England's nightmare Australian tour - A damming verdict

By Simon Wright - Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

If you had a connection to the ECB or the England cricket team then look away now as you might not want to read my damming report into the debacle of the winter Ashes series which ended on Sunday, 5 January – two days earlier than scheduled. I suppose the only good thing is that it ended 48 hours before it should have done. Those who flew out to Australia should be refunded by the team. Those who stayed were brave to do so I think.

Brave is certainly not a word I would want to use on the England team of 2013. Plenty of descriptive words could sum up them up from woeful and hapless to shambolic and uninterested. Australia won the series 5-0 and I don’t think anyone can begrudge them either the urn back or the series whitewash they achieved. It is time to start again and for the bunch of drips to head home hanging their heads in shame.

England's tour of Australia this winter was the stuff of nightmares

Before I sum up the series from an English perspective (pictured), I want to share that I am not a huge cricket fan. The only cricket competition I’ve only ever been seriously interested in is the Ashes and that started with the epic 2005 series over in this country that saw a team inspired by Michael Vaughan’s captaincy and the heroics of Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff. Being an Englishman, I do enjoy getting one over the Aussies, whether that be cricket, rugby union or rugby league. Therefore I care about the Ashes.

However having seen highlights and read pieces of five Ashes series since 2005, I know enough to have my opinion on the class of winter 2013-14….or should I say the losers of winter 2013-14.

I will exonerate Jonathan Trott from any criticism though. The number three batsman had a difficult time in the opening test match in Brisbane and went home after that game suffering from stress. His career as an international cricketer is all but over but I wish Jonathan and his family the best in his recovery phase.

The batting display was horrendous. No Englishman that took part and there were 18 who figured in the five test matches got over 300 runs combined and only Ben Stokes and occasionally Stuart Broad showed any resistance with the bat. In the cricket industry of nowadays, the pitches are largely flat and dry, making them decent or excellent batting wickets. As a consequence, scores of over 400 runs per innings can be considered as marks that leave you firmly in a contest. England’s tally was absolutely shocking. 155 & 166 in Sydney, 255 & 179 in Melbourne, 251 & 353 in Perth, 172 & 312 in Adelaide and 136 & 179 in Brisbane. Only once (the second innings in Perth) could you argue and say it was a decent enough batting performance. The most annoying factor is that when wickets have fallen, they have fallen in sudden spurts. Dramatic collapses became almost a normality, not a one-off. Everyone has bad days or even a bad test match but for it to happen so regularly suggests that this side had the reliability of a BlackBerry smartphone! Expectation of retaining the urn quickly whittled away and after the first innings in Adelaide, talk immediately began of a 5-0 Australian win. It was horrific to hear about and it must have been terrifying to watch for the supporters who spent thousands of pounds to go Down Under and watch the team put in spectacular failure after spectacular failure. If you can bat well, you will never win cricket matches, it is as simple as that.

The bowling and fielding wasn’t much better either. In the field, there were too many dropped catches and the whole team was culpable for that. In the bowling spectrum, only Broad showed any potential threat and even that was nowhere near the levels of Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson. The England batsman seemed so terrified of Johnson; you would have thought he was a devil that would scare the life out of you in a bedtime nightmare. Johnson is a decent bowler but I wouldn’t put him in the world class bracket because he is too inconsistent. He just had an excellent series and England made him look unbeatable. The other English bowlers never contributed and must now consider their futures in test cricket. I’m afraid when Monty Panesar is your best spin bowler option, you would struggle to beat amateur outfits like Holland, Ireland and Bangladesh, let alone Australia and that’s no disrespect to those countries.

Too many of England’s top players had tours to forget. James Anderson was as useful as a 2p coin. He toiled and had no use to the team. He didn’t have a Plan B. Graeme Swann (pictured below) was a pale shadow of the man who had frightened batsman across the globe for the past four years. He decided to walk away from all forms of the game with immediate effect after Perth and I’m afraid he took the easy option. A decent career he might have had but stay and fight for the cause, even if it is in a losing side. Swann is a coward and has lost a lot of respect with many observers. The Ian Bell we saw in the summer when he smashed Australians all over the park and was Man of the Series was left behind in England. Bell has always been a frustrating player and that trend continued in these matches. I still think he could be a part of England’s future but maybe not in the shining light everyone thinks he is. That is something that Matt Prior shouldn’t be considering. Retirement is his best option after a woeful series which ended up seeing him lose his place in the side. With no form, no confidence and lack of conviction as a wicketkeeper, he was an easy target for the opposition. There is no way back for Prior. Lastly Kevin Pietersen is a sorry excuse to English cricket. While he might produce the fireworks with some spectacular shots, Pietersen is one of the country’s most one-dimensional players we’ve ever seen. He never learns from his mistakes and gets out to such daft shots so frequently. The ways he often concedes his wicket boggles the mind. I’m afraid England can’t move on with Pietersen in the side. If he is made captain as many want him to be, then don’t bank on anymore Ashes series wins for the next decade. Axing him and allowing new blood to come through is the most sensible and only viable option.

