Bell selection makes sense...

Monday was bittersweet for Ian Bell. Where the wretched Birmingham weather had contrived to dash any hopes he may have harboured of scoring the additional 24 runs required to ensure he became the first Warwickshire player to score a Test century at Edgbaston, the rather more soothing news that he had been restored to England’s One Day International side as an opener offered some consolation. 

Many, perhaps even Bell himself, had felt that the Warwickshire batsman’s limited overs career was all but over after being dropped prior to the Pakistan ODI series at the beginning of the year, a series in which England seemed to make great strides as they cantered to a 4-0 victory. 

So often Bell's ODI story...

Bell has been somewhat of an enigma in ODI cricket, yet whilst the England management’s multi-lingual talents have not been called upon they are hitherto to succeed in unravelling the mystery of how such a wonderfully gifted batsman has managed to muster such decidedly mediocre returns (how modern history might have differed had Chancellor Hitler been granted access to an Ian Bell). It will have been a source of great frustration. An average of 34.04 at a strike-rate of 73.31 in ODI’s, with one century and 19 half-centuries, does little to warm the cockles. 

Perhaps such underwhelming ODI returns can be ascribed to Bell’s key scoring areas being cut off. That delicious late cut to third man, cover drives not so much dripping with class as haemorrhaging and a crisp clip through the square-leg region have brought Bell considerable success in Test cricket, yet defensive field settings oft encountered during ODI’s tend to remove those from his spectrum. For a player that attains a high percentage of his runs in boundaries it presents a sizeable problem, much as Test wicket-keeper Matt Prior has discovered in the shorter formats of the game. 

As an opener, Bell’s prowess diminishes further (he has played 28 of his 108 ODI’s as an opening batsman), where his average reduces to 33 and his strike-rate to 70.69. Far from inspirational, yet if there is a place for Ian Bell in this side then it is limited to such a role. As opener, Bell has the freedom to play classically during the initial powerplay overs when the aforementioned scoring areas remain unattended, and possesses the lofted straight shots necessary to combat spinners outside of them. 

The wisdom of a top three containing Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott has been questioned in some quarters, and admittedly on paper looks to present all the aggression of a tranquilised kitten, but in those three batsmen England possess a solidarity that provides the perfect foil for their stylistic preference. Where many sides look to score heavily whilst fielding restrictions are in place, England appear to have reverted to the old fashioned ethos of building steadily and keeping wickets in hand for an assault at the death. A scrupulously ungenerous bowling attack renders this a possibility. It isn’t spectacular, it isn’t exhilarating, but if performances in the UAE are anything to go by, it is effectual and more importantly suits England’s personnel. 

So many doubts, yet Bell finds himself in sublime form. Averaging 111 in the recently concluded Test series against the West Indies, and with 82 runs to his name in the CB40 competition for Warwickshire just last month, confidence will be sky high. In fact, confidence will be rather fearful that a chap named Ian Bell is threatening to usurp it from its throne of haughtiness, thus ending a reign last interrupted by the mindset of Moses moments after his successful parting of the Red Sea. A new ball from either end should prove an advantage for Bell, too, where his sweet timing and placement ought to bring full value for his shots. 

There will be no more chances, though, should this latest experiment fail. Bell is not merely visiting Last Chance Saloon, rather embarking upon a desperate struggle to cling on to the bar rail as an irritated doorman hauls him out after receiving his ticket, but where stepping in to the shoes of the now retired Kevin Pietersen may once have rendered the unassuming Bell a mere rabbit in the headlights, and though his current record suggests otherwise, there is an inkling he may just prove a revelation.

ECB - What have you done?

I have been away for the past week sampling the delights of camping across various rain stricken sites in England and Wales, so you’ll hopefully forgive me for this rather late piece on the Kevin Pietersen retirement debacle. I must also apologise for another piece on the inventor of the switch-hit, alas it seems noteworthy occurrences and Mr Pietersen come very much as a package. I’m a huge fan of KP, and have made no bones about it in past articles, so you can only imagine my horror when after minutes twiddling thumbs as my ancient iPhone 3 strove heroically to gain a modicum of reception I was given the news by my trusty ESPNcricinfo app.

Twenty20 will miss the switch hit..

