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Crisis? What Crisis?

- How the England cricket team’s current ‘tour from hell’ to India has been anything but that.

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September 12th 2005 – England win the Ashes after 16 years of Australian dominance, the nation rediscovers its love affair with the national summer sport and England are declared the best side in the world. Heady times indeed; just looking back at the sunny photographs from last summer conjures up feelings of joy and euphoria. After so many failed attempts, England had finally beaten the best side in the world bar none; thereby many concluded, taking their title as the best cricket team on the planet.

England team celebrate the Ashes victory

However, for many cricket experts there was just one stipulation to this announcement: that England have to win in the subcontinent. For various reasons – heat, illness, boredom, fierce local support – tours to Pakistan and India are always difficult. But with the Ashes success still fresh in their minds England headed to Pakistan in November with a genuine chance of victory. England lost the three Test series 2-0.

If the Pakistan tour was difficult then the side knew that India would be even harder. India are virtually invincible at home; even Australia didn’t used to win there until recently. What was needed if England were to have any chance of victory was a strong captain. Vaughan’s tactical nous and inventive field placings were integral to the Ashes triumph. However, before even a ball had been bowled in anger Vaughan was sent home with a recurrence of a knee problem that may jeopardise his future career. Step forward deputy captain Marcus Trescothick – England opening batsman and a key part of the side’s resurgence as a cricketing force. Trescothick was soon also on the plane home due to personal reasons.

India tour casualties:
Ashley Giles – hip
Michael Vaughan – knee
Marcus Trescothick – personal reasons
Simon Jones – knee
Steve Harmison – shin
Alistair Cook – gastroenteritis

So the captaincy, perhaps a poisoned chalice by now, was handed to the side’s dynamo all-rounder and general cricketing talisman, Andrew Flintoff. None other than the controversial former England run-machine Geoffrey Boycott had championed Flintoff’s name for possible future captaincy duties. The humility that Flintoff displayed towards Australia fast-bowler Brett Lee after the later came so close to winning the second Ashes Test for his country is marked by many as a highlight of last summer and a pivotal moment in Flintoff’s career. Indeed, the dignity in which Flintoff handed his sudden thrust into the spotlight was a refreshing change to the publicity-courting antics of the likes of David Beckham. What was feared however, was that with the responsibilities of captaincy Flintoff’s form with bat and ball which are a key part of England’s game, would decline. But Flintoff has probably been the tourist’s most consistent player in the series getting runs and taking wickets in all three tests.

Flintoff hits his 22nd half-century in the third Test

Losing Trescothick and Vaughan left a large hole in England’s batting line-up. This gave Paul Collingwood a chance and he responded in style with an excellent 134 not out in the opening Test match. Collingwood, a brilliant one-day player whose Test career has largely been overlooked, looks to have finally cemented his place in the Test side.

Another key part of England’s Ashes triumph was the bowling of Simon Jones, in particular his ability to reverse-swing the old ball, a useful skill on the subcontinent. Jones broke down before the first Test with a knee injury – a different knee to the one he damaged in the fourth Ashes Test. With Jones ruled out the series, much would rely on the other fast bowlers, in particular Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison. Hoggard did not have a successful Ashes series, but this was soon forgotten with his 6-54 in the opening Test match. Harmison has also produced with the ball this series, finding steep bounce out of the flat pitches. So when Harmison was ruled out of the crucial final test with a shin injury, England looked to have even less of a chance of squaring the series. But James Anderson, whose last Test wicket was 14 months ago, stepped up to produce the kind of performance that brought his name to fame 4 years ago. His 4-40 and a spectacular run-out of India’s top scorer, Mahendra Singh Dohni has put England into a position to where they can win the final test match and square the series.

To win in India you need to have a spinner who can take wickets against possibly the best players of spin in the world. India is a spinner’s paradise – the hot, dry climate creates baked and cracked pitches that encourage spin. India, in the off-spin bowler Harbajan Singh and the veteran leg-spinner Anil Kumble, currently have two of the best spin bowlers in the world. However, they also possess batsman who are equally adept at playing spin – notably Rahul Dravid and the ‘little master’ Sachin Tendulkar.

So for England to win they needed a spinner who was on top of his game. England have improved immensely under Vaughan, but one problem still remains – the England spin cupboard is almost bare. The green pitches in England are much more suitable to seam bowling and so there is little chance for any hopeful young spinners. Not since Derek Underwood have England had a spinner who could take regular wickets at international level. Ashley Giles is more of a containing bowler who frustrates rather than attacks the opposition, but his surge in form became a key part in England’s successes. So when Giles was ruled out of the tour with a hip injury you could forgive the England management for panicking. Giles was replaced by three spinners – the county veteran Shaun Udal who had an unsuccessful tour of Pakistan; all-rounder Ian Blackwell; and the promising rookie Monty Panesar. Few predicted that Panesar would actually play in the series, let alone start the first Test. His place on the tour was apparently just for experience. Not only did Panesar start the first Test; he took his debut wicket – none other than Indian batting supremeo Sachin Tendulkar. Out of the three spinners on the tour, Panesar has been the most successful and looks to challenge Giles’ place in the team this summer.

Panesar celebrates his debut Test wicket

Quickly following Panesar’s successful debut was fellow debutant Alistair Cook. Cook, aged just 21, hit an impressive 104 in the opening Test match. With an assurance that surpassed his years, Cook looked the part and is likely to remain a fixture in the England top order. England would be looking to Cook for more heroics if they were to win the final Test. However Cook woke up on the first morning of the final Test with gastroenteritis, or Delhi belly if you like, and it looked as if the bad luck England has experienced on this tour would never end. This handed Owais Shah a debut and he responded by hitting a stylish 88 in the first innings.

Collingwood and Cook had a very successful opening Test

As this is written, England have set India a target of 313 and have a genuine chance of winning the third Test match and drawing the series 1-1. If they do then it will be a massive success considering that 5 Ashes players have been ruled out for all or part of this series. However if they do loose the series then this tour should not be looked upon as a failure. The successful debuts of Cook, Panesar and Shah, and the resurgence of Anderson, Collingwood and Hoggard have provided great hope for the future of the England side. Once all their players are fit and available England will truly be challenging for that number one status again.

India tour successes:
Paul Collingwood – Scored 134 not out in the opening Test to cement his place in the England middle-order
Monty Panesar – Dismissed Tendulkar for his debut wicket. Finally the England spin cupboard is not so bare
Matthew Hoggard – 6-54 in the first Test shows that he is back to his best
Alistair Cook – Only the 10th England player to score a century on his Test debut
Owais Shah – Classy 88 in the third Test indicates that he has a bright future
James Anderson – 4-40 and a spectacular run-out in the final Test
Andrew Flintoff– Proved that he can still perform whilst in charge. Will be the next England captain