Too much rest for the wicked?

Over the last two days we have witnessed two Twenty20 Internationals. First, India beat England at the new ground in Pune on Friday evening, before tonight South Africa hammered New Zealand in Durban. Only one of the four teams involved was fielding anything remotely resembling a first choice XI, and even that wasn’t quite full strength. The prime reason for this is decisions taken by team managements to rest players, a practice which has become exponentially more popular over the last year. The rested list for just these two games would make a world-beating team of its own:

Virender Sehwag, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen, AB de Villiers (wk), Albie Morkel, Graeme Swann, Morne Morkel, Steven Finn, James Anderson, Lonwabo Tsotsobe

In addition to this lot New Zealand were missing a player refusing to tour because of issues with the hierarchy (Ross Taylor), and a player not picked because the hierarchy have issues with him (Jesse Ryder). Meanwhile, England captain Stuart Broad was on a lengthy injury list.

And its not just the shortest form of the game that is afflicted by this trend. England will return to India for ODIs in January without at least three first-choice players, and South Africa and Australia have also taken their best players out of action in recent 50-over matches.

Although players have been taking the odd tour game or domestic match off for years, it was Australia that pioneered resting players from full internationals. When at their mid-2000s zenith the policy kept McGrath and Warne fresh, whilst handing richly deserved international caps to the likes of Martin Love, Andy Bichel and Stuart MacGill.

It is still Australia that perhaps lead the way with their rest policy which, in the case of their quick bowlers, often verges on rotation. The key difference is that it would appear that they don’t have a set first-choice attack. Instead, they have a pre-conceived idea that bowler x will be withdrawn after a couple of Tests, to be replaced by bowler y. I think that this is proving dangerous, both for performance and for fitness. As I will come on to, resting is a good thing in moderation. But when somebody isn’t allowed to get a good amount of overs under their belt, they find themselves unprepared for the strains of playing Test cricket, where you have to push yourself for that final spell after a long day in the field. Pat Cummins and James Pattinson are both arguably victims of this policy.

That is not to say that resting players is a bad thing per se. With the amount of cricket that is now played everybody involved with the game, whether they be batsmen, bowlers, coaches or even mere punters need a break from time to time. The risk of injury and burnout ahead of the most important Test series is an unnecessary gamble to take on the very best players. It is, however, a little frustrating when people to buy pricey tickets on the premise that they will see the best players in the world in action, only to see virtual B-teams take to the field. It also takes matches out of their wider context, as whoever loses can always make the excuse that they weren’t at full strength.

So, resting must be a good thing in moderation. But too much of it can not only devalue international matches but also leave young players in particular undercooked. It is the job of team managements to ensure that they strike the perfect balance between rest and play so as that their greatest assets are fit and firing at the pivotal moments.

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

KP gets his priorities wrong

Not for the first time in his distinguished career, Kevin Pietersen has taken the cricketing press by surprise. His sacking, or should I say resignation, from the England captaincy in January 2009 after just three Tests was the first example. And now he has repeated the dose by retiring from both forms of the international one-day game in seemingly complicated circumstances.

As far as I can gather from the ECB’s press release KP wanted to stop playing the 50-over game, and instead play only Tests, Twenty20 Internationals and, of course, the IPL. But the ECB have decided, in an echo of the way they previously reacted to his request to oust coach Peter Moores during his short stint as captain, that opting out of the middle format of the game only is not permissable. Their reasons for this are actually quite sound. Playing in Twenty20 but not ODIs suggests a player picking and choosing their cricket, and sets a dangerous precedent for others in an era where, in England at least, the 50 over game is fast becoming subservient to the shorter and longer forms of the international game. Although why Pietersen didn’t delay his retirement until after September’s World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka is unclear, particularly as he has reiterated that he “would have readily played for England” in that event. The England management get things right more often than not these days, and I can completely understand why Andy Flower doesn’t want Pietersen waltzing in and out of the dressing room whenever he likes. 

For me, Pietersen has got his priorities completely wrong. He says that, at almost 32, it is time to let others gather experience for the 2015 World Cup. But 32 should be a batsman’s peak, and recent form suggests that after a few years of indifferent form, he is now back to his best. He will only be 35 in 2015, and it is very reasonable to believe that he will still be amongst the best one-day batsmen in world cricket. Therefore, I am drawn to the conclusion that other issues have cropped up. Has he ever fully patched up relations with the ECB’s top brass? Has the lure of IPL money become too much? Was he riled by the decision to fine him for his opions on Nick Knight? Whatever the reason I am willing to dismiss the theory that he doesn’t care for the 50 over game. Evidence for this can be found in his joy at finally scoring an ODI hundred in the UAE this winter and his imfamous tweet describing his omission from the squad against Pakistan in 2010 as a “f**k up”. 