The One Day International retirement in itself wasn’t the cause of the horror. I saw that one coming, albeit perhaps twelve months or so down the line. Pietersen isn’t the first English cricketer to make noises suggesting that all is not well with the players when it comes to the deluge of 50 over cricket pencilled in to their calendars. The likes of Graeme Swann, another key performer across all three formats of the game, have mumbled their misgivings, and it is easy to sympathise given the vast amount of time spent away from their young families each year as they don the three lions in all corners of the world. It was the seemingly desperate handling of the situation by the ECB that provided the greatest cause for concern, not to mention blindingly obvious double standards.

The ECB inform us that their strategies across the two limited overs formats are closely aligned, and hence require the same personnel to be available for both. Despite being an utterly ludicrous statement, given that the difference between ODI’s and Twenty20 cricket is every bit as vast as the difference between Test cricket and ODI’s, do the ECB believe we have forgotten that, up until last year’s world cup, Andrew Strauss played ODI cricket despite having already announced his retirement from Twenty20 cricket?  Likewise, England’s ODI strategy is very much based around the solidarity of Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott at the top of their batting order, yet neither name features on England’s Twenty20 teamsheet. Players of such a style can find success in ODI cricket, but an ability to nudge the singles fetches little reward in the shortest format. Why, then, must Pietersen be available for both or none?

Have the ECB forgotten that Pietersen remains the number one ranked batsman in the world in Twenty20 cricket? Have they also, in their hour of lunacy, overlooked the fact that shorn of Pietersen (man of the tournament as England triumphed four years ago, lest we forget) England hold two hopes, slim and none, of retaining their world Twenty20 crown in Sri Lanka later this year? Oh, and in the words of boxing eccentric Don King, “slim’s outta town.” Without Pietersen, England’s side begins to look all too ordinary.

Pietersen retiring from ODI’s isn’t ideal - losing a world class player and your best batsman in each and every format never is - but the needs of the individual need to be considered. The ECB have shown appalling man management in issuing their abrupt ultimatum. The question of whether they would have acted similarly had it been another member of the side is a delicate one, but perhaps worth asking. Tensions do, after all, run high where the ECB and Kevin Pietersen are concerned. After a series of run-ins commencing with the captaincy and Peter Moores saga, through to a brace of confrontations over Pietersen’s use of the social networking site Twitter (he aimed a barb at the ECB after being dropped from the Twenty20 team to face Pakistan in 2010, and more recently was hauled over the coals for a slur against Sky commentator Nick Knight), and now a falling out over Pietersen’s participation in Twenty20 cricket after announcing his retirement from ODI cricket it would be of little surprise if the ECB were reaching the end of their tether as far as any dealings with the middle order batsman go.

What must be remembered, though, is that Pietersen has often been in the right throughout the aforementioned confrontations. Pietersen saw first-hand that Moores was not the right man to lead England forward, taking a risk that ultimately cost him his position as captain in order to voice his concerns. Since that moment England have enjoyed unparalleled success in the Test arena. Likewise, use of social networking sites is a touchy subject amongst many in the England camp, depending on who you speak to, and whilst players would perhaps do well to censor some of their innermost thoughts on such public platforms it would be wrong to discourage its use, within limits. Pietersen may yet also be in the right with regard to his ODI retirement. The ODI schedule for England’s cricketers, indeed worldwide, is hugely excessive. As players age their priorities will change, and it appears that Pietersen’s have now done so as he approaches his 32^nd birthday. As his team-mate Jonathan Trott says, it is of little surprise.

The worry now, of course, is how the ECB will deal with any future lulls in Pietersen’s Test form. Previously, with England’s tour of the UAE being a prime example, Pietersen was able to regain form after an abject Test series in the subsequent ODI series, where he scored back to back centuries. He will no longer have such a luxury. Could the forthcoming series against South Africa be Pietersen’s last for England? Given how the ECB have treated their premier batsman in this latest episode it would come as little surprise, should Pietersen fail to perform against the country of his birth.

England fans will hope that the differences can be reconciled between Pietersen and the ECB. After all, England needs Pietersen at both Test and Twenty20 level. It is disappointing to see one of England’s greatest middle order batsmen handed such an ultimatum but, regardless of the fallout, let us hope that it doesn’t contribute toward curtailing an already magnificent Test career. It isn’t just England that needs KP, it is the sport of cricket and the entertainment business that does, too.

India: Best in all Formats by 2016?

