The one-day revolution

About fifteen months ago, England were being knocked out of the ODI World Cup. Another international tournament had come around, and once again England were left chasing the big boys, playing in slow motion as the game had whizzed on ahead of them. The cricket was bland and unexciting, even though the players had the talent to be anything but. Talk of the numbers and par scores seemed to take precedence over the the team's own freedom to attack and express themselves.

Watching England now still almost feels difficult to believe, like if you pinch yourself you might wake up from the dream. There has never been a huge change in personnel - though of course some new faces came in - but the change in attitude has been dramatic. Getting to 300 with the bat no longer feels like a rarity, more like a minimum. England made 324 in the last match and it still felt like they hadn't fully hit their stride. Gone are that team that looked so far behind the times at the 2015 World Cup, with no freedom, joy, or attack. That team lives in the past. The new England are here to stay.

And sure, it's not all been plain sailing. Series losses to Australia in South Africa show that it's still a learning curve, the latter especially an example when they let the series slip from their grasp after taking a 2-0 lead. The first ODI of this series too, showed that the threat of the traditional English batting collapse hasn't disappeared - though a brilliant game of cricket with a thrilling finale, it was still a match where England snatched a tie from the jaws of defeat of a match they should have won. At times it can be that there's just that extra maturity lacking - knowing when to hold back a little and not be gung-ho all the time, or with what approach to take when bowling. But maturity comes with experience, and experience comes with time, and a young team should have plenty of time on its side.

Perhaps Sri Lanka weren't the strongest side, and they have certainly endured a torrid tour. Injuries haven't helped them, and neither has a lack of match practice in English conditions. It was always going to be difficult post-Sangakkara and post-Jayawardene, but there are still shoots of hope. Mathews and Chandimal shared several partnerships worth over fifty, scoring three and four fifties apiece. Kusal Mendis also looked very promising early on in his international career. But the wickets would often come at the wrong times, and just at the moment when Sri Lanka wanted to be gearing up for the back end of the innings, they had to play themselves in again and England could apply the pressure.

After the first match, England just made batting look easy. In the second game, Sri Lanka saw their total of 254 chased down in only 34 overs, Roy and Hales both making centuries without losing their wickets. After a washout, game four brought another century for Jason Roy - 162 runs, just five short of England's record held by Robin Smith. Roy was brilliant, and if he didn't quite find his fluency during his first year in the England team, he's certainly found it now. Smith's record might not be lasting for very much longer. There were fifties too for Root, his typical way of getting runs before anyone notices; Buttler - a 93 that held the innings together in the first match, then a thrilling 70 in the last; and one for Woakes, the key man in the opening tie with 95* before Plunkett's six off the last ball stole the headlines. James Vince also chipped in with a fifty in the final match after coming in for Hales, a first international fifty that will surely give a confidence boost after a difficult test series.

England were on top with the ball, too. Bowling in ODIs is never an easy - or enviable - task, but England did enough to impress. Plunkett and Willey topped the wicket taking charts with ten each, whilst Rashid and Woakes had economies under five for the whole series. England might not know their best bowling attack, and in any case, rotation will always be a factor with others such as Stokes, Finn, Wood, and Topley absent in this series. Here though they struck a good balance - the left arm swing of Willey, the aggression of Plunkett, the pace and consistency of Woakes, and the legspin of Rashid.

Certainly, this England team is more exciting than ever before. And maybe even better than ever before as well, or at least the best England ODI team there's been in recent years. They've made it fun to watch their one day cricket again, something they didn't particularly do before - instead it was more often with a resigned sigh. It was hard to get excited about England's chances when they never valued the game in the way of other countries, but since Strauss took the job at the top every format is a priority, and there has been a focus on one day cricket that was never there before. And it's paying off. England's ODI revolution is going strong. 

World Twenty20 reflections

Four balls, four sixes. The final was over, just like that. A final full of twists and turns; ups, downs, and ups again; forty overs filled with drama. England found themselves in a strong position with the West Indies needing 19 runs from the last six balls, but Carlos Brathwaite only needed four of those to pull off a spectacular win. It was one of those brilliant, freakish innings that you can't count on to happen, and yet happen they do. England, and especially the bowler Ben Stokes, were left heartbroken. For the West Indies, it was time to celebrate.

But as painful as that final turned out to be, to finish the tournament as runners up is still a great achievement for this very young England side. It was a team that had made tonnes of progress over the past year, but over which there were still plenty of questions to be answered, plenty of new tests to be had. It was a team with minimal experience of playing in India, and a side that still seemed to be searching for its best eleven. It was a team filled with the optimism of youth and promising results over the past year, but whose confidence might easily have been dented by a Twenty20 series defeat in South Africa, with many also involved as a 2-0 lead was surrendered in the ODI series. It was a team that had the potential to do something, but just as much potential to crash out in dramatic fashion.

