-
Adam Smith 
Andy Gray 
Benedict Bermange 
Bob Willis 
Chris Kamara 
David Lloyd 
Dewi Morris 
Ed Robinson 
Ewen Murray 
Glenn McCrory 
Guillem Balague 
Ian Ward 
Jim Watt 
Johnny Nelson 
Kelvin Tatum 
Kevin Cadle 
Mark Roe 
Martin Tyler 
Mike Atherton 
Miles Harrison 
Nasser Hussain 
Nick Halling 
Nigel Pearson 
Paul Merson 
Peter Beagrie 
Phil Clarke 
Phil Thompson 
Sid Waddell 
Stevo 
Stuart Barnes 
Stuart Cummings 
The Panel 
Wayne McCullough
-
BACK OF THE NET 
SKY BET BETTING BLOG - Glenn McCrory's Boxing Blog
Cricket 
View from America 
Pro Life 
Tight Lines 
Ricky's Diary - Ed Robinson
- Adam Smith
Dream Big 
SoccerAM Office Blog 
Sunday Supplement Debate 
Don't Blame the Ref 
Tez's Marathon Blog 
State of the game 
Phil Edwards Tour Diary 
Gerry Williams 
James Haddock's Ryder Cup Blog 
Geoff Shreeves 
Ed Chamberlin 
Soccer Saturday
Opinion Links: Opinion Home Page | Latest Expert Columns | Latest Blog Entries
Subscribe to RSS Feed
Email Mike Atherton
Stuart Broad: champion in the making
Broad is an exceptional cricketer, the best young bowler that I have seen emerge for England since Darren Gough 14 years ago.
Mike Atherton.
Quotes of the week
New Zealand in England
Three Test Series
1st Test - Lord's
2nd Test - Old Trafford
3rd Test - Trent Bridge
From May 15 2008
Click here for more details of live cricket on Sky Sports
Related links
Teams
Players
Also see
So after all has been said and done on this tour, New Zealand have taken the one-day series and England the Tests.
Most people think New Zealand are stronger than England in the one-day game and I, like many, expected England to beat their hosts in the Test matches. Everyone was proven correct on all counts.
But I thought it would be a more clear-cut victory in the Tests than it turned out to be, so in one sense it has been a little disappointing for England, but it is a win - and a win away from home.
Response
There was a great danger after losing the first Test that it could have all gone downhill from there. When you lose the first game of a series the pressure can be on your back and the captain and coach are under pressure, but England did bounce back.
But I would stress that this is a pretty moderate New Zealand side and England should always have beaten them and by a bigger margin.
The debate about why England started the series so slowly has been running since the defeat in Hamilton and one of the main arguments presented is that England hadn't played enough first class cricket before the first morning's play.
It is an old argument, one we have heard on the last few tours, and my view is that it is one we need to get beyond because modern day tours are changing.
Attack
Teams do not have the same amount of preparation time as previously and therefore it is up to the players to get themselves right and ready for the first game.
Steve Harmison is a slightly different case because he arrived late due to the birth of his child. But he has retired from one-day cricket and that probably doesn't help his case for Test selection, especially when the one-day games come first as they did in New Zealand.
The onus is both on the players and the ECB, who have the players centrally contracted, to get everyone right and ready when the umpire calls 'play' on the first morning.
It was clear that Harmison, in particular, was short of the performance and confidence required in Hamilton and he rightly got dropped.
I thought it was harsh to drop Matthew Hoggard as well though and I would have kept faith in him. He has been England's top and most consistent bowler for a good while and to drop him for one bad game was harsh. But England got it right in Wellington, winning the Test match and I don't think it will be the end of Hoggard's Test career by a long stretch.
Discvoery
Two of the great positives for England in New Zealand have been the arrival of Stuart Broad as a genuine Test prospect and the completion of Ryan Sidebottom's journey to Test match mainstay.
I called for Broad's inclusion at the World Cup because I hadn't been impressed with England's performance in winning the CB Series in Australia at the start of 2007. That was a bit of a false dawn and I would have liked to have seen him out in the West Indies, but it wasn't to be.
For me Broad is an exceptional cricketer, the best young bowler that I have seen emerge for England since Darren Gough 14 years ago. Given a fair wind, some good luck, a lack of injuries and good people around him to keep him honest I think he will be a champion for England.
Sidebottom is a rock solid performer and is the kind of bowler that the captain loves to be able to throw a ball to. He will bowl well with a new, swinging ball but he will also keep running in all day for you.
England now have two bowlers there that they can absolutely rely on in Broad and Sidebottom, so now the job is to find the third who will make up the attack with Monty Panesar.
Expectations
Monty finished the tour on a high with six wickets and England will continue to keep faith in him. He is what he is: a good, honest finger-spinner.
