Reverse Swing

It takes some time to get used to the idea of winning a ODI series in Australia, but it’s generally a good feeling. Today in Sydney, it was the pleasure of watching Plunkett and Mahmood’s improvements as bowlers as the weather provided some seaming conditions. Suddenly, England has an attack with these two backed up by Flintoff, and with Panesar spinning and Dalrymple and Collingwood providing the pace off the ball stuff. The latter of course somehow managed to out-shine even his own recent efforts, top-scoring with 70, a couple of wickets, and somehow contriving to provide a clone of himself at backward point when Dalrymple took a stunning left-handed catch.

But of course the real pleasure of today has been gently pissing on the parade, and in particular on the script of the Commonwealth Bank series, designed to celebrate yet another Australian triumph. The king-size cheques and the trophy which resembles something used by an illegal car-clamper in Deptford, and Ponting promising to win it for the Commonwealth Bank next year, showed how a genuine contest like the Ashes doesn’t need hype like this.

Talking of hype the last thing England need at the moment is the English media talking up the team’s chances. It’s good to win against Australia three times on the trot but the team is some way from achieving the consistent levels of performance needed for success in the World Cup. For at start they need to do some work on the problem of run-outs.

While I’m not quite at the stage of thinking that England may have a chance of becoming the first overseas side to beat Australia in a ODI series in Australia since who knows when it’s good to enjoy success for a moment or two. I may write to John Buchanan pointing out that the inadequacy of the Australian bowling attack is interfering with England’s World Cup preparations, but then again we all know ODI cricket is not that significant in the great scheme of things.

What I am enjoying are the performances of Collingwood. Successive centuries, some excellent take the pace off the ball bowling and his athleticism in the field make him a fine cricketer, far more than a useful one-day player.

I’m also pleased for him because he’s been blamed in some quarters in southern England for losing the Ashes, for his obdurate 22 n.o. at Adelaide and for making Shane Warne angry with his sledging. ( His detractors also seem to forget his double-century in the first innings at Adelaide.) It’s largely been down to his gritty excellence that England are now in the position they are. And suddenly, overnight, very discreetly the prospects for the next few months are considerably brighter.

I’d like to think it was the tide turning for the England team but in reality it was New Zealand who threw this one away. Plunkett and Mahmood gifted them a fine start with the former spraying the white new ball for wides and the latter well, just loose. ( The problem for England is that their more experienced international bowlers don’t do the ODI stuff and Harmison and Hoggard were probably watching it at home with the rest of us.)

While Fleming scored a century he never approached fluency, and his run out of Taylor, when they were moving along was a key turning point. Other than Taylor and Vincent there was little support.

For England the work was done by Collingwood with his 106 off 121 balls and a tidy 2-46 off ten overs.

It’s too early to call this an England revival – the wides, the not backing up when fielding were all irritants – but in the context of the last few months in Australia it was almost stirring stuff.

While it was good to see England finally win a game in Australia, the best part was that they showed some character. When Symonds wandered out of his ground and Nixon lobbed the ball at the stumps and hit Symonds who slapped the ball away something was said. It took you back to how England played in 2005 with Jones’ shy at Hayden and Harmison hitting Ponting in the first test. It’s the kind of spirit and aggression that’s gone walkabout for England in this series, and while its return may be late it demonstrated that they’re still capable of playing with some passion.