HOW EASY WAS THAT?
There is a sense of here we go again about all this. every time we lose in Australia — and every england captain has done for the last 30 years except Andrew Strauss in 2010-11 — we start blaming county cricket and agonising about what can be done.
It’s not that simple, because english conditions dictate that if you land it on a good length at 80mph, you’ll be doing the job your captain wants. Sooner or later, everyone reverts to type and, unfortunately for england when they go to Australia or India, they are more often than not poorly equipped.
So what can be done? It’s been obvious both this winter and last, when they lost 4-0 in India, that england lack express pace and high-quality spin. Forget mystery spin: Nathan Lyon isn’t a mystery spinner, but still takes lots of wickets in Australia. Any kind of high-quality spinner will do.
With fast bowling, it’s almost the case that you need to take budding quick bowlers out of the county system and contract them to the eCB. They need to be identified at a young age and looked after so that they don’t spend their career losing pace on the county circuit.
Look at Mark Wood, who raised eyebrows when he burst on to the scene. Over the years, bowling fast has taken its toll on his body and he may have to decide that he needs to throttle back permanently if he is going to prolong his career. That encapsulates england’s problem. We don’t want to sacrifice our great strengths, of course, and the leading wicket- taker in england’s history is James Anderson, who is masterful when it’s swinging and seaming. But the reason england’s former coach Duncan Fletcher was so obsessed with pace was because he knew english bowlers would struggle abroad. Why does it always need an Ashes disaster to make us realise we’re lacking pace? Fix the roof while the sun is shining, not while it’s raining. And that might even mean playing a young fast bowler in a home Test in overcast conditions that might otherwise favour an 82mph seamer. The likes of Steve harmison and Simon Jones did not click overnight: they needed persevering with. When essex had Tymal Mills a few years ago, they’d always prefer to pick David Masters, who was about 15mph slower but more reliable in home conditions. And who can blame them? They were picking a side to win the game in front of them. That’s the conundrum. We also need to have an open debate about how to look after our young fast bowlers. eCB directives say that a bowler under 13 can’t bowl more than a five - over spell. Bowlers under 19 are limited to seven-over spells. So is it right that these same bowlers then have to get through much longer spells in county cricket?
Are we putting their bodies under too much strain later on by limiting their workloads early in their cricketing lives, or should they bowl more in their teens?
Similarly, spinners need to be taken out of the system and taught how to operate overseas. It’s all very well for england to berate hampshire for picking Liam Dawson ahead of Mason Crane, but england themselves are doing the same thing by picking Moeen Ali ahead of front-line spinners.
It’s a sad indictment of our cricketing culture that we keep shoving Moeen out of the door and asking him to be our No 1 spinner when he’s basically a batsman who bowls.
Maybe we also need to look at the structure of the season, because as things stand lots of Championship matches are being played in April or September, which are seam-friendly but not spin-friendly.
But bowling is only half of it. What has concerned me with england’s batsmen over the past few years is the repetitive nature of their dismissals, particularly with the guys who are in and out of the team.
Look at Gary Ballance, who was dropped because of an obvious technical flaw, then went away, didn’t change much because he believes in his method, and was picked again without having improved.
That’s where the selectors need to pick more on character. Dawid Malan and Craig Overton have shown the kind of guts you need.
There’s no magic wand that can be waved to help england win in Australia on a regular basis. But if english cricket can start to put the long term ahead of the short term, we’ll give ourselves a better chance.