It should also be pointed out that Pietersen is likely to have plenty of opportunites to become a globetrotting Twenty20 player in four or five years time when his international career has finished. For now his involvement in the IPL, and therefore earning capacity, is unlikely to be increased, and whilst still playing in the Test team, he probably won’t be able to play much in the Big Bash League either. And I’m sure that more cricket for his beloved Surrey, now an option, is not his number one priority in life. 

The blow will be hard to take for England. Despite his much publicised ODI century drought between October 2008 and this February, KP was arguably England’s greatest limited-overs cricket of all time. Three hundreds in his first major international series, against South Africa in early 2005, brought Pietersen to the attention of the wider cricketing public. And after another incredible ton against Australia ahead of that summer’s Ashes, Bob Willis said on commentary that his batting had “shades of Vivian Richards”. It took his average 18 ODIs to drop below the 100 mark, and by 2008 he had seven hundreds. One of the most memorable came against New Zealand at Chester-le-Street in that year, when he unveiled his trademark switch-hit for the first time. Ironically his retirement came in the same week that the ICC cricket committee recommended a change to the lbw law to take the shot into account.

But perhaps his most significant contribution to the limited overs game came in the format that he wanted to keep playing. It took Kevin a few years to get to grips with Twenty20, but once he did in 2010 his big hitting propelled England to their first ever international trophy and he was Man of the Tournament. In the two years since his good form in the flashiest type of cricket has continued, with him passing the 1,000 career runs landmark, and reaching the top of the ICC Rankings. 

I could be wrong, but I have a strange feeling that we have not seen the last of Kevin Pietersen in England one-day colours. Here’s hoping that he gets his priorities in order, and remembers that he could, and perhaps can still be, one of the very best in the world for years to come. 

Sweet and salty desert initiation for England's cricketers

The most eagerly anticipated prize handed out at the post-match presentation after each match during England’s series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates was the inventive ‘Sweet and Salty Performance Cash Award’. The tour was England’s first full visit to Pakistan’s adopted home in the Arabian Desert and, when looking back on the events which unfolded over the past six weeks, they will feel that their performance fitted the criteria for this bitter-sweet prize – a pick ‘n’ mix of the good, the bad and the ugly. 

The England team and their supporters rightly place Test cricket on a pedestal above the younger forms of the game, and so the 3-0 whitewash inflicted on them during that leg of the tour will hurt badly. Ahead of the series expectations were that this would be a tough challenge – perhaps more demanding than the defeats of Australia and India in more familiar surroundings over the previous twelve months. However, the scale of the task England faced was severely under-estimated. Most observers, myself included, felt that a one of two-nil series victory for the number one ranked side in the Test Match game was likely. The eventual score line was completely unconsidered.

The way in which the batsmen adapted, or failed to adapt to be more precise, to conditions during the Test series will be a particular disappointment. Some commentators, endorsed by England’s Team Director Andy Flower, have pointed the finger of blame at the schedule which gave England only two warm-up matches before the 1st Test. But any more than two practice games is now highly unusual on any tour, and one of the disadvantages of playing in the UAE is that opposition is not readily available as it would be in Pakistan, so in some respects England were lucky to have even those matches that they did. Perhaps preparations were not focused strongly enough on the task of facing Saeed Ajmal, and starting an innings against spin. But, in Flower and Graham Gooch, England had two brilliant players of the turning ball amongst the backroom team and so, given the generally meticulous nature of the pair’s regime, it would be a major surprise if this was where England fell short. Therefore, the players can only really blame themselves for a series of abject batting displays, the ugliest of the lot being shot out for 72 in pursuit of double that in the 2nd Test at Abu Dhabi. Eoin Morgan, who has since lost his Test place for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, was all-at-sea from the moment he got off the plane for his first overseas appearances in the longer format. Despite featuring in all of the matches, including the one-dayers and Twenty20s, he never managed more than 31. Meanwhile, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen – evidently the two most naturally talented batsmen in the England team – also battled fruitlessly against Ajmal and Rehman during the three Tests. Whilst Pietersen certainly suffered from technical difficulties at this stage of the tour, I would argue that confidence was just as important a factor in the struggles endured by both players. Ajmal removed the pair for a combined total of two runs on the first morning of the series and the off-spinner was dominating the contest from that moment forth.