A smug Graeme Swann decided to quit early and lost a lot of respect for it

That leads me to the current captain Alastair Cook who everytime he has faced the hungry media seems to have aged that little bit more. Cook has to take the main responsibility for the debacle witnessed over the past seven weeks as the urn that was so comfortably retained in a frankly mediocre summer series slipped away so woefully. His position as skipper is now completely untenable in my eyes. He failed to lead from the front with some disappointing tactics, sloppy misjudgements with bat and ball and a lack of serious contribution to leave the opposition feeling concerned. For the coach Andy Flower, his position is also rather bleak although probably in a better position than Cook. He might be able to hang onto his job because of his largely excellent record since taking over. Three Ashes series have been won and only one major defeat occurred which was a home summer loss to South Africa a couple of years ago. He probably needs a successor to come through for a steady changeover but putting him up for the chop might be harsh. Either way, he and Cook cannot both continue in their current roles. One has to go and I think the buck has to lie with the captain.

It is easy to criticise, I will admit that but if you don’t deliver the performances and the fighting spirit required then what do you expect. England were lousy throughout the whole tour and won’t look forward to hearing the stick they will take when they arrive home later in the week, both from amateur bloggers and seasoned ex-professionals. I would expect plenty of retirements in the coming weeks. A new generation must come through, given the lack of fight shown. We pride on our sportsman and sportswomen giving everything and if they are beaten by better opposition or competitors, then we accept that. Be dignified in victory and gracious in defeat but once some of the players decided to urinate on the field of The Oval during the celebrations after the 3-0 series victory in the summer, it showed the lack of class they have. You don’t see Wayne Rooney giving up in a losing football cause; you don’t see Andy Murray decide not to stop playing his best in a difficult tennis situation; you don’t see British athletes give up when a medal at a major championships is unlikely but it seems like the cricketers decided to switch off mentally once the Ashes was good but over. Therefore they deserve the negative criticism and the tough press coverage they will get before the next series.

That next series is against Sri Lanka in May, followed by a summer duel with India. Both are decent test teams, especially India and it is a chance to rebuild for the future over the next few months. My belief is only Joe Root, Bell, Broad, Stokes and Tim Bresnan should be part of the squads in the summer. It is time to start again from scratch and give new youngsters a go – someone like Broad as captain would be an interesting choice but not a bad option. Failure to make a clean break after this forgettable series and English cricket is going to return to the doldrums of the 1990s. It is the ECB’s choice – the decision is in their hands.

Categories: Adelaide, Ashes, Australia, Batting, Ben Stokes, Bowling, Cricket, ECB, England, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Mitchell Johnson, Runs, Stuart Broad

Great British sporting moments

By Simon Wright

At 5.24pm on Sunday evening, the longest drought in British sport was finally consigned to the history books.

After 77 years of hurt, pain and close calls, Britain has a men’s singles champion at Wimbledon.  Andy Murray battled through hot temperatures on a scorching day at SW19 and the persistence of his opponent, the world number one Novak Djokovic to beat the Serbian in straight sets 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.

The reaction of Murray afterwards was one of finally achieving his dream, and he has turned it around in the last 12 months.  He had a lot of people, me included who struggled to accept him as a great tennis player.  Last year’s agonising four-set final defeat on Centre Court to Swiss master Roger Federer was the turning point.

Murray’s emotional speech after the match showed the pain he felt at losing the biggest match of his career, but since then, the man from a small town in Scotland called Dunblane has turned his career around.

He dismantled Federer just under a month later on the same court to win Olympic Gold for Team GB, before seeing off Djokovic in a five-set marathon to claim his first Grand Slam at the US Open last September. 

Despite missing the French Open through injury in May, Murray has reached the Australian Open final, won three ATP titles including the AEGON Championships at Queen’s Club, and now the biggest prize in tennis.

It is a feat that I never thought I would ever see – and over 17 million viewers tuned onto the BBC on Sunday to see history being made in London.

