England pair need more work
England’s openers, Michael Vaughan and Alistair Cook, went some way to make up for a disappointing performance by the bowlers, but with two wickets down by the close .
Too often, it seems, we have queried the amount of preparation that goes into England's Test tours these days, especially last year's disastrous Ashes series, and we find ourselves doing so again now. Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard are so clearly performing below their best that they should be worried themselves.
Frankly, what they produced was not Test standard and nothing illustrated this more graphically than a despairing Vaughan opting for Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood to bowl in tandem for six overs after England had finally taken their first wicket of the day rather than recall one of his pacemen to finish off the innings.
Test cricket is supposed to be just that: the best cricketers playing at their best, against the best, but often England's performance in the first match of a series is often below standard because the bowlers are feeling their way back from injury or a lack of competitive cricket.
The five-day game is being devalued as a result, and with the rapid development of the , alarm bells should be ringing loudly in the ears of those who want to encourage and nurture Test cricket.
Pacemen like Hoggard and Harmison need to bowl to have the rhythm required to find accuracy and to hit top pace.
Both were well short of their usual speed here, not as some people might think through lack of trying, but through not being effortlessly in the groove.
This comes about through bowling overs in match conditions. As I said, we have been here before, and after all the inquests into the Ashes, it seems unbelievable that players are still representing England when they are not adequately prepared.
Unless they find form, Harmison and Hoggard will both be looking anxiously over their shoulders at , because if a bowler has to make way for him, it will not be Ryan Sidebottom.
All of this helps to explain why New Zealand were able to escape from 191-5 to 470 all out, but only partially so.
The pitch here in Hamilton is dreadfully flat, and virtually all of New Zealand’s wickets fell because of batsman error. They were able to wriggle off the hook thanks to a fine first century by Ross Taylor and a typically innovative 88 from Daniel Vettori.
Sidebottom finally returned to finish off the innings with successive balls, and he will start New Zealand’s second innings on a hat-trick in front of his father, Arnie, who is watching Ryan bowl in Test cricket for the first time.
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Typical poor England bowling performance.
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and once again we are talking about Steve Harmison not performing... how many chances does he get??
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"The five-day game is being devalued as a result, and with the rapid development of the Twenty20 Leagues in India, alarm bells should be ringing loudly in the ears of those who want to encourage and nurture Test cricket."
So now the new reason to explain the teams failure is because of the new indian league?
How many players has england lost to that team? new zealand?
Perhaps the attitude that "we won in 1966 so we deserve to always win" and "we just have to show up and we will demolish the other team" is more the explanation than some indian league where no english players have signed up to yet anyway.
Maybe the english team is just not good enough to demolish "minions" such as new zealand.
Dont get me wrong. Im an ozzie and root for them. But its really difficult to get excited about tests cricket when australia is playing. It would be just as exciting and as much waste of time as watching Tiger Woods play golf against me (I dont know how to play golf), so I rather prefer to watch england play, since at least there will be some struggle and some tension.
You do need to get rid of both Anderson and Harmy, they fire too rarely and most of the time just bleed runs. You also need to kick 2-3 of your batsmen to keep the rest on their toes. No one wants to spend money to watch a repeat of the last ashes. Neither does anyone want to watch a team that regular as clockwork has a complete batting collapse at least once every test series and thus guarantees the other team at least one win in the series.
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Any quality Test bowler should believe that they have the skills and brains to get out any player in any conditions. Doesn't mean they always can but they must believe that. Do Hoggard & Harmless really believe it? Definitely not and never have even though they've bowled well at times.
Aggers general point about preparation, or lack of it, devaluing Test Cricket is a vital point. This, along with too many short tours has had this effect for many years.
In this case, though, I think you're being too kind. H & H had fair stints in the warm up games whereas Sidey was injured. Compare this with 19yo Sharma of India who bowled beautifully despite no warm up games at all and after one Test was troubling the best in the world.
It's a mental game and few of our players are seriously tough mentally
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England's fall from grace continues unabated.
Let's make no bones about it, this is one of the worst teams New Zealand has put out in decades.
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I've had some hangovers in my time but none have lasted as long as the one that started for English cricket in September 2005.
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You're so right Aggers! Why oh why do the England Management pick players for Test matches when they quite clearly haven't done the proper preparation and aren't match fit? Even we can see from the other side of the world that Harmison is woefully short of what he should be/was once. Why not pick Anderson or someone like Onions who will at least provide some much needed pace to the attack?
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I think to blame anybody else such as the 20-20 leagues in India for the absymal performance in the Hamilton Test is preposterous...Problem is that England players have been relying on their past performances to be in the team..Thats why an Andrew Strauss returns to the squad when probably someone else should be playing...and the main problem is of injuries.since the Ashes 2005 victory, england never have had all their players together..Flintoff is absent and there is no QUALITY replacement for him. Trescothick has had his own problems.
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If the bowling was bad then the batting was worse. Again Cook & Vaughan get off to a good start and then drop anchor.
So, on a "dreadfully flat" wicket the England openers can barely scrape 2 runs an over. While the NZ tailenders were making runs for fun earlier in the day.
Same as in SL. Underestimate the opposition and pay the price England.
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I can't see how harmison merits selection if all the wickets in NZ will be like this one. Harmison gets wickets through pace and bounce, this wicket is slow and low, negating both Harmy's strengths. In the absence of that he's merely innocuous and inaccurate. He only took a wicket because they got over-confident against him.
Surely Stuart Broad would make a better choice on these wickets at the moment. Not only would he have more accuracy, but he's shown some form and brings confidence after the one-dayers. Additionally he'll bring some late order runs and possibly be more mobile in the field.
I love to see Harmy play, but he needs much more match practice before the Test to ensure he's fit enough and has the rhythm to send it down at 85-90mph consistently.
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Surely it's time for England to say goodbye to Harmison now. He's failed too many times to be able to make any more excuses for him, and we need to blood a new genuinely quick bowler who can take wickets to replace him - the sooner, the better.
What do you think?
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Sorry, have to totally disagree with Aggers regarding Harmison. It's nothing to do with lack of practice or preparation. The simple fact is that Harmison nowadays is (and has been for quite a while) to England's bowling what Shah and Bopara are to its batting: occasionally excellent, but generally rubbish.
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If the bowling was bad then the batting was worse. Again Cook & Vaughan get off to a good start and then drop anchor.
So, on a "dreadfully flat" wicket the England openers can barely scrape 2 runs an over. While the NZ tailenders were making runs for fun earlier in the day.
Same as in SL. Underestimate the opposition and pay the price England.
