Tag: #Ashes

The Debacle of England in Ashes 2021-22, uncertainty around Test Cricket

England are facing one of the worst times as surprisingly they relinquished ‘The Urn’ inside 12 days. Aussies are 3-0 up with 2 more Test Matches remaining. Before the start of the Series there were a lot of negotiations done as ECB (England Cricket Board) demanded resort type of quarantine for players & their families. CA (Cricket Australia) fulfilled every requirement as the entire process was a helluva.

SNAPSHOT: Joe Root looks distraught after Josh Hazlewood ekes out the BIG FISH.

In the 3 Test Matches England’s Cricketers showed lack of intent. England’s batters succumbed to pressure so easily that Aussie bowlers weren’t required to toil significantly. In 6 innings England did not cross 300 runs mark for a single time nor any reputed/designated/novice batsmen struck a Century.

The experienced troika of Ben Stokes, Johnny Bairstow & Jos Buttler got into ultra-pro-defensive mode. This hampered England’s batting as all of these are expected to up the ante. Particularly Ben Stokes flabbergasted everyone by displaying defensive tactics.

Dawid Malan who was a part of 2017-18 Ashes made the most of his experience, as he struck 2 half-centuries. Once again, the burden was on the shoulders of Skipper Joe Root. Root got the starts & converted too but didn’t capitalize on it. He scored 3 half-centuries in 6 innings. Joe Root’s century jinx in Australia continues as this is his 3rd tour Down Under (*2013-14, 2017-18 & 2021-22).

SNAPSHOT: Joe Root & Dawid Malan carrying the burden & responsibility of England.
 

Joe Root now has become the only 3rd batter in TEST Cricket to amass more than 1,700 runs in a calendar year. The list is as follows:

BatsmenRunsYear
Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan)17882006
Vivian Richards (West Indies)17101976
Joe Root (England)17082021

England would be disheartened as they have lost 8 Test Matches in 2021:

  • 3 Away Test Matches against India, January-February 2021
  • 1 Home Test Match against New Zealand, June 2021
  • 2 Home Test Matches against India, August-September 2021
  • 3 Away Test Matches against Australia, December 2021

Jos Buttler the swashbuckling wicket-keeper batter literally dropped dollies. He jumbled regulation catches, missed easiest of stumpings & looked in a disarray. At the same time Jos was taking absolutely stunning catches. It has been a mixed bag of wicket-keeping for Buttler in Ashes as most of the times he has been under the pump. It is often said ‘Wicket-keeper is the Heart of the team’, a single error is enough to drag the team down.

SNAPSHOT: Jos Buttler frustrated after dropping simple catches

The Stalwarts: James Anderson & Stuart Broad were off-color & looked like out of the gas. The Speedsters Mark Wood & Ollie Robinson weren’t able to wrap up the innings which is ultimate. England’s spear-headed fast bowling line up astonished the pundits as none of them bagged a 5 wicket-haul. Ollie Robinson was the pick of the bowlers as he took 9 wickets in 3 matches.

There was a lot of confusion & miscommunication as Root was seen saying that the bowlers need to bowl full length deliveries. Legendary Captain Ricky Ponting lambasted Root by saying that if the bowlers are not listening to you then what are you doing in that post?

SNAPSHOT: Joe Root looks furious as the bowlers are not yielding productive outcomes.

Ways for England to bounce back:

