England's one-day woes

What can be done after yet another defeat?

Last updated: 28th June 2008

kevin pietersen england

Kevin Pietersen: Beaten on his debut as skipper

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England have been beaten by New Zealand in back-to-back one-day series and continue to struggle at the shorter form of the game.

We are ranked third in the world in Test cricket but a humiliating seventh in 50-over cricket.

What goes wrong with England when they pull on the coloured clothing? And what can be done to improve the situation?

Share your thoughts on England's one-day woes...

Comments

Don Taylor says...

The selectors do not select the best players, they never select on current form. The best one day batsman is Hicks and has been for the last 10 years,another is Mark Ramprakash. They keep picking players who only think about themselves and not the team.Graham Napier was like a breath of fresh air to one day cricket, he used the bat as it was meant to be used to hit the ball and not use it as a tickling stick.

Posted 12:46 2nd July 2008

Jose Newman says...

England never select a full team of naturally strong one-day players they always select test-style players and try to make them into limited over bowlers/batsmen/wicketkeepers for continuity. That age has gone, Bell, Cook, Strauss,Bopara,Ambrose . There is no doubt in the ability of these players at test level, but they score too slowly in one-dayers. Also you now need to bat down to 11 at one-day level, by including Anderson,Sidebottom in your team you are giving away advantage to the other side, hence why New Zealand left there best bowler Martins out of the limited over games, for one reason he cant bat. I dont doubt Anderson, Sidebottom had a great test series but when your side is attacking it isnt out of the ordinary that 9,10 jack will be expected to contribute with the bat. England must include Flintoff, Mustard and have a look at Napier or consider S.Jones again if he can repeat the late order hitting he displayed in the 05 Ashes series. As a Durham lad, why the hell was Mustard left out after a decent series in New Zealand, that makes a mockery of continuity!!!!

Posted 13:35 1st July 2008

Steffan Ingham says...

problems lye with the batting- Mustard should bewicket-keeper in every level, averaged over 35 at top of the order and made no glaring areas- like gilchrist can also bat at test level- made 92 for durham today, middle order needs adjusting, need more hussey like players who can work the ball for consistent singles and keep score ticking regularly, bowling at the death needs adjusting too, anderson should be bowled out early and medium pacers like wright and mascarenhas should bowl at the death, we always bowl length at the death whereas lee and bracken bowl yorkers consistently well and limit the score whereas we leak runs and lose momentum

Posted 23:07 30th June 2008

Adam Simon says...

I think that we need to try and persuade trescothick to play ODI's again as he is our missing link, my team would be, 1. Trescothick 2. mustard 3 pietersen 4 bell 5 collingwood 6 flintoff 7 masceranas 8 broad 9 sidebottom 10 anderson 11 panesar i think that mustard is the best keeper that we have, i don't thing that ambrose is capable with the bat. Mustard has proven himself in all forms of the game for durham, i also think he sould be the test keeper too

Posted 21:41 30th June 2008

Tim Carrington says...

England are woeful, they have been letting us down for a number of years, just like football they are scared of dropping the big names..... My team. 1. Phil Mustard 2. Michael Vaughan (C) 3. Kevin Pietersen 4. Owais Shah 5. Graham Napier 6. Paul Collingwood 7. Andy Flintoff 8. Dimi Mascherenas 9. Stuart Broad 10. Ryan Sidebottom 11. James Anderson. I would select Vaughan for his captaincy alone and Mascheranes who is criminally under used at this level.

Posted 11:53 30th June 2008

John f. Bookelman says...

the problem with england is: because they "invented" the game they still believe they "own" the game. wake up folks in europe they play much better soccer than in england. how many english players were actually playing in the champios league final in moscow. so for the future: try to wear a smaller hat.

Posted 07:44 30th June 2008

Harshil Dhutia says...

Englands one day performances have been so poor its unbelievable.They have been out-performed in all three departments by an average kiwi outfit missing key players due to retirement +/- ICL participation. We keep going back on the fact that we lack experience;However, NZ won with players who have not played more than 10 matches!Time to discard Cook,Bell and luke wright....bopara...so overrated.My team would be(cant do much worse)..... Solanki,strauss(C),Shah,KP,Colly,Read(wK),Freddie,Broad,Rashid,Siders,Jones/Anderson

Posted 07:08 30th June 2008

Martin Hicks says...

Well done the Kiwis your win was thoroughly deserved. We can only do what we always do - wring our hands, produce a new one day strip and pick the same players. I don't understand what is happening - we hear talk of consistency and continuety but I see little evidence of it. We try Cook and Mustard - Bell and Wright - Cook and Bell. Are we using a pinch hitter or not? If we want an orthodox opener and Cook is injured why not pick an in form Strauss or are we now saying Wright and Cook are interchangeable? We've had 6 wicket keepers in 18 months - Prior is the best batsman but his wicket keeping isn't as good as others. That applied to numerous other keepers. Rod Marsh, Adam Gilchrist and Alec Stewart weren't great keepers when they started and made the team on their batting ability but worked hard to make themselves classy all rounders. Unless England are either laying the blame for defeats at Prior's door, they are saying Prior is incapable of improvement as a keeper or they think other keepers are capable of improving to Prior's level as a batsman why didn't we persist with a prospective all rounder? We are continually told our current crop are England's finest but at county level the commentators repeatedly refer to players who should be considered for England, had a raw deal or slipped through the net. England have some talented individuals but don't have a team. New Zealand have a team that play for each other, as did the Gloucetershire team of the Harvey/ Russell era and the Sussex side developed under Adams, They weren't the best but they were fighters and maybe England needs more players with the guts to make ugly 50s rather than pretty 20s.