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How long can England keep faith with Harmison. He should have been dropped last summmer. He is down on pace, not threatening, wayward. He's not even a decent county bowler anymore
Lets get Broad/Tremlett in there (or both if Hoggy gets any slower) and give them a decent run. They may not start on fire but they are young and will learn. Both can also bat down the order which is vital on pitches like this
If Moores goes back to Harmlessone for the 2nd test then to me we've gone back to the jobs for the boys style of selection
Looking at Micky Vuaghan today then he wont want Harmison anywhere near this team 2nd test
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Typical.
God forbid NZ get any credit for their display - it's all down to England not playing well.
"Aggers" - your attitude on the blog typifies why English sports teams are despised by everyone but England. Unbelievable.
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Two warmup games prior to the 1st test is obviously all that time permits. However, the schedule had been arranged some time ago & if the England management were so concerned that players were not prepared, other options could have been explored. It is a fact of how tours are now & can not be used as an excuse.
Pleased for Ross Taylor. An extremely naturally talented player. He should be around for another year or so before he joins the ICL / IPL.
Daniel Luca Vettori to take 11 wickets to hold aloft the man of the match award as NZ win by 8 wickets
My Dutch girlfriend has not taken too kindly to TMS on all night but I love it.
Cmon Noo Zeeeelund
Tired Kiwi
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Typical.
God forbid NZ get any credit for their display - it's all down to England not playing well.
"Aggers" - your attitude on the blog typifies why English sports teams are despised by everyone but England. Unbelievable.
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Doesn't this become a selection issue as much as preparation? Although not at his best in the one-day games, Broad deserves a chance at test level where Harmison has disappointed for so long. How much confidence must the opposition derive from his body language alone? His confidence will not be helped bowling below 80mph and not taking wickets. Broad would also add strength to the lower order and although I don't advocate selecting bowlers on the basis of their batting ability, with a(nother) new wicket keeper the tail looks weak.
England are virtually playing for a draw now. Their only hope is some serious quality batting (with a high run rate) and some Monty miracles. NZ have done the right thing by preparing a slow flat wicket that will assist their two spinners late in the game.
Finally, Ross Taylor deserves high praise for a fine innings. Not against the strongest bowling, perhaps, but he still had the concentration and focus to play a long innings. Now, can any of the England players replicate it?
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England's bowling attack is poor. Currently, Swann is a better spinner than Harmison is a fast bowler and should have played in his place and he would have fielded better and batted better too.
The fact that Collingwood and Pietersen took three wickets today shows how ineffectual Hoggard, Panesar and Harmison were today.
Likely when the end of test match comments come all three bowlers will get at least a 6 despite not being of test class.
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What are you on about, ronnie? Where does Aggers use the IPL as an excuse for England's performance? If you read the article properly, you'll find he's simply pointing out the obvious - poor test cricket will lead to less interest and give a boost to the 20/20 version instead. And test cricket doesn't come much worse than England's display today. If you want to have a pop at whinging poms, then fine - but read what Aggers is actually saying first!! Perhaps we should be sledging/abusing the kiwi batsmen more - taking a leaf out of the textbook written by Ponting et al.
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when warne said that all england have done after ashes 2005 is make excuses. the english players denied that they make excuses but they implicitly do it.
here the criticism is that the bowlers were unprepared. why did they not take the initiatve and come and play in NZ a month earlier. someone like harmison who relies on rhythm could not come earlier because of the birth of his child. maybe he should have been dropped and another bowler like anderson who was already there should have played.
still NZ are a fairly weak team with very few stars. so england wont be humiliated here
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This is hoggards first bad performance for some time. He has consistentley been englands best bowler for a few years so can be forgiven one bad game. Harmison on the other hand needs to be dropped. He needs to be sent back to durham to prove himself again. I for one would not renew his central contract as it is quite clear he has not been working in the nets in the break between the tours.
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Whilst I agree that Harmison was woeful (again) and should be dropped for good, I can't help but think about the pitch that was produced by the groundsman. It is really suprising that fans are deserting test match cricket in their droves when dreadful pitches are produced like the one for this test? Isn't it a contest between bat and ball? surely when you have to wait for a mistake by a batsman to take a wicket it just shows that these flat, lifeless wickets are doing as much damage to test cricket as the Indian league 'may' do? I do have some sympathy for the groundsman as i guess he was clearly told to produce it (what with no shane bond) but surely he should have some responsibility to the game itself and not just to the new zealand cricket board? I'm not putting this solely on New Zealand as it must go on the world over - but I think cricket boards are losing sight of what is important, beyond the result itself.
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Doesn't this become a selection issue as much as preparation? Although not at his best in the one-day games, Broad deserves a chance at test level where Harmison has disappointed for so long. How much confidence must the opposition derive from his body language alone? His confidence will not be helped bowling below 80mph and not taking wickets. Broad would also add strength to the lower order and although I don't advocate selecting bowlers on the basis of their batting ability, with a(nother) new wicket keeper the tail looks weak.
England are virtually playing for a draw now. Their only hope is some serious quality batting (with a high run rate) and some Monty miracles. NZ have done the right thing by preparing a slow flat wicket that will assist their two spinners late in the game.
Finally, Ross Taylor deserves high praise for a fine innings. Not against the strongest bowling, perhaps, but he still had the concentration and focus to play a long innings. Now, can any of the England players replicate it?
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I'm not convinced that Harmison's poor bowling was down to being under prepared - he's been bowling like this for three or four years now, how long does he need? He is most likely going to go down as the greatest under-achiever of his generation.
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A solution to this would be for the England Lions to travel to the same place where England have their one day series (if the one dayers are before the test series). The players like Harmy and Hoggard who aren't in the one day side could then play three or four day matches along with the Lions team so that when the first Test comes around they have had sufficient preparationa and rythym. Perhaps this may be inappropriate for all tours but, with the Ashes in Australia as the most stark example, England will struggle if many of their players are simply not ready for Test cricket.
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Yet again we are unable to bowl a side out. Harmison is supposed to be the most dangerous bowler in England, fast, tall and able to get life out of the most benign wicket. Can anyone remember an occasion in the last 4 years when he actually did? He has bowled very well for England in the past ut there comes a time when enough is enough. I wish some wicketkeepers were given as many chances.....
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Aggers, when are you gonna accept that Harmy is a more of a miss than a hit. To blame an Indian League where not even one English player is playing for this mess now is perplexing. India does not seem to be affected by it. They gave Aussies a run for their money. Its all in the mind for Harmy. Hoggy is just undercooked but whose fault is it anyway. He is smart and experienced enough to see through such phases.
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Harmison was (for a while) the best bowler in the world. He is not the best bowler in Durham at the moment and does not look like getting it back. I wish some other players had been given so many chances....
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I think you make the right point, Aggers -- rythmn is what is needed for the pace bowlers. All too often we've seen Harmy bowl badly at the start of a series and finally get into the groove by the last test match (I remember sitting behind the batsman at the Oval on the afternoon where we memorably won the Ashes and Harmison just looked fantastic - it was a pity they went off for bad light!)
