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.

The Bell tolls

Yes, I know you're groaning as you read that title; I just couldn't resist. This week, England announced their squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa, and there was one name noticeably missing: Ian Bell. A veteran of over 100 tests, a senior figure in the team, and yet one that has struggled so much for runs over the past two years. The door has been left open for a future return to the side - and the way England's middle order has been, there is always a chance - yet at 33 years old, it's often hard for a player to come back after a drop like this.

Ian Bell has certainly been one of my favourite players for England over the past decade. There's that effortless sense of beauty about his batting, a player you could just sit and watch for hours. Just watch him play a late cut and you'll see that ease of timing, technique, and perfect placement that the rest of us can only dream of. There are those golden periods: the 2013 Ashes where his three centuries were key in the series win; average over a hundred in the summer of 2011, hitting four centuries (one a double) along the way. When he was on song, everything just looked too easy. But there as well was always the frustration. All the talent in the world, but not always the mentality to go with it. His early centuries always came once a teammate already had one on the board, and if there was a collapse he'd rarely be the man to stand up and fight. Of course, he improved with time - his resistance in Cape Town at the start of 2010 showing a different side to him - but it was a reputation that seemed always to follow him around. 118 tests show a fine career, but an average of 42.69 shows he could perhaps have made more of his talents.

And the past two years haven't been so fun to watch. The glorious summer of 2013 gave way to the whitewash of the winter, where Bell wasn't alone in struggling against the Australian bowlers. And since then it has been a mixed bag: odd centuries, odd fifties, but even more scores of nought or one. Mistakes in the field haven't helped either, with more than one dropped catch that has proved costly to the team cause. And so, a drop from the side doesn't come as a huge shock, but seeing him absent from the whole squad was a surprise. There's still the chance for him to knuckle down, make a ton of runs for Warwickshire, and force his way back into the side; but if this does turn out to be the end of his international career, it's a sad one indeed.

Of course, Bell's absence is not the only noteworthy selection or non-selection. Whilst Hales looks likely to be the next man opening alongside Cook, the inclusion of Compton shows the selectors aren't yet closing the door on anyone. With hindsight, they might be wishing they hadn't dropped him in the first place, so long has the search for an opening batsman gone on. It's a good decision: Compton has been one of the most consistent batsmen in county cricket over the past few years, and there's potential for a return at the top or at number three, his position for Middlesex. Gary Ballance also returns, and it will be interesting to see if he has adapted his game during his stint away. Bowling wise, with Wood and Finn both absent through injury, Woakes, Jordan, and Footitt come in. The omission of Plunkett is one that surprises me: after carrying the drinks in the UAE, South Africa is a place that looked made for him, and yet he has been leapfrogged by others. I am though, looking forward to seeing Mark Footitt potentially making his debut - a left-arm option and someone who has had a lot of success in the county game. Rashid also misses out with England very unlikely to need a second spinner, looking set to join up with Jason Gillespie in the Big Bash in Australia.

In the meantime, England's ODI team is on the rise. Whilst the first match saw the collapses of old, coming at both the start and the end of the innings, the next three have brought convincing victories and many impressive performances with them. There was the bowling of Topley in game one, with three wickets in the opening ten overs; Alex Hales's maiden century in the second match; the bowling of Chris Woakes at the death, with four wickets in both the second and third game; the way Taylor (67*) and Buttler (49*) chased down Pakistan's total in the third game, not the highest total to chase but coming to the crease in a far-from-easy situation; and Jason Roy making his maiden century as well in the final match, both openers really starting to flourish. And then there was Buttler.

Jos Buttler played the kind of innings that's still hard to believe, no matter how many times you watch it. He has now twice broken his own record for England's fastest ODI century, coming this time off a mere 46 deliveries. He scored in 360 degrees around the ground - giant sixes down the ground one minute, a four over the keeper's head the next. How can you set a field to that? How are mere mortals supposed to compete with that at all? This is a man who looked so bereft of any form, any confidence during the test series that he didn't play the final match. He could be a different person right now. It's his world, and we're just living in it.

If Buttler looks unrecognisable from just a few weeks ago, England's ODI cricket is looking unrecognisable from the start of the year, too. They're far from the finished article yet, but there's a lot more to be hopeful about than there ever was before. Even if ODI cricket is Pakistan's weaker format - being ranked eighth in the world - for a young England side, an away win in very unfamiliar conditions is a very good achievement. Now they will be hoping this form can extend to the Twenty20 side, with a three match series to come before the World Cup at the end of the winter.

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.