 Shahzad was the first British-born Asian to play for Yorkshire |
Some captains like to announce their team early in order to make a confident statement to the opposition, while others wait until the last minute to keep them guessing. Andrew Strauss very definitely falls into the second category, and we will not know the make-up of the England team for the second Test at Old Trafford until the toss. The balance of the team is the issue as usual - five bowlers or six batsmen? Frankly, if England are not bold enough to weaken their batting against the weakest bowling attack in Test cricket, surely they will not do it against Australia. Part of me wonders if England do not want to make the choice of deciding which batsman to leave out. Eoin Morgan would probably be the obvious one to step aside, but we do need to see more of him at this level to gauge if he can make the step up - or not. The complication for Strauss is that he could be left with a very inexperienced attack if Ajmal Shahzad teams up with Steven Finn.  | 606: DEBATE |
He was at pains to point out that merely because Shahzad is an original squad member, he is not therefore automatically ahead of the replacement Ryan Sidebottom when it comes to the final selection. Bearing in mind that James Anderson was well below his best at Lord's, Strauss's biggest concern is getting his bowling attack right. The Old Trafford pitch has more grass than Lord's, and will be harder too with more bounce. This should test the Bangladesh batsmen more thoroughly, but England must not get carried away with bowling too short. I quizzed Strauss about Jonathan Trott's laboured and rather tortuous procedure before facing each ball, and the captain praised his ability to concentrate for long periods which, clearly, is a valuable asset in Test cricket. He did suggest that Trott goes into his own little world, which I believe will lead to more run-outs, and Strauss agreed that he should not be allowed to hold up play. Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons, meanwhile, was much more critical. He said that Trott's constant raking of the pitch was annoying and against the spirit of the game. It needs to be sorted out by the match referee and the umpires, he said. My view is that Trott urgently needs to dispense with what appears to be a nervous affectation because it is something the opposition is sure to focus on, and which would then become an unnecessary distraction for the batsman.
|
Bookmark with:
What are these?