Sporting fans are going through a golden generation of British success.  Last year was simply unbelievable.  We had Bradley Wiggins becoming the first Brit to ever win the Tour de France, cycling’s ultimate race.  Manchester City won their first league title in over 40 years with a finish we will never see again in the Premier League, there was Chelsea finally becoming Champions of Europe in Munich and of course, the unforgettable fortnight of London 2012 – an event that truly brought sport and the nation together as we witnessed some remarkable feats.

Along with Murray, I've picked out five sporting feats that are among my favourites of all-time.

There are some that have just missed out, including Virginia Wade winning Wimbledon in 1977, Sir Steve Redgrave’s fifth Olympic Gold medal in Sydney in 2000, Liverpool’s breathtaking comeback to win the Champions League in Istanbul in 2005, and the famous Bolero dance in 1984 by Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean that won gold in Sarajevo.

England win the FIFA World Cup, 1966

This memory is way too early for me, but it is something that we will probably never see again – well unless we live in fantasy land.  That is England being football world champions.

It happened on home soil in 1966 and to make it better, West Germany were the opponents in the final.

Bobby Moore lifts the Jules Rimet trophy, England's finest football moment

Sir Geoff Hurst was the hero on the day, as he became the first player in World Cup final history to score a hat-trick.  England did lead 2-1, but were taken to extra-time before a linesman from the country of Azerbaijan declared that Hurst’s second goal did cross the line.

With the Germans pushing forward to score, gaps opened up in the defence and Hurst broke clear to complete his hat-trick, with the famous words from commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme; “And here comes Hurst, there’s some fans on the pitch, they think it’s all over.”

Alf Ramsay’s men won the game 4-2, and it was left for iconic captain Bobby Moore (pictured) to collect the Jules Rimet trophy to declare England as world champions. 

Since then, there were close calls in Italia 90 and Euro 96 for major prizes, before those darn penalties got in the way, and no-one will forget Germany 1-5 England in September 2001, but the drought of no success is set to continue for some time to come.

Rugby World Cup Glory Down Under, 2003

Getting up on a Saturday morning was never more anticipated than on Saturday, 22 November 2003.  Telstra Stadium in Sydney was the venue for the Rugby World Cup final between holders and hosts Australia and Sir Clive Woodward’s England.

England went to the finals as favourites and ranked as the number one side according to the IRB rankings.  However, they hadn’t found their best form in the tournament yet, lucky to beat Samoa in the pool stages and being outplayed but somehow winning the quarter-final with Wales.  Australia meanwhile had stunned the All Blacks to reach the final against the odds.

It was Australia who started the quickest, as Loite Tuqiri went over for the opening try inside five minutes.  Penalty goals on a blustery evening dominated a tense and nail-biting encounter, but Jason Robinson’s late try towards the end of the first half, coupled with three penalties from Jonny Wilkinson had England going in 14-5 at the interval.

Mistakes allowed the Aussies back into the game and with one minute left of normal time, Elton Flatley converted his third penalty in a row to level the scores at 14-14 and take the game into extra time.

Not much had changed after the extra 20 minutes, with sudden death approaching and the game on a knife-edge at 17-17, when Wilkinson, who had missed three earlier drop goal attempts, got his fourth attempt spot on.  With 25 seconds to go, England were back infront and held on to claim a 20-17 win and be crowned 2003 Rugby World Cup winners.

It was a momentous day, a superb feat and made English rugby the prime sport for a while in this country.  Another final has followed since, although more inconsistent form has been the story of the past decade.  However, rugby union never felt so good than it did on that November morning a decade ago.

England regain the Ashes, 2005

After 17 years of constant defeats from Australia’s legendary cricket side, England finally had a chance with a decent team of taking on the Australians in the 2005 Ashes series.  It turned out to be a momentous seven weeks for the game of cricket, as it became the most talked about sport during this period.

Australia waltzed to a convincing victory in the first test at Lord’s, with legendary bowler Glenn McGrath doing the damage, taking five wickets in his opening spell.  England fought back at Edgbaston where McGrath was ruled out through injury.  Despite the best efforts of Shane Warne, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz, England won the second test by just two runs in Birmingham in one of the most thrilling games of cricket that was ever seen.

The captains took their turn to control proceedings at Old Trafford a few days later.  Michael Vaughan became the first player in the series to hit a century, before Ricky Ponting defied England’s strong bowling attack of Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and Ashley Giles on the final day to ensure the series remained at 1-1.

At Trent Bridge, England dominated, but almost threw the match away with some sloppy shots, and tremendous bowling from Warne and Lee.  Chasing 127 to win, it was the eighth wicket partnership from Giles and Hoggard that got the home side home by three wickets to take a 2-1 series lead.