Browsing various cricketing websites and forums, an almost religious tendency of mine during any given day, I get the distinct impression that many Indian pundits and fans alike are a little ‘doom and gloom’, shall we say, concerning the future prospects of their side in Test cricket. Indeed, some maverick heathens have even gone so far as to suggest that India should treat the game’s longest format as somewhat of a sideshow to high octane limited overs competitions.

As reigning One Day International world champions, and with the ever burgeoning success of the Indian Premier League seemingly gaining precedence amongst a number of supporters, players and of course the money men, the question of whether India are going to be sufficiently equipped to compete in Test cricket in the long-term is a valid one.

Naturally, with the recent retirement of Test batting stalwart Rahul Dravid, and the looming departure of fellow living legends Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, there is every reason for concern amongst the Indian cricketing fraternity. Augment that with recent Test performances packing all the punch of an alcohol free cocktail in a straitjacket and one could be excused in forecasting a rather bleak outlook.

Virat Kohli - Budding Superstar

But is the situation really all that dire? In fact, given the wealth of talent consistently performing to remarkable levels in first class cricket, would it be too preposterous of me to suggest that it is well within India's capabilities to become the world’s greatest side in each and every format over the course of the next five years?

Batsmen possessing the unique obdurate technical and mental qualities of the likes of Dravid are born and not made, but within a fanatical cricketing nation whose booming population exceeds one billion the talent pool runs both wide and deep. The conveyor belt of Indian cricket has historically produced exceptionally talented batsmen, and that is one trend at least that appears unremitting. Where Indian cricket aficionados shudder at the very thought of the retirement of their golden generation of batsmen, I would point them in the direction of domestic run-scoring leviathans Ajinkya Rahane, averaging 68.47 in first class cricket, Rohit Sharma (63.52), Manoj Tiwary (61.07) and Cheteshwar Pujara (53.50). After all, a top seven of Gambhir, Rahane, Pujara, Sharma, Kohli, Tiwary and Dhoni possesses a look as formidable as a rampaging Indian elephant commandeered by a tiger blood infused Charlie Sheen, does it not?

The gulf between Test cricket and Indian domestic cricket may be akin to a child’s progression from Subbuteo to playground soccer, but such records are not attained through inconsiderable talent. Of course, other highly talented Indian youngsters, Suresh Raina being a prime example, have come unstuck on quicker overseas decks, but with youth and talent in abundance there remains significant cause for optimism. Batting aside, the fielding standards of the Indian Test team will also undoubtedly be raised by the inauguration of these children of the IPL revolution. Fast bowling, India’s perpetual deficiency, is still very much the quandary.  

Powered by the financial juggernaut that is the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Indian cricket certainly has the wherewithal to address such a problem, and indeed is already showing signs of doing so. Umesh Yadav, a genuinely express bowler capable of reaching speeds of 90mph, garnered some success during India’s recent humbling on Australian soil, despite at times looking as economically sound as a Greek investment banking group. Varun Aaron, another young speedster, has recently been introduced to ODI cricket and looks to be a real find. Add medium pacer Praveen Kumar, a canny swing bowler that stood out for India in the 2011 tour of England in to the equation and India have a perfectly capable battery of seamers to complement promising spin bowlers in Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

Consistency amongst India’s young seamers remains an issue, but sceptics should remember that the world’s two finest fast bowlers, Dale Steyn and James Anderson, did not find immediate success in their respective Test careers. In Yadav and Aaron in particular therein lies hope that a new breed of Indian fast bowler is arriving on the scene, and that money ploughed in to developing such bowlers by the BCCI is beginning to bear a rather wholesome fruit.

Amongst my suggestions I have of course neglected to mention current Test stars Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan. These two mercurial cricketers still have a significant role to play going forward, despite the advance of years, but if anything their omission here further highlights that India have greater strength in depth than those naysayers would have you believe.

England, South Africa and the re-emerging Australia will no doubt have something to say about India’s chances of ascension to the summit of world cricket, but one key element of my hypothetical Indian line-up is consistency. Those players listed possess the all-round skills required to succeed in each and every format of the game, ultimately creating the possibility of a situation where the Indian Test team mirrors the Indian Twenty20 team. Their adversaries have no such luxury, and it gives India a decided edge.

There are plenty of trials and tribulations ahead for India’s latest crop of hugely exciting youngsters, of that there is no doubt. Batsmen will need to adapt their technique for faster and swinging conditions, as the great Rahul Dravid did before them, and bowlers will need to alter their lines, lengths and variations to suit. India sit on the cusp of seeing another golden generation break through, and their emergence couldn’t be timelier if it’d come disguised as a Rolex watch.

