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So, having lost an overlong four match one-day series, England are now one down in the subsequent three match series. That’s what’s happening, right?
Recently we’ve read a few things about England being left behind in one-day cricket. This rather insinuates that they’ve caught sight of the peloton at some point in the last 10 years. England aren’t being left behind. That happened long ago.
But they’re not THAT bad. Some say that since the IPL all the Indian players have developed magic skills, like slower balls and ‘clearing the front leg’. To us, that’s not so much the IPL as one-day cricket in India. It’s a different game. It’s a different place.
England have never played the grand, six-hitting style of the game well. It’s the nature of one-day cricket in India and their players get a lot of practice at it. Clear the front leg in England and quite often you might as well turn that foot movement into your first step towards the pavilion.
That’s not to say that England haven’t been a bit duff. They’re professionals and they’re supposed to be adaptable. They’ve made some bad decisions and not helped their cause, but essentially they’re playing a talented, committed, well-drilled side in their home conditions and they’re getting soundly beaten.
Consult our Wisden Cricketer post from earlier in the week for some less even-tempered thoughts. The phrase ‘knobhead competition’ features.
Slightly off-topic, but I bid you a happy Lancashire Day.
As for the IPL, whilst its impact has been overstated by some, it does seem to be making a difference to some of those involved.
I agree that England were left behind in the One-Day sphere many moons ago, at roughly the same time as they seemingly stopped caring about anything other than the Ashes.
It’s alright though, the last two ODIs have been called off following the attacks in Mumbai. Another 7-0 whitewash narrowly avoided, then.
I was hoping when i read the headline “ODI tour abandoned” it meant that the series would technically be a draw…..
We should be awarded this series, just like Sri Lanka were awarded the ODI, when the Indians went batshit after a monumental collapse.
It’s the same thing, surely.
What do you mean no?
Oh.
Happy Lancashire day indeed, AP.
We’ve been revisiting classic Lancastrian beers of late. You know – all the boring named ones you usually reject because you think you’ve had them a thousand times before, but actually you haven’t because you always reject them on that very basis.
To boring-named Lancastrian ale!
Now Thwaits What I Call Musing
Batting and bowling needs to be better if England are ever going to improve. Their fielding is fine.
Offense = Batting & defense = bowling.
The bowling is weak and puts pressure on the other, most teams are better at 1 than the other …but england are weak in both ….if they can improve 1 they could start to improve in the other …..because the pressure would be less, but it will take time and changes…let’s see them throw some young players in for a change.