If hosts can whitewash tourists in ODIs they will rule world in all forms of game

Stern test: Alastair Cook says achieving No 1 ranking in
all forms of the game would be 'amazing'.

England can go where no cricket team has gone before and become the top-ranked side in all three forms of the game if they whitewash Australia 5-0 in the forthcoming NatWest Series. 

It may seem fanciful that they would win every match against Michael Clarke’s side, the current No 1 ranked 50-over side, but this England team under Andy Flower have risen to every challenge they have set themselves bar winning the World Cup. But if that remains a notable absentee in their burgeoning trophy cabinet, steps are under way to address it starting with this one-day series, scheduled here as a reciprocal arrangement to the five one-day matches England want to play ahead of the 2015 World Cup in Australia.
 

Modern cricketers do not look too far ahead and Alastair Cook was predictably cautious about making any Glenn McGrath-like predictions of a clean sweep.

Yet as a plodder and a donkey (as one scribe famously described Cook’s one-day credentials) who has confounded every critic with the caterpillar to butterfly transformation of his one-day batting, he will doubtless be more confident of his team’s chances of achieving a 5-0 result than he is letting on, especially as England have won six of their last home one-day series.

“It would be an amazing achievement to be top in all formats but I don’t want it to be blown out of proportion,” Cook said on Thursday. “We are very much a developing one-day side and we’re desperate to keep going up the rankings. But let’s not get too carried away. It’s the start of a series against the current world No 1 side, something they’ve proved over a number of years. We’re going to have to be at our absolute best to try to win the series.”

Australia tend to peak against the old enemy and, while they were well beaten in the last Ashes series, they have yet to bend their knee to England in 50-over cricket. Clarke, a maligned figure when he first took over the captaincy, has since proved himself an adept and aggressive leader of a young team beginning to hit their stride.

“England have won their last six series playing some really consistent cricket so it’s important for us to play well and stay at No 1,” Clarke said on Thursday. “Our goal as an Australian cricket team is to be top in all three forms and I hope we can play some good cricket in England to stay there.”

The recent form suggests they will have to play well. England were scarcely troubled by the West Indies for more than an over or two in either the Tests or one-day internationals, while Australia drew the one-day series against Darren Sammy’s side in the Caribbean 2-2, with one game tied.

But then judging what might be from past results is rarely an exact science, or so England will be hoping after winning just one of their last nine ODIs against the Aussies.

The West Indies never really came to terms with the conditions, the slow, seaming pitches and biting wind anathema to their sunny dispositions.

Australia’s seam bowlers will be better equipped to use any movement that might ensue, while, in 19-year old Pat Cummins, they have someone with the genuine pace to disconcert.

Cummins tends to come on first change after Brett Lee and Clint McKay have delivered the opening salvo, a short and tall combination that can test a batsman’s judgment of length. Their bowling after that varies on the skipper’s hunch and how somebody is going on the day.

Xavier Doherty is the spinner of choice at present but could find it difficult to contain on English pitches that tend to offer precious little grip until later in the year. Thereafter a combination of Shane Watson’s muscular seamers, the captain’s left-arm skidders and David Hussey’s off-breaks fill the remaining overs, a kaleidoscopic approach in direct contrast to England’s use of five specialist bowlers.

Australia bat deeper than England, who have Tim Bresnan at seven, a consequence of playing those specialists as opposed to an all-rounder.

David Warner will open the batting, probably with Shane Watson, though Matthew Wade, the Australia wicket-keeper touted as the new Adam Gilchrist, could team up with the big-hitting Warner if the pitch looks true.

For this first game, at least, the contest will be the batting depth of the visitors against the bowling depth of the home team - as much a test of ideologies as of mettle.

England start out on World Cup journey

Andy Flower and Alastair Cook are hoping to mastermind
England's success in a global one-day tournament

Whatever the hype and hysteria over the next couple of weeks, there be will no World Cups or Ashes urns won as England and Australia resume hostilities in the NatWest ODI series. Instead, these five games represent not a destination, but a step on the journey for both teams. 