It would be easy to view the Test series as a complete mess for England. However, in reality they often found themselves in good positions and surpassed themselves in the bowling department. Fears that Stuart Broad would, presented with less-helpful pitches, regress to the ‘Enforcer’ he tried and failed to be in previous parts of his Test career were proved completely unfounded as he regularly found something in the surfaces which the Pakistan seamers failed to. He also mucked in well with the bat, and, were England not such an admirably tight-knit unit, would be well within his rights to be annoyed that the woeful batting displays meant that he was never on the winning side. James Anderson was as good as ever, if a little unlucky at times, whilst England surprised everybody, perhaps themselves included, by appearing comfortable playing two seamers and two spinners. That this was possible was in no small part down to Monty Panesar’s strong return – the result of hard work with Sussex, and the treatment he received from the England management during his time out of the team which ensured that, whilst knowing he had to improve, he never felt alienated from the squad.

If the Test series was the salty part of England’s trip then the one-day and Twenty20 series were emphatically the sweet segment. Off the back of the 5-0 drubbing inflicted in the One-day International series played in India before Christmas, nothing much was expected in the 50-over game. But, as in the Test series, expectations were confounded and England reversed that embarrassment to win 4-0. A critical aspect in this was that the openers produced four hundreds in four matches. One-day International hundreds are a rarity, particularly for English players, and so this was a huge achievement which, against a less talented batting line-up than India’s, went a long way to securing the wins. Gooch’s Test emphasis on the batsmen going on to score so-called ‘daddy-hundreds’ when they make a start would appear to be bearing fruit in the one-day format as well. A great deal of personal pride can be taken from their achievements by Pietersen and Alastair Cook. At the start of the series neither were a unanimous selection amongst pundits – by the end they were, along with Broad and Steven Finn, amongst the first names on everybody’s team sheet. Pietersen’s revival in form can be seen as, in part, the result of more defensive field settings from Pakistan opening up his scoring options, but batting at the top of the order is important too. He is very comfortable against the hard ball and he was often already on 25 by the time Ajmal and Shahid Afridi came into the attack.

The English bowlers rarely disappoint these days and, as in the Test series, they carried out their plans beautifully in the 50-over game. Steven Finn showed signs of improvement in India but, for me, this was the series which served notice that not only does he swing the ball at speeds often above 90 mph but he also means business about becoming one of the leading pace bowlers in the world in all forms of the game within the next couple of years. Pakistan didn’t take a liking to his bowling in any way and found themselves knicking off and being trapped lbw with regularity. The rest all bowled solidly enough for this Pakistani batting line-up and ensured that the margins of victory for England were always sizable.

Twenty20 International cricket started as a hit and a giggle but with the defence of the World Twenty20 crown in Sri Lanka this autumn fast approaching the matches in the United Arab Emirates were played with high intensity by Stuart Broad’s men. The gremlins from the Test series re-emerged in the first match but some big positives emerged from the later games as England won the series 2-1. Jonny Bairstow looked every bit the international cricketer as he played a crucial aggressive hand in the second match whilst Jade Dernbach demonstrated that he had come close to mastering his death-bowling talent in third match. Bairstow’s name perhaps comes after those of Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales and James Taylor when listing the young batting talent in county cricket but, thus far, he is the only one of the five to play a match-winning innings for England – and has now done it twice. The others will surely produce in the very near future but Bairstow could well have pushed his name to the front of the pack in the selectors minds. Dernbach’s internationals up to this tour had been schizophrenic – occasional flashes of brilliance mixed in with being hit round the park at more than six an over on a regular occurrence. But his spell at the death on Monday displayed wonderful control of variation and foxed all of the Pakistan batsman he bowled at. England will hope that they have found their own answer to Lasith Malinga and Umar Gul in him. The sustained success enjoyed in this format means that England should, along with the sub-continent teams, start as favourites to win back-to-back World Twenty20s in six months time.

Before that trip to Sri Lanka, England will head over there shortly for a two-match Test series. Although the hosts have struggled of late, following the retirement of Murali and political upheaval, the visitors are sure to be tested against the slower bowlers once again. It is perhaps no coincidence that the venues to be used during the series – Galle and Colombo’s P Sara Oval – both have a reputation for favouring the spinners. Although Sri Lanka no longer have a master like Murali in their ranks the pitches will turn more than they did in the UAE and England will thus have to ensure that a return to whites does not mean a return to batting collapses against a bowling line-up which posed them only a very minimal threat at home last season.

