Inconsistent Australia cannot rely on England to fall in a spectacular heap — a la 2006-07 — when they attempt to regain the Ashes urn next summer.
Mentally strong and well-led by Andrew Strauss, England’s tourists to South Africa are showing the characteristics of a team on the rise, able to fight their way out of serious trouble and then strike with tremendous force at the appropriate moment.
And that form hasn’t escaped Australian coach Tim Nielsen, who has been keeping an eye on England during their South African tour.
“They’ve obviously got a lot of good character around the team at the moment, they’ve found their way out of a couple of tough situations three or four times in the last eight or nine Tests,” Nielsen said.
“They’ve actually got to the stage where their backs are right against the wall and they’ve been able to fight through with either tremendous individual performances or the whole team sticking together, so those are good signs for them.
“It’s interesting to note that they find themselves in those positions regularly, something’s not quite working right if you’re forever saving Test matches, but having said that they played beautifully at Durban.”
While the Ashes series remains nearly a year away, Australia has never quite taken its mind off the dramatic loss of the fifth Test at the Oval.
That result was lamented by some as having allowed the English to grab the Ashes almost by accident, having struggled for long tracts of the series, but since then the result has come to seem a fair reflection of the teams.
England can be awful, but have moments of greatness in them.
The Australians, by contrast, are treading water much of the time and are far more susceptible to collapses than at any stage in the last 20 years.
Nielsen said the capacity to fight out a Test match and remain standing on day five was a quality England had demonstrated.
“You do have an opportunity in Test cricket to have times when you’re not playing your best,” he said.
“Probably the teams that can fight back from those times and don’t lose faith or confidence have the most chance of success, whether it be saving the game or winning the game.
“It’s not like a one dayer or Twenty20 where in three or four overs your whole game can be lost and it’s almost play the game out and hope you get out of jail, you really can fight your way through a Test match and England are showing that at the moment.”
Pakistan’s coach Intikhab Alam, whose side will meet the Australians in England this year in a second Test series before the Ashes, said the team captained by Ricky Ponting would be favourites at home.
“I think the Australians, I would say, are favourite,” he said.
“They have a good bowling attack especially playing in their home country.
“England are not a bad side.”
davido
Guest
Note also the disgraceful reaction to the not-out given on day 2 of test against SA. As you say, too much moralising is not really good for the game. But I discern a trend for the English team and it is not UP.
davido
Guest
Just a trend then eh? I note it is not limited to cricket... As to the goody, goody status of the game, I agree. Let us not make the game sterile. Lately, it has become an obsession in cricket to try and point out the flaws in ones opponents rather than just play good cricket. Yet, I think it is arguably unfair for certain players and teams to being given more liberty than other players and teams. You create problems if one team plays by one set of rules and the rest by another. And you might admit that Broad does get away with a lot. Seriously, you can look at a lot of bowlers who have been fined in the last couple of years for less. Personally, I love the bad boys. But let us treat everyone exactly the same. And finally, if you are going to mess with the ball in any way then you are 1. too stupid to play for your country. 2. asking for everything that should come your way.
John
Guest
There will always be an England, so long as Billy Bowden keeps missing obvious LBWs.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
I ddont believe,Davido,that this is a particularly English disease. A few English cricket writers have denounced this so it is not as if the English Media is blind to this. Time wasting is something the Umpires should be savage on. Run penalties would be worth considering. The cricket was good ,pity the pitch was so lifeless. Dale Steyn bowled a marvellous spell on the last day and full credit to England for hanging on. We need some bad boys around. Cricket is in danger of becoming too goody goody.
davido
Guest
But perhaps we can rely on them to tread on the ball, pick the seam and delay endlessly... the new bad boys of cricket will be back in town.
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
It's a fair point that Nielsen makes about "something's not quite right if you're forever saving Test matches". The "something" in England's case is a persistent inability to score big hundreds (see the 1st Innings in CT for a classic example - England should have made 500) and a slight lack of depth in the bowling attack. Johannesburg will be interesting. I have a hunch that England will bat very well.