I don't understand why, if they really want to play Harmison, they don't make him play in all the run-up games, one-dayers included. If not, bowl Broad and give youth a chance.
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Until Steve Harmison is dropped from the Test team we are going nowhere. He shows, no desire, no heart, no appetite for Test Cricket and is living off a couple of good displays from years back. Below 80mph in the first innings of the first test match of the series - give me a break. Commentators continue to say he's an asset "if he comes good". Unfortunately he never does. He MUST be dropped and Broad must replace him
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It is interesting to speculate why so many of the England test squad have been so plagued by injury. Flintoff, Vaughan, Jones, and Harmison immediately come to mind. These players always seem to be trying to rebuild their careers after longish spells on the sick list.
Are their injuries due to poor, initial, fitness levels and poor coaching and training techniques? Do the members of the England squad play as much as they need in the County championship in order to harden up.
Then the team has to cope with the odd selection practices of the management. Take Harmison. He had a good Ashes series back in England about three years ago. Since then he has done very little. Remember his first few deliveries in Brisbane at the start of the following Ashes series in Australia. The man is a busted flush and no longer deserves a place. Sure he may still get the occasional 'five-for' but when it comes to solid, accurate nagging bowling to contain a good batting side on a plumb wicket, he just does not have the technique or worse, the desire.
Perhaps India have shown the way in their recent tour of Australia. They have ditched some of the old time servers and put their faith in some exciting, new young talent. Shouldn't England try the same? Or is it that there is no such talent waiting in the wings?
Cordially,
David Amies
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It seems a bit harsh condemning the English bowlers after NZ put up a big score. The wicket looks very tame so should also hold no problems for the English batsmen. Slating the bowlers two days into a test series which ,weather permitting, lasts in effect for 15 days might appear a tad premature.The idea that the bowlers are under-cooked is a more interesting one. Are bowlers told what to do and when to do it by way of preparation or are they trusted to know 'themselves', formulate their own training programmes and 'listen to the rhythms of their bodies'. Something appears to be not right here.
Now, here's a question. Do cricketers actually enjoy touring?
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Typical England....ordinary one day...pathetic the next.
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"The winning mentality is very, very important - if you play with fear it is impossible to win." - Fabio Capello
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I've read in the last week that NZ are "arrogant inferior and ripe for picking"
England should clean up the test series and go on to win the ashes then.
Blame the wicket,small crowds,wobbly commentary box, indian 20/20 league,selectors,lack of preparation etc. How deep is your barrel.
.
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To Mal,
Think your wrong about Hoggard. He does believe he can get out any bastman in any conditions. So many times he's been written off as he can only bowl when it's swinging but he keeps proving people wrong. Look at the last test series when in the first test against Sri Lanka (the only test he was fit) he ripped through the top order in a place where it's not supposed to be helpful for the swing bowler.
Is Hoggard not allowed 1 bad test match. He's been England's best and most consistent bowler for the last 4 years so get off his back, he'll be back firing in the next innings let alone the next test!
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I think that Harmison and Hoggard should be made to contribute to the one day effort if they want to continue in the test team. Quite a large part of the season is taken up with one day/20twenty matches which is "rhythm getting" time that they're missing out on. But I suppose you could say that they aren't suited to the one day game... so why didn't they go to India with Monty and the others (or did they? couldn't be bothered checking)?
Their test form (which is their only form) has been rubbish. So, they should be dropped. I personally think that Harmison just isn't good enough anyway. He should be removed and newer bowlers given the chance to be blooded. Can't see him contributing anything extra.
Nobody's place in the team should be guaranteed. Especially underperformers.
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Have a go at Harmy by all means folks, but why are people advocating jettisoning Hoggard? This is the first match he's performed poorly in for ages.
And yes, he has been bad so far. But he's been so good over the last few years that he's allowed a bit of poor form.
Harmison, however, has been poor for too long. I've been one of his staunchest fans for a long time, but he simply has not been good enough over the last 2 years.
Muddled thinking from the blokes in charge once again though. Why did Harmison go to Sri Lanka? Surely he should have stayed playing state cricket in South Africa for a couple of months, got some serious overs under his belt, and then gone into the New Zealand series at full tilt. He's half-baked, and boy does it show
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Everyone has written off the Kiwis since Day One, NZ media included. And despite a strong ODI series win and promising start to the Test series people continue to harp on about woeful England and, in your case, the demise of Test Cricket.
England are not at their best, clearly, but New Zealand are punching way above their weight and overdue some credit from certain quarters.
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surely if test matches are the priority then the odis should have been used by harmison and hoggard as preparation - 50 overs of pressure bowling is worth 10 times any time spent in the nets.
also - if we are to use a nightwatchman surely sidebottom if a better bet than hoggard these days?
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I think that Harmison and Hoggard should be made to contribute to the one day effort if they want to continue in the test team. Quite a large part of the season is taken up with one day/20twenty matches which is "rhythm getting" time that they're missing out on. But I suppose you could say that they aren't suited to the one day game... so why didn't they go to India with Monty and the others (or did they? couldn't be bothered checking)?
Their test form (which is their only form) has been rubbish. So, they should be dropped. I personally think that Harmison just isn't good enough anyway. He should be removed and newer bowlers given the chance to be blooded. Can't see him contributing anything extra.
Nobody's place in the team should be guaranteed. Especially underperformers.
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whilst i agree that harmison was woeful again and should be dropped once and for all, i can't help but think about the pitch that has been produced. no wonder that fans are deserting test cricket in their droves (if it hand't have been for the england fans, this test match would have been watched by the metaphorical man and his dog) when dull, lifeless slabs like this one are being prepared. this is likely to damage test cricket just as much as the indian leagues might (i say might). i'm sure that the groundsman was told to produce it by NZ as they have no express bowler but surely the wider picture should be looked at? the responsibilty is to the game itself and not the home test playing nation producnig a pitch for their own purposes. i am not naive to say that this does not happen the world over, my view is that test cricket should be looked after properly - after all, it is supposed to be a contest bewteen bat and ball - not just waiting for the batsman to make a mistake to get him out...
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There is the view that Hoggy can't be part of the one-day team. That can hardly because the quicks who played in the ODI's are better, because most of them were rubbish. Once upon a time, Hoggy would have played in some of the ODI's to get him ready for the tests - using the mickey mouse form to get ready for the real thing. As England can't really do either, how about going back to that ?
You expect Harmy to bowl rubbish these days, but Hoggard is usually someone you can rely on. This situation is not fair on him.
Oh, and well-played New Zealand - you've played them off the park so far, as many of us knew you would.
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Have a go at Harmy by all means folks, but why are people advocating jettisoning Hoggard? This is the first match he's performed poorly in for ages.
And yes, he has been bad so far. But he's been so good over the last few years that he's allowed a bit of poor form.
