Cricket Comment: Reaching Ashes without loss is England target
A THIRD successive Test victory this week to round off the series and beat India 3-1 at the Oval would be a terrific way for England to cap a transformative few weeks, but it’s not vital. Defeat would puncture a fragile feel-good factor that has developed, but a draw would still be enough to take the series, and therefore be almost as good as a win in my eyes.
In fact, with just five more Test matches after this before Australia arrive to defend the Ashes next summer, I see no reason why England shouldn’t avoid defeat until then. Their next five-day action is a three-match series against West Indies in the Caribbean in April, followed by the visit of New Zealand for two Tests the following month. You’d be disappointed if England were unduly troubled by either of those opponents.
Peter Moores has hit on a fairly settled side now. There is little cause for experimentation in selection, so the focus ought to be on building on the confidence gained since that defeat at Lord’s last month.
ICING ON THE CAKE
It almost seems like fate, the way England’s new-look team has come together. Were it not for Matt Prior’s injury, we might have had to wait even longer for Jos Buttler to get his chance. Buttler hasn’t looked back since replacing Prior for the third Test in Southampton, and showed he is not just about big-hitting, run-a-ball slogfests with a gritty stand alongside Joe Root as England won by an innings at Old Trafford at the weekend.
Gary Ballance is a similar case. He needed Jonathan Trott’s extended absence to get a run in the side, but has emerged as a reliable batsman and a key part of Alastair Cook’s team. Among the advantages that Buttler, Ballance and Moeen Ali possess is that they are not heavily scarred by last winter’s nightmarish experience in Australia. Ballance played only the final Test, while Buttler and Moeen weren’t involved at all. Recent results have banished the spectre of that tour, which seems a long time ago now.
If there is one England player who could do with underlining his credentials in the final match, which begins on Friday, it’s Sam Robson. A lack of obvious candidates to replace him means his status as Cook’s opening partner, where possession is nine tenths of the law, is not under huge pressure. He’s technically sound and mentally strong but is yet to make a big score in this series. Changing that at the Oval would be the icing on England’s cake.
Andy Lloyd is a former England Test cricketer who has also served as captain and chairman of Warwickshire.