Cricket Betting: Heroics can't hide England's batting woes

England Cricket / Frank Gregan / 30 August 2010 / Leave a Comment

Stuart Broad on his way to his maiden Test century

"Trott and Broad aside, the English batting display during the fourth Test against Pakistan was woeful and it wasn't much better throughout the series."

England's record-breaking victory over Pakistan only papers over the cracks of a summer of poor batting, says Frank Gregan .

England wrapped up the Test series against Pakistan with a bloodless victory which was overshadowed by the revelations that the cricketing world woke up to on Sunday morning. There were muted celebrations amongst the English and the scandal has cast a dark cloud over the game.

Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad's efforts were heroic but from an English perspective the fact that they faced such a mammoth task needs to be addressed. This is an Ashes year and England. who head Down Under with a bowling attack that will have to re-invent itself in very different conditions, will rely upon their batsmen to get big totals and put the Aussies under pressure. Trott and Broad aside, the English batting display during the fourth Test against Pakistan was woeful and it wasn't much better throughout the whole series.

The first to come under the microscope was Alastair Cook who, despite being a FEC (Future England Captain), discovered that no matter whatever else is going on, an opening batsman is judged on one thing and one thing only - his batting average. It was widely accepted the third Test was last chance saloon time and he responded well after failing to reach double figures in the first innings. He scored 110 second time around which took the pressure off and ensured that the spotlight moved onto other struggling English batsmen.

Enter Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood. All three have had a bit of flak but been defended by the repeating of the old mantra about form being temporary and class being permanent. That's a great sound bite but a Test series is a fixed period set in tablets of stone and if a batsman's form is poor during that time window, no matter what his prior reputation, his contribution to the here and now Test series won't be good enough The old mantra needs revising; 'class maybe permanent but form wins you the current Test series!.'

Take out Mohammed Amir and Mohammed Asif and the remainder of the Pakistani bowling attack is about as scary as a four-year-old at Halloween, trick or treating with his mother. Yet only three English players averaged more than 40 and only one of those was a top order batsman, Jonathan Trott. The other two were wicket keeper Matt Prior and strike bowler Stuart Broad and, with the greatest respect to those two, if they occupy second and third spots in the batting averages after the Ashes it will be Ricky Ponting and his men who will be celebrating.

England have a very settled side and the only batting place that might be up for grabs is the number six spot once Ian Bell has recovered from injury. In Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood, England have four quality players that bring a mixture of class, style and gritty determination to the line-up.

But in exactly the same way that the selectors must have a plan B in case James Anderson can't find any swing or the Aussies take a shine to the bowling of Steve Finn, there has to be a 'form' batsman on the plane who offers an alternative should the top order misfire. At the moment the choice would probably be between Yorkshire's Adam Lyth or Hampshire's Michael Carbury, but let's leave it closer to the date, and take whoever is bang in form.

Everyone who loves cricket is feeling a bit flat right now and our spirits need raising. Thinking about retaining the Ashes does it for me and a very generous match at about [2.1] on England to do so should be attainable.