Harmison, however, has been poor for too long. I've been one of his staunchest fans for a long time, but he simply has not been good enough over the last 2 years.
Muddled thinking from the blokes in charge once again though. Why did Harmison go to Sri Lanka? Surely he should have stayed playing state cricket in South Africa for a couple of months, got some serious overs under his belt, and then gone into the New Zealand series at full tilt. He's half-baked, and boy does it show
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My 4 year old grandson bowls better than Harmison in our back garden. Get him out of the team before further damage is done to our chances.
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At one point will people realise that saying Harmison is 'below his best' is utterly meaningless?It's like saying that Muhammad Ali is no longer the force he once was.Harmison has been on the slide since the first Test of the 2005 Ashes series, and it doesn't look likely that he'll ever hit that sort of form again.
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I see no grounds for any sort of optimism regarding the England cricket team. You can't help but feel that winning the Ashes all those years ago in 2005 was probably the worst thing that could have happend, what's followed has been a very steep downward spiral into ineptitude and mediocrity. And yet Vaughan is still crapping on about the Ashes series in 2009. Maybe England should stop obsessing about that particular series and concentrate on actually playing cricket, which they have't done in a few years now.
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Are the selectors the only people in the country who think Harmison is good enough to play for England.
They are clearly dillusional.
Please, for the love of God, DROP HIM AND NEVER PICK HIM AGAIN.
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Flat pitch, bouncy pitch, seaming pitch, this pitch, that pitch blah blah blah. Whing whinge whinge.
It's the same for both sides "Aggers". Face it"Aggers", you came over here expecting to give us a hiding in the Tests, and well, it may just not work out like that, because,it may well just be that you hadn't figured the likes of How, Taylor are pretty darn good upcoming young batsmen that have been easily able to handle your bunch of "pop-gun" seam bowlers, and your Monty man is just way to scared to give any air to his bowling. Frankly I see it like this, the Kiwis are a little bit better than you all thought (despite the loss of so many players) and England are a litte bit worse than we all thought. I found it hard to believe the arrogance of the Enlgish Cricket press at the start of the tour. Stop whinging Aggers, and enjoy the rest of the tour as England may just as likely finish strongly, or, um, New Zealand might just end up giving your over-rated cricket team a hiding. Time will tell.
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In truth, Matt, I think you don't know Aggers very well. He is one of the UK's leading pundits on England, and his attitude is pretty much always to moan about them. So it's less to do with rampant Anglo-centrism, more to do with more evidence for him to add to his decades-long ouevre of despair at our national team.
But I think if you look back through his columns, you'll find him more than willing on many occasions to credit the opposition.
Nevertheless, the fact remains he is an ex-England player, commentating for British radio and writing for a British media organisation. His view is, necessarily, going to be to look at what the England coaching/selection set-up can do to improve our results, rather than what the NZ team should be doing. That's his job. Go read the New Zealand Herald if you want the Kiwi view.
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WHEN WILL WE STOP SELECTING USELESS BOWLERS?
Hoggard is not in form but on the whole produces the goods. Harmison ran out of chances a looooong time ago, it's a case of 'are you still here?'. Pietersen is more threatening than Panesar. Panesar is only playing to tighten things up a bit after Harmison has sprayed it everywhere other than the off stump. I'd have played Shah instead of Strauss and then Broad instead of Panesar, or if they felt they needed a full time spinner then play Swann and Broad instead of Panesar & Harmison, which would give the added advantage of us having a batting order that is deeper than 7, which is what all the decent test nations have.
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This current & ageing England pace bowling attack has next to no chance of worrying the Aussies next year, not to mention Sth Africa this year. How Harmison continues to get recalled is beyond me - it either shows there is no other young talent coming thru or they are not even bothering to give younger bowlers a chance. Hoggard is only good in seaming English conditions these days & Sidebottom while an honest trier ain't going to worry decent top order batsmen. And with the likes of only the tried & failed Anderson, & the injury prone Flintoff & Tremlett in the wings it really is looking dire! Surely there must be someone else to try for a while - Broad for starters?
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It was there for all to see. Everybody in world cricket knows Vettori's shot is the square cut and after about 1/2 an hour we discovered Ross Taylor could drive.
Question Why did our bowlers continue to feed their strengths
Surely a McGrath length ie top of off stump would have been far more lucrative
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Harmison should not play for England again. In the first session I think Michael Atherton was trying to suggest that Harmison's performance in 2004, his only good year, was a fluke. He's spot on. It's actually embarrassing now.
Although we should be grateful that he chose to "retire" from one day cricket (i.e. he couldn't be bothered) since there was a very real danger that he might have been picked.
Broad, Tremlett, whoever, it doesn't matter. At least they'll try.
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if harmison is only going to bowl at 80 mph or under what the hell is he in the team for. he has to bowl flat out to justify his place in the side because at that pace he's probably not even in englands top ten.
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My 4 year old grandson bowls better than Harmison in our back garden. Get him out of the team before further damage is done to our chances.
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Harmison should not play for England again. In the first session I think Michael Atherton was trying to suggest that Harmison's performance in 2004, his only good year, was a fluke. He's spot on. It's actually embarrasssing now.
Although we should be grateful that he chose to "retire" from one day cricket (i.e. he couldn't be bothered) since there was a very real danger that he might have been picked.
Broad, Tremlett, whoever, it doesn't matter. At least they'll try.
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The Standard of Cricket produced by England's bowlers was below par, this does not take away form NZ to much. However on a Blog about the England team then ENGLAND'S problems should be the focus, this is not supposed to be coverage of the match, we already have that! From what I heard of the match live (and from the reports after I went to bed) England were poor, and NZ were hardly setting the world alight. Oh and there was some credit given to NZ, if anyone who said there wasnt had botherd to read the blog properly. It wasn't much, but what can you ask of a blog about England not the match?
And in no way is Aggers blaiming 20/20 for Englands form, he's mearly saying that poor cricket at test level will turn more people off it, so we'll get less, with the more "cool" 20/20 taking over the lime light. Don't get me wrong its good for a giggle, and as a 'gateway' sport, but test cricket is and always will be cricket at its best.
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if harmison is only going to bowl at 80 mph or under what the hell is he in the team for. he has to bowl flat out to justify his place in the side because at that pace he's probably not even in englands top ten.
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Come on, Harmy just does not want to be there. Just look at his expression, sitting hunched up with a face like a bag of spanners. Remember he had a bad back as soon as he got off the plane! Someone mentioned the hangover began in Sept 2005, the open top bus didn't help either. M.B.E.s?? I was in oz last year and bought back for mates a gift of the aussies reward, recognition for the Whitewash. A set of special commemorative stamps!! Warney & Co were so proud,,,,, Says it all about attitude and arrogance of the brit team. By the way, I'm a pom & proud of it!!
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Perhaps it is really simple as this... England aren't half as good as commentators think they are, and NZ aren't half as bad as they are portrayed to be...