  • Joe Root knows that most probably his Captaincy would be snatched away at the end of Ashes Series. Joe & ECB should keep one thing in their mind that WTC (World Test Championship) points are at stake too. Currently England are placed at 7th Place with 6 Points as they played 8 Test Matches.
  • Before the commencement of 2021 home season ECB sacked Selection Panel which was more than 140 years old & gave complete authority to the Head Coach Chris Silverwood. It resulted in monarchy as Silverwood was the whole & soul of selecting a squad. ECB should bring back the old traditional system as Coach’s responsibility is to train the players.
  • ECB received a lot of flak when ‘Hundred’ (22nd July-21st August) was given priority over Red Ball Cricket (Couty Cricket). ICC WTC 2021-23 cycle was about to kick-start as India was scheduled to play 5 Test Match Series. England who are the founder of Game of Gentlemen are seen ignoring TEST Cricket. There is no doubt that England are a force to reckon with in white ball format. If England believe that TEST Cricket is their pinnacle then they should keep a separate pool of 30 Cricketers who are ready for any uphill task. Playing multiple-formats with same bunch of players back-to-back doesn’t look quite fruitful.
  • ECB should take a leaf out of CA (Cricket Australia) performance. In 2nd Test Match Australia were without Josh Hazlewood (due to injury) & Pat Cummins (close contact of Covid-19), that didn’t stop them from winning as the tyro Jhye Richardson & Michael Neser filled their shoes. Australia’s bowling is blatantly dependent on their trio of Starc, Hazlewood & Cummins, yet they found a replacement on the 11th hour.
  •  The time has come now for ECB to have talks with the iconic ‘James Anderson’ & ‘Stuart Broad’ as investing in youth looks a formidable option. Broad & Anderson’s pair is the lethal bowling attack & would be remembered for ages as taking 1,165 wickets (amongst themselves) is beyond imagination. On any given day Broad & Anderson would rip off a powerful batting line up, but in doing so they are not giving ample chances to a 20–24-year-old fast bowler.
  • Australia had never retained/won Ashes in England before 2001. CA used Dukes Ball in Sheffield Shield 2019 season as Dukes Ball swings wildly. Ashes 2019 proved to be a nail-biting contest where Aussies retained ‘Urn’ (2-2). Aussies main motto was to win an Ashes Series, but they broke the jinx of 18 years. It is often said home-work is crucial to excel, ECB have got the players, coaches & staff but they were somewhat bogged down.
  • ECB should give a last rope to the entire squad. Giving a chance would mean that ECB is trusting the system. Regardless of the result players need to show some fight & grind the opposition as Test Cricket is the “TEST of Character”. Getting bundled out for 68 runs & losing by an innings is an embarrassing act (3rd Test Match, 2nd innings).
  • Chopping & changing would sound the need of the hour, but the batters in the top-order (Zak Crawley, Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed & Dawid Malan) are too scared due to such treatment.

After these 2 Test Matches England are slated to tour West Indies in March for a full-fledged tour. Richards-Botham Trophy (*Test Series) would be inaugurated when West Indies & England clash.

SNAPSHOT: Ian Botham & Viv Richards are set to reignite one of the greatest Rivalry.

West Indies may look an easy opponent as compared to the Dominant Australia & Puissant India, yet they have the caliber to give sleepless nights to England. In 2019 Test Series West Indies had defeated England by 2-1, these are alarming signs as ECB can’t take the opponent lightly. ECB have a long road ahead & for that they need to take pragmatic approach.

SNAPSHOT: Jason Holder delighted after winning the Wisden Trophy in West Indies by 2-1.

Pat Cummins & Joe Root face off; Ashes Rivalry set to be Reignited

Overview

Ashes is a Gripping Rivalry which keeps the Cricketing Fraternity & the entire Globe thrilled. England & Australia are the only 2 Nations for whom Test Cricket is Pinnacle, as this Rivalry is Ancient which got started way back in 1882-83. Australia has had the wood over England where Aussies have retained the “Urn” 38 times whereas England 33 times. Ashes is mouth watering as England’s ‘Barmy Army’ pressurizes the Mighty Aussies via witty statements & sometimes smirky remarks, in 2019 Ashes Barmy Army brutally trolled Smith, Warner & entire Cricket Australia (CA) for their ball tampering saga.

SNAPSHOT: Pat Cummins & Joe Root booming with a Smile as the Greatest Rivalry Resumes

Australia

Australia have taken a bold decision to give leaderhip duties to Steven Smith (*as a deputy) & made the No.1 fast bowler Pat Cummins as the Skipper. Cummins is the first fast bowler to captain Australian Test team in the last 65 years. Deceased Ray Lindwall was handed a one match captaincy in India in 1956 which makes him the only specialist fast bowler of Australia to captain in TESTS.

Cummins inclusion as a skipper means that Australia can’t rest him. Cummins hasn’t missed a single test Match since 2018 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. CA have gone backwards as they have recalled Usman Khawaja back into the frame. Khawaja is the only batter present apart from Smith who was a part of an excruciating Ashes 2010-11 Campaign where England had outclassed Australia by 3-1.  2010-11 Ashes was a Historical Feat as Britishers won Test Series in Australia after 24 years. Khawaja & Smith have seen the agony of a shambolic performance which makes their presence invaluable (*Khawaja is not named in playing 11 for 1st Test Match).

