England v South Africa preview

Stuart Broad may yet be called upon to bat at number 7

It’s perhaps a sign of the way Test cricket is progressed over the last few years that the prospect of a seamer’s paradise being served up at Centurion tomorrow is enough to make cricketing purists giddy with excitement. It should not be that way of course, but pitches across the globe have become so universally bland that it would be a pleasure to see the bowlers have the upper hand for a change.

Given the promise of a green and underprepared pitch, England’s bowling attack will be the most interesting selection decision when the coin goes up and Andrew Strauss will almost certainly wait until the last possible moment before deciding on the makeup and balance of his side.

One minor question mark was cleared up today when it was confirmed that Jonathan Trott will bat at no. 3 but the debate has predominantly centred around a previous incumbent of that problem batting position, Ian Bell.

The consensus this week has been that Bell will slot in at no. 6, a position he has excelled in before, with the wicketkeeper Matt Prior at 7 and a four man bowling attack but with persistent injuries plaguing Graeme Swann and more importantly James Anderson, England will be concerned about leaving themselves understaffed.

The hosts on the other hand are certain to start the series with a four man attack after Jacques Kallis was passed fit to play as a batsman only. The likes of Makhaya Ntini, Morne Morkel and the blistering Dale Steyn might be a match for anyone on their own but it is Kallis’ resurgence as a bowler which has underpinned South Africa’s recent success. He is simultaneously their partnership breaker and a steadying hand who can bowl brusquely and accurately at the same time.

Given this quirk of fortune, there must be a temptation in the England camp to risk playing five bowlers in the hope of catching the South African’s off their guard and taking an early series lead. Steyn aside, Morkel can be woefully erratic and caused England few problems in the corresponding series 18 months ago and for all his tireless service, Ntini, who plays his 100^th Test tomorrow, no longer likely to rip through a team.

On the flip Stuart Broad is unquestionably talented enough to bat at no.7 and Graeme Swann has hit some entertaining, momentum shifting innings when batting at 8 or 9. Both would relish the challenge but on a lively track there is always the unappetising prospect of Broad being in the middle before lunch on day one to bolster the pragmatist’s argument.

It is likely to be a risk the tourists will reluctantly reject, especially given their tendency for starting series in a mediocre fashion (think Jamaica and Cardiff earlier this year), get ready to see Bell’s name bolstering up the middle order tomorrow.

Ghana 2010

Many thanks to those who voted in my World Cup poll and may I say hello to my fellow Ghanaian’s ahead of both the African Cup of Nation’s and the World Cup. Ghana just nudged Slovakia into first place by one vote, meaning that I will be following an African team for the first World Cup on the continent.

Not that things are going to be particularly easy in SA for Essien, Appiah and the boys with a group draw that put us alongside three time winners Germany as well as Serbia and those pesky Australians. My mood was lifted however when a quick google search for vintage Ghana shirts led me to this. Christmas is sorted at least.

Sympathy for the Leggie

Firstly, I’ve been lazy I know. Perfuse apologies to those who check this blog from time to time. I have been busy (well more busy than I had been in the previous six months or so) and I can only assure you that my work-rate will be doubled to compensate for the enjoyment I have denied you.

Before I set off on my tirade, well done Giggsy. Logically speaking, others on the list might have been more deserving winners and there will always be naysayers regardless of who wins these sort of awards, but there will never be another Ryan Giggs and now seems as good a time as any to honour him. Now, to that rant…

England head into a four test series in South Africa on Wednesday intent on building on their Ashes victory in a manner which eluded them in the aftermath of 2005’s epic win. They will however, have their work cut out against a South African outfit who have recently been replaced at the top of the Test Match tree by India and who delivered the decisive blow to Michael Vaughan’s captaincy tenure when they won in England 18 months ago.

Messer’s Strauss and Flower have been at pains to avoid appearing lackadaisical from the very moment Mike Hussey prodded Graeme Swann into the hands of Alistair Cook on that blissful Oval Sunday. The celebrations were suppressed and there was a refreshing lack of sentiment in the way Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar were offloaded from the touring party.

But some of that good work was undone today when James Tredwell was called up to the test squad as a precaution for Graeme Swann, who is still struggling with a side injury. It might not seem on face value to be a particularly controversial decision; a like for like trade of off-spinners, but it is the affect of the decision on Adil Rashid which has particularly agitated me.

Things have not been going particularly well for the young Yorkshire leg-spinner since he landed in South Africa for the Champions Trophy in September. After a breakthrough season, he has regularly been targeted for some special treatment from opposition batsmen, particularly the Proteas captain Graeme Smith who has handed him a couple of particularly brutal maulings.

Bowling leg-break’s is one of the most difficult art’s to master in the whole of sport and, for a 22 year old on his first major tour since being elevated to the international arena, growing in confidence at this level is surely just as crucial as taking wickets. Monty Panesar was lauded when he first played in India in 2006 not because he picked up stacks of wickets but because he clearly belonged at that level. How then will he react when the selector’s reaction to Swann picking up an injury is to call up a third spinner?

The management might try and pass off the call-up as allowing them the option of playing an off-spinner regardless of Swann’s fitness but in truth they are concerned at the prospect of picking Rashid as the lone spinner for a Test match against such strong opposition. The plan is clearly to blood him in the longer form of the game in Bangladesh next year and they have suddenly panicked at the prospect of letting Smith, De Villiers and co. loose on such a precocious talent

Fair enough, but why then was he chosen? If he is not considered England’s second spinner then he should not be on the senior tour full stop; playing Tredwell would merely be admitting they were wrong in the first place.