As for the preparation, this will always be sacrificed to money, churning out more and more frequent & tepid cricket to keep the tills ringing...
Agree re Harmison - he simply isn't a test quality bowler any more and it's time England moved on - the man's a donkey and should retire to munch grass in Durham. I mean, doesn't he really remind anyone else of Eeyore?
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I think people are missing the point about aggers's comment regarding the Indian Cricket League. He is not using it as an excuse but merely pointing out that abject test displays such as this place the format in danger of becoming redundant.
This is also an English commentator posting on an English website about the English cricket team - of course the main topic will be the bowling performance when it was as poor as this. Aggers is one of the more objective pundits we have and often gives credit where credit is due - NZ scored 470 on a featherbed against an attack containing two bowlers who were horribly inaccurate and considerably lacking in pace. I think hes right to point out that they threw wickets away and should now be out of sight. Well done to Ross Taylor though who showed real courage to turn around his test career with that ton.
Harmison is out of excuses and his continued inclusion is a joke. Hoggard, on the other hand, has been our most consistent, hard-working and accurate bowler over the past 5 years and I expect this to be a blip.
On another note, why oh why did Sideshow not appeal for that Vettori lbw?! The whole team seems so languid and low on confidence.
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I never thought I'd in a position to say I could bowl quicker than Harmison ... and I'm 48 !!!
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Poor old Dart. The one dayers began with predictions of a flogging for the Kiwis followed by numerous excuses from poor preparation to unfamiliar wickets.
Then the tests began and the one day debacle was put behind them and predictions of a flogging for the hapless kiwis, including Aggers suggesting England would whittle Kiwi's out quickly on day 2 and post a good lead before going on to win comfortably.....
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People do seem to have short memories! It is only a matter of a few months since Steve Harmison was head and shoulders our best bowler in the heat of Sri Lanka on very unhelpful wickets. True he has had his problems in the recent past and he was awful in the last Ashes series, but with overs under his belt and with conditions to suit he still represents one of our biggest threats to opposition batsmen. Aggers is right to say that our Test bowlers are suffering from lack of cricket and Harmison is being asked to pick up the baton again on slow, lifeless wickets which offer him no encouragement - but he'll still keep running in for the side. I say get off his back and give him some support - we need him because those waiting in the wings have not been too impressive on this tour.
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By the sounds of things this is a very poor England side.
But I think the problem has been the selection policy of the last five years. The selectors should stop doing three things:
1. Looking for a boy-wonder and select some experienced and proven competitors. Ramps and Masters for example. A bowler of real accuracy and a batsman of real consistency.
2. Stop trying to find an English Gilchirst. There isn't one. So either pick a good batsman and live with a few mistakes or a good keeper and live with a few low scores.
3. Stop living in the past. Harmy and Flintoff are not what they were. Flintoff can't bat and Harmy lost it a long time ago.
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Hoggy and Harmy just don't bowl enough. Burn out? Don't make me laugh. By Napier (when England could well be two down) they could have jusr about got in the groove.
Solutions:
(1) Pick the best squad (and the same squad) for all forms of the game. Don't allow a player to pick and choose between Tests, ODIs and Twenty20. If you can play you can play in any form of cricket. Get rid of the phoney One Day and/or Test specialists.
(2) Get the selfish counties to stop loading their sides with non England qualfied players. How the hell can the Harmison's of this world improve if they are not challenged constantly by potential internatonal players from around the counties.
(3) Play more not less. In 1953 Alec Bedser bowled 1253 First Class overs. In his whole eleven year First Class career Steve Harmison has bowled less than 5000 0vers in total.
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Harmison should not be anywhere near the England side. When will the selectors realise that he is not the same bowler that terrorised the West Indies a few years back, and never will be?
Hoggard's not in rhythm either but he's proved over the years his consistency and value to the England side. Unlike the useless Harmison.
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I really bugs me that people describe this as a "good" wicket, it is only good for watchful batsmen with an appetite for a long innings - It is not good for any form of bowler, lacks the pace and bounce for the stroke player (hence England’s slow rate and NZ's on day 1) and consequently provides very little for the paying spectator, be they TV viewers or ticket holders... There are too many pitches like this, it sucks all the excitement and anticipation out of the game. I’m not advocating minefields but a fairer contests between bat and ball.
Harmison is a big worry, especially as Broad, despite being more accurate lacks the pace to be a genuine threat in Test Cricket, at this point in his career anyway.
I thought Monty bowled well with little assistance from the pitch – Anybody thinking Swann would do better are clearly misguided Notts fans!
Predictions - This track/attack is perfect for Collingwoods batting, if he gets in and set, he should fill his boots.
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In response to a couple of the comments above, I feel moved to defend Aggers a little.
As I read it, nowhere has he said that the birth of the Indian Leagues are responsible for the England's lack of success (in response to deadmans 'to blame anybody else such as the 20-20 leagues in India for the absymal performance in the Hamilton Test is preposterous').
He is simply saying that tests should be about the best in the world playing the best, and that if England don't start finding adequate preparation time to be at their best, or find the nous to work out who *is* their best (surely not Harmison any more) then - now that there is a new cricket league to draw interest and money away - test cricket must surely suffer.
How long will people be prepared to pay a lot of money to see some quite good players play a bit below par for a few days, occasionally spluttering into the kind of form that reminds people how exciting great cricket can be? The answer to that question may be very different when test cricket, with all its subtleties and strategies, is the undisputed apex of the sport, compared to when there's a new spectacle with the top players (and recently retired players) on show for all to see.
Incidentally, on a different topic, where's Simon Jones these days? Is he still injured? Or working his way back to form / fitness? He'd be a better prospect than Harmison any day. Personally I'd like to see a bowling line-up (if they were fit) of Simon Jones, Sidebottom, Panesar and Broad, with Flintoff as the all-rounder....
Andrew
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Some interesting comments , particularly regarding Harmison.As a fellow Geordie and Newcastle fan I can only say that he is bowling as badly as our team are playing.In addition he has always struck me as ' a bit soft ' since he first complained of being homesick.There are plenty of guys who would do all the washing and carry everyone's bags just to go on tour with their country , and only ask for expenses !
New Zealand are a distinctly average side with a couple of outstanding players.Unfortunately our team are not much better off in the outstanding player department , and in all the above messages one name is conspicuously absent , Simon Jones.
Yours. Billy Hobman.
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Sorry Aggers....far too big an excuse for me. Other countries have bowlers who produce the goods when required, so I don't think a lack of preparation can keep being banded about as an excuse for ours.
Harmison's been on the decline since the SA tour of 2004/05, and has reached the point where he needs to be jetisoned for someone who will produce the goods.
The players had ample opportunity to arrive early in NZ, an opportunity taken up by Strauss, so why didn't the bowlers do the same?