He is never going to be a Shane Warne or a Muttiah Muralitharan and we don't want to hold our hopes out for that. But he is a good finger spinner, probably the best we have had since Derek Underwood, and given the right conditions - a wearing pitch and runs on the board - as he had in Napier, he will play his part for England.
Michael Vaughan knows what he will get from Monty which is, for the first three days, a solid bowler who can give you control, and then when the pitch might have deteriorated after four days, he could be a match-winner.
There will be other questions asked about the make-up of England's top six for the return series back in England against New Zealand which starts in May, but I think there will be no changes and that is just about right.
Centuries for Ian Bell and Andrew Strauss in England's final innings will have eased any worries on their part and ensured their participation at Lord's.
I am not entirely convinced that England have got the order right as Strauss is not a number three, he is a natural opening batsman. Michael Vaughan should bat three and the rest can stay as they are - they have all just done enough.
Just done enough... I thought England would win with more ease but they just did enough to win 2-1. Better will be expected at home in May.
Sky Sports Cricket Experts
Mike's Most Popular Articles
- The great unknown (17 Comments)
- A young champion (15 Comments)
- Hope for middle men (13 Comments)
- 'The Wright stuff' (10 Comments)
- Right to shed Fred (10 Comments)
- Clear heads for action (9 Comments)
- Don't ditch Tremlett (8 Comments)
- England draw strength (8 Comments)
- Vaughan supremacy threat (5 Comments)
- Too many Cooks? (3 Comments)
- Coming up Red Roses (3 Comments)
- Shane's warning (2 Comments)
- Proteas draw strength (2 Comments)
- Too much of a good thing? (2 Comments)
- Escape to victory (1 Comment)
- The central issue (1 Comment)
- Kiwis' light relief (1 Comment)
- Follow the leaders (1 Comment)
- The timewarp Test (1 Comment)
Latest Cricket News
Warne comeback dismissed
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has laughed off reports that Shane Warne would consider a comeback to Test cricket.
Stanford Twenty20 in doubt
The $20m match between England and the 'Stanford Superstars' is in doubt after the West Indies Cricket Board lost their High Court battle.
England so much to prove - Warne
Australia legend Shane Warne has dismissed England's chances of regaining the Ashes next summer.
Wright plays down cash game
England all-rounder Luke Wright has insisted that the mega-money Stanford clash is "just another game".
Clark calls on patient pace
Australian pacer Stuart Clark insists patience will be needed from the fast bowlers during the series in India.
Comments
Allan Gobey says...
As per usual I agree with Mike Atherton more so than any other commentator. HIs opinions always seem considered and as somebody else said, he writes about the game in the same methodical way that he plays it. I would prefer to see Strauss back as opener with Vaughan dropping to three. The others can stick as they are with Shah again being the odd batsman out. Sidebottom was heroic in New Zealand and in early May conditions, both he and Hoggard could be a handful. Broad's biggest plus over the other seamers that have been used to fill in for Harmison, Jones and Flintoff is that we don't lose control. Anderson, Plunkett and Mahmood simply don't offer the same control that he does and England often found the game going away from them as they were going at 4 or 5 runs an over. Ambrose has done enough to secure his place for both summer series and that helps the batting. Of course the big decisions come down to Harmison and Flintoff. i think it's about time the selectors stopped hoping and the commentators stopped saying "if Harmison bowls like he did in 2005 we'll be fine" the fact is he isn't close to bowling like that and hasnt been SINCE 2005, at the moment he isn't worth his place in the side. The Flintoff issue is tricky because his inclusion will radically alter the shape of the side. My own preference would be for him to bat at 7 (I don't think he's consistent enough to bat at 6). with Ambrose at 8 and Broad at 9. That is a very healthy batting line-up. Of course the problem that brings is that we only have 4 front line bowlers and will Freddie's ankle stand up for him to be a number 3 seamer, one solution would be for Collingwood to get more overs, I don't think he has been used enough by England.
Posted 18:51 11th April 2008
Richard Riley says...
I think England could be back on the right track but have a long way to go yet. I don't think we should get carried away by a good victory against a relatively mediocre New Zealand Test team. England's batting line-up has to be more consistent, Vaughan needs to be hitting the heights of 5 years ago and the same goes for Strauss if they continue to stick with him. From the point of view of the bowling it would be good to see the selectors take note of Ryan Sidebottom's step up to the Test team after time learning his trade in the county game. Stuart Broad is a very promising talent but let's not rush him up the ladder ahead of his time. Harmison would probably benefit from a prolonged spell back in the county game, I would bring Hoggard back as he is far more consistent than Anderson and knows how to bowl in English conditions as well as anyone. It would great to see Flintoff back but he should only be picked if 100% fit and if he does play he bats at 6 to allow for 5 bowlers. England should turn New Zealand over this summer, but South Africa will provide a much stiffer test. Their fast bowlers in particular may prove more of a handful than they are given credit for. Bring on the summer.