That does not render this series worthless. It will act as a barometer of each side's true position and provide an idea of how they must improve. It might also provide a vague guide to next year's ICC Champions Trophy. The fact that Lord's is expecting a capacity crowd of 30,000 underlines not only the draw that encounters between these two sides still has, but the draw of a wonderful, well-run ground. To regularly fill a stadium of this size in the current economic climate is a fine effort. 

That England go into this series with an outside chance of becoming the No. 1-ranked ODI side - they will need to win 5-0 to do so - speaks volumes not just for their progress in recent times, but also for some anomalies within the ranking system. A team that has lost so comprehensively in both India (5-0 at the end of 2011) and Australia (6-1 after the 2010-11 Ashes series) will surely have to win a major global trophy to convince that they are more than a very good side in their own conditions. 

That remains a key aim of this England side. Indeed, this series has been scheduled very much with a view to the World Cup, to be played in Australia and New Zealand in 2015, and the Champions Trophy, to be played in England next year. In return for this five-match series, England will have the chance to acclimatise with a five-match ODI series in Australia ahead of the World Cup, while these games should help both sides prepare for the Champions Trophy. 

It was a point made by England captain, Alastair Cook, as he looked forward to the games. "The reason this series is in is because of the 2015 World Cup," Cook said. "We really want to have some warm-ups in Australia to get used to those conditions just before that World Cup. That makes sense for our preparation then, so obviously as a reciprocal thing they have to come here. As players we don't mind. It's going to be a brilliant, hopefully, ten days. 

"We haven't won an ICC [one-day] trophy and we have a good chance next summer in our home conditions. That would suit us well. Clearly in a four year cycle you build to the World Cup but on the way you have to win as many games as you can. The Champions Trophy next year is half way to the World Cup and a good stepping stone." 

England have a dismal record in the last five World Cups and, despite the recent success in the UAE, they also have a modest ODI record away from home. But, in their own conditions, they are dangerous and recent performances suggest they are heading in the right direction. 

No other side is playing ODI cricket with the same methodology as England. While all other major sides have at least one explosive batsman at the top of the batting order, England have opted for batsmen of more solid, traditional style and a line-up that increasingly resembles their Test side. One of the few concessions they have made to 'specialist' limited-overs players comes with the selection of Craig Kieswetter as wicketkeeper. And it is his place that is, arguably, most at risk. 

But just because no-one else is doing it does not make England's method wrong. Indeed, against two new white balls and a No. 1-rated ODI side boasting at least two high-quality fast bowlers, England may well be grateful for batsmen of the class of Ian Bell, Cook and Jonathan Trott at the top of the order. 

It is worth remembering that England, too, would be playing quite differently had Kevin Pietersen not departed. But, just as Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss only came to form the captain/coach partnership that revived England's fortunes through the successful calamity that was the sacking of Pietersen and Peter Moores, so we may come to reflect in time that Pietersen's retirement proved to be a blessing in disguise. Bell, in particular, has been given a fresh chance to fulfil his undoubted potential in this format. 

Cook said he was not surprised how quickly England had moved on from Pietersen. "It's a great sign of strength," he said. "It's an encouraging sign as a captain that we have a good squad of players, that if someone is no longer here we have got people who can come in and perform straight away. 

"We are very much a developing one-day side and we're desperate to keep going up the rankings," Cook said. "I think we are progressing as a team. People are starting to feel comfortable in their roles in the set-up, but that doesn't count for anything when you walk out on the pitch. 

"We've got a really good test of ourselves now. They've proven they are going to be a really tough and dangerous one-day side and a tough side to beat. We're got to have to be at our absolute best. 

"Each international side has a couple of guys who can get it up to 90mph and these guys are now in a similar position to us in that they have eight or nine guys who can play in their fast bowling slots. They're in a position of strength just like we are."

A series that could provide a few answers

Cook has had a rosy stint so far but the men from Down
Under are bound to pose a few problems.

Not always does an ODI series between England and Australia start without the latter being the clear favorites. Atleast, in the last decade or this has been the case. However for the five match ODI series starting tomorrow it is hard to pick a clear favorite. England have been on a roll in ODIs in recent times after Alastair Cook took over. Australia have been no different under Michael Clarke and that sets up a rather intriguing contest.

