Why England have cracked the one-day code

England’s recent improvement in one-day cricket has been met with surprise by some of those who have watched the team’s often dismal showings in the 50-over format of the game. But it shouldn’t be the slightest bit surprising. In Andy Flower the team are directed by a man who genuinely achieves almost everything he sets out to achieve. His CV, both in cricket and the wider world, is already incredible - number one batsman in the world whilst ‘keeping and playing for Zimbabwe, coach of the number one Test team in the world, and who can forget that black armband protest at the 2003 World Cup. And next on the checklist must be one-day success with England, which, with the regulations as they currently are, requires the type of dedicated planning that Flower and his backroom staff specialise in.

One area of the one-day game which England have finally understood is the top of the batting order. For most of one-day cricket’s history it goes without saying that the most successful teams have had a strong top order. For evidence of that look at Hayden, Gilchrist and Mark Waugh for Australia during their golden period of three consecutive World Cup triumphs; Sehwag, Tendulkar and Gambhir also fit the bill, and there can have been few more daunting top threes than Greenidge, Haynes and I.V.A. Richards. The common theme is that, however aggressive, all nine of those mentioned were or are hugely successful Test players. The need for a solid technique has become ever more important with the introduction of a second new white ball last October. Cook, Bell and Trott certainly have that attribute and, with 15 overs of powerplay in the first 20, the run rate takes care of itself when batsmen of their quality are at the crease. Once the new balls are seen off regular hundreds are the inevitable consequence, as lesser bowlers are brought on, the batsmen become set and runs continue to flow. A lack of hundreds has been a notable issue for England’s ODI side in the past - Marcus Trescothick, with 12, remains England’s leading centurion, whilst six players from other countries have 20 or more and Sachin Tendulkar 49. But with six in the last six matches the problem finally seems to have been solved. They have worked out that hundreds come more regularly from quality players, rather than supposed ‘dashers’ like Craig Kieswetter and Luke Wright that will make quick 30s, but rarely bring up three figures.

The advent of Twenty20 has seen teams realise that almost anything is possible over a 15 over period of batting. Combined with the batting powerplay, usually taken from overs 36-40, this allows teams to go at upwards of nine runs per over in the last 15. The key to making best use of this is to have numbers 5, 6 and 7 at the crease rather than 9, 10 and 11. Therefore, keeping wickets in hand as England’s top three have done in the last two series becomes key to setting a platform for the likes of Eoin Morgan, Craig Kieswetter and Tim Bresnan to enjoy themselves down the order. 

It is not only in the batting department that England have benefited from the new regulations. The two new balls play perfectly into the hands of Test match bowlers like James Anderson, who ran rings around Lendl Simmons with the moving ball on Tuesday, Stuart Broad, and Tim Bresnan. In English conditions this makes is possible to expose the middle order quickly, whilst in the sub-continent England should be well placed to take best advantage of any swing which is available. The other thing which England do well is to play five specialist bowlers. This ensures that there is no let up for the batsmen, meaning that they have to target bowlers that they might not when all-rounders and part-timers are used to make up the overs.

Like in Test cricket, conquering the sub-continent remains a major challenge. The series in India last winter was lost 5-0, whilst the matches against Pakistan in the UAE were not played on typically Asian surfaces. However, there is no reason why this side won’t make a success of the sub-continent when they next visit for ODIs in January. Scores of 300+ are easily attainable with this batting line-up, and Ajmal, Afridi and Hafeez were well combated in the latter part of that UAE tour. Meanwhile, we have an excellent spin attack of our own in Graeme Swann, who despite recent inconsistency remains a very difficult customer, and Samit Patel, who is an under-rated performer with the ball in the 50-over game. Some observers might suggest that Cook, Bell and Trott are too pedestrian a top three for the sub-continent. But Cook and Bell, and to a lesser extent Trott, in fact score their runs at a good rate - Cook’s strike rate since returning as captain last year is almost identical to Kieswetter’s. And the impact of the batting powerplay means that it is unnecessary to score at 6 an over throughout the innings.

England have not won a 50-over World Cup, and it surely won’t be long until the media start jumping on the planning for 2015 bandwagon. But the best way of reversing their recent World Cup disappointments is to create a one-day team, which like the Test team, becomes regarded as amongst the very best in the world. To do that they need to ensure that they keep winning, by selecting a team which will win now rather than in three years time. If that happens the team will, again like the Test team, start to largely pick itself come the World Cup and prevent the panic decision making which has blighted the last five tournaments. 

I’ll finish with a word of warning. England thought they had cracked the one-day code two years ago, when a series of victories, including the run to the 2010 World Twenty20 title, created widespread optimism. But performances soon tailed off on that occasion. This time they need to ensure that success is maintained, and cherished almost as highly as Test victories.

Bell in last chance saloon as opening conundrum re-awakens itself

Since Nick Knight’s retirement from international cricket at the end of the 2003 World Cup, bringing to an end a successful alliance with fellow left-hander Marcus Trescothick, England have tried a remarkable 35 different pairings at the top of the one-day international batting order. In the nine years that have passed, England have played 203 One-day Internationals but, remarkably, the first option which was tried after Knight’s retirement - Trescothick and Vikram Solanki - remains the partnership that has survived the instinct to change for the longest. Although that itself lasted a mere 20 matches. 