Posted 21:31 29th June 2008

Josh Porter says...

I find myself watching England on television time and time again, hoping to see fireworks, or at least a competitive game - that generally doesn't happen. I believe firstly that installing KP as captain was a bad decision, as do I feel that playing Luke Wright as an opener is a disaster just waiting to happen. I also think that we have seen the last of Ambrose, because of terrible batting displays, and 'that' dropped catch yesterday. I believe that Andrew Strauss IS captain material at this stage... and in a relatively young team, an older head would do no harm. He had some experience of captaining the Test team a couple of years ago, and MAY provide a more solid opening pair. Also, I'm a Derbyshire supporter, and am subject to pretty poor cricket, with a team with some decent individuals, yet a team who frankly doesn't know how to win a game, never mind winning consistantly... however, on the all-rounder front, Graham Wagg still has potential, and can take wickets, whilst scoring runs... though obviously he hasn't helped himself in the past... also Tom Lungley, I think, playing for any county but Derbyshire, would be in with a shout.. .yes I can hear you laughing at little Derbyshire!! I'm going to have a go at naming a team...it can't be any worse than the current one... Strauss (captain...for the next 3 games at least) Bell (however irritating he is) Shah (good, steady performer) Freddie F (because he's a marked improvement once fit) Pietersen (let him improve again lower in the order) Mustard (WK) (don't believe in the Aussei way... nobody has the multiple skills and consistency of Gilchrist - well, no Englishman) Mascarenhas (in place of Colly) Broad (one of the NZ series +'s) Bresnan (on current form) Sidebottom (will find proper form again (fingers crossed)) Adil Rashid (get him ready for the Aussies next year) ...I know I never included the Derby lads... but that's my pick.

Posted 17:42 29th June 2008

Barry Baroo says...

Fair play to the Kiwis, well done, well deserved, but am I alone in thinking we always seem to get off to a good start in ODIs and fade away as the pressure mounts? I have a couple of issues. Firstly Colly was wrong not to recall Elliott. OK so he apologised, but he missed a golden opportunity to do the obvious and sporting right thing and would have gained great acclaim if he had done it on the spot. We move on. So KP was the only and I mean only choice to assume the captaincy. Is it beyond stubborn and blinkered hierarchy to immediately go outside the squad, we are at home and not in say Australia for goodness sake, and call up any one of several good captains, the most obvious one to me being Vaughan. Why he cannot be recalled I do not know. Let's not talk of building for the future. We need to win NOW not in 2012. We are always harking back to lack of experience, building for the future. It is tedious. Play the guys who are class and never mind their age. I would start with Vaughan as skipper and open with him and Strauss. Not Luke Wright, or a long list of habitual failures that have been given a run in order to learn and establish themselves. We need a strong opening pair. The days of flash pinch hitters are gone. Vaughan is a proven leader and arguably a better bat than say Luke Wright! Ambrose had a shocker yesterday and a poor summer all round. Replace with Foster, Prior or Read. Bell has gone absolutely nowhere in the past year and has run his course. Colly is out for the 4 matches anyway so change is forced upon us. Sport is about opinions and performances. One is subjective, the other is written in the score book. Look at the stats, check the class and select on that basis. Potential never wins matches. Class and proven ability does.

Posted 13:49 29th June 2008

Paul Smith says...

England going nowhere again in the one day game - think we have to start picking horses for courses - how do the selectors think that Bell and Cook are one day players - neither get close to Mark Butcher and he never played one day international cricket!!!! - start again - bring back some players who were discarded too quickly and a bit of new blood. 1. Solanki 2. Prior 3. Pietersen 4. Shah 5. Bopara 6. Flintoff 7. Foster W/K 8. Bresnan 9. Swann 10. Broad 11. Sidebottom 4 man pace attack (5 with Bopara), a spinner and a side that bats down to number 10 - What have they got to lose!!!!

Posted 10:39 29th June 2008

D Mcquillan says...

I get so sick of seeing and hearing English cricket fans and commentators alike running down the opposition claiming that you should by some divine right thrash us? In ODIs since the 1992 world cup, I would wager NZ has beaten England more than they have lost... why are you guys so surprised? Ok we are poor at Test cricket, but this game suits us. NZ hit sixes when they count and field brilliantly and strangle batsmen well enough to be ranked in the top 3 in the world and to consistently make the final 4 of world cups. Get over yourselves and stop thinking you are owed a victory. .

Posted 10:30 29th June 2008

Geofry Highcot says...

Owais Shah should be batting at no.3. That boy has amazing concentration and is the best batter in the team no contest. As always Pietersen got exposed by some average fast medium bowling, his performances are almost as bad as Vaughan's.