And after a game and a half, it was the latter that seemed the most likely outcome. An opening loss to a Chris Gayle-inspired West Indies, and the tall task of chasing down 230 against South Africa. The tournament had barely begun and England were already facing an uphill task to make it through to the next stage.

But there was Joe Root, and Jason Roy, and Jos Buttler. The total was, unbelievably, chased down. That mantra of no fear, to always play with confidence and aggression, didn't look quite so foolish as it sometimes could. This was a team that backed themselves, a team on the up. They stumbled against Afghanistan but they still came on through, then delivered two of their best and most complete performances in matches against Sri Lanka and New Zealand - the first an effective knock out game, the second being the semi final.

The players were coming through, making their mark on the big stage. The ones you'd expect - Joe Root and Jos Buttler making key innings with the bat, Ben Stokes taking on key overs at the death. And then those perhaps less heralded faces. Chris Jordan, often maligned, but who has turned into England's main man with the ball at the death of an innings. Liam Plunkett, in and out of the side, but becoming England's most economical bowler once he found his way back in. David Willey, England's leading wicket taker who earned a spot in the team of the tournament. Jason Roy was another rising England star who made that team (Root and Buttler being the other England men), his innings of 78 against New Zealand being a particular highlight.

The final, well, it was a bit of a rollercoaster. 23/3 down in the powerplay, a recovery led by Root and Buttler, then further stumbles, comebacks, and stumbles. 155/9 was a total that didn't quite look enough, but at the same time a decent total considering the start they made. And it looked a better total after Joe Root - of all people - opened the bowling and dismissed both openers Johnson Charles and Chris Gayle. England were taking wickets and keeping things tight, but they couldn't budge Marlon Samuels, his 85* keeping West Indies in the game. But still, with 19 required from the last six balls, England had to be the favourites. Then there was Carlos Brathwaite.

Ben Stokes will be hurting after that final, after that over. But it's what sport is about: those amazing moments for one team that are so heartbreaking for the other side; those setbacks and how the person responds. Stokes has already had his share of setbacks in his brief career, and still has come back to do brilliant things. And I would back him again, he will learn from this experience and come back stronger.

Yet still, England can be proud of their performance in this tournament. For an unfancied, unproven team to get to the final - and come so close to winning the thing - is still an achievement, and bodes well for the future. There might still be some maturity to learn, but already they are showing the potential to beat anyone and challenge at the top. And if you compare the team now to how they were after the 50 over World Cup, things are almost unrecognisable. What a difference a year makes. Hopefully the upward curve will only continue.

Building a dynasty

Normally on this blog the focus is on the international game, but today I'm turning my attention to county cricket. As a Yorkshire supporter, naturally I've been delighted with the course of the past two seasons as they have become the standout side and have - this year especially - won the County Championship in a dominant fashion. What's more is that it feels like it could just carry on and on, the team looking to have the right blend of youth and experience, and the right mentality and hunger, to rule the county scene over the coming years.

This year's Championship victory has been even more impressive than the last. Several players that were so crucial to the win last year have only played a limited role this time round; the effect of Yorkshire's win last year being to propel several further into the England reckoning. Adam Lyth - last year's PCA Player of the Year after scoring 1489 runs - has featured in only six matches for Yorkshire this year, his form also having taken a hit when available. Adil Rashid has also featured just six times - another blow to lose someone of his all round talents. Jonny Bairstow has featured only eight times through international call-ups, whilst injuries also restricted Ryan Sidebottom to nine games and saw him absent from the early stages of the season. Form with the bat has also at times been an issue - where 2014's win was often founded on a strong opening partnership between Lyth and Lees, this year Lees hasn't always found the same form he did in the previous campaign, and in general runs at the top haven't been as easy to come by.

But there's always been a player to step up at the key time. Jonny Bairstow may have only played eight matches in this campaign so far (with one match still to come), but his form has been nothing short of sensational. 1071 runs at an average over 100, with five centuries and five fifties. His runs often came at key moments: against Middlesex at Headingley where he was the only one to pass twenty, making 125*; 219* in Durham, a record partnership with Tim Bresnan (169*) that took Yorkshire from 191/6 to 557/6 declared; and 108 out of 213 at Edgbaston, to name just a few telling contributions. Of course, he wasn't the only one to step up. Jack Leaning made most of his runs in the early stages of the season, a time when bowlers often rule and batsmen struggle. Tim Bresnan has had his best season with the bat yet, with two centuries and an average over fifty, taking extra all-round responsibility in the absence of Rashid. And at crucial moments, players would deliver. Take Maxwell and Rashid against Durham at Scarborough - a low scoring game with first innings scores of 162 and 156. Yorkshire fell to 79/5 in their second innings, but the two then shared a 248 run stand as Yorkshire won by 183 runs. From then, Yorkshire were pretty much uncatchable.

