Series defeat gives the England selectors plenty to think about

England Cricket / Andrew Hughes / 12 August 2008 / Leave a Comment

From Freddie's new-found fitness to Broad's exploits with the bat, the ongoing wicket-keeping dilemma to Panesar's shortcomings, Andrew Hughes dissects the good and the bad from England's performances in the Series just gone.

It was evenly matched, occasionally niggly, studded with little nuggets of tough, gnarled cricket and it produced the right result. But England versus South Africa 2008 was, if not third rate, then hardly first class. It was a pale imitation of those titanic nineties struggles between two mangy downtrodden sides scrapping for their only chance of a decent win. Only in Birmingham did the tension linger into the last afternoon.

In terms of England's place in the dog-eat-dog, get flattened by kangaroo world of international cricket there were no revelations. Even while we were beating New Zealand for the upteenth time this year we suspected that we weren't really the third best team in the world. Now we know we aren't. South Africa have barely more talent, but a great deal more substance and application. Still, whilst we have no laurels to rest on we ought to satisfy ourselves that some knotty problems are a little less tangled.

At least no-one is talking about Freddie's fitness anymore. Despite the extra demands placed on his hefty shoulders by the absence of a fifth and sometimes even a fourth bowler, Freddie and his ankle remained intact. For that, we should all mutter silent prayers to the god of orthopaedic surgeons. However, the wide sunlit uplands of Freddie's return were somewhat spoilt by the presence of a cowpat or two. It appears that our fond memories of him launching balls into the suburbs of various international cities are a little rose-tinted. The batting average that once threatened the forties is unlikely to see thirty-five again. Freddie can't bat at six and at a badly judged stroke, is relegated from all-round super-hero to mere bowling colossus.

So the quest for an all-rounder continues. Stuart Broad might fit the bill. Eventually. It should not be forgotten that his batting warm-up acts were Collingwood, Flintoff and Ambrose and in the kingdom of the chronically out of form, the competent man is king. His bowling ran out of gas just as his batting was fanning raging fires of hyperbole in the press box, with some pundits imagining they saw a pasty-faced blond-haired Gary Sobers rather than a lanky lad from Nottingham. But he shouldn't be talked into concentrating on his bowling. He has a rare all-round talent that should be nurtured.

Collingwood too, should be encouraged or even coerced to work on his bowling. He is reborn at Test level it seems, not by doing anything differently, but just by doing it with more oomph. Back to his stodgy, dogged, backbone stiffening best, he'll be on the plane to India. But how much more certain of his place he would be if he offered England what Kallis does for South Africa.

As for the wicket-keeping conundrum, Tim Ambrose's promotion to number six at Headingley was one of the crueller tricks played by the England selectors this year. Neither fish nor fowl, he must give way to a batsman-keeper (Prior) or a keeper-batsman (Foster) assuming that is, that there are no other Sussex glove men out there for Peter Moores to try.

Aside from Ambrose and the former captain, the only other England regular who might struggle to make the Indian tour is Ryan Sidebottom. India is not the place for swing-bowlers and it was the wrong time for the curly one to start looking creaky. It would be a harsh decision, but whilst Geoff Miller's merry band have been reluctant to prune in the batting patch, they have shown they can be ruthless in wielding the selectoral secateurs in the bowling department.

Finally, Monty's somewhat mechanical twirling has been a real disappointment, not for the first time against decent opposition. Comical catching and circus-style run-outs are harder to overlook when he isn't skittling last day wickets. The selection of his spinning partners for India will be revealing. Graeme Swann would not be seen as a threat. But a rejuvenated Adil Rashid most certainly would.

Meanwhile, the long shadow cast by a little urn puts things into perspective. Our Oval triumph cuts little ice in the markets for next year's centrepiece. England are [3.3] to win back the Ashes, with Ponting's new model Aussies firm favourites on [1.61]