Posted 00:34 29th June 2008

Kevin Lloyd says...

Kevin Pietersen. Who on earth decided to make him captain? I'm not blaming him for our predictable defeat (we are, after all, pretty poor at this game), but he's hardly the sharpest knife in the drawer. Are we so desperate that we follow the theory that the tallest person must be the best leader? Pietersen has shown time and time again that he just does not have the intelligence to operate at this level. Talent, yes; but that is not enough. Count the number of times he has blown it due to ill advised thrashes, compared to the number of high scores he has made. He really needs a mentor to teach/coach him to become a consistent scorer. As a captain? You're having a giraffe!

Posted 23:48 28th June 2008

Steve Haden says...

In reply to Tony Newman,not every England player is just 'out for the money'. Earlier this year Owais Shah turned down the IPL saying he wanted to fight for his England place. And here he is now the higest scorer in this series. Let's hope PM comes to his senses when the SA team is picked. Bell,Colly,Cook and Strauss will have a few sleepless nights between now and next Thursday.

Posted 23:47 28th June 2008

Charles K says...

Looking at the England team that played today and the series, man for man you would probably say 80% of the England players would get in ahead of the current NZ 11. So it must be down to the mental side of the game, as my Australian friend keeps reminding me, we are soft. I can't dissagree, look how we constantly crumble in pressure situations. We should get someone like Nasser in to the dressing room and tell the players what they really are. No one looks hungry to win, my blame lies with the England managment as the team selection looks like a closed shop! So no one feels like they are playing for their place it seems. Don't like singling anyone out but look at Ambrose, completely out of his depth but as he is in the "gang" he is ok, Mustard must feel sick looking at the player that has kept him out!. To coin another Aussie phrase, England it's time to open a can of tuff 'n' up fast!!!

Posted 20:40 28th June 2008

Charlie Hill says...

I have appeared a number of times on these pages recently and had lots to say about the England team, and sadly I am here again with nothing positive to say. I am afraid we witnessed another weak England display, NZ may be ranked 3rd in the world but I think we can all agree the team we played today is not the team that got them there! This is no discredit to NZ as they were better then us and showed us why England are ranked 7th! I am afraid its simple in my mind what needs to happen, players that need to go are Cook, Wright, Ambrose, Sidebottom. Players who need to prove they are worthy of the England shirt and are on the verge of going are Bell and Anderson. Bell is the most frustrating player, he looks pure class when he gets going but something is wrong with his concentration, get him in a room with Boycott, Atherton and Hussain. Pietersen - hard to have a go at him but he is very important to the team, one hundred yes but no other score of note. Flintoff and Mustard to come back in. Only good thing to come out of this series was Shah, Broad and Swann. England management, you were hard in the Test arena with Harmison and Hoggard, now time to be hard with the one day players... otherwise we will continue to be soft and easy to beat.

Posted 20:18 28th June 2008

Ryan Bachoo says...

It's happened again, in fact back to back games, England has put on a disappointing result with the bat again. Surely captaincy may come under the spotlight but England's batting woes goes far beyond captaincy. Why am typing things we already know? The fact remains that there has to be a big problem for the Test match players such as Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook to transform their cricket into the shorter form of the game. For me, England's bowling is quite good, obviously there would be times and pitches where opponents may enjoy and score 250 plus but as a top cricketing nation, one would agree with me, England should very well be capable of chasing down the target sucessfully. Is it a lack of application, an improper assesment of the situation, lack of communication or just plain good bowling by the opposition? With the standard of batsmen England are producing in the Test Arena, very difficult to point out the last one, so it must be a problem within the camp. As every team would look to do, try making good use of the powerplay overs, which for me has been the major fault of England. Over the last couple of games, within the first 15 overs of powerplay, they've lost a stunning three wickets so that needs not to be looked at but the openers and due-in batsmen must begin making something work. I'll reiterate as I wrote in an article, chasing big scores, small scores, medium scores, insummountable scores will all depend on the foundation which your openers lay, if they lay a strong one then the innings would progress strongly but if the openers continue to fail then England may very well continue to rank at #7 in the world rankings. A proper opening pair must be looked at by the English Cricket Board as well as players who can make a difference in the one day game. It's a problem which can be fixed but would only take a collective effort from the ECB and the players representing England.

Posted 19:36 28th June 2008

Tony Newman says...

To be beaten by New Zealand at home is disgraceful - every England player now seems keener to make money than play for his country. Perhaps we should reduce wages a lot more if they lose and their central contracts. Anderson can be a match-winner but more often than not he is a match-loser- full tosses to a chap hitting 6's - we were tought at first school not to do that. Bring on a new manager who wants to win.

Posted 19:29 28th June 2008

Michael Londan says...

The problem is we win when Kevin does well on the odd ocassion but more often than not he fails which puts huge pressure on the rest of the team. Pietersen is not a reliable number 3 whereas with Owais Shah that man guarantees runs and should be batting at number 3, whilst Pietersen should bat at 5 or 6. Also Mustard should come in for Ambrose and open whilst Luke Wright bats down the order!

Posted 19:11 28th June 2008

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