Iain Fletcher: England have their day at last

Published on Saturday 5 December 2009 20:51

IT WAS not the manner that Andrew Strauss would have chosen for England's first one-day series win in South Africa, but the fact is that the hard work put in by this relatively inexperienced squad deserved the good fortune of the final match being washed out.

Their cricket has been sharper and more incisive than the hosts. Considering South Africa were ranked No.1 and England seventh, Strauss and coach Andy Flower should feel delighted – particularly as only Australia had won a bilateral series in South Africa before.

The truth is that England have not been a good one-day side since the early 1990s and have consistently failed to adapt to new strategies. Strauss and Flower have created a culture of boldness allied to discipline which has given the team a much more defined attitude and understanding of how they can win games. The process started at the Champions Trophy in October and has continued here.

It will not always work – as the drubbing by more than 100 runs last week in Cape Town proved – but they are no longer whipping boys. Australia drubbed them 6-1 three months ago. That was at the end of a hard summer of Ashes cricket and foolishly scheduled to fill the coffers of the ECB.

This series was done correctly. Five matches before the Test matches with more rested and fresh cricketers.

But how have England changed from sluggish, plodding one-day cricketers to galvanised, aggressive warriors? Strauss partly explained after receiving the trophy in Durban. "The guys have enjoyed having the shackles taken off them," he said. "A lot of our one-day cricket over the last few years has been played like men under pressure. A lot of the players were under pressure, playing for their places and because the results weren't very good."

Actually, some of the players were not very good either but what England have developed is a side that is competent at all three disciplines – batting, bowling and fielding – and occasionally, when conditions suit, their swing bowling has proved superb.

The batting is better, with Strauss himself opening with new boy Jonathan Trott. Neither player is a young buck or star of the future, but both know their games and can puncture the infield with proper cricket shots in the important first 15 overs. This is crucial. Scoring boundaries when the fielding restrictions are in place lays the foundations for a competitive total.

Behind this pair come Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood. The latter has further developed his batting to become England's six hitter. This makes for a solid, sometimes explosive top four and with the talented Eoin Morgan at five, England have a good mix of left and right, nudge and smack for all stages of the innings.

Morgan is the most exciting of this quintet. His nimble foot movement allows him to attack spinners by advancing down the pitch and lofting the ball into gaps. The trip to Bangladesh in February will be revealing for England as they have struggled to attack spin on low, slow pitches. Morgan should excel and hopefully others learn from him.

Then come Matt Prior, Luke Wright, Tim Bresnan and Stuart Broad. Such a line-up means England should compete in most games and as they proved in Centurion when easily chasing 250, they can remain calm under pressure.

The bowling depends on the conditions. Give James Anderson, Broad and Bresnan cloudy conditions with a green pitch and they will bowl sides out. Dismissing South Africa for 119 in Port Elizabeth was no fluke. What was revealing in that match was Strauss' willingness to attack in mid-innings with his strike bowlers rather than save them for the final overs. Exactly the kind of decision Steve Waugh would have made. However, flat pitches expose the bowlers as a bit pedestrian.

It is the fielding, however, that has improved the most. A decision was made after the Champions Trophy that bad fielding was unacceptable. So Owais Shah, a good batsman, was discarded and new selections had to be athletes. Also, Collingwood was moved back to the most important position, backward point. With Morgan, Wright and Anderson supporting Collingwood, England have a core of excellent fielders and the rest are having to work furiously to maintain and improve the new standards expected.

The problem is Strauss himself. In Test cricket he can stand at first slip, where he is decent. In 50-over cricket, he needs to be close to the bowlers, which means at short extra cover or mid-wicket – both difficult but hugely influential positions.

There is still much to do if England are finally to win a major one-day tournament and their skill sets are too obviously suited to pitches with pace and bounce, but after a dreadful decade of dull one-day cricket, Strauss and his team have shown signs that they could be one of the better sides in the world. For now that should be celebrated, even if the rain did complete the job for them.