England test the patience in one-dayers

Blog Opinion

There is a real flakiness to England in one day cricket. Ashley Giles has called for strong minds in the heat of battle but he also pointed to 'high skill levels' which are simply not present in the current squad.

Watching England after winning a Test series is a bit like observing an unhappy tourist who wants to go home but has been obliged to stay on for a two week bender with a mate. Any subsequent performance is a hangover from hell.

This fall from a previous state of grace happened in Australia two years ago. Their first Test series victory there in 25 years was followed by a rather ignominious 6-1 thrashing in the one seven one day internationals that followed.

In that particular series, England started well, but Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen got themselves out and the rest was the most painful experience imaginable. Can you see where this is going?

Back in Oz, the personnel was a real hotch potch of country trundlers flown in and Test players who simply wanted to return back to Blighty. Ajmal Shahzad and Michael Yardy sharing duties with the likes of Pietersen and Jonathan Trott just seemed to highlight that England were half a side.

Trott, who is missing here, scored two centuries and and an unbeaten 84. How unwise it was to leave him out in India when the team was in desperate need of somebody who could bat through.

Something has to change to prevent the same old lines being repeated. While the Test side has moved onwards and upwards with a few major blips in between, England's one day depths appear to have submerged to the absolute bottom.

Somehow, they did find the mojo to win a one-day tournament – their first in an ICC format – at the World Twenty20 in 2010, showing a creativity and bravery that most supporters had never witnessed before, battering opponents in every department. It now appears that such a win was just a mirage given what has followed.

It was only two and a half years ago that Craig Kieswetter blitzed Australia in that Twenty20 final. What on earth has gone wrong with him? Eoin Morgan has inexplicably hit a couple of balls straight up in the air. Samit Patel is not necessarily the man you want to see striding to the wicket at number five. It is all very well for Ian Bell to lay down a claim for the number one position but he has once again gone into his shell since running himself out in the first match.

There is a real flakiness to England in one day cricket. Ashley Giles has called for strong minds in the heat of battle but he also pointed to 'high skill levels' which are simply not present in the current squad.

They are a team that constantly rely on two or three individuals but also far too heavily on secondments drafted in that are simply not international class. The opposition constantly exploit the holes. You really do want to turn away when Jade Dernbach bowls at the moment.

When the Schofield Report came out (remember that?) after England's debacle during the Ashes in 2006, its author suggested: "There isn't any 40-over format in international cricket and we would like to think that domestic limited-overs cricket could reflect the international 50 and 20-over programmes so that the players can improve their skills."

However, all that has happened is that the current Cyldesdale Bank league has been developed to fit in with the 'busy family weekend'. No hope of England success being high on the agenda then.

It remains to be seen if anybody cares enough to change the mentality and the results. Otherwise, England's one day internationals will remain another pathetic blot after a Test series or, more damningly, a dreadful indictment after yet another humiliating World Cup exit.

<b>Tim Ellis</b>

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