Are England’s batsmen playing for themselves?
John Bracewell, the Gloucestershire coach and one-day guru, has made an interesting point regarding England’s ODI batting woes. He suggests that Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah are playing for their own places rather than the team. Consider this in the light of selection policy, however, and it is the selectors who are at fault for fostering this environment.
When you analyse their individual skills they’re a pretty good team. But I don’t think they play to a selfless pattern. I think they play to a reselection pattern. ‘If I do all right today I’ll get picked tomorrow’. [Source]
This could quite easily be seen as a reaction to the constant chopping and changing of the team. Contrast this with the Test side when Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower took over – too cosy, players were complacent regarding their place in the team.
It’s odd that England have gone to two extremes in the different formats of the game. So what is the ideal level of selection consistency? Players need to know that if they do not perform somebody else will be given a chance. On the other hand, they need to be secure in the knowledge they will be given more than just one or two bad performances before that happens.
It is this that can lead to the scenario highlighted by Bracewell – players feeling that they have to produce a score every time they walk to the crease. There is a big difference between wanting to produce a score everytime and feeling that you have to do it to keep your place. This is where England have been getting it wrong in limited over cricket – it is the fault of the selectors rather than of the likes of Shah or Bopara.
Comments:
2