Will they rule the cricketing world within five years? Only father time holds that answer, but contrary to the beliefs of a dispirited nation I for one envisage India being a considerable force for years to come. Like any new relationship, there may be doubts and hiccoughs along the way, but once the dust settles India should be feared once more.

That All-Rounder Conundrum...Again.

Amongst an array of wishful bordering on unrealistic thoughts entering my mind when pondering the ideal England bowling attack ahead of the UAE Test matches against Pakistan last month, that aged obsession with genuine all-rounder’s positioned its particularly haggard head at the forefront of my thoughts. It’s a bothersome swine, and it wasn’t to be shaken off. 

Talk of playing two spinners on the fast bowling graveyards (or so we thought beforehand, more on that later) of the UAE, twinned with England’s insistence on playing seven specialist batsmen, left the enduring concern that injury to one of the two front-line fast bowlers selected could see England quite literally cooked in the desert. If ever there was a need for a genuine all-rounder, equally adept with bat and ball, it was then. 

The all-rounder is of pedigree cricketing breed. Throughout the history of the sport we have marvelled at destructive fast bowlers, cunning spinners and artisan batsmen plying their trade, but do any of those truly capture the hearts and minds to the same effect as the elusive all-rounder that combines such traits so seamlessly? 

Many of the games deluxe moments have been fashioned by an all-rounder. Who can forget ‘Botham’s Ashes’ in ’81 or Sir Garfield Sobers’ annihilation of England in ’66? All-rounder’s possess the ability to influence the outcome in every aspect, to be the hero, and consequently have a propensity to be revered above all others. 

In the aftermath of the talismanic Andrew Flintoff’s retirement, a man so often called upon to bowl those extra overs in search of an all important wicket that perhaps ultimately cost him his career, England have demonstrated that life without an all-rounder is more bearable than many first conceived. Indeed, those supposedly benign pitches of the UAE proved moderately responsive to the new ball, and encouraged plenty of assistance for spin. In hindsight, an all-rounder wasn’t a necessity after all. 

That apparition of one of the two fast bowlers operating within a four man attack breaking down with injury and leaving England deep in the mire continues to nag, though. With tours to Sri Lanka and the Indian sub-continent looming on the horizon, locations where fast bowlers have historically toiled, the same question is soon to be resurrected. Of course, England's touring squad of Sri Lanka has already been announced, but with the next five years in mind it is a situation that will undoubtedly be revisited. 

Two front-line spinners will likely be deployed on such tours, and with even less assistance offered to the quick’s than in the UAE can England really risk it all with a mere four man attack once more? More importantly, should they opt for a five pronged attack, who are the candidates in contention to assume the all important mantle of all-rounder?

Tim Bresnan is perhaps the name that will be at the forefront of minds. A burly, bustling fellow averaging 23.60 with the ball in Test cricket, Bresnan holds the distinction of England having won every single Test in which he has played. With the ability to bowl a ‘heavy ball’ and extract reverse swing as the ball ages, Bresnan may prove to be an attractive proposition in sub-continental conditions. In addition, an average of 45.42 with the bat adds significant credence to his claims. 

Nottinghamshire all-rounder Samit Patel is another to have pressed his claims through a string of impressive recent performances in limited overs cricket for England. Boasting a healthy first class average of 41.11 with the bat, Patel offers England a further spin option in the form of his slow left arm bowling. Despite a third spin alternative perhaps being an attractive proposition to the England selectors on the dust bowls of Sri Lanka, it may well be that a rather mediocre first class bowling average of 37.77 proves too innocuous to thrust Patel to the vanguard of what is a competitive pack. 

Every selection debate should contain a wildcard, however, and one genuine all-rounder with a noteworthy claim of his own is Warwickshire’s Chris Woakes. Fans have seen but glimpses of Woakes in an England shirt to date, but if last season’s returns are anything to go by, that could soon be set to change. Having recently turned 23, Woakes holds a significant age advantage over his aforementioned rivals. More importantly, the Birmingham born youngster is rapidly improving and yet to reach his peak. 

Woakes in England ODI action

I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Woakes prior to the 2012 County Championship kicking off, and the Warwickshire man made all the right noises when asked about the possibility of forcing his way in to England’s plans. 

