Gathering momentum

KIESWETTER looks a bright prospect for England as they kick off one-day campaign, writes Iain Fletcher

ENGLAND'S TWO one-day internationals against Bangladesh today and on Tuesday have a significance beyond mere results because, next year, the ICC Cricket World Cup is scheduled, terrorists permitting, for India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. These are England's last competitive games before that tournament on the Asian sub-continent, a last chance to develop and practice tactics, shots, slower balls and a last chance for team director Andy Flower to see the players selected cope in difficult conditions.

England have never done well on the slow, low bouncing turning pitches of the subcontinent. Too much of the bowling is of the seam and swing variety, ideal for the green, lushness of an English summer but not so effective on dustbowls. The batting, likewise, has lacked understanding. The opening overs are crucial and the new, hard ball must be attacked because, as it softens and the spinners come on to bowl, it is harder to hit boundaries. Also, for many English players who lack experience against quality spin, it is difficult to manoeuvre the ball into gaps in the field to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

So despite the obvious primary need to win today and Tuesday, of longer term importance is what Flower and his players learn about how to play on the pitches. Which makes it excellent news that Craig Kieswetter is likely to play. He has just the attitude for opening in one-day cricket. He hits the ball crisply with a power that belies his slight frame. Part of this is the incredible bat-speed he generates through the hitting zone about one foot either side of the impact point and his naturally strong whipcord wrists and forearms.

Importantly, he is a much more skilful batsman than other hitters who have been tried, mostly unsuccessfully. Luke Wright had the job for a bit but his hitting arc was a wild swing to leg. It was a slog and unlikely to work against good bowlers. Kieswetter is different because he plays proper shots, both lifted and on the floor and is extremely strong through the offside. This means the captain cannot protect a dominant side with a boundary fielder confident that the batsman will not penetrate the inner ring on the other side.

Kieswetter will punish on both sides of the wicket, making more demands of the bowlers and their captain's field placings. It might seem a lot to ask of a chap yet to make his debut, but England have lacked considered boldness since the retirement of Marcus Trescothick. Kieswetter has quality, can keep wicket so is an all-rounder and is infused with a tough, confident South African attitude.

What he needs is a good run in the side and an opening partner who does not put pressure on him. It appears that Alastair Cook is considered the man and that is confusing. He lacks the range of stroke and the power to dominate at the top of an innings and the guile and flexibility to keep a good run rate in the middle overs. Yet he seems picked, almost as if his selection bolsters his role as captain of the Test side for this trip. With Andrew Strauss absent for this trip but a likely leader and opener in the World Cup, it would have been more revealing to trial another young blade in these matches.

The next three are the core of the batting. Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan have to score the bulk of the runs and if two can be at the crease for the last ten overs then England should have a good chance of a winning score.

The bowlers will need to adjust length as short of a length can be more easily hit but what is vital for England is to learn swiftly the importance of spin and how to use it. That does not just mean picking a partner for Graeme Swann, although James Tredwell is a particularly parsimonious operator, but also realising that, on different pitches, the fielders need positioning exactly. For instance, a slower pitch with some turn will mean the off-spinner is dragged squarer on the big shots. Get the fielders positioned in the perfect spots and crucial runs could be saved, or catches taken. The ECB has long had an objective to win an international one-day tournament. The battle for next year's starts today.