It's the bowlers, though, who deserve the most praise. You need only look at the results to see the impact they've had. Worcestershire all out for 100, Hampshire for 143, Warwickshire 69, Durham 156, Somerset 110 and 155. In the match where Yorkshire claimed the title, Middlesex were three down inside the first over (though in an extraordinary match, they did pull off a stunning win). Bowlers have run rampant throughout the summer. When talking on Sky the other day, Brooks said that whoever had the ball in his hand was the leader of the attack - and with performances like we've seen it's not hard to believe it. Sidebottom, at 37 years old, has taken 40 wickets from nine games at an average of 17.07, while Brooks leads the wicket chart with 59 scalps. Both Bresnan and Patterson have hit the 40 mark too. Yorkshire have the luxury of rotation as well - when not on international duty, Plunkett can fit in, and the 17 year old Matthew Fisher is also well trusted to do a job. Young all rounder Will Rhodes can also come on and pick up a few. With spin, when Rashid is unavailable, James Middlebrook has been called upon - coming out of near-retirement to return to the club where he began, and taking a more than useful 17 wickets at an average just under 26. There are always options.

It's a victory founded in part on the strength of the Yorkshire academy, more than ever looking like a production line of budding England players. But more than anything, it's founded in spotting talent and backing it all the way. Players have come from outside the system and flourished - like Plunkett, who has rebuilt himself and is a regular name around the England sides once more, and players like Jack Brooks and Gary Ballance further examples. Young players are given responsibility - Alex Lees filling in at times as captain, only 22 years old; and other youngsters like Leaning (21) and Rhodes (20) backed to do a job with the bat. With the international experience of regulars like Sidebottom and Bresnan; overseas stars like Pujara, Maxwell, Finch (and in the previous year, Kane Williamson); and players regularly in the England side like Root, Ballance, Bairstow (among others) - it must be a brilliant environment for a young player learning their game to be in. Jason Gillespie, Martyn Moxon, and the rest of the staff and players have created a culture of success and a winning mentality, and the players are thriving.

There's still room for improvement. The success of the Championship is yet to transfer to the shortest form, something both Yorkshire and Gillespie are desperate to make more of a statement in. Though they reached the semi-finals of the fifty overs tournament this year, they put in a disappointing performance in losing to eventual winners Gloucestershire; whilst in the Twenty20 Cup they failed to progress past the group stage. Over the winter, Gillespie shall be coaching in the Big Bash and hoping to expand his Twenty20 knowledge, whilst David Willey has already been signed for Yorkshire next year - a definite statement about Yorkshire's desire for a limited overs trophy. It looks a signing to benefit both sides - Willey surely to benefit from playing in the first division and alongside another highly successful left-armer in Sidebottom, whilst his Twenty20 knowledge and fierce competitiveness will bolster the Yorkshire line-up across all competitions. He will have to fight to feature in the Championship, but competition for places has only served Yorkshire and their players well so far.

But at the moment in the longest form, it's hard to see Yorkshire's dominance being broken. In the past two years, they have lost just two matches, both coming at Lord's: where an inspired Chris Rogers chased down a total well over 400, and when dramatically bowled out for 134 after securing the title on the first day. Since Gillespie took over in 2012, they've lost just the four games. And this year, they've been more dominant than ever before - a record total of points with a game still to go. Other teams have been left to battle it for second. Next year, Yorkshire will be hoping to be the first team to make it three titles in a row since the 1960's. They will be the favourites to do so, too. Long may the success continue.

A work in progress

It was a disappointing end to the international summer for England, as they collapsed to 138 in the deciding match of the ODI series against Australia. It was perhaps a fitting end to Australia's tour: a second half of the summer where the overall scorelines have been close, but results themselves have most often been one-sided affairs dramatically flip-flopping between the teams from one game to next. But for England, after such a debacle at the World Cup earlier in the year, an overall scoreline of 3-2 against the world champions isn't really a bad result at all.

