There was no ticket-tape parade, no open-air bus ride, no ICC mace or MBEs for the victory at the Ageas Bowl but, in years to come, we may just look back on it as the first step in a journey that led to a resurgence in England cricket
George Dobell01-Aug-2014There was no ticket-tape parade, no open-air bus ride, no ICC mace or MBEs for the victory at the Ageas Bowl but, in years to come, we may just look back on it as the first step in a journey that led to a resurgence in England cricket.There is, no doubt, a great deal of room for improvement in the England team. They need to find greater consistency, they need greater contributions from all areas of the side and they will know that, at the Ageas Bowl, had Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Gary Ballance and Jos Buttler all been dismissed early in their innings – as they so nearly were – the result might well have been different. One good game does not end the legitimate concerns about Cook’s – or Bell’s – form and there will be times, as the likes of Buttler, Moeen Ali and Sam Robson learn their trade at the highest level, when patience is required.But it would be wrong to dismiss England’s success as simply a change of fortune. From the moment Cook won the toss and elected to bat – a weaker captain would have put off his moment of truth and chosen to bowl first – England played positive cricket, with Ballance, Bell and Buttler providing acceleration with the bat; James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes providing probing seam bowling and Moeen effective spin. They deserved their win.It was a change of mindset rather than a change of tactics that was behind this performance. There was a little more belief, a little more intent, a little more enjoyment apparent in this side. While the impact of an energetic new keeper should not be underestimated – however raw Buttler’s keeping, there is nothing more dispiriting for a side than seeing edges dropped and Buttler held on to those offered to him – the key change was instigated by the coach, Peter Moores.Moores is still getting his feet under the desk in his second term as coach. Taking charge of this England team was akin to trying to turn an oil tanker. Defeat and disappointment was becoming so ingrained, that it was always likely to take a while to rediscover the energy and optimism that are the characteristics of the better sides.Moores, recognising this in the run-up to the Test, made a point of talking to several of the senior players and encouraging them to put the pain of Australia behind them and “reconnect” with the methods that first rendered them successful international players.Moores confident over Broad
Moores on Cook:
“As a captain, he had a very good game but also as a player. Interestingly, before the Test match, the tougher it got, the steelier Alastair tends to get. That’s part of his nature. He has worked hard on his game. He said at Lord’s that he felt it was getting better. But to see results on the pitch is really important.”
Moores on Broad:
“We’ve seen through the Test that Stuart has managed it [his knee] really well. It doesn’t mean it has gone away – it hasn’t – but we’ll continue to tackle it. We expect him to be fit for Old Trafford but, like all players, we must see how he reacts to the workload. He had a smaller workload in the second innings here so hopefully that will help.”
Moores on DRS:
“We’ve made our feelings clear. We would like to have DRS. And I think the umpires would say the same. But the lads have just accepted it. Credit to the players who have had some tough decisions: Gary Ballance has scored 200 runs in the game, but had two tough decision. It will be interesting over time whether India start to move with DRS or if it is taken out of their hands.”
Moores on Buttler:
“He had a great start. I enjoyed seeing how relaxed he was out there. The quality of his keeping was high and he obviously fitted in really well. We’re not going to get carried away – we know we have a lot more work to do.”
“When you are with players for a certain period of time, you get to know them a bit better,” Moores said. “One of the things that we were trying to move away from was a mindset that was more defensive, where you are just trying to hold on to things. When you are under pressure, there is always a danger that you are looking to be careful.”We’re trying to look to play cricket where you are on the front foot and you are trying to put people under pressure.”I think Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad were fantastic in this Test. They have reconnected to what the game is about: it’s about getting out there and playing for their country. I think that’s made a big difference. It’s certainly made a big difference to the whole bowling unit. On the last day, it was great to see us come out with the same level of intensity and create some theatre.”We have to find out as a team how we can apply pressure, how we can keep each other going and what makes people tick. When somebody gets a little down, how are we going to make sure we can pick him up?”The dressing room has never been dispirited. And I never expected it to be easy. But provided we have everybody totally committed and driving it forward, we will get to where we want to be.”Whether that last comment was a veiled reference to the decision to “move on” from Kevin Pietersen is open to debate. But Moores did reiterate that the new-look team would take time to build and asked for patience from England supporters who are understandably frustrated at the decline over recent months.”It’s a case of growing and understanding each other as a team,” Moores said. “It doesn’t matter what you do: if you put ten people together, they have got to get to know each other. It is the same as with a cricket team.”We know, because of so much change and so many new players, that we have to work really hard. This series is brilliantly poised but the development of a Test team takes time.We are rebuilding, no doubt, and at times we will get things wrong.”But I’m hoping the public are getting excited about some new faces and the development of a new team. That might mean that results are a bit up and down but, providing they see the right level of commitment and the talent that is coming to fruition, that is where we will try to get to.”