The overriding memory of England’s visit to the Gulf in years to come will not be a sweet one. Test series tend to live longer on the mind than one-day competitions, and this was England’s worst Test series defeat since the 2006/07 Ashes. But despite these salty headlines, there were numerous occasions where England bossed the opposition in alien conditions. Results should pick up on upcoming trips to the sub-continent and, if that is the case, England might look back on this tour in a more positive light and see it as one which set in motion the conquering of the final frontier.

'Puppy' Bopara threatens to bite

Ravi Bopara is now in his sixth year of international cricket. Having made his debut in One-day Internationals as a 21 year-old, in the aftermath of England’s 5-0 Ashes embarrassment in 2006/07, he soon came within two runs of guiding England to a victory over eventual finalists Sri Lanka in the World Cup which followed. But his place in the team in still not secure in any format. Indeed many observers, including myself, would not have picked him for the ongoing series against Pakistan were it not for Jos Buttler’s hand injury. Yet convincing back-to-back fifties in the first two matches have been a crucial element in England’s success and it appears the player nicknamed ‘Puppy’ might just, finally, be starting to bite.

Parallels can be drawn between Bopara’s career to date and the early stages of that of England teammate James Anderson, now regarded as one of the foremost seam bowlers in world cricket. Anderson, too, started off with limited-overs success after the seniors had struggled down under and then performed well at a World Cup. However, a permanent place in the England team did not become his until 2008 – five years after his promising international initiation. Bopara will feel that that he needs to replicate that sort of upturn in fortunes if he is not to find himself on the scrapheap soon. 

A particularly impressive element of the twin innings he played on Monday and Wednesday was the Zen-like coolness he displayed throughout. Allied on both occasions with his Essex colleague Alastair Cook he calmly picked off the bowling, playing more daring strokes only as the end of the innings approached and when given a loose delivery. This sobriety is not an attribute usually associated with Bopara. His disastrous maiden Test series in Sri Lanka and home Ashes campaign in 2009 both led to him being dropped from the team after showing signs of a poor temperament and lack of composure – something pointed out at the time by none other than Shane Warne, the master of mental warfare. 

Bopara’s turn around began to become evident during an excellent home One-day International campaign against India at the back-end of last summer. In that series Bopara averaged a smidgen under 63 and his return to form, combined with his refined attitude to the game, could herald a further opportunity at Test level too. Eoin Morgan’s poor returns in the UAE where, despite being picked partly for his attacking ability against spin he struggled to play Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, suggests that he is unlikely to start ahead of Bopara in Sri Lanka next month. Bopara’s one-day displays, admittedly with the pressure of close fielders removed, have demonstrated a good technique against spin and one which should serve him well on the turning pitches expected in Galle and at Colombo’s P Sara Oval. And if he is left out Morgan will have little chance to push his claims for a return to the starting eleven – Indian Premier League bench warming commitments mean he is unlikely to play a first-class match for Middlesex until June, and Bopara could find himself with an extended run in the side.

If Bopara is to become an England regular consistency is the big issue he still has to sort out. Against the West Indies in 2009 he scored three consecutive Test hundreds – a feat rarely matched by any England batsman, let alone one playing in only their fourth, fifth and sixth Test matches – but ruined his good work in the Ashes which followed. After that home one-day series against India last year he did the same thing again. Scores of 8, 36, 24, 8 and 4 in October’s return leg meant that the credit he gained was swiftly wiped out and it seemed he was making a fresh start again in this week’s matches. This is a trait which needs to be cut out – top international players cannot let form come and go so easily and it suggests that he stops doing the things he did to find form too quickly when the runs start to flow. To solve this he could do well to learn from two of his Essex compatriots. Alastair Cook has shown on more than one occasion in the last couple of years how to make a run of form count, and there have been few more hungry batsmen in the last 30 years than Bopara’s country and county batting coach Graham Gooch. 

So 2012 would appear to be a make or break year for Ravi Bopara. At the end of the year he may well have established himself as England’s Test number six and as a key part of the limited-overs teams. On the other hand he might be preparing himself for a decade or more of county cricket. Current form would suggest the former is the more likely and that the ‘Puppy’ is fast becoming fully grown.