Posted 14:00 5th April 2008
Christopher Grathwohl says...
I do not agree totally with Ather's. Look how Gough's career has gone as far as International selection, look at Plunkett, look at Mahmood, all great bowlers thrown into the International game way to early and all eventually dropped, hint, hint, hint!!! Then look at Sidebottom, 10 years building developing his game in County, and now the finished product is awesome. If they continue to throw Broad into the International arena within 2 years he'll be another young English bowling trajedy. I'm not saying that he should be out and out excluded from International games, I'm just saying he isn't all Atherton is making him out to be, and the pressure that Ather's comments can generate on a 21 year old man is immense. I'd really like to see how the likes of McGrath, Botham, Willis, etc. would have faired playing the schedules of today? If Broad was allowed to develope his game for his County for another season or 2 especially where he plays with Siddy now the rewards would be far better than staying in the England side exclusively.
Posted 20:30 28th March 2008
Ryan Christie says...
I think that Strauss shouldn't open the batting with Cook as they are to similar to open together. I think Anderson should get a chance as he needs more tests to get the experience needed as he is always in and out of the test side. Sidebottom and Broad could form a good partnership and this could be the end of Harmy. I think Hoggard is far from finished and will be given other chances. Flintoff shouldn't be brought back straight away, he should be told to prove himself in couty cricket and well as Harmison. England on paper have one of the best middle orders in the world and are still young compared to Australia who are a ageing team. England have Strauss who seems to be back with a bang. Collingwood who is more than capable with bat and ball and don't forget Bell and Pietersen. These two Batsmen could well be the best batsmen in the world in a few years in both forms of the game. England have also seemed to finally find a good wicket- Keeper who can both catch behind the stumps and bat. Then Broad could follow them as an all- rounder with Ambrose and Flintoff (if fitness proven)following. Cook is still young and still learning the game and could be Englands' Matthew Hayden. And lets not forget Monty Panesar who could be a good finger spinner and is well capable.Team to face New Zealand in England if fit: 1. A Cook 2.M Vaughan(c) 3.A Strauss 4.K Pietersen 5.I Bell 6.P Collingwood 7.S Broad 8.T Ambrose(wk) 9. J.Anderson(1) 10.R Sidebottom(2) 11. M Panesar
Posted 20:39 27th March 2008
Subramani Aiyar says...
My congratulations to England for having won the Test series in New Zealand. It is more creditable because they lost the first Test badly. There are many who are baying for Micheal Vaughn's head. To drop him will be a mistake. He is fine captain as we all know. What he could do however is to change his batting position. I think he will be back amongst the runs if he bats after Pieterson. England will have to get a new partner for Cook at the top. It is heartening to see Monty turning in a match winning performance after a long period without much to speak of. I wish England would give Finn a chance early. Broad and him should serve England well in the years to come. With Flintoff getting fit again, I think England are well on their way to becoming a formidable team.
Posted 12:43 27th March 2008
David Farley says...
What has happened to Liam PLunkett? He looked tremendous down under in the Commonwealth ODI finals and bowled superbly and then never got picked again? I know the england selectors are idiots but did he get injured or did they continue on their idiotic ways?
Posted 12:09 27th March 2008
Edward Ashworth says...
I completely agree with Athers. It's so nice to have someone like Atherton who approaches his commentary in the same way that he approached his cricket - well balanced and thoughtfully. Atherton is quite clearly still in touch with the modern game whereas the others have been behind the microphone and away from the game for too long to appreciate what is really happening.
Posted 11:40 27th March 2008
Michael Bell says...
Despite excellent hundreds from Strauss and Bell, i am still not convinced by the top order - especially vaughen. They have underperformed on so many occasions now and are the main reason as to why we have won three out of nine series' since the ahses in 2005. They are to inconsistent and seem to callapse under pressure. Even Kevin Pieterson has not kept to his usual high standards in steadying the england attack, which is disapponting as the england team seem to rely on him to save the innings after yet another batting collapse. If the ECB are taking a hardline approach and dropping the likes of Matthew Hoggard after one bad game; even though he has been Englands best player for the last few years - then they should certainly look at Michael Vaughen who has failed to perform on so many occasions now.
Posted 06:19 27th March 2008
Robin Brodhurst says...
Can Stuart Broad develop into a genuine all rounder to replace Andrew Flintoff and would Flintoff be the third seam bowler with Broad and Sidebottom?
Posted 03:07 27th March 2008
Rob Dixon says...