“2011 was an incredible year for me personally”, says Woakes when asked about his outstanding County Championship returns of 48.25 with the bat and 21.78 with the ball, “to better those in 2012 would be an amazing effort. I am hoping to be as good if not better with the bat in particular, and will hopefully continue my form with the ball. To better an average of 21.78 isn’t the easiest, is it?” 

He has a point, of course. Further reducing an already remarkable bowling average will take considerable skill and probably an element of luck, too. To put Woakes’ achievement in perspective, the current number one ranked Test bowler in world cricket, Dale Steyn, averaged 25.86 with the ball when playing in seven County Championship matches for Warwickshire in 2007. Indeed, Woakes is of the belief that division one of the English County Championship isn’t too far adrift of the standard of Test cricket. “I do believe I would make runs at that level, but obviously the England Test team are the best in the world at the moment, which makes it difficult to force your way in”, muses Woakes. “I feel that my batting has the potential to become more effective and allow me to bat higher up the order than just seven or eight.” 

Citing his recent tour of the sub-continent with the England Lions as a great learning curve in further developing his all-round game, Woakes adds “I want to improve as a bowler as well. I have worked on certain areas of my technique, and also my one day skills. Having spent a decent amount of time away in the sub-continent, working on facing spin with the bat and working on variations and reverse swing with the ball, I feel my game has progressed significantly since last summer.” 

Ask any Warwickshire member whether Woakes’ bowling is of the required standard for Test cricket and you will be met with an unequivocal ‘yes’, and likely a look of disbelief that you dared let the thought enter your mind at all. Yet it would seem that this view isn’t quite shared by some outside of Shakespeare’s county, with a number questioning whether Woakes possesses the necessary pace. I put this question to him, only to be met with an answer as rock solid as his finest forward defensive. “Look, I believe I am a very skilful bowler who can work out a batsman’s weaknesses and find a way to get them out. I also feel it is difficult to bowl flat out for a whole county season with the very heavy schedule. I am working on a few things to try and unlock a little bit of additional pace so hopefully these minor changes will prove beneficial,” he retorts. 

Another claim levelled at Woakes is that he is more suited to limited overs cricket; a statement rubbished by vastly superior statistics in the four day game. Woakes, though, feels that he can become an all-round all-rounder for England. “I think my statistics suggest that I am a very good four day player and enjoy that form of the game more, but my limited overs skills have definitely improved over the past twelve months. I think people feel my batting is more suited to the shorter form as I am capable of scoring runs quickly at any time during the innings” responds Woakes, “I feel I could offer more higher up the order, and hopefully that will happen.” 

Woakes undoubtedly remains an outside bet to make his England Test bow in 2012, though a repeat of last year’s performances would convert the current selection headache to a rather severe migraine. Whilst loathe to utter those infamous words ‘the next Botham’, there is one thing eminently clear: in Chris Woakes England have a young, ambitious and immensely talented all-rounder, and 2012 might just see his knocking at the door of England HQ begin to wrench a few of those stubborn hinges.

Have England learnt to play limited overs cricket?

England and ODI cricket are rather akin to politicians and honest expense claims; they rarely go together, are liable to embarrass and typically result in somebody getting the axe. Until now, that is.

From being perpetual whipping boys on the Indian sub-continent a mere three months ago, Captain Alastair Cook appears to have engineered a transformation that would earn a satisfied nod of approval from Optimus Prime himself.

Captain Cook - the right strategy

A cause for such a dramatic shift in the fortunes of this England ODI side is somewhat difficult to fathom; after all, it is almost the same set of players, and in similar conditions. Even more remarkable is the point that England entered the limited overs format on the back of a 3-0 hiding in the preceding Test series; an episode of cricket where each and every batsman appeared to be holding a HB pencil in place of a cricket bat, such was their ineptitude against the spin bowling of Pakistan.

Some will point to the fact that India are indeed world champions in the ODI format of the sport, in stark comparison to the middle of the road ranking currently held by Pakistan. Others will suggest that the absence of senior bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad throughout that forgettable tour drew England’s sting.

But what of strategy?