Of course, when England went 2-0 down early on in the series, there was a slight feeling that any progress made against New Zealand earlier in the summer was slipping away. England failed to take advantage when on top at the Rose Bowl, the brilliance of Wade (71*) and Marsh (40*) seeing Australia to a total of 305/6 after being more precariously placed at 193/6 with thirteen overs to go. And after starting brightly in response, as wickets fell the pressure of a large total on the scoreboard and the greater Australian pedigree proved the winner. The second match proved much the same as the first. England chased a similar score and had a decent enough start - but when the wickets fell the pressure became too much and Australia could easily press home. It was the dismissal of Stokes - given out obstructing the field - that grabbed the most headlines, but it was hard to mask how poorly England batted on their way to 245 all out.

England though showed the series was still very much alive. At Old Trafford England batted first, their own chance to put Australia under the pressure of the scoreboard, and of batting under the lights. England reached 300, and could probably have made more - only three players made it past 20, but those three players made it count. Roy (63) got England off to a flyer, making his mark in this series after struggling to have a great impact against New Zealand; while Morgan (62) followed up his runs in the previous match and the Twenty20 preceding the series. James Taylor though was the star, making his maiden international century, justice at last after missing out with 98* in the World Cup. This time England could press the advantage, and spectacular catches from Roy and Finn further showed how the pendulum had swung in their favour. A successful chase at Headingley, thanks largely again to the bat of Morgan (92) but with contributions coming across the order, levelled the series for a final decider on return to Old Trafford.

But it just wasn't to be. It all went wrong from the first over - no review taken when Roy was dubiously given out LBW - and the wickets only continued to tumble. Morgan was forced to retire hurt after being struck on the head, a nasty blow that left him with a concussion and understandably shook all those playing and watching. All England could muster was 138, a target Australia duly chased down within 25 overs. The final crushing, one-sided affair in a summer full of such contests between the two sides.

It will be terribly disappointing for England to have been beaten so badly, and it's a shame that a summer that has seen so many dazzling highs has to end on a lower note. Australia's team for the final match was vastly different from the eleven that won the World Cup in March - seven players absent for various reasons - showing that there is still a considerable gap between the two. England, have struggled for consistency in all forms of the game this summer, capable of thrilling the crowds and running rampant on their day, but on others collapsing with the bat and struggling to make an impact with the ball. They have shown this summer that they are capable of posting big scores and chasing them down, and certainly look much less inhibited in their approach with the bat, but at the same time there's still a lingering thought that a collapse might not be that far away.

Of course, it's a team in which many are still so new to international cricket. Many of this team didn't feature in the World Cup, and are still learning their games at this level just as much as the selectors are finding out more about them. It's even the same for many who did feature earlier in the year; for instance James Taylor, who returned to the side this series after missing out against New Zealand. Though he didn't always make the most of the starts he had, for me he was particularly impressive - looking busy at the crease and looking good against spin, something England could well need in the winter. He came into the side with Joe Root rested, and did enough to show that England should try and find room for them both. Jason Roy too started to make an impact and show his big-hitting potential. With two fifties he saw England off to some quick starts, though more than once he was dismissed tamely and failed to capitalise on his early efforts. Of the bowlers, I thought Plunkett showed he has a lot to offer - his pace offers a lot to the attack plus his lower order hitting can help see through the late stages of an innings. David Willey is another who has impressed me - he's not the quickest bowler but the left arm angle gives another dimension, plus he can really get that ball moving. His attitude too is great to see - he gives it his all and is a fierce competitor.

Others though haven't had the same impact. Alex Hales has struggled for runs over this series, and though his batting ability is undoubted, right now he looks desperately out of form. He's struggled so far in his ODI career to have the same impact that he's had in the Twenty20 side, though admittedly over the winter he was often played out of position at number three rather than his usual role opening up. Against New Zealand he started to show the damage he could do at the top of the order, and for me it's only a matter of time before the partnership with Roy, already showing some signs of flowering, really reaches full bloom. Chris Woakes is another who struggled this series. With Woakes I'm never sure if he's quite got the pace to succeed at international level, and though he was one of England's more effective bowlers over the winter, during this series he didn't look very threatening at all. There's a lot to play for among the bowlers with England still looking for their preferred attack, and Woakes didn't take advantage of the opportunity presented to him, going wicketless in three games played.

Even with the stumbles along the way, it does though feel like England are making a lot of progress in the shortened formats. The World Cup was the lowest of low ebbs, a time when England looked to be so far behind the times, and the players all bereft of confidence in their abilities and of any form. The consistency is still lacking, but in general England look much more competitive, much more capable of making those big scores and playing with the freedom and fun that was so lacking before. There's definitely still a lot more to be done, but they've showed they can compete with the rest again.