Spot on comment from Athers i think. England on paper should beat the kiwis, but modern day sport is no longer about that so it is a good win for England considering the place they were in after the first test. I think the selectors done a great job in dropping Harmy and Hoggy, they proved that they can make a decision and found some good talent in Broad, and lets not forget Ambrose either. Hamry and Hoggy were awful, lets face it. So the selectors said "ok, lets try this option" and it worked so good stuff there, although it might have back-fired, but it didn't.... I say lets get these players, like Struass too, out of the comfort zone and let them learn about a squad rather than a contract. The county game can only improve with that too. Lets not build young Broad up too much, I think he has done brilliantly with the whole game, but pressure and expectation can kill a player. So, our hopes will not help him very much. I feel he could be fantastic all being well, but lets see first - give him 10 tests and we'll see. Hopefully mr flintoff will come back strong when is finally ready, but there should be no rush there as we need him to get some overs and innings in first to prove he is back - its looking up there. A selection issue will come from that I hope. As for the batsmen, well people talk about a lack of confidence which i believe to be true but there has been decent partnerships but no major score so it was pleasing to see it happen in the last test, and good on KP, Strauss and Bell who batted really well for their overdue scores. Michael Vaughan is a problem, I hope he scores big soon to silence the doubters and re-establish himself as the player i believe he still can be. However if you dont perform, you should be dropped, just like Hoggy and Hamy so everyone knows that their place is only temporary. I am also very pleased for Sidebottom as i thought he was the pick of the England team.
Posted 22:36 26th March 2008
Dave Hadley says...
I agree that Strauss if he plays he should open the batting but Cook on the other hand could quite easily bat at 3 which he has done before and I dont think I'd be wrong is suggesting his batting record is better as a number 3 than as an opener and this would be a better option if Strauss Vaughan and Cook all had to play which wouldnt be my first choice but is there any other natural openers around the county scene? It seems as if now Sidebottom and Broad are nailed on certain for 2 of the 3 the bowling spots at Lords, when Flintoff returns would he be able to play as a 3rd seamer and have Collingwood who has impressed with the bowl on tour as the 4th seamer if needed to fill in a few overs which of course isnt ideal but Flintoff hasnt impressed as a batsmen in any form of cricket for a long while and should drop down the order with Ambrose batting above him Starting XI at Lords if all fit Cook,Strauss,Pieterson,Shah,Bell,Collingwood(c),Ambrose(wk),Flintoff,Broad,Sidebottom,Panesar
Posted 21:37 26th March 2008
Steve Matthews says...
Once again a very balanced and sensible comment from Atherton, no hyperbole and no misplaced negativity. Its great to have some fantastic commentators on the sky coverage and it makes a change to have people who are still in touch with the game having left and are constructive in their summarising and criticisms. Well done Athers and long may it continue.
Posted 17:36 26th March 2008
Paul . says...
Great writing as always Athers (your book is the best i've read btw). I played against Broad in Leicestershire club cricket and it was always well treated by Leicestershire, even as an average junior... goes to show with patience, young players can emerge from local/county cricket. Away with the overseas hasbeens please! Have to say, I was very disappointed with the commentary on Sky Sports throughout the series... very negative towards England throughtout and to make a hero of Flemming is quiet rediculous (as is my spelling no doubt). Englands top six all averaged above 40 prior to this series yet none are regarded as highly as Fleming (who in my opinion is very average). Maybe it's because more is expected of an English player, but if were not going to blow smoke up their backsides like we do Fleming's, at least lets not criticise everything they do. Worst comment from day four "News coming from the dressing room is Vaughan has left his chair"... honestly!!! Love listening to your commentary though Athers... you were a great England captain who could have acheived so much more with the right backing.
Posted 17:23 26th March 2008
Edward Cornick says...
I agree with most of what Athers has said here. I would be interested to know who he would pick as our 3rd seemer though. Do we put in flintoff as soon as he has proved his fitness? Or should we give the slot to, say, Anderson or Hoggard, and tell Flintoff to win back his place with his county form? He has been out a long time after all. Secondly I don't think the batting order is as clear cut as Athers makes out. Moving Strauss back to opener might not work. His problems started when he was made to open with Cook, as their respective styles seemed too similar. If you were really desperate to move Vaughan from opener, I would suggest Bell has the all round abiltiy, as well as the attacking stroke play, to complement Cook at the top of the order. But I think the order is fine as it. Don't mess with a winning formula!!
Posted 17:06 26th March 2008
Carino Risagallo says...
Strange to think that Broad might not have played if Tremlett had not got injured. With Mahmood and Plunkett also sniffing around a test spot the future's bright.
Posted 14:52 26th March 2008
Add Comment*
All fields are required