English Cricket's Selection Dilemma

Following last weekend’s ten-wicket defeat England are now one game down in this test series against what looks to be a strong South African team. However, just a week ago, it was only the sheer stubbornness of the Proteas top order that enabled them to avoid an embarrassing defeat. What can have caused such a dramatic reversal in fortunes?

Reasons for Defeat

The main argument that is now being cited is that the departure of the England selectors from the consistency that had served them well in their last six tests is the main reason for this change. Since the first test both Paul Collingwood and Ryan Sidebottom have dropped out of the squad to be replaced by Andrew Flintoff and the uncapped Darren Pattinson, an obscure choice considering the number of experienced pace options that were overlooked to bring him in to the team.

This then left England a specialist batsman short of what they had been in the previous test and placed a worrying amount of faith in the batting abilities of both Tim Ambrose and Flintoff. Ambrose simply looked out of his depth batting at number six and despite what many England fans would like to believe, Flintoff is simply not an all-rounder at the moment, he is a good bowler who can bat well when he gets his feet moving. This was borne out by England’s dismal batting performance in both innings where the only high point was Stuart Broad’s excellent 67 not out, his lower order batting an area where the young bowler is really beginning to impress.

On top of this, there was also England’s inability to really hurt the South Africans with the ball. Whilst it would be churlish to deny that it is difficult to respond in the field when you have been bowled out cheaply, the English attack’s failure to bowl out the South Africans in the last test when they had two days to do it could well be indicative of a deeper problem. Although there are many England fans wanting to make a scapegoat out of Pattinson’s inclusion at the moment, that would be extremely unfair.

So what is the problem with England’s bowling at the moment, if the problem with the batting in this test was that there were too few specialist batsmen and that to give credit where it is due, South Africa did perform well with the ball?

The South African attack bowled on the same strip and inflicted considerable damage so it can be seen that they obviously had something that England did not have and it would seem that was simply sheer pace combined with control, one of the most basic tenets of fast bowling. James Anderson is quick but errant and Flintoff, coming back from regular bouts of surgery, is not bowling as belligerently as he has done in the past. On the other hand, Dale Steyn is genuinely fast and swings the ball incredibly well and Morne Morkel’s hostile bounce is something that England have no answer to.

Possible Selection Changes

This would suggest then that to improve the team for the next test there are a number of things that could be done. Firstly, following the performance at Headingley it would seem necessary to bring back in another specialist batsman who can shore up the under performing top order. A recall for Collingwood seems unlikely so perhaps this is another chance for Owais Shah. Secondly, the introduction to the team of a genuinely dangerous pace bowler, someone in the mould of Steve Harmison at his terrifying best, would certainly improve this team’s chances of bowling a side out when given two days to do it in.

A possiblity here could be the return of a fit Simon Jones, perhaps making way for Flintoff, who still seems out of sorts, with Sidebottom also coming back to replace Pattinson. Despite all this conjecture however, there is one thing that is certain. With England one-nil down in the series and only a week before the next test starts at Edgbaston the selectors do not have long to make their decisions.

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