England Cricket

To many fans the England cricket team stands for determination, occasional brilliance, and gallant rearguard actions. The team have shown us both the heights and depths of cricket achievement in the last few years.

This is character forming for the fans, but very frustrating for a side with a pedigree going back to 1739 and having played in the first test match in 1877.

Their latest pinnacle of achievement came between March 2004 and September 2005, when the four essentials of form, talent, fitness and fortune all peaked together, culminating in the 2005 Ashes victory.

Sadly, their open top bus ride through London and OBE awards were premature, as these four essentials rapidly crumbled. It’s been said many times, but England cricket can only celebrate with conviction when they win the Ashes in Australia. The next opportunity to achieve this will be in the winter tour of Australia starting in October 2010.

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Such was the loss of national pride, that the Sporting Times printed the classic obituary to English Cricket "In Affectionate Remembrance of ENGLISH CRICKET, which died at the Oval on 29th AUGUST, 1882, Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances R.I.P. N.B. - The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia".

In the subsequent winter tour of Australia in 1882-1883, England won the test series and were presented with an urn containing some ashes, said to be of a ball or a bail. The quest for the Ashes became the focus of England-Australia cricket, which was played competitively but in good spirit, until the notorious "bodyline" tour of 1932-1933.

The then England captain, Douglas Jardine, instructed his fast bowlers to bowl at the batsman's body, and any catches created by the batsman protecting himself were snapped up in a ring of close leg side catchers. This was designed to curb the effectiveness of the Australian maestro, Don Bradman, but also resulted in serious injuries. Although England duly won the series, it created a diplomatic incident, and bodyline was soon banned by the laws of the game,

The wheel of Ashes fortune has turned several times since 1933, but the bodyline series raised the stakes several notches, and so it remains even though Australia are currently the dominant side. One curiosity is that the original urn always stays in the Lords museum, even if Australia are the holders of the trophy - another source of Australian determination to win.

Yet, England can take heart from this ruthless determination of the current world champions, who went through their own low patch around 20 years ago. The retirement of key players led to the loss of the 1987 Ashes series, amongst much humiliation and angst. The ensuing restructuring of their coaching system, team and ethos by Allan Border lay the foundations for their current world dominance. England now has the opportunity to follow suit.

And the foundations for this renaissance are in place. A structured coach education and achievement programme is well established. The academy training and international exchange programme is underway, and the England Lions tour programme means that players close to national selection can experience international conditions before being chosen for the national side. The Schofield Review instigated after the 2006 Ashes disaster, recommended 19 points to revitalise England cricket, and 17 of these have already been implemented, though clearly their benefits won’t happen overnight.

A new national selection panel and team management structure is now with us. The appointments of Peter Moores as coach, with Andy Flower and Ottis Gibson as assistants lack glamour, but have a solid feel. The appointment of a full time national selector was a Schofield recommendation, and Geoff Miller will provide a no-nonsense approach.

However, it hasn’t been all doom and gloom for England cricket. Their ODI team has learned the winning habit under the canny captaincy of Paul Collingwood, and their hard earned series wins against India at home and Sri Lanka away in 2007 were outstanding results against tough opposition.

Now, that same focus and determination is needed in the test match arena, and much is expected of captain Michael Vaughan. While Vaughan’s skill and determination make him an ideal England leader, his team need to show the same qualities.

The next England series starts in New Zealand in February 2008, against a side undergoing their own rebuilding programme. However, the real barometer of success will come in the late summer of 2008, with a home series against a strong South African side. Those four essentials of form, talent, fitness and fortune need a stable foundation if England cricket is to show real progress towards the Ashes victory in Australia 2010.

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