Disciplined England are back on track
The importance of the toss will analysed and argued over, but this was a more disciplined display by England.
The game mirrored Monday’s first match. This time it was under the lights.
Paul Collingwood refused, rightly, to attribute to England’s defeat in the opening match to batting second - it never pays to make excuses - but there is clearly some benefit to winning the toss. The key is to make use of it.
The basis for England’s victory was laid during one of those passages of play which are far more compelling for players than spectators. Owais Shah and Collingwood ticked the board over against the spinners with single after single as Mahela Jayawardene set the field back for his spinners. It was chain gang batting but it had to be done and proved vital to the outcome.
Coming in at 61-4 when an out-of-sorts Kevin Pietersen was dismissed for 12, Shah mixed patience, stamina and unorthodoxy to produce one of his most disciplined international innings. He is making a strong case to be included in England’s Test team for the matches .
After struggling to win the approval of Duncan Fletcher, he is beginning to flourish under the new regime. With Andrew Strauss’ place in doubt, Shah is a viable option at number six for the first Test. Michael Vaughan could move up to open with Ian Bell shifting back to number three.
The matches in Dambulla have been tough on the batsmen. Slow pitches and big boundaries have provided a rigorous challenge after .
Sri Lanka’s bowling in the first 20 overs was exemplary. No wides were bowled, no width was given. England, more inclined to use the short ball, were just as good with Ryan Sidebottom continuing his impressive year.
Sri Lanka only threatened once, when Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan were together. The difference was that England had a frontline spinner and Graeme Swann exploited the conditions adeptly. His third ball, which spun and hit the top of Dilshan’s off stump, was the sort slow bowlers fantasise about delivering.
After a victory, there is always a temptation to keep an unchanged side. But there is a still case to be made for finding a place for Monty Panesar. Two front-line spinners could make the difference if the toss is lost.
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In the 1954/55 ashes series in Australia, the English bowlers conceded 10 no-balls and no wides at all. In contrast, during the recent 2006/07 series, they conceded 37 no-balls and 18 wides. I think this bears out what many have been saying about the lack of discipline among our current test bowlers. Tyson and Statham were as fast or faster than anyone we have today, yet they got through a five match series without one wide.
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Who would be the seamer dropped if England were to play Monty? Have not seen any of the action today, but Jimmy was wicketless so he could be the one? However he has led the attack quite well over the last 6 months. Seems impossible to find a batsman to drop...
Thoughts?
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P Watson this is about ODI One Day Games not Test Matches.
the above comment is completley out of proportion. How can someone compare for a start an ODI one day game to a Test Match.secondley it took place 53 years ago. The game is much more aggressive and demanding than it was then. Bowlers are pressured into taking wickets rapdiley if the run rate is getting too high. Unlike in test cricket were patience is key ODI one day games are all about calculated judgment and directed agression. P Watson seems clueless to this or common sense
England bowled with both those attributes i mentioned. I play cricket for a competetive team so my knowledege is in no way limited.
Regards. An great article Simon Mann
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bopara doesnt look so impressive out here, but maybe deserves a bit more time?
swann is looking good so far, an inspired choice maybe?
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It would be very hard to drop anyone in the England team at the moment. Possibly Cook could be the one to go with maybe Bell opening the innings with Mustard and maybe the likes of Panesar and Mascarenhas getting chances. Although Panesar has been successful in the Test matches I do not see the value of playing him in One-Dayers as he cannot Bat or Field and his Bowling is hardly amazing Swann is miles ahead of Panesar in terms of One-Day selection at the moment and maybe Tests in the future as he can Bat and is useful in the field.
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Rich:
What batsman to drop - easy, drop KP, what did he do in the past 10 odi's? Correct, he did nothing besides scoring 70 odd against Zimbabwe in the T20.
drop him for a few games, it will do his game a lot of good with the test matches coming up.