England:
Alastair Cook has had a dream start to his captaincy stint. Hiw own personal fortunes as well as the team's form has been on an upswing. England have secured four series' wins under Cook. Their only loss came against India in India. The win against West Indies being the most recent one and that series has helped England try out some new combinations in the aftermath of Kevin Pietersen's surprise retirement. Ian Bell's good form has masked the absence of KP in the series against West Indies but the middle order remains a concern for England. Howeverm it does provide yet another opportunity for the likes of Johnny Bairstow and Ravi Bopara to seal a spot in the ODI eleven.

The bowling has a more balanced look about it. The strategy of going in with five bowlers seems to be working well for England. Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann are no mugs with the bat either. Alastair Cook will be relying on his world class bowling attack more than the batting to provide the game changing moments.

Australia:
That Australia are a team in transition was never in doubt. They have managed to sail over things pretty smoothly in recent times but facing a world class England side in their own backyard will pose a wholly different challenge. One look at the squad is enough to tell you that it is Australia's untested batting line up that will face its biggest challenge. David Warner might have made rapid strides in the recent past but facing James Anderson and Co in the seam friendly England conditions will be one of his toughest tests. Australia will rely heavily on the trio of Michael Clarke, Shane Watson and David Hussey to lead the way for the other batsmen.

While there is nothing much to call for between the batting line up of the two teams, there is definitely a stark difference in bowling, atleast in terms of experience. Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson will have to shoulder the responsibility of leading an attack that contains two of Australia's brightest young pace prospects who are returning from injury. Expectations are high from James Pattinson and Pat Cummins and Clarke is bound to have a tough time in getting his bowling combination right. Xavier Doherty has impressed in the chances he has got so far and should be a shoo in into the final eleven unless conditions call for an extra seamer.

Final Word:
England hold a slight edge going into the series but they will be wary of the Aussies who seem to reserve their best for the Old Blighty.

Cook keeps focus on series win

England captain Alastair Cook, right, said of touring side
Australia: "They're a very good side and they've proved
that over a number of years. That's why they're
at the top of the rankings."

Alastair Cook is relishing the chance to go toe-to-toe with Australia once again as England welcome the world’s number one ranked 50-over side to Lord’s tomorrow for the beginning of the five-match NatWest Series.

There have been no shortage of titanic clashes between the two nations over the years and the chance to reignite the rivalry once again is something England captain Cook knows will whet the appetite of cricket fans everywhere.

And while the Essex opener has faced the touring side on many occasions, this series will have extra impetus for him as he leads England at Lord’s against Australia for the first time as skipper.

“When I was a young boy watching the cricket on TV when Australia came over I loved the rivalry,” said Cook.

“Now, to have played some Ashes series and captaining the side is really exciting. The public do enjoy it, don't they? Lord's is sold out tomorrow so it's going to be good."

Michael Clarke’s team can be knocked off from the perch as top dogs should England secure a 5-0 whitewash but, despite convincing series victories over West Indies, Cook is not about to make any bold proclamations just yet.

“They're a very good side and they've proved that over a number of years. That's why they're at the top of the rankings,” he added.

"We're going to have to be at our absolute best to try to win the series.
"It would be an amazing achievement (to get to number one) but I don't want to be quoted saying stuff which gets blown out of proportion.

"We are very much a developing one-day side and we're desperate to keep going up the rankings.
"But let's not get too carried away. We have got plenty of stuff to keep improving on, trying to get good results. Over the next 10 days we have a chance to do that.
"We're going alright, we've done well at home and we're used to our conditions. Hopefully we can use that as an advantage."

Cook saw Australia's attack close-up when he
played against them for Essex on Tuesday

The resounding victories over the Windies at the Ageas Bowl and the Kia Oval highlighted England’s dominance in home conditions and that is something Cook wants his team to build on in this series.
He said: “When we go over to those places we find it a lot harder and we have to make it as hard as the opposition do when they come over here. Clearly England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have quite similar conditions as well. Sub-continental conditions are different.

"I don't see home advantage being as big in this series as they would for a sub continental team. We're used to the slope at Lord's, like when we go to Perth or Melbourne they are more familiar in those conditions.
"But I do believe we play well at home and I'd love that to continue."

