England Cricketers in disarray
Last weekend Andrew Flintoff extricated England from a tight situation in the Third Ashes Test at Edgbaston. This weekend the England side subsided to a humiliating defeat without the Lancashire all rounder.
The loss within three days at Headingley can’t solely be put down to Flintoff’s enforced omission but from the moment England chose to add a bowler to replace him, the threat of defeat loomed large.
Playing a balanced side and putting faith in the top five batsmen are admirable aims for the selectors but some old-fashioned caution was required.
With a one-nil lead in the series England had no need to push for a win and while five bowlers is ideal for a captain, it counts for little with no runs on the board- and when the bowlers failed to perform as well there was little Andrew Strauss could do to stem the tide.
There are two schools of thought about the situation. On the one hand, the doom merchants have castigated the side and as usual, the whole structure of English cricket; the alternative view is that 1-1 without Kevin Pietersen is still a decent fist of it and Flintoff’s return can stiffen attitudes at the Oval.
The late resistance by the England lower order in the second innings at least did something to bolster English morale. is just about the only player who can take some satisfaction from the game with six wickets and half century.
Australia does have the edge because their batting has more depth. The respective bowling attacks have struggled to bowl the opposition out but the tourist’s batsmen are now decisively better. The Australian gamble on Shane Watson has paid off handsomely while Michael Clarke and Marcus North are scoring heavily ay five and six in the order.
Cricket odds are here
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