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I have to agree Simon, one spinner in Swann is nice, but to really put on the clamps on in a spin-friendly environment, you need Monty. I have a feeling the tail could've been wrapped up a lot sooner today if Monty and Swann had been deployed at the same time.
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I'm not sure what Monty's done wrong to be excluded from the team, but a win in Sri Lanka is a win in Sri Lanka.....and congratulations to Collingwood and the team for that achievement, even with KP misfiring.
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New dawn? England world-beaters? I'd like to see a few more results like today before getting excited. However, having beaten India and finally won one against Sri Lanka it does look like there is progress. If England slip back and lose the series 4-1 this will just be a freak result. We really need to see at worst a 3-2 defeat to think that England are on the way forward.
In the ICC's ODI table we were 8th and sinking fast. Sri Lanka in 4th are now just 5 points ahead of England. If we can get up to 4th or 5th that would be real progress too. Amazingly though, were we to win the next two matches we would leapfrog above India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka into 4th. Despite appearances, the differences between the mid-table sides are that small that a three-game streak can make a huge difference.
It's good to see a young and inexperienced side show that they can win without Andrew Flintoff. I hope though that this win isn't used to rubbish Steve Harmison because he doesn't deserve it. The England side is far stronger with a fit and enthusiastic Harmison taking the new ball and, whatever qualities they possess, Broad, Sidebottom and Anderson are not express bowlers who are capable of shaking-up batsmen and taking wickets at the other end. In the guerilla warfare of ODIs they are doing a good job, but in Test cricket we will need at least one faster bowler who has penetration and shock effect.
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To me, England is becoming very unpredictable in the modern days of cricket. One day you see them finishing with flying colours and the next week they'll be struggling to loose in a respectable way. They need to have patience which furnish reliability.
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Disciplined? For once they have been threatened with severe penalties if caught boozing or visiting nudy bars.
Disciplined?!
Ha!
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While England are not world-class yet, I am very pleased with the progress they are going through since Collingwood became captain. Colly and Moores have decided to be more adventurous with their selection and it's clearly paying off. When previously England were conservative, this team is not afraid to bat ambitiously and they bowl tight too. They have come a long way since the 5-0 whitewash by Sri Lanka. Of course no one can guarantee an England win, but at least now the games are worth watching on Sky Sports because the result is somehow less predictable than before. Go England!
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Drop Anderson, he has been a bit on an off recently,
on the other hand do you think Monty is ready for ODI's yet?
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Glad to see you're giving Sidebottom proper credit. Without his marvelous performance (2 top-order wickets for 23 off 10 overs, meaning he crippled the Sri Lankan challenge not just with the wickets but with the economy), Shah's excellent innings would have been forgotten before stumps were drawn.
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I think Shah is Englands best one day player. Pietersen is a little over rated at the moment. Sidebottom bowled so well yesterday too he was quick and got the ball in all the right areas.
Idiot Cricket
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We 'bloggers' should time our own innings. After the shambles of Dambulla #1, I was tempted to consign the Collingwood era to the heap. I had been tempted to draw a comparison between England and Sehwag. Since Sehwag famously said that he wanted to be the first to score a double-100 in ODIs he's scarcely been able to get a thick edge down to 3rd man. And since KP spoke of an 'unbeatable' England side, we've looked VERY beatable. Just as well I resisted sharing these thoughts with you.
There was something vaguely Australian about the fight back from 60+-for-4 in Dambulla #2. We all remember the heroics of Bevan and Bichel. Shah and Swann were excellent and played in a similar blood-and-guts vein. I've been calling (screaming) for Swann's recall all summer.
If the top order fires then we can win this series and that would put Collingwood in a position of unassailable authority. So far our bowlers have kept us in the series.
As for Broad. I don't recall any England player beginning their career in such a mature, assured and professional manner. He has not put a foot wrong since call-up. His fielding for example yesterday was committed and athletic. I am VERY impressed with this young man (hope I'm not sounding like Bob "What you talkin' about" Willis).