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Aggers wasn't blaming the 20/20 in India for England's poor Test form. He was saying that the obvious potential of the tournament to grow even bigger than it already is should make us worried for Test bowling in the future. If 20/20 cricket is to keep growing then Test matches will keep getting devalued and bowlers will not be able to adapt to the 5-day game, and will play in 20/20 mode almost permanantly.
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How many more chance does Harmison need? The guy clearly isn't up to the task, and it's time that Stuart Broad was given a run as 1st change bowler.
Hoggard was below standard, but this can be forgiven, this time, as he has been a consitant performer for a long time at this level. But as for Harmison, was his form in 2004 a one-off? The guy looks a shadow of the man that destroyed the West Windies, and even Pakistan at Old Trafford.
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England not performing well, Blame the pitch.....England not performing well, Blame those pesky (insert a Country) NZ batsmen for not just giving away their wicket, England not performing well, Blame those (insert Country) Fielders for taking catches or making run outs. England not performing well with the Bat, Blame those (Insert Country) bowlers for adapting to the wicket or those fielders for stopping the runs.
Seems to be everyones elses fault but Englands. Maybe England isnt as good as they think they are/should be.
Dont these Countries Know that its England they are playing against and no matter how pathetic we are "they" (insert Country) must roll over and not play as soon as England walk out on to the field
So what if NZ have produced a pitch that wont let Englands fast bowlers explot it. It seems they have produced a pitch to suit their type of bolwers. We hear the commentators saying oh its a bad pitch it wont give help to Englands bowlers, it wont turn, it wont help blah blah Zzzzzzz, What are the comments going to be when NZ bowlers extract what they know will come from the pitch. Lets guess it wont be how good NZ are (heaven forbid credit where credit is due) Its will be batters Fault this or that. Gee if NZ are supposed to be so Bad or Weak as reported , What does it make England?
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Lets face it, Harmison has had it. He's not strong enough mentally to cope with the pressures of international cricket, end of story. Hoggard had an off day, but be honest, how often has he let the side down? NOt very often, he has been Englands best bowler for some time and has carried the team on occassions so lets not knock him for one bad day at the office, even the very best do that. Sidebottom is fast becoming the rock that the side is relying on in the bowling department, but I'm still not sure about Panesar. In summary, we have two excellent bowlers (Sidebottom & Hoggard), jury still out on one (Panesar) and one that needs replacing. Simple!
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aye, quite disappointing really. I've come to expect that Harmy won't be up to it, but i'm shocked at how badly Hoggard has bowled.
It must be so frustrating for Vaughan to get a wicket and then be forced to bring Collingwood on to him as any bowler is just going to play the batsman into form. I'd love to face Colly when i came to the wicket, slow, straight no menace. Then Harmison comes on and you've got your eye in, start milking him to the boundry.
Being a very bad player myself, i can sort of understand Harmison. Nothing is going right and Kyle Mills is taking runs off you for fun. I think Harmison needs some time off, a year or two maybe
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Lay off Monty for Gods sake. 37 overs he bowled in a first innings of a match because Harmison and Hoggard were so poor.
You should not need a finger spinner to come to the party until day 3 but he was asked to step in and restrict the kiwis and that he did.
On the first day of a test is no place for spinners on a pitch like that, the seamers let the side down apart from Siddy and Monty should not be a scapegoat.
If Sidebottom can hit 86MPH then why not Harmison. Its a dead wicket but Harmy and Hoggard bowling in the mid to late 70MPH is disgraceful.
Even Collingwood bowled quicker.
Lets see how Monty goes AFTER the seamers have done a job and after the pitch starts waring because thats when he should be judged.
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Whatever the reason for England's poor performance I think it's only fair that people read the article properly. Aggers did not say that the Indian Twenty20 league had anything to do with this performance. He merely cited it as a competitor for the viewers/schedual/whatever of test cricket in the future.
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Do people not actually read these blogs? Aggers wasn't blaming the IPL for Englands bad performance - merely pointing out that England's lackadaisical attitude to preparation was devaluing a form of the game which could be perceived as already being under threat from the emergence of 20 20 - an idea borne out by the huge somes of money being ploughed into the IPL.
On the subject of Harmison - I agree with some of the above posts - he hasn't looked like a test bowler for some time. He's not bowling with any kind of pace: one of his only two assets. And if he's slowing himself in order to get greater accuracy I'm afraid it's not working. I'd rather her was fast and wayward than slow and wayward...
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Oi, you lot - ronnie, deadman etc - read Aggers' post! He is not blaming the Indian Twenty20 league for England's poor performance. Rather, he says that unless the quality of test cricket improves, the allure of Twenty20 will increase at the expense of the 5 day game. For purists that would be a shame.
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The whole English structure of reputation picking before form is the problem. We have seen it in Football, Rugby & Cricket. If Harmison was a whinging Aussie do you think he would still be in the team bowling like he does, no he would be dropped. Take Fabio Capello's first game in charge. He picked every single player on their current form & who was playing the best football. We need to adopt this across the board. It will the give the players a kick up the backside they need and think "i've got to pull my figer out here" It also poses the question about the management and their selection policy,perhaps not being bold enough to blood young in-form players. I would have thought a weakened NZ team would be an ideal opportunity to test some new talent.
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It comes as something of a surprise that a thoughtful and intelligent writer can be so comprehensively misunderstood.
Aggers has not sought to blame the IPL or any other form of the one day game for England's lacklustre bowling performance, that honour goes fairly and squarely on the lack of adequate preparation for two front line bowlers, (one of whom also suffers from continuing to be selected on the basis of a brief period of glory some years ago rather than the display of any consistent international quality since). The point that was being made is that there appears to be far too little care applied to the health of test match cricket in general at the moment, (and arguably has been for some years), and that uninspiring performances will simply enhance the appeal of other high profile forms of the game to the continued detriment of the five day test.
In test match cricket we have one of the great sporting contests and we are in some danger of terminally devaluing it by expending a disproportionate amount of effort and resources on shoddy substitutes which amount to little more than one dimensional knockabouts. If that is what the cricket watching public want in the form on entertainment then they will have only themselves to blame when future schedules consist of nothing more than the unholy offspring of cricket and baseball.
Already it appears that there are many who find the prospect of watching cricket without the game being punctuated by fireworks, music and dancing unthinkable whilst for others concentrating on the game appears impossible unless they are parked in an oversized jacuzzi. Some may consider this as a form of progress but I can only see a shocking dilution of all that was good about our game and the culture which it encouraged.
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Yes under-prepared most certainly. I'd estimate any Test side needs four three- or four-day games against good opposition in the country where they are on tour to prepare adequately for a Test series, plus a decent rest before going on tour.
If only India had had more warm-up games before the recent series in Australia - I think they would have beaten the Aussies in Tests as well as one-dayers!