So it came to The Oval, where England only needed to avoid defeat to regain the Ashes.  Australia had to win and showed early intent, reducing England to a below-par 373, before Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer started eroding the advantage significantly.  Flintoff, who had an unbelievable series, tore through the Australian middle order on the Sunday morning to leave England six runs ahead.

Michael Vaughan lifts the urn aloft after England's 2005 triumph

Then, on 57-3 on the final day, Kevin Pietersen survived two dropped catches and a couple of run out calls to hit a maiden test century, and take the game away from Australia.  The match was drawn and England could celebrate.  There were scenes (pictured) that hadn’t been seen since the dramatic home series of 1981, but were repeated four years later with victory in the 2009 series.

England start as overwhelming favourites to win the Ashes again this summer.  The first test starts tomorrow at Trent Bridge in Nottinghamshire.

Lewis Hamilton wins the Formula One title on the last corner, 2008

The 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship was one full of action, intrigue, stunning drives and some glaring mistakes.  It came down to a final race showdown in Brazil, with Britain’s Lewis Hamilton holding a seven-point lead over the local lad Felipe Massa.

Hamilton only needed a fifth place finish in Sao Paulo to become the youngest ever champion in the sport’s history and was untroubled for much of the day, looking secure in fourth place behind Massa, Fernando Alonso’s Renault and the second Ferrari of reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen.

Then the rainclouds arrived and with five laps to go, all the top runners had to pit for intermediate tyres.  Toyota made a brave gamble and kept Timo Glock out on dry tyres, and Hamilton was now in a vulnerable position as the German slipped past whilst he was being serviced.

With three laps to go Hamilton allowed the lapped Robert Kubica to pass him, but slid wide and the Toro Rosso of Sebastian Vettel dived past into fifth place, meaning Hamilton was now out of the world championship position he needed to be in.

Massa did everything he needed to do, cruising across the line to take his sixth win of the season, and for 30 seconds or so, the Brazilian had done it.  However, the rain intensified and Glock on his dry tyres was a sitting target.  Into the final corner, both Vettel and Hamilton passed the limping Toyota, with the McLaren powering up the hill to become the 2008 Formula One World Champion.

Ferrari didn’t notice this and started celebrating, but they had got it wrong.  It was Hamilton’s ex-girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger and the McLaren mechanics who had got their calculations right.  Hamilton was champion and in the most unbelievable manner possible.  He made history on the final corner of a truly remarkable season, all of this on ITV’s final afternoon of broadcasting the sport after 12 years.

Super Saturday, 2012

There are so many memories from last summer’s Olympics and we all have our own personal favourites.  Among mine was Sir Chris Hoy’s sixth gold medal in cycling, Jade Jones winning the Taekwondo and Katie Taylor taking Ireland’s first gold for 16 years in women’s boxing.

However, none of that can topple the amazing events on Super Saturday.  Not even a predictable Team GB penalty shootout defeat in football could turn the night into a sour one.

The team had already won three gold medals in the day, two more in rowing and one in the Velodrome, but it was the events in the Olympic Stadium that were simply awe-inspiring.

First, Jessica Ennis completed her domination of the women’s heptathlon event.  Ennis took victory in the final event, the 800m to stamp her authority on the two-day competition.  The Sheffield athlete broke her own British heptathlon record for points, and finished over 300 points clear of her nearest rival.  After the injury pain of missing out on Beijing in 2008, Ennis had shown to the world that she was the best all-round athlete.

Moments later, Greg Rutherford from Bletchley in Milton Keynes leapt 8.31m to extend his lead in the men’s long jump final.  No-one else got close and after his own injury nightmares of previous years, Rutherford had pulled off an unexpected but no less deserved gold medal.  He became the first Brit to win the long jump competition since Lyn Jarvis in Oslo in 1964.

Then, it was the turn of Mo Farah to take the limelight.  Against a top field of Ethiopian and Kenyan athletes, Farah showed them up with a brilliant tactical run, before kicking twice on the final lap to pull clear of the field and win the men’s 10,000m.  The stadium went crazy and Team GB had just won three gold medals in the space of half an hour.  It was undoubtedly the best night in British athletics history, and quite possibly, the greatest moment in British sporting history.

Those five moments, together now with Andy Murray’s glory at Wimbledon are my personal favourites.  I’m sure we will see many more great British sporting moments in the coming years, but for now, let’s enjoy and bask in recent glories and accept that at the moment, Great British sport is in a happy and very successful place.

Categories: Andy Murray, Ashes, Australia, Britain, England, Jessica Ennis, Jonny Wilkinson, Lewis Hamilton, Rugby World Cup, Scotland, Sir Geoff Hurst, Sport, Team GB, Wimbledon, World Cup