LIONS WHIMPER
England fail to hit top of the rankings
Perhaps Jimmy anderson was getting carried away when he said ahead of this final Test that england were already a ‘more talented’ team than the one andrew strauss took to the top of the world.
Certainly, alastair Cook’s pre-match assessment that it was ‘a little early’ for england to return to No1 in the rankings seems more accurate after a chastening fourth Test at The Oval ended in a comprehensive and deserved pakistan victory.
This 2-2 drawn series was a painful reminder to england that, for all their rich potential and exciting players, they have some way to go before they truly can consider themselves equals of the 2011 vintage.
More importantly, this was a notable triumph for a pakistan team who have banished any remaining demons from their last tour of england six years ago with a deserved share of what has been a wonderful series.
What a victory this 10-wicket four-day win was for a pakistan side who, despite not being able to play at home for seven years, are now on the brink of the top spot themselves under the inspirational Misbah-ul-haq.
and what a disappointment this was for an england team who had every incentive to follow up their wins at Old Trafford and edgbaston with a seriesclinching one but have been flat, distracted and at times indisciplined.
Cook blamed the ongoing struggles of his top order for england’s failure to win this series. alex hales, James Vince and Gary Ballance averaged 18, 22 and 27 respectively, placing the onus on Cook and Joe root plus the lower-middle order to dig england out of trouble.
Inevitably, perhaps, it was a tendency that finally caught up with them.
‘Consistently over this summer we haven’t scored enough runs at the top of the order,’ said Cook. ‘It’s great to have strength in depth, but the lower order should be putting the icing on the cake, not making the cake. It’s frustrating for us as a side and it’s an area we’ve got to keep working on.’
Victory for england might have taken them to the top of the Test rankings by the end of the summer, but this 10-wicket thrashing means they remain fourth. Worryingly, they have now won only two of their last 10 Tests in London.
‘These four days showed where we are,’ said Cook. ‘We’re a good side when we’re on it, but there are a few areas we need to improve to make the next step.’
That is a sobering thought and one that leaves Vince, Ballance and hales all sweating on their places ahead of five Tests in India and, if they pass the eCB’s security checks, the two that precede them in Bangladesh.
all three would have been confident of making the trip ahead of the Oval debacle, but this has been a game-changer.
It is difficult to overestimate quite how bad a game here hales in particular had both on and off the field, one that throws his immediate Test future into jeopardy and one that was indicative of england’s demise.
What was hales thinking when he marched into TV umpire Joel Wilson’s office 15 minutes after he was given out to a mid-wicket catch that umpire Marais erasmus standing at square leg was convinced had carried to Yasir shah?
Television pictures complicated rather than clarified the matter but the point is hales piled pressure on himself for the rest of the match with his reaction and seemed to be affected when he dropped Yasir and was then dismissed by him.
Most pertinently, hales has struggled after making progress against sri Lanka, and england must surely now look for Cook’s ninth opening partner since the retirement of strauss.
Vince, too, cannot make the cut now however much england want him to prove his class at this level, not after his softest dismissal yet in england’s 253 in a summer where he has failed to reach 50.
Ballance’s temperament and suitability on slow pitches may get him to India, but there was evidence again here that he remains just as susceptible to bounce as he was last year.
adil rashid will come in for one of those middle order men in the sub-continent, with Moeen ali moving up the order, but the jury is still out on his Test capabilities, while below him the cupboard is almost bare. a sad indictment indeed on the eCB and all the TV money they have to spend on english cricket.
For now we should recognise what pakistan, celebrating Independence Day yesterday, have achieved rather than dwell on the inconsistencies of england for this has been one of the best performances by a visiting team for some time.
all too often, home sides routinely win Test series now but pakistan prepared thoroughly for this trip, caught england cold at Lord’s and have had the character to dominate here after seeming to blow their chances by going 2-1 down in the series. and they have played the game in the right spirit throughout its entirety.