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Harmison has bowled like a drain now for the past 3 years.He's no longer an international bowler and the sooner he's shipped back to Durham the better !
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you are all wrong about this
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Tom
I did say that Hoggy has bowled well at times, certainly more often than most but he doesn't believe. After years as a pro he still falls back on lack of bowling (or his supporters do). He had 35 overs in the warm ups plus net work. How many would be enough to put the ball in the right areas consistently?
While he was our best in the last Ashes that's not saying much. Compared to any of the Aussies he was loose, inaccurate and couldn't sustain pressure. I like Hoggy and believe he gives 100% but he is definitely short of the self belief, or arrogance, that is needed as are many others
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Why do the excuses never stop for England? The pitch is "dreadfully" flat, the bowlers do not have rhythm, selectors picking players who are not adequately prepared.... how about the fact that maybe England are just not good enough?
New Zealand also have to bowl on the same pitch, they are missing their best bowler and have players who are due to retire at the end of the series to play in the Indian 20/20 leagues - and they won the one day series (comfortably at that), and have put up a good score in the first innings.
The problem with English sport - and in saying that I believe I mirror the views of many people around the world - is that the English media and the players delude themselves into thinking that they are better than they actually are. That's why, when they lose/ don't perfom (as everyone but them expected) they turn to blaming everything (the weather - too hot, too cold, too windy, too dry; the officials; injury; lack of preparation (who stopped you from preparing properly, then?))- and are laughed at by everyone else.
The fact that England bowlers are underprepared/injured is down to the English bowlers and team themseleves - they are devaluing test cricket by their rubbish preparation, nothing to do with 20-20 leagues (which the England players are missing out on, anyways).
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we are picking people on past performances instead of current form. Hoggard only swings the ball in English type conditions otherwise he's cannon fodder most of the time. Harmison is no longer test class, Monty rarely spun a ball yesterday and has no variation, and don't even get me started on Anderson. We have a young leggie(Rashid) who should be out here gaining experience ready for the ashes, together with one or two younger bowlers(Broad offers something different)
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WHEN WILL WE STOP SELECTING USELESS BOWLERS?
Hoggard is not in form but on the whole produces the goods. Harmison ran out of chances a looooong time ago, it's a case of 'are you still here?'. Pietersen is more threatening than Panesar. Panesar is only playing to tighten things up a bit after Harmison has sprayed it everywhere other than the off stump. I'd have played Shah instead of Strauss and then Broad instead of Panesar, or if they felt they needed a full time spinner then play Swann and Broad instead of Panesar & Harmison, which would give the added advantage of us having a batting order that is deeper than 7, which is what all the decent test nations have.
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I am suprised to see so many people completely missing the point of the mention of IPL, it was not in any way an excuse, it was more a warning that the newer more accessible form of the game might cause the further decline of interest in test cricket.
I agree that Harmisson has under-performed and that it is time to give someone else a chance, but it is a bit unfair on Hoggard who is generally the most consistent of England's bowlers. The mention of using the ODI's as a warm-up for the tests is a terrible idea, it should be possible for England to be competitive in both forms of the game, without sacrificing anything.
By all means well played to the Kiwi's, and Taylor is a superb talent, but allowing any team to get from 277 for 6 to 470 must be seen as a failure on the part of the fielding side.
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The winning of the Ashes in 2005 should have been the start of something big, i;e like Australia. But unfortunately it was the summit – since then England have regressed alarmingly. Look at the momentum 4 years ago – wins home and away against Windies, whitewashing NZ in 2004, the away win in SAfrica in 2004/05. Here we are 4 years on, and there doesn’t seem to be any chance of anything similar happening. The ‘premier’ fast bowler not fast or accurate- in fact well out of form- AGAIN!!
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The real villain of the piece is the dreadful flat pitch which NZ are comfortable on as this is how they play their Test cricket and why the game is dying in their country.
It explains why they do so well at home and so badly abroad.
England have to adapt and stop wishing they had a nice bouncy pitch. They were much more effective when they were strangling NZ. The run rate of the NZ openers by the way was the same as Cook and Vaughan's.
As for the post by the Aussie. There were some collapses in recent games against India, including some very poor batting by your top order. No-one is perfect in cricket. But this alas allows everyone and his dog to attack the players.
I thought NZ played with great watchfulness and care and were well captained. England top order please note.
Two spinners is a good call from NZ, backed by a good toss to win.
To bat for a draw might be the best strategy given Bell's injury, Strauss's new entry and Ambrose's debut. I always wonder what Brierley would do. Take stock after Day 3?
I thought the use of the nightwatchman was an error by the way. A wicket given away which may have been more useful down the order.
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The winning of the Ashes in 2005 should have been the start of something big, i;e like Australia. But unfortunately it was the summit – since then England have regressed alarmingly. Look at the momentum 4 years ago – wins home and away against Windies, whitewashing NZ in 2004, the away win in SAfrica in 2004/05. Here we are 4 years on, and there doesn’t seem to be any chance of anything similar happening. The ‘premier’ fast bowler not fast or accurate- in fact well out of form- AGAIN!!
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Harmison must be dropped after this match he has had too many chances and whatever the reason, he's not capable of being a test match bowler. Why he retired from ODI's I'll never know, not only do they offer more chances for wickets but they build confidence, something he badly needs.
The shot cook played was crazy given the circumstances. Of course it took a top edge so there is an element of luck involved but so close to the end of play and with a mountain of runs to get it was foolish. Saying that It was obvious he regretted it and I imagine it was more instinctive than planned.
I'm already calling this one a draw, I don't believe either team will complete two innings.
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Last 2 years
Harmison ave 37+
Hoggard 30ish
Panesar 30ish
Sidebottom 26ish
Tremlett 30
Flintoff 34 (half in the Ashes drubbing)
Conclusion: Drop Harmison for almost anyone else as he has not been good for several years. Hoggard will get better as he bowls more overs in the series and Sidebottom has been our number one since he came into the side.
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As an Aussie I reckon you are a bit harsh on Hoggard. One of the things that does amaze me though is that Hoggard isn't and opening bowler, in fact i don't really think Sidebottom is either, rather both would be fantastic 1st changes. Yet Hoggard has toiled away manfully in this position for a long time and kept you in a lot of games - one bad game doesn't deserve this sort of critique
Harmy is past it and has been for a considerable time, get rid of him. He is a severe drain on the team and a part from anything else the team have to continually carry him physically and emotionally - terrible drain on the team. Don't whatever yo do bring in Anderson who is poor at best.
You have 19 months to find 2 new exciting fast bowlers, if not it will be 5 - 0 again.
Oh yeah on Panesar, I think the inital hype may have gone to his head. He needs to start performing on the field - have a look at how Vettori bowls, if you believe the hype he should be much better than Vettori, it will be interesting to comapre bowling figures at the end of the series.