Much like Haile Gebrselassie deciding upon a whim to try and compete with Mr Bolt in the 100 metre sprint at the London Olympics, England have for years now attempted, rather fruitlessly, to adopt the philosophy of some of their adversaries when it comes to limited overs cricket. A new breed of big hitting opening batsmen, utilising brute strength to clear the in-field and indeed the boundary rope during the initial powerplay overs has seen the likes of West Indies’ Chris Gayle and Australia’s David Warner prove exceedingly destructive. Countless combinations of opening batsmen were tried and tested by England, ranging from the wild yahoos of Luke Wright to the current number six batsman Craig Kieswetter. None succeeded.

The whole tumultuous saga was akin to a twig being used as a battering ram: essentially made of the same stuff, but pathetically ineffective at emulating the real thing. Just as Gebrselassie is of insufficient build to harbour any hopes of competing in the 100 metre sprint, the same very much applies to England’s hopes of bootlegging a similar big hitting policy.

Indeed, it was perhaps for this reason that the appointment of Captain Cook was met with a fair degree of scepticism by the brainwashed cricketing public. After interminably being told that the key to success in an ODI was to get off to a flying start with big hitting batsmen leading the way, questions were inevitably asked as to why England’s selectors had appointed an opener with a distinct lack of flamboyancy as captain, thus making his inclusion inevitable.

How times change. Since that moment Cook has scored runs aplenty, with an overall strike rate not too far shy of a run a ball; and all with conventional cricket shots, too. No slogging from this opener, he is an Englishman, he will play cricket how Englishmen should play cricket, not in this uncouth anti-establishment manner being so distastefully demonstrated elsewhere on this planet. Huzzah!

In all seriousness, Captain Cook has indeed steered the good ship HMS England clear of the rocky waters of brute strength bay, guiding her in to the rather more serene harbour with a firm hand, and always leading from the prow. On the proviso of making a steady start to an innings, keeping wickets in hand and looking to gradually increase the run rate as the innings progresses, England have finally stumbled upon a strategy that they actually appear comfortable implementing.

It might be ‘old fashioned’ and somewhat less entertaining to the modern cricket fanatic, but sport is mostly about winning, right? By reverting to the more traditional method of setting about building an ODI innings, have England finally got their limited overs tactics right and resurrected what has historically been an abysmally inconsistent outfit to put them in with a chance of winning the next World Cup, or will they find themselves left behind by their rather more adventurous rivals? Or am I just being typically English and getting ludicrously carried away by one small dose of success?

A rare treat for English spectators!

English spectators were handed a treat about as rare as a steak tartare chilled by the trailing ice of Halley’s Comet out in Dubai today. Scratch that, two treats: a Kevin Pietersen One Day International century, his first since November of 2008, and an English run chase that allowed fingernails to remain fully intact.

Losing the toss for the first time in this four match series, England captain Alastair Cook saw his opposite number Misbah ul-Haq opt to bat first, leaving England with a potentially tricky run chase that evening under the ‘ring of fire’ of lights in the Dubai Sports City stadium.

Despite a flying start from Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Farhat, it was once again the 22 year old Steven Finn that proved the scourge of the Pakistani batting line-up, removing both openers in convincing fashion either side of Stuart Broad seeing Azhar Ali caught behind by Craig Kieswetter when playing a ghastly stroke away from his body as a mini collapse ensued. Misbah came and went, presenting Graeme Swann with a sharp catch at first slip off the bowling of Broad, before Asad Shafiq suffered a rather unfortunate run-out as his grounded bat rebounded off the surface following a desperate dive for safety right at the moment that Craig Kieswetter whipped off the bails. A cruel blow for Pakistan, and due to perhaps the harshest rule in the cricketing book.

At 97-5 Pakistan were teetering precariously on the brink of capitulation, but a measure of serenity was to be restored by the unlikeliest of candidates. Umar Akmal, a youngster of prodigious talent and perhaps too low in the order at number six, combined with the impulsive Shahid ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi to put on a measured 79 runs for Pakistan’s sixth wicket and leave them with a fighting chance of staying in the series. Afridi had his moments, as ever, hoisting an enormous six in to the stands off the bowling of Swann, but proceeded to construct a mature innings few observers perceived the modern Afridi capable of accomplishing.

With Pakistan having passed 175 with ten overs remaining in the innings, hopes were rekindling of posting a competitive total; the destructive Akmal and Afridi waiting to go ballistic at the death. England’s two senior pace men, Stuart Broad and James Anderson, soon returned to put paid to such optimisms however, removing the Pakistani duo within two overs of each other to reduce Pakistan to 180-7. A late cameo from the big hitting Umar Gul took Pakistan to 222 all out from 50 overs, a total looking significantly sub-par given the way the pitch had played throughout the innings.

