The Poms in a spin

 

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By Spiro Zavos, 7 Dec 2006 Spiro Zavos is a Roar Expert

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After the debacle at Adelaide, the British papers have been criticising England for not playing Monty Panesar.

This is correct, as far as it goes. With Panesar actually bowling spinners, as opposed to the negative rollers of Ashley Giles, England would surely have presented more difficulties in the run chase of 168 on the last day of the Adelaide test than it did. More important, though, was England’s lack of understanding about the crucial nexus between runs, wickets and time in a test match.

My friend Don Neely always tells me that his instruction to Martin Crowe when he was captain of New Zealand before and during a test was that there is a great deal of time in a five-day test. It is the manipulation of that time that often decides the winners. Bob Simpson realised this when he insisted that his Australian teams (when he was coach) had to try to score 300 runs in a day. As this total was about 30 or 40 runs more than oppositions could score, the Australians had gained an extra hour in the test for their bowlers. When England scored 70 runs in the first two sessions on the last day that actually lengthened the test by another hour, at least. Warne bowled over 30 overs for 40 runs or so. An additional run an over would have added another seven or eight overs worth of runs that Australia had to get in their run chase. Instead of the chase being just over five an over, it would have been a run-a-ball, a much harder proposition. The batsmen would not have had the luxury of playing each ball on its merit. They would have had to force the issue, like Damien Martyn.

The moral is: slow runs in tests are usually counter-productive in that they add ‘time’ to the game for the opposition, if it wants to use them; fast runs also add ‘time’ and allow a side time to force the opposition to complete two innings. The best way to play out time and force a draw is to score runs at a good rate. It is also the best way to force a win. England did not understand this equation at Adelaide. Australian teams over the century and more of test cricket have understood this equation. England teams, as the Adelaide test demonstrates, have not understood it. Will the lesson be learnt for the rest of the Ashes series? I doubt it.

Australia had to get in their run chase. Instead of the chase being just over five an over, it would have been a run-a-ball, a much harder proposition. The batsmen would not have had the luxury of playing each ball on its merit. They would have had to force the issue, like Damien Martyn. The moral is: slow runs in tests are usually counter-productive in that they add ‘time’ to the game for the opposition, if it wants to use them – fast runs also add ‘time’ and allow a side time to force the opposition to complete two innings. The best way to play out time and force a draw is to score runs at a good rate. It is also the best way to force a win. England did not understand this equation at Adelaide. Australian teams over the century and more of test cricket have understood this equation. England teams, as the Adelaide test demonstrates, have not understood it. Will the lesson be learnt for the rest of the Ashes series? I doubt it.

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