Passage to India offers redemption for Stanford loss

Published on Sunday 9 November 2008 20:14

YOU know how it is when you stagger out of a Knightsbridge casino into the roseate dawn having blown half a million at blackjack after stupidly asking the dealer to hit you on 17? Me neither, but our powers of empathy can allow us to imagine that the mindset of the England cricketers must be pretty similar. They had the chance to take a million dollars apiece from that Texan billionaire who seems to model his entire social behaviour on the film Indecent Proposal. Instead, they contrived to get

The level of embarrassment they inflicted on English cricket was complicated by all the various traditionalists who insisted that the Stanford series had nothing to do with proper cricket anyway. These are the types who hark back fondly to the days of Empire, when young men who had disgraced themselves in civilised society (passed the port in the wrong direction, say, or uttered the word 'breast' in mixed company) were packed off to some mosquito-ridden Indian backwater to do penance.

Happily that is exactly the fate awaiting Kevin Pietersen and his band of ineffective mercenaries as they start their Indian tour in the less than benign environs of Rajkot, for the first one-day international on Friday.

If the team needed a chastening reminder of cricket's rude realities, well that was delivered by the Stanford Superstars in Antigua. Worrying prematurely about whether you would be able to enjoy your cash in the context of a global recession, and also whether your wife was being bounced on a good ole boy's knee, proved unusual but devastating distractions. Now England at least have the more familiar obstacle of facing a team that is consolidating a position as the world's dominant cricket nation.

Financially the IPL has already confirmed Indian cricket's control of the sport's purse-strings. In terms of imagination and marketing, Indian enterprise has dragged a moribund sport into the 21st century. On the pitch their Test side is on the brink of securing a momentous series victory over Australia, a significant lurch in the Test balance of power.

In one-day cricket, the Indian team may be undergoing a period of transition, but they are hardly likely to be worried by an England side that can't even find focus and a competitive edge when there are millions of dollars at stake.

England can take a little consolation in the knowledge that a 50-over game can be more forgiving than the Twenty20 format. An abject start, which is well within the capabilities of the nervy openers Ian Bell and Matt Prior, can still be redeemed by some heroics further down the order.

One of England's problems, though, seems to be coming up with coherent game plans and a sensible tactical approach. Pietersen is a captain with a fondness for the sound of his own voice, and he has been less than reverent about the coach Peter Moores. After the Antigua debacle it is clearer than ever that Pietersen and Moores need to be on the same tactical page.

Pietersen may be readier than Moores to appreciate that one-day matches might require a more aggressive, if not cavalier, approach to batting. Bell has yet to show he has the necessary looseness and aggression to acquire runs quickly, an attribute that will be key in matches in India, where the locals know that the bulk of the runs are attained when the ball is still new and the pitches are still fast.

Pietersen's captaincy in the summer was sufficiently intelligent, and fortunate, to have extended his honeymoon period. Antigua was an embarrassment, but it was, literally, a one-off, and judgment has been suspended until it is seen how England cope on the first major tour under his aegis.

Conditions on the pitch will be a test of his tactical acumen. The atmosphere and team spirit off the pitch will be a true test of his leadership capacities. The summer showed a warmth and generosity that surprised those who had characterised him as a selfish and narcissistic batsman. Now his challenge is reviving and motivating a group of players who might still be ruminating on how they managed to blow all that cash.

&#149 Andrew Flintoff hit an unbeaten century to help England to a 122-run win over Mumbai Cricket Association at the Brabourne Stadium. Flintoff made 101 off 85 balls including three sixes and 12 fours, despite being dropped on seven and 25.