KP - First ODI ton in 37 innings

In response, England’s opening pair arrived at the crease amidst vastly different circumstances. Talk of Alastair Cook becoming the first England batsman to hit three successive ODI centuries met the captain’s arrival, whilst rumour of his place in the England ODI setup being under threat greeted the entrance of former captain Kevin Pietersen. Such aspersions were soon cast aside, as something resembling the Pietersen of old utilised deft footwork combined with powerful strokeplay; the highlight being a monstrous straight six off the bowling of off-spinner Hafeez, deposited well beyond the sightscreen. Despite being dropped on 45 as Azhar spilled a hard, flat pull in the deep, the intent never wavered.

Captain Cook played a blinder of his own, cutting and pulling with emphatic majesty as he scored heavily square of the wicket. Hopes of making history with a third successive century were dashed when on 80, however, as Cook feathered the thinnest of edges through to Adnan Akmal off the bowling of Pakistan’s destroyer-in-chief Saeed Ajmal. The fall of the first wicket, with England handsomely set on 170-1, saw the promotion of the recently hapless Eoin Morgan to number three ahead of Jonathan Trott; a ploy no doubt for the unorthodox left hander to regain a modicum of confidence following a rotten run of form. Utterly bamboozled by the trickery of Ajmal at first, Morgan eventually found his feet, hitting straight boundaries that included a sumptuous maximum over long on off the bowling of his tormentor Ajmal.

The moment of the match, though, was reserved for Pietersen. Under pressure and without a ODI century in over three years, England’s ‘gun’ player looked back to his best as he moved effortlessly through the nervous 90’s before tucking an Aizaz Cheema delivery off his hips for the two runs that saw him reach three figures. Cue an extravagant fist pump and a flourish of the bat to all corners of the ground; the big man was back in business. Finishing the innings 111 not out with a powerfully driven boundary, thus giving England a nine wicket win and rare series victory in Asia, Pietersen silenced many a critic that felt his place in the England ODI setup to be undeserved.

Remarkably, with Pietersen opening the innings in ODI cricket, England have seen opening stands of 68, 91, 1, 57, 67 and 170. After umpteen opening partnership combinations in recent years, perhaps in the stoic Cook and the flamboyant Pietersen England have stumbled upon a pair in which success can be found.

A 3-0 Test series ‘greenwash’ hurt England, but some solace will doubtless have been found with this convincing series win, one that they will be looking to make a whitewash of their own when the sides meet again in the same stadium on Tuesday. That their batsmen appear to be learning how to play spin properly so late in this tour will come as little comfort for the Test series humbling, but it does make one wonder if the Test series result would have been the same had the ODI series been scheduled first. Either way, what odds would have been given for a Pakistan Test series clean sweep and an England limited overs brushing, I wonder?

MasterChef bucking the trend...

Admittedly, the finished product is more beans on toast, perhaps with a sprinkle of Lea & Perrins, than the comparative basque piparade likely to be served up by many of his opposite numbers, but this chef’s dish of choice requires only a small glug of water to help it down before you realise that it satisfies every bit as much.

In the age of the swashbuckling, gun slinging limited overs opening batsman, the appointment of Alastair Cook as England One Day International captain was met with a fair degree of scepticism by a number of fans, members of the media and former players alike. Not only was Cook too much of a plodder himself, at that time averaging a shade over 30 with a ponderous strike rate of 68, but the thought of a mid-powerplay partnership involving he and Jonathan Trott was considered to be akin to a sign of impending apocalypse; the type of dreary bore fest that may even see one Geoffrey Boycott calling for a switch hit.

Cook has adapted to the ODI game

With significant onus on ‘Chef’ to prove them wrong, the Essex opener has proceeded to do so in a manner that even the most ardent of Cook aficionados could never have envisaged.

Disparate to football, the garb of a cricket captain sees no embellishment of rank, yet the physical and mental changes wrought in Cook’s limited overs batting since presiding over the ODI captaincy have revealed abundantly more than a mere gesture of status ever could. Most importantly, his statistics whilst captain show a far more impressive average of 55.93, with an adventurous strike rate comfortably in excess of 90 runs per 100 balls. Secondly, Cook has shown that the crash bang wallop model of opening batsmanship, a prerequisite for Twenty20 cricket, is not necessarily applicable to the 50 over format. Knowing your strengths, subtly manoeuvring the field and playing risk free strokes can still lead to success, it would seem.