(I'd be tempted to put Swann at the top of the order and give him the kind of run that G. Jones was given by DF. The comparisons between the 'Colonel' and Gilchrist are bewildering and onerous. Let him bat where normal keepers bat. Gilchrist is not a normal keeper. He's a one-off legend and the policy of aping all things Australian is a silly one - as is the England policy of prioritizing Ashes series over all other matters. The priority is always the next opponent. Everything is 'special projects'.)
Anyway, well done England and just as well I kept my gloomy thoughts to myself. TTFN (as they say).
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With the no7 position available for a bowling option, surely Collingwood isn't the best option as a 5th bowler. If Bopara (or Wright) isn't trusted with the ball, Mascarenhas ought to be playing instead.
If we're to sacrifice a front-line seamer for Monty, having a specialist or at least semi-specialist third seamer becomes even more important.
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Quick message about spin selection. Well done to Swann, good application for a spinner to come in bowl tidily, pick a couple of wickets and grab some useful runs.
NOW IMOPORTANT POINT. Are you guys blind about Monty. Think about it, in Lanka pitches where you do get slugglish turn that is hard at the best of times to face, of course the boy is going to be just as succesful if not more than swann. Monty bowls with immense control, excellent lines and will turn it way more than swann and way more menacing for right handers as it is like rough leg breaks. THINK guys and dont put down Monty's fire and determination. Stupidest comment by E Devonshire that Swann could replace Monty in tests. Maybe they should play together. Remember Monty will do excellently on sub contintinental pitches and although in ODIs has not taken enough wickets, he is economical. Probably more so that Ashley Giles who was so overated.
Accept it guys the day belonged to SHAH, that was skills. I have always rated him and I hate the way the selectors dont stick with orthodox talent and style.
Great comment about Cook dropped for ODIs in favour of Mascarenhas. I reckon Mascarenhas has a great slower ball as well for Lanka picthes.
Ok so it wasn't the shortest of postings. Happy Friday people.
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Owais Shah - great to see him coming through after so long - what was the story with him and the Middlesex captaincy? Anyone?
Simon - another good article, no sensations, just good clear reporting for those who cannot get to hear or see it!
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We are so used to English spinners lacing the threat to bowl sides out that we reagrd it as a given that they must be able to bat as well.
I argue that Monty should be included, not as "a spinner" as such, but simply because he is a wicket taker, as well as being arguably the best bowler available.
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Excellent article. I say drop Bopara and Anderson - bring in tidy rfm big-hitter Mascenharas (however you spell it) and Panesar.
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There's no reason why England can't be one of the leading one day sides in the world.The Aussies are currently reminding us what a very average one day side INDIA are.We all know that the 20-20 tournament is no more than a lottery,and shouldn't be taken seriously when judging international rankings.England have the talent to be up there along with South Africa.
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Dont speak to soon it's just a flash in the pan
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There's nothing to stop England being one of the top one day sides in the world.The talent is there,but the nucleus of the team has to remain the same so that confidence aswell as progress can be maintained.It is also pleasing to see the Aussies winning their current one day series so convincingly.It illustrates how mediocre INDIA are,especially after all the ridiculous,overblown hype of the 20-20 tournament.A 20 over slog is no indication as to the ranking of one day international ability.
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'Annonymous' sounds like a fan of team India.
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I am a Sri Lankan in USA. England played well. They deserved that victory. Collingwodd is a good Captain. Hope Monty will come back ?
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Just a question? Given the recent laughable experiment with "super-subs" in the one day internationals what if each team was permitted to name telve players and make the final choice AFTER the toss? Surely that would help balance out the "toss factor".
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Why has the ICC bothered to make the new rule of replacing the ball after every 35 overs. This is just a new way of helping batsment as the hard ball makes it easier to travel to the boundry and it helps that spinners can't use the hard ball effectively.
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