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With everyone discussing the negatives of West Indies cricket, I thought perhaps we should turn our attention somewhere else and discuss the positives of the current English Test team.
It wasn’t that long ago many were suggesting English cricket was in some sort of crisis, but after comfortably beating Australia earlier this year in the Ashes and smashing South Africa in the first Test in Durban by 241 runs, this England side are on the right path.
Talking purely about the longer form of cricket in this article, England have some seriously good options to pick from when it comes to Test cricket.
Earlier this year we could see that this team had the potential to be a solid Test side. As an Australian fan it was hard to watch, but they played with this flair that any cricket fan would appreciate. It was exciting and fearless cricket that funnily enough was almost a replica of how New Zealand play.
Before the Aussies stepped onto English soil we saw New Zealand play a short Test series against the English. As we have seen for a good while now, New Zealand don’t hold back when it comes to positive and aggressive cricket.
It’s almost as if the brand of cricket New Zealand played against England those weeks before Australia geared up for the first Test rubbed off on the English players. From looking scared and fragile, all of a sudden England didn’t fear losing and wanted to express themselves to the cricketing public.
It certainly gave the cricketing world an insight into how the English will be playing and lining up in the future.
Having just watched a slightly different Test team against South Africa to the one that confronted the Australian’s only months ago, it’s fair to say the other Test nations perhaps should have something to worry about.
When you look at the team that represented England at Durban, there were many faces we have seen consistently at Test level while there were a few that are looking to cement spots.
The inclusions to the XI that didn’t play in the recent Ashes series were Nick Compton, Alex Hales, James Taylor and Chris Woakes.
They didn’t just beat the number one Test nation, they played them off the park for the five days. What makes this all the more impressive was the fact it was away from home.
Beating teams away these days in Test cricket seems to becoming more difficult. We rarely see many teams come away with series wins away from home. Conditions just seem to be far too hard for players to adapt by the time the Test matches begin, but this wasn’t an issue for the English.
They may not have won the series yet, but with James Anderson still to come back into the fold, it certainly isn’t out of the question.
When you analyse this English team there is certainly plenty of options with both bat and ball.
When you look at the opening pair of Alastair Cook and Alex Hales it certainly has the potential to be quite devastating. It reminds me of when Australia had Chris Rogers and David Warner opening. With Cook being the anchor like Rogers was and with Hales being the enforcer which Warner still is, England have an exiting duo to watch for the time being.
Nick Compton at three is a fantastic appointment. England have really struggled to fill the vacant spot since the retirement of Jonathon Trott.
We have seen many trialled in that position but most of them simply looked out of their depth. Compton for me is the perfect replacement. You want your number three to be able to adapt to game situations regardless of what they are.
If a wicket goes early then they need to be able to play the openers role but with good intent. If they come in with the openers taking the shine off the new ball then they need to play positively and really put the bowling attack under severe pressure right from the beginning and Compton can certainly do all of those. Scoring an 85 and 49 it was a good return to Test cricket for himself.
When you look down the order England have one of the brightest talents in international cricket in Joe Root. Root has gone from strength to strength since beginning his career and he is certainly only going to get better. He was behind only Steve Smith for the most runs in Test cricket for 2015.
James Taylor has been a man many have talked about for years and it was good to see him involved against South Africa. Scoring a 70 and 42 he looks as if he could be a really handy middle-order player going forward for Trevor Bayliss’ team.
The man dubbed the new Freddie Flintoff has been outstanding for England in his short career so far. Ben Stokes has the potential to be the best all-rounder in world cricket. When his batting and bowling come together he really will be unstoppable. He certainly is a cricketer to watch as the years go on.
England’s wicket-keeping department looks set for the future. Jonny Bairstow was superb against South Africa scoring a 41 and 79 while also keeping with real confidence. It’s also important to not forget that Jos Butler is a man who can come back into the conversation. He’s a fantastic player but just simply out of form. Watching these two give each other competition as the years go on will only make them better players.
I do believe England need a genuine spin option in the side, but you can’t complain with what Moeen Ali has produced in his short career thus far. Picking up man of the match in Durban with 7 wickets, you get the feeling that he will be very hard to push aside. His batting just makes him even more selectable.
Being an opener by trade back at County cricket, he is one very versatile cricketer.
When you look at the bowlers there is certainly a variety of talent to pick from. Stuart Broad has had a fantastic 2015 and he finished it off with 5 wickets in Durban.
Steven Finn has rediscovered his confidence that got the attention of the English selectors all those years ago with 6 wickets against the number one Test nation while Woakes showed glimpses of what he could be for the English in the future. With James Anderson set to be fit for the second Test you would think logic will prevail and see Anderson return to bolster the English attack.
I probably shouldn’t have been cheering the English on in Durban, but it was very refreshing seeing an away team win and win comfortable. Yes South Africa have their problems, but let’s not take anything away from England. They were absolutely superb over the five days and reminded us that they aren’t a team to be taken lightly at this moment and time. What’s even more concerning is the fact they will only get better.
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