpool the day before the Old Trafford Test and were rewarded with a win.

So far, England's head coach has not suggested anything but hard work in the nets, a tried and trusted method perhaps but not guaranteed to work against a New Zealand side now fully resurrected following their obituary the previous week.

England side (possible):
*P D Collingwood, A N Cook, †P Mustard, I R Bell, K P Pietersen, O A Shah, L J Wright, A D Mascarenhas, S C J Broad, R J Sidebottom, C T Tremlett.

www.telegraph.co.uk/pringle

Have your say

13 February 2008: England running out of excuses

External links

English Cricket - ECB

Cricinfo - New Zealand Cricket

Comments

So it's okay fro the Australians to deliberately niggle the West Indies fast bowlers in the 90s but not good for Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara to endeavour to do the same with the Kiwi batters. Double standards, Derek.
Posted by Bazza on February 14, 2008 1:27 PM
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You place the name 'bad sportsmanship' so well when the aussies do anything in the way of speaking up or speaking up. Now its time to eat your words. Practice what you preach and one day you might dominate.
Posted by paul on February 14, 2008 12:52 PM
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