There are a number of players in Australia’s squad who are virtually unknown quantities to England but Cook got a close-up of the attack which tore Essex apart in a 179-run win.

Cook, who will be hoping to add back-to-back centuries after his ton at the Kia Oval, scored just five, and he conceded: “They are a very good team. They beat us well and clearly I'd have liked to have spent a bit more time in the middle to look at their bowlers. That didn't happen.

“If you do score runs in that it doesn't count for anything. You start on zero next time.”

Ultimately, though, Cook admits there is one prize he would not swap for Australia’s current position at the summit of the world rankings.

“If someone said ‘do you want to be number one in the world or win the World Cup’, I would take the World Cup,” he said.

No hiding from Flower’s big brother - Bresnan

Tim Bresnan has revealed nothing escapes the attention of coach Andy Flower because “the walls have ears” in the England camp.

Bresnan painted the Orwellian picture after he was overlooked for England’s previous two games against West Indies - the washed-out NatWest Series one-day international at Headingley Carnegie and Sunday’s NatWest International T20 victory.

The Yorkshire paceman acknowledges Flower was right to pull him because his intensity in training had dipped and he was slipping into bad habits.

"You can always get up for a game but if you are not preparing as well as you can that’s always to the detriment of the team, which suffers," Bresnan said.

"I felt I was lethargic and saving myself in training for games and that’s a bad habit.

England seamer Tim Bresnan is feeling refreshed
following a rest as England prepare for the first
one-day international against Australia at Lord's

"Andy Flower, Dave Saker and the medical team have a lot of communication between themselves.

"The walls have ears, so if you whisper to somebody that you are tired it’s going to get back to the coach pretty quickly.

"I wanted to play but I understand the other side of the coin.

"There’s a lot of cricket coming up, we’re off the back of a lot of cricket, I’ve bowled a lot of overs and if Andy and the medical staff think I looked tired and need a break I respect that decision.

"They have the best interest of the team and myself at heart.

"I would rather take one game out and rest than be forced to take an extended spell out because of injury."
Bresnan feels refreshed heading into the first match of the NatWest Series against Australia at Lord’s on Friday.

The Yorkshireman is also confident he can deliver batting at seven.

"I’m happy where I am with my cricket at the minute. I know I can always improve with bat and ball but I’m striking it nicely," said Bresnan, who made his international breakthrough against Australia in 2010.

"I feel I could do a job wherever I am in the order.

"We are expecting a decent test against Australia. They are number one in the world and we respect them accordingly.

"It’s always good to make a positive start no matter who you play against. We want to set the tone for the series and the rest of the game."

Greig implores India to govern for the world game

The BCCI have continually refused to accept the
DRS despite more countries being in favour.

Tony Greig has appealed to the BCCI to abandon self interest and "embrace the spirit of cricket and govern in the best interests of world cricket, not just for India and its business partners." 

Greig, the South Africa-born former England captain, utilised his invitation to deliver the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture from Lord's, to call upon India to "accept its responsibility as leader of the cricket world" and ensure that the long-term future of Test cricket and the less powerful Test nations were prioritised above short-term commercialism.

At present, Greig said, India's power was being used to undermine the credibility and worth of the ICC and self-interest was preventing beneficial advancements such as the universal adoption of the Decision Review System (DRS) and a coherent international playing schedule. Greig also criticised "India's apparent indifference towards Test cricket and… its indifference to the urgency to introduce anti-doping rules and the rumoured corruption hanging over the IPL.

"Unfortunately," Greig said, "India is pre-occupied with money and T20 cricket and sees its IPL and Champions League as more important than a proper international calendar. To compound the problems, India has not only sold part of the game to private interests but some of her administrators are seen to have a conflict of interest, which makes it more difficult for it to act in the spirit of the game.

"We can huff and puff as much as we like and have all sorts of external reports," Greig continued, "but this situation can only be resolved by India accepting that the spirit of cricket is more important than generating billions of dollars; it's more important than turning out multi-millionaire players; and it's more important than getting square with Australia and England for their bully-boy tactics towards India over the years. It's ironic that the world, including India, rightly worships at the Nelson Mandela altar because of his conciliatory attitude but then India eschews his approach by indulging in a little pay back."