On his way to becoming the first England captain to score successive ODI centuries whilst plundering 102 runs against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi today, a fixture which England won by 20 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 series lead, Alastair Cook must surely now have silenced those rather more vocal doubters. Showing that there is still most definitely room for the more classical opener in ODI cricket, Captain Cook will have pleased a few purists along the way.

Thankfully for England, the side in world cricket most notorious for their failure to clear the ropes inside the first ten overs of an ODI powerplay, that old adage of building a platform before hitting out late on with wickets in hand can perhaps still prove to be a successful strategy, particularly with a batsman of Alastair Cook’s considerable class at the helm.

You'll not see nothing like the mighty Finn...

Steven Finn began his England career back in March of 2010 at Chittagong, taking a wicket in each innings on his way to match figures of 2-97 against lowly Bangladesh; an unobtrusive international bow by any strike bowlers standards.

As a tall, rangy fast-medium seamer clocking speeds in the mid-eighties the Middlesex youngster didn’t prove much of a revelation for an English cricketing nation that was on the lookout for their next serial speedster. Despite his rather more impressive returns in two home Test matches against the same opponents of 15 wickets at an average of 17.87, Finn remained a raw talent with wicket taking ability but a tendency to lack control.

In the aftermath of those series, opinion on Finn was split. A genuine wicket taker that is worth the additional runs he would concede, proclaimed some; a tad too expensive for Test cricket, contended others.

Steven Finn - The real deal?

England's selectors, it transpires, sided with the others. Nevertheless, no secret was made of the faith that was held in the promise of this 6ft 7” seamer, and the precautionary measure of safeguarding an earmarked future star against the type of stress injuries that so often plague a young body put through the rigours of fast bowling was henceforth adopted.

Off Finn went, tasked with undertaking a strength and conditioning programme made to measure by England's fitness gurus, and as a result being declared unavailable for upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh and Australia, just as it seemed he might be finding his size 12 feet on the international stage.

When questioned as to the benefits of such a programme, Finn responded saying “it makes you more robust.” Cue jokes from England’s inexorable jester, Graeme Swann, leading to the off-spinner even holding a Twitter competition for his followers entitled ‘what is Steven Finn as robust as?’ Rather amusingly, the winner’s entry answered ‘relatively robust compared to Humpty Dumpty in a mosh pit.’

Jokes and criticism of his removal from the front line aside, however, Finn was soon to show that this was no yarn, with the discernible change in pace and accuracy wrought since undergoing the strength and conditioning regime proving nothing short of remarkable.  Accuracy, it can be argued, comes with experience and endless practice, but to have reached a point where speeds of 95mph have been recorded from his bowling fully vindicates the decision made by England’s management.

Following England’s resounding clattering of India in the late English summer of 2011, a Test series where he was overlooked in favour of Tim Bresnan, Finn might have been forgiven for wondering when his next opportunity in an England shirt would materialise. He wasn’t to wait long however; with James Anderson being rested for the subsequent ODI tour of India Finn played in all five defeats in what was a disastrous series for the tourists.

Ironically, it was that very trouncing by the world's then number one ODI side that was arguably the announcement of Finn’s true arrival on the world stage. Emphatically waving goodbye to the fast-medium mediocrity with too many a ‘four-ball’ thrown in, the reinvented Finn bowled with express pace, hostility and consistency on batsmen friendly pitches, ultimately leaving India as perhaps the one England player to emerge with their reputation enhanced.

Finn’s latest act of speed induced carnage saw Pakistan on the receiving end this afternoon, blowing away their top order and almost single-handedly reducing their run chase to mere rubble in the Abu Dhabi desert, on his way to career best ODI figures of 4-34 as England romped home to a resounding 130 run win.

A true measure of Steven Finn’s progress will ultimately be taken inside the Test arena, as and when his next call arrives. After acquiring a pronounced deal of control to compliment his new found wheels, such an opportunity should not be long in coming, and the addition of a genuinely fast bowler to the already sublime England bowling ranks will not be welcomed by their rivals, one would imagine.

English fans have heard a fair bit of noise from their Australian adversaries of late regarding their own young speedsters in Pat Cummins and James Pattinson, but based on recent performances England have a future superstar to match them all in the mighty Finn.