The pair that will face the two new balls tomorrow have only opened together on one previous occasion, and have been put together somewhat reluctantly as the England team strive to get over the disappointment of Kevin Pietersen’s retirement from limited overs international cricket - disappointment which has been compounded by the fact that Alastair Cook and Pietersen each struck two centuries, and looked like being England's opening pair for years to come in the UAE. 

Nevertheless, Ian Bell’s game, based on timing the ball and scoring a high proportion of runs in boundaries should be ideally suited to the role, in which Pietersen’s success, and that of others around the world including Mahela Jayawardene and Hashim Amla, has proved that proper batsmen are preferable to pinch-hitters. Bell’s ODI career to date has been overwhelmingly disappointing, with a single century from 108 games and an average below 35. But his natural talent, and the fact that he has only just hit 30 years of age, suggests that he is the contender most likely to score the weight of runs that KP would have, and thus that he deserves one last shot. 

Cook, on the other hand, can now consider himself to be assured of his one-day place for the first time in his career. The captain has consistently demonstrated that he can adapt his game to the 50-over format in the last year, and his strike rate in the UAE was not far off that of Pietersen, whilst himself striking two hundreds.

Some sections of the media are likely to suggest that Cook, Bell and Trott bat too slowly to make up an ODI top three. But they are wrong on two counts. Firstly, it is a misconception that Cook and Trott in particular are purely ‘plodders’ - a term with negative connotations in this form of the game. Since returning to the side as captain a year ago Cook’s strike rate is almost identical to the supposed ‘dasher’ Craig Kieswetter. Meanwhile, Trott’s average is the seventh best of anyone in ODI history, and comfortably the highest by an Englishman. He may not have the gears to go through that others have, but he sets an invaluable solid base.

The other mistake which is commonly made is to believe that getting off to a quick start is essential to ODI success. This may have become the case for a while some years ago, but the introduction of two new balls and the combined effects of Twenty20 and batting powerplays mean that it has again become preferable to set a strong platform. Going too hard at the top can easily result in fatal collapses, whilst if wickets remain in hand for the last 15 overs just about anything is now possible. Therefore, England are right in assigning power-based cricketers like Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan the role of finisher rather than opener.

Even with the disruption of the latest episode of KP-gate, England should start this particular three match series as favourites. The visiting West Indians have Chris Gayle back in their ranks for the first time in over a year, and also posess an array of exciting, if inconsistent all-rounders. But in swinging conditions it is difficult to see them making big totals against a selection of Anderson, Broad, Finn, Dernbach and Bresnan. The hosts definitely have the upper hand in the bowling department, where the forementioned seamers will be joined by Graeme Swann. West Indies will miss Kemar Roach badly, and will have to pray that Sunil Narine replicates his recent limited overs form rather than his Test Match form.

Just as the opening positions have been passed around by England’s 50 over team, the wicket-keeping gloves have also become the subject of pass-the-parcel in recent years. Kieswetter is the current incumbant, and is likely to start the series with the gloves and batting at six. However, the temptation to hand the gloves to Bairstow could quickly become stronger if Kieswetter fails to find his form. Bairstow has had a tough Test baptism, and could well be on the sidelines at the start of the ODIs. But team management will want him to feature at some point, and he will be keen to replicate his eye-catching debut from the tail end of last summer. 

England’s ODI form has been a mixed bag over the last 12 months. But they won their last series, in the UAE, 4-0, and will feel that another whitewash is possible on home soil. Other than the obvious change at the top the selection has been consistent with that particular series. However, should Bell fail to perform here the onus may be on the selectors to come up with a 36th opening pair in less than a decade.


Those 35 opening partnerships since 2003 in full:

Opening partnership	ODIs together since the 2003 World Cup
Marcus Trescothick and Vikram Solanki	20
Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss	17
Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan	9
Vikram Solanki and Ian Bell	3
Ian Bell and Matt Prior	8
Marcus Trescothick and Geraint Jones	7
Marcus Trescothick and Matt Prior	5
Andrew Strauss and Matt Prior	11
Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell	6
Marcus Trescothick and Ed Joyce	1
Marcus Trescothick and Alastair Cook	2
Andrew Strauss and Ed Joyce	2
Andrew Strauss and Michael Vaughan	3
Andrew Strauss and Mal Loye	3
Ed Joyce and Mal Loye	4
Ed Joyce and Michael Vaughan	6
Ian Bell and Michael Vaughan	3
Alastair Cook and Matt Prior	9
Matt Prior and Luke Wright	1
Alastair Cook and Phil Mustard	10
Ian Bell and Luke Wright	4
Ian Bell and Alastair Cook	1
Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara	2
Ravi Bopara and Alastair Cook	1
Andrew Strauss and Ravi Bopara	10
Ravi Bopara and Joe Denly	1
Andrew Strauss and Joe Denly	8
Jonathan Trott and Andrew Strauss	2
Andrew Strauss and Luke Wright	1
Alastair Cook and Craig Kieswetter	18
Andrew Strauss and Craig Kieswetter	9
Andrew Strauss and Steve Davies	7
Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen	4
Jonathan Trott and Craig Kieswetter	1
Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen	4