The Spirit of Cricket lecture began in 2001 and was named after the late Colin Cowdrey, the former England captain and a past MCC president, who, together with another former president Ted Dexter, were instrumental in including the spirit of cricket as the preamble to the Laws of the game. Last year Kumar Sangakkara gave a widely acclaimed Cowdrey lecture where he talked about controversial issues within Sri Lanka cricket and also about the importance of the sport in his country.

Rarely if ever, however, has the Cowdrey Lecture been used to deliver such an obvious rebuke to a specific national board. But Greig, who relinquished the England captaincy in 1977 to play and recruit in Kerry Packer's rebel World Series Cricket, has never been one to shy away from a battle and pulled no punches in suggesting that India were now too powerful for the good of world cricket.

"Much of the game is controlled by the BCCI because it controls enough votes to block any proposal put forward at the ICC board meetings," Greig said. "The reason for this is some countries would not survive without the financial opportunities India provides. What is just as disturbing is through the Champions League, South Africa and Australia have a partnership with India and are unlikely to risk offending India. The current Champions League 10-year contract generates just under a billion dollars and is 50% owned by India with Australia and South African sharing the rest.

"As a result of the dependence on India the process adopted by the ICC is simply not working. The ICC cricket committee for example is made up of a group of top class current and former players and umpires. They go to great lengths to make recommendations that they consider in the best interests of the game. These recommendations are then submitted to the CEO's committee for approval, which normally happens as a formality. The recommendations are then raised at the ICC board meeting and if India doesn't like them, they are, at best, modified or thrown out. It's a sorry state of affairs and very frustrating for those who give so much time to getting things right."

Greig did find some praise for the BCCI, crediting them for their successful commercialism and the decision to utilise profits from the IPL to ensure that past players were cared for. "We must acknowledge and praise India for embracing the spirit of cricket through the financial opportunities it provides, which has enabled a number of Test playing countries to survive, and some to thrive," Greig said. "World cricket would be in a sorry state if it weren't for the money shared with other countries from India's television deals. 

"If there is proof of the leadership India can provide, it is the recent announcement of a one-time benefit payment of $13 million to former national and domestic players for their services to Indian cricket." 

But he insisted that such strength carried with it a responsibility and called for India to wield its power more judiciously. And, on the day when the ICC's executive board, chaired by BCCI chairman, declined to act on the recommendation of the ICC's cricket committee or chief executives committee and apply the DRS universally, Grieg's words on the subject were particularly timely. 

"It can't be good for the game when the media devotes so many words and so much ink to bad decisions, which ultimately undermines the integrity of some results," Greig said. "The DRS is not perfect, but it does err in favour of the umpires' decisions and according to the ICC, fewer mistakes are made with its use. And furthermore, there is less conflict on the ground. 

"India has two reasons for opposing it: One, because its superstars had such an embarrassing experience with it in the early days. Two, the BCCI argues that the DRS is too inexact. Ironically, the spirit of cricket is batting on both sides in this one. The cavalier approach says DRS is not in the spirit of cricket, but on the other hand, the Indian superstars should act in the spirit of cricket and accept the majority viewpoint."

Elsewhere in the speech, Greig called for the introduction of lie detector tests to help in the fight against corruption, reasoning that it was no greater an imposition into the private life of athletes than routine drugs tests, and called for the IPL to be expanded into "an Asian League" to include teams from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Each of those boards, he said, should be given a financial stake in the competition, which would enable them to finance their other cricketing obligations. He also called for Australia to welcome New Zealand teams into the Big Bash and for England to "set up its equivalent of the IPL and include teams from the West Indies and one team from Ireland." 

Despite his concerns, Greig, now aged 65, insisted he was optimistic for the future of the game. "Fortunately, I think most of the problems can generally be addressed if India invokes and adheres to the spirit of cricket," he said. "Mahatma Gandhi said: "A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people. As cricket certainly resides in the hearts and souls of Indian people I am optimistic India will lead cricket by acting in the best interests of all countries rather than just for India."