So South Africa made it – they managed to win the last test and draw the series. Odd that, because the fact they managed to force a draw in the last test make it look as if England were the dominant team, when in reality it was the other way around. South Africa really should have won the series 3-1 and had it not been for the heroics of England number 11s (i.e. Graham Onions) the Proteas would have done. England was thrashed ... and nearly won the series. In those terms, a draw seems like a good result.
Interesting England averages:
Cook 287 @ 41 (about average for a poor player)
Strauss 170 @ 24.28 (very poor)
Trott 190 @ 27.14 (very poor)
Pietersen 177 @ 25.28 (very poor)
Collingwood 344 @ 57.33 (only batsman that had a good tour!)
Bell 313 @ 44.71 (what sort of a team is it where 44.71 is a success?)
Prior 158 @ 22.57 (at least he didn’t drop many)
Broad 76 @ 10.85 (allrounder? Nope)
Swann 171 @ 28.5 (better average than Strauss, Pietersen and Trott. Topped bowling averages, the tours real success)
Trott is an interesting one. 27.14 is poor and he has no record to call on. By all rights he should go the way of Bopara and Shah – I wonder if that will happen. I bet he gets to tour Bangladesh for some buffet runs.
Sunday, 17 January 2010
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Rob, you have highlighted for me a lot of what is wrong with the England cricket team.
The general opinion about the tour from a batting perspective is that Cook, Bell and Collingwood all had good tours.
I beg to differ slightly (apart from Colly who had a solid series), Cook had a series that he showed an improvement in, and Bell likewise, although I don't want to come down too hard on Bell who made an important mental breakthrough for me.
In the series they both averaged somewhere around their career averages, which is nothing exceptional, it is just average. (Cook's career average is 42 and Bell's, 40)
To put it into some kind of perspective, in the same series Graeme Smith averaged 61, Boucher 56, and Kallis 51. Only Kallis was below his career average of 54, with Smith (49) and Boucher (30) both achieving series averages way higher than their career ones.
In last summers Ashes, Michael Clarke was regarded as the in form batsman, he averaged 64, well above his career Test average (50).
In summing up England, out of the batsmen only Colly and Bell improved their career averages, and Bell's wasn't great to start with.
If that is regarded as a successful batting performance then God help us, we will never be the top side in the world if that kind of attitude persists and is deemed exceptable.
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