Tuesday 23 August 2011

How England rated against India

Another superb performance in a Test series by England as they whitewashed India 4-0 and with it became the world's best Test side.

With everybody chipping in, whether with a bucket full of wickets or a "daddy" hundred, England put on another run of excellent team performances. Taking 20 wickets over and over again and posting three scores over 500 in just 6 innings show what a fantastic all-round team they are. However some players stood out amongst the rest.

Andrew Strauss (captain) - 6

Failed to make the impact at the top of the order that he would have liked. However he did score 229 runs at an average of 38 which won't disappoint him too much, although he only passed 50 once with a top score of 87 at Edgbaston. With a long time off now for the skipper he will put in a lot of hard work before a tough 2012 fixture list for England. Rating of 6 instead of 5 due to his excellent captaincy leading England to a 4-0 whitewash.

Alastair Cook - 7

An ordinary series at best for Alastair Cook however he did fill his boots at Edgbaston as he batted longer than any other England player except for Len Hutton as he made a mammoth 294 runs setting up a massive England victory. Will be hoping to carry this kind of performance into the one day series. Scored more than his skipper in just one innings hence the extra point.

Jonathan Trott - 4

Started with a lovely 70 at Lord's however didn't trouble the scorers in his next three knocks. Picked up an injury so did not feature again in the series and his fourth innings can be discounted due to his injury. Previous form will guarantee him in the team against Pakistan in January and will push Bell back down to 5.

Ian Bell - 9

Fantastic year and series for Ian Bell. Proved he can do it against the 'best' side in the world, although India's bowling was at best of county class. Proved he is now one of England's best batsman and will look to keep his place for many years. Two huge centuries, the second of which was a double and while batting at his preferred number 3 position, although he had never scored a century in that position before - has now proved many wrong that he can bat up the order when England need runs. Misses out on a perfect 10 due to his mistake in the run-out controversy at Trent Bridge.

Kevin Pieterson - 9

A fantastic series along with Ian Bell. After a couple of ordinary years for England Kevin Pieterson he has finally rediscovered his form which made him one of Test crickets most feared batsman. A hard-grafted 100 at Lord's before racing through the gears to make 202 not out and showing why he is so important to England when they need to score quickly - the first 100 showed how he can bat for the team and not for his ego. Two 60's and a thoroughly entertaining 175 at The Oval put Pieterson on par with Ian Bell.

Eoin Morgan - 5/6

A useful 70 to put England in control at Trent Bridge. Excellent against spin bowling however question marks are still there when he faces quality seam bowling. Still has a few critics and a lot of people still to convince he is of Test quality in 2012. Hasn't cemented his place at number 6 yet - especially if England decide to have a 5 man attack with 2 spinners next year on the sub-continent. Matt Prior has enough quality to bat at 6.

Ravi Borpara - 4

Came in for the injured Jonathan Trott however had to bat at number 6. With so much class above him he  did not have much chance to prove he can play at Test level - he is quickly running out of chances. All eyes were on him at Edgbaston he failed with just 7. Did however make an untroubled 44 at The Oval. Wasn't given a chance to show he can fulfil Paul Collingwood's role with the ball.

Matt Prior - 8

271 runs at 68 only tell part of the story for the worlds best wicket-keeper batsman. Steered England out of trouble at Lord's with a well timed 100. His keeping was worlds above his opposite number however let himself down when he didn't appeal for a stumping against Sachin Tendulkar and dropped the same man on 85.

Tim Bresnan - 9

Showed what a fantastic all-rounder he now is. Smashed 90 and took 5-48 to help England smash India on day 4 at Trent Bridge. Followed this up with another 50 and 9 wickets in the last 2 Tests. Also has a Test record of played 10 won 10. This series should have guaranteed his place in the England team next year.

Stauart Broad - 10

England's man of the series. Few would have expected this considering he couldn't buy a wicket against Sri-Lanka earlier in the summer. Showed he is Andrew Strauss's strike bowler and not the short pitched enforcer that he was becoming. Started with a duck and a wide, however pitched the ball up with pace and swing which meant he finished the series as the leading wicket taker - 25 wickets at an average of 13 and scored 182 runs at 60.

Graeme Swann - 6

Did very little on unfriendly spin pitches in the first three Tests. This was not a problem for England as their three man seam attack was finding taking 20 Indian wickets extremely easy. Showed why he is the worlds best spin bowler at the moment with a match winning performance when England needed it most on day 5 at The Oval which gives him a generous 6.

James Anderson - 8

21 wickets at just under an average of 26, however was over-shadowed by Broad and Bresnan. Took a five-wicket haul at Lords and showed that he is still England's most reliable and consistent bowler.

Chris Tremlett - 4

Just one Test before injury forced him to sit on the sidelines for the remainder of the series. Height and bounce always gives him an advantage, however the performance of Broad and Bresnan will make breaking back into the team for next year very difficult.


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