Finally would i be correct in suggesting that New Zealand best matches the conditions in the UK? If that is the case, then there aren't really all that many excuses(?)
You may all object but from an outsiders point of view, you have troubles that need strong and immaginative thinking and your 1 day and test ranking reflect that.
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From the highlights I saw, the ball wasn't swinging. Hoggard isn't great when it's not swingning.
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It comes as something of a surprise that a thoughtful and intelligent writer can be so comprehensively misunderstood.
Aggers has not sought to blame the IPL or any other form of the one day game for England's lacklustre bowling performance, that honour goes fairly and squarely on the lack of adequate preparation for two front line bowlers, (one of whom also suffers from continuing to be selected on the basis of a brief period of glory some years ago rather than the display of any consistent international quality since). The point that was being made is that there appears to be far too little care applied to the health of test match cricket in general at the moment, (and arguably has been for some years), and that uninspiring performances will simply enhance the appeal of other high profile forms of the game to the continued detriment of the five day test.
In test match cricket we have one of the great sporting contests and we are in some danger of terminally devaluing it by expending a disproportionate amount of effort and resources on shoddy substitutes which amount to little more than one dimensional knockabouts. If that is what the cricket watching public want in the form of entertainment then they will have only themselves to blame when future schedules consist of nothing more than the unholy offspring of cricket and baseball.
Already it appears that there are many who find the prospect of watching cricket without the game being punctuated by fireworks, music and dancing unthinkable whilst for others concentrating on the game appears impossible unless they are parked in an oversized jacuzzi. Some may consider this as a form of progress but I can only see a shocking dilution of all that was good about our game and the culture which it encouraged.
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I don't think Aggers was blaming 20/20 and the IPL for the state of our test team, but sending a warning.
Just playing our best players won't work - they need to be prepared.
Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game, where the highest skill creates brilliant, innovative cricket. That should always, naturally, be the case. If it isn't, then there has been a waste, and a failure in the management and administration of test teams (i.e. England)
We have seen over the years how players like Akram, Gilchrist and Warne have changed test cricket for the better. Its perfectly possible for test cricket to continue being fresh and exciting, but it won't just happen.
20/20 is here and is a fine form of the game, but there is no need for test cricket to suffer from its presence. But it will if it isn't treated as the greatest test in the game by the ECB.
Give me five days of exciting, brilliant cricket over a couple of hours any time.
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Its a catch 22 for Harmison, fair enough he should be dropped for being well below the required standard for so long, but I can't help but feel that it is both his fault and the captain/coaches fault as well.
Harmison's role has clearly not been explained to him properly. He is a strike bowler with pace (we've seen him bowl 90-95mph) and bounce. His job should be to steam in and strike fear into the batsman with aggressive quick bowling with the ball coming in at about chest height to the batsman. Even on a flat slow pitch, Harmison's potential pace and height should negate this.
Even if he goes for a few runs, he has to be positive and bowl quick, with the goal to make the batsman not want to be facing him anymore, lose concentration and get out.
I believe that Vaughan and Moores have not communicated this to him. Obviously, any quick bowler being relegated to 1st change is going to hurt his ego (perhaps the thing lacking in Harmison is an ego and the confidence that comes with one). An example of a bowler that does this role first change and gets under an opponents skin would be Andre Nel (but I think he might be a bit crazy).
I think if Harmison started to show some hostility and pace over a couple of innings, England would have to give him the new ball (i.e. a reward)
Harmison is not the type of bowler who can bowl 80mph and expect things to happen, especially on a slow wicket. I think he needs a trigger, something to make him angry (the fielder at mid off saying horrible things to him for example).
I say give him one more match after explaining what his role is, and if he still does not fulfil this role, drop him until he finds his quick bowler mentality again.
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I agree with Tom who stated that Hoggard has had just ONE bad innings, and surely the guy deserves more after all that he had shown over the last few years. Guys, cool it....the game is not even one innings old. We cannot sit and pass judgements so early in the game. Let the game finish and then the inquest can begin. As an English supporter sitting here in freezing Toronto, I am as frustrated and upset that England is performing the way they are, and against a weak NZ team. But then again, I feel this is just two days into the game, and let's give the guys a fair trial before passing judgement. The pleasing aspect was the catching, and they were wonderful catches, make no mistake. So there were definitely some positives on the first day. Let's support the guys, and wish them well.
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No surprise that England's attack was poor. Hoggard, Harmison, Anderson and Panesar have been poor for the past 12 months at least. Sidebottom carried England last summer and Swann is the unluckiest person in England not to get a chance.
Not to worry though as Jonathon Agnew will give them all at least 6 out of 10 when the 'Test' is over and it will be onwards and upwards from there.
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Re Comment 92, Jackie states that the run rate of the for the openers was about the same for NZ and England....NZ 100 in 29.1 overs, England 100 in 45.3 Overs
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Pathetic really. England are already playing for a draw despite their supposed superiority with bat and ball. The pitch is being blamed for a lot of the slow play and there is some justification for that, but so far NZ have out batted and out bowled their English counterparts. All this complaining that England aren't playing well is just a smokescreen for the fact that perhaps they ARE playing to their capabilities and that they are in fact an inferior team to NZ.
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Dreadful. Dreadful. Dreadful.
As someone who has admired the cricket of all three sides in the recent Australia/India/ Sri Lanka series, I find it utterly depressingg to have to switch on to the woeful England display in the First Test against New Zealand.
Face it, guys. We are just not up to it. Woeful fast bowling, if you can call it fast. The slowest Australian fast bowlers routinely bowl at 145k or more. They also bowl with verve and energy, unlike the English hangdog lot. Hoggard walks back to his mark as if he is herding cows. Harmison should be herding cows. Or at least he should be put out to grass. Sidebottom would be regarded as a journeyman trundler here. Not a strike bowler. Panesar played club cricket in Australia, I believe, and barely made his mark. He would not be in any state side, that is for sure.
As for the batting, I listened to the New Zealand commentators talking about the deadest Hamilton track ever. Giving less than nothing to the bowlers. Yet all the English batsmen, the great Pietersen included, have been scratching around for hour after hour. gently patting full tosses back to the bowler.
Please, dear God, send us some cricketers soon.
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I know I seem to bang on about this every other time I contribute to your blog, Jonathan, but how many more times does it need to be said: THE TOURING INTINERARIES BEING AGREED TO BY THE ENGLAND GOVERNING BODIES ARE WOEFULLY INADEQUATE IN TERMS OF PREPARATION. When are people going to round on the 'businessmen' that have been allowed to ruin the team's international progress through their penny-pinching?
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I was quite surprised to see the way English batsmen were made to bat on what was supposed to be a lifeless wicket.Runs were hard to come by and English batsmen were scoring just a shade over 2 runs per over.Surely it looked like they were going back to 1960-1970s.I hope England will be able to bounce back and win the series.
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