SNAPSHOT: Apart from Labuschagne the duo of Smith & Khawaja is pivotal

Australia should take a leaf out of 2013-14 & 2017-18 Ashes performance as their prowess is to bowl out England. The pitches of Australia aren’t that spicy as compared to England, bowlers need to toil a lot to squeeze a wicket. The role of Nathan Lyon becomes critical as more often than not he is under the pump as other bowlers most likely won’t get productive results. Australia know that one brutal spell of Starc can create havoc for England as ECB’s (England Cricket Board) Intolerant approach towards racism is under scanner.

Playing 11: David Waner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (Wk), Pat Cummins (c) , Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

England

ECB have shown faith in skipper Joe Root as earlier he failed to retain the Urn, in 2017-18 Ashes & 2019 (in England where the series was levelled by 2-2). Joe Root so far has a prolific year with the bat where he has amassed 1,455 runs where he has scored 6 centuries. Root has been the one man army so far for England where he has scored the bulk of runs. Root would be blostered by the presence of Stokes who not only bowls but provides a complete package of a Cricketer.

SNAPSHOT: Joe Root in 2021 having a dream run as runs are accumulating at large scale.

England once again are with a new bunch of openers in the form of  Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed & Rory Burns which has now become a funny template. Jonny Bairstow would be gutted to show that he still has the passion for Test Cricket because the selectors have ignored him blatantly in the past 1 year (*Ollie Pope has pipped him for 1st Test Match). The duo of Stuart Broad & James Anderson would be banking on their 2010-11 feat; as they are the only Cricketers who were a part of that Momentous Achievement (* Anderson according to management is rested for 1st Test Match to focus on work-load)

SNAPSHOT: James Anderson & Stuart Broad would hope that they rip off Australia’s line up.

England would be eager to stamp their authority as their last 2 tours at Australia were a nightmare; in 2013 they were got whitewashed & in 2017-18 they avoided an embarrassment in the form of 0-4. England are high on batting line up but that doesn’t mean that they should throw away their starts. England have a golden chance to deepen CA nemesis as once again their culture is under spotlight.

Playing 11: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c) , Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler (Wk), Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, Jack Leach

The 1st Test Match is scheduled at The Gabba, Brisbane. India in 2021 had breached Gabba Fortress after 32 years that too by a second string team. England would be Roaring & would hope that they would shell-shock Australia again as the 1st Test Match will determine their fate.

Last 4 Ashes Series Down Under (*Australia as Hosts) :

2006-07Australia won5-0
2010-11England won3-1
2013-14Australia won5-0
2017-18Australia won4-0

2013-14 Ashes was considered to be a riveting contest as England had the former Skipper Sir Alastair Cook, Swashbuckling Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell & a lot of puissant members, yet Australia buried them.

The same applied for 2010-11 Ashes as the Legendary Former Captain Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Simon Katich & Co were bruised as the Dynamic England handed Kangaroos 3 inning defeats.

#Past 4 series gives us a clear cut indication that making a comeback & winning Ashes in Australia is literally impossible no matter who is in your team.

  • Keys for Winning/Retaining Ashes

 The Task is cut out for England, they have to dominate Australia from the word go. Ben Stokes holds the key as his bowling can be a decisisve factor. If Stokes can squeeze out 2-3 wickets in a Test Match then England would be in the Driver’s seat. 300 odd runs would mean that they are giving Australia a straight-forwward chance.

Australia once again are back to the drawing board. They need to show the fire as England’s pacers are also too hot. Aussies have a bad habit of falling like a pack of cards which should be avoided, as scoring 3 runs per over is decent. The rookie Cameron Green’s role is crucial as he is the only recognized bowling option after the quartet.

  • Predicted Winner

Australia looks ominous to retain the Ashes & win the Series. Bad times for Aussies don’t last long as the recent testimony is of Ashes 2019, after 18 years Australia had retained Ashes in England. This doesn’t mean that it was a cake walk as there were horrendous times for Oz’s, yet that didn’t hampered them.

Preview of Ashes 2021-22 by Varad Vaichal: