Most of this was written before the world cup so if it doesn’t make sense in places that’s probably why.
1. Bet the house on Buttler and build the team around him. Buttler is the best we’ve got and the best chance of a really outstanding ODI bat. At present he is batting 7. That’s too low and means he only has a limited impact on the match. It’s time to move him to 5 (or maybe 4) and let him play with freedom which should allow him to influence the match. I’d also probably relieve him of the wicketkeeping duties.
2. Get rid of the dead wood and don’t look back. This was a third world cup for Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara. Neither are worthy of three world cups. Both have progressed little over their ODI career and have failed in world cups. There is no point them sticking around for a fourth.
3. Think a little unconventional. The coaching staff is lacking diversity of cultures and skills. Sourav Ganguly spoke brilliantly about ODI batting and building an innings whilst doing some television during 2014. Getting in a former international player like Ganguly as an ODI consultant who has a different perspective to Moores, Fairbace et all should offer the batsman vital guidance.
4. Multi Purpose Cricketers. Ballance who is an average fielder and doesn’t bowl has to be exceptional with the bat. Gurney offered variation with the ball but it wasn’t good enough given he couldn’t field or bat. Players need to be excellent in their main discipline or offer more than just their primary suit. Woakes and Jordan are worth persevering with in the short term at least just for this reason. Not bits and pieces cricketers though- there has to be some potential for them becoming very good at a trait.
5. Linked to the last point, fielding is the easiest of the three disciplines to get right. Past couple of years England have amassed quite a few average fielders at different stages. The likes of Morgan, Root, Taylor, Roy, Stokes, Buttler, Bairstow, Jordan are very good fielders. England need to make sure they have enough quality fielders in their team. Too many average fielders like Hales, Ballance, Cook and Ali’s leave you vulnerable.
6. Don’t worry about defeats for the first couple of years. Starting with a young bunch of players will inevitably lead to some troubles. The world cup in 4 years should be the focus. Look to go in to that world cup with a core of players who have played 60 -150 games rather than the 10 or so that a few had this time.
7. Captaincy Issue. Ideally Morgan should continue as captain as long as his world cup isn’t awful. The team needs some stability and experience. He also has been a matchwinner and player of genuine quality in the past – even in that skill has eluded him as off right now. He also only plays ODI and T20 cricket so he doesn’t need to be rested at any point which is always a complication of being captain and playing 3 formats. If he fails at the world cup England have a tough choice. I wouldn’t want to put too much pressure upon a Buttler, Root or Taylor too young when they’re still trying to find their own games in ODI cricket but if teams have worked Morgan out and he isn’t going to improve he needs to go. I’d leave him in charge for a year and make a decision then in relation to the next world cup.
8. Small squads. 12 or maybe 13 man squads at home. Give players a series at a time so that they are relaxed and know they aren’t getting dropped the next game.
9. Bowling is extremely similar at present. Need variation. Unfortunately county cricket is very poor in that regards. May be dependent on whose inform at start of the season and most of these are really inexperienced but I would be looking at Mills (extreme pace and left arm), Topley(left arm, tall and good variations), Wood(pacey and skiddy), Dunn (pacey and skiddy), Rashid(leg spin), Willey(left arm new ball and good hitter with bat), Gregory (skiddy new ball skills, lower order batting). A few others who likely come into the equation later are Miles, Morris, J+C Overton, Curran and Stone. They need to find something different although they have to bear in mind the next world cup is in England.
10. Don’t discard the statistics but players need to be able to think on their think and read a match whilst they are out there. Match conditions are ever changing- react to them. Batting is about constantly reassessing the position you are in not following some preset notion of a good score.
11. The current team lacks leadership. The likes of Root, Buttler, Taylor, Ali, Woakes, Morgan need to get together between games without the coaching staff and discuss the game and mould the kind of team they want. They need to be strong enough (and the coaching to allow them) to make decisions off the cuff without the fear of reprisal.
12. Finally, aggression but smart aggression. Going out there and trying to hit 400 every time you bat is stupid. Players and staff need to take on board the criticism but they need to be smart enough and have the convictions of their beliefs to pick up the right advice and play the style of cricket that is best suited to the players at their disposal.
This summer I’d be picking from the following
Hales, Vince, Roy, Ali, Root, Stokes, Morgan, Taylor, Billings, Buttler, Bairstow, Jordan,Woakes, Gregory,Willey, Wood, Dunn, Mills, Topley, Finn, Rashid, Tredwell
They’ll lose a lot at first but the batting has enough potential to at least be capable fairly soon – and could be very good down the line. The bowling is weak and some of those listed are average and inexperienced at present but they’re the best we’ve got. Anderson and Broad shouldn’t play this year with all the test cricket they’ve got and indifferent form at the world cup. A year down the line we can look at their fitness levels and the performance of the bowlers over the year and make the decision with regards to the 2019 world cup.
2019 CWC – Lees, Roy, Root, Stokes, Buttler, Morgan, Billings, Willey, Wood, Mills, spinner
