It was just after 3pm on Saturday when Kevin Pietersen claimed the catch which secured England’s status as the number one ranked Test team in the world. But this is by no means mission accomplished. The real challenge is retaining the top spot and that was a recurring theme in the reporting of the national newspapers in the wake of England’s thumping win at Edgbaston.
The sheer joy and togetherness of this world-conquering England side was there for all the see in the players’ reactions as they sprinted to congratulate Tim Bresnan on snaring the final Indian wicket before mobbing their evidently proud skipper, Andrew Strauss. Paul Weaver of the Guardian eloquently framed the moment, describing the jubilant squad as “a moving, jumping white mass of pure joy”.
Weaver’s pays tribute to the real sense of team spirit and togetherness, which has been so integral in England’s climb up the Test ladder, and while this has been a contributing factor in becoming number one, it has also been earned through hard work, detailed management and a real focus on achieving ambitious goals. Michael Vaughan, writing in the Daily Telegraph, highlighted the strength of the current system in manufacturing success, arguing that: “Good players come from a good system. It has taken a very long time but we have that now”.
Vic Marks of the Guardian continued this theme, emphasising the importance of the current system in ensuring that player and team potential is fully realised through continuous investment of money and resources: “The England structure, generously resourced, improves the chances of generating a conveyor belt of players. Hardly any expense is spared”.
Yet the real focus of the media was fixed on where the team needs to go from now to ensure that they remain on top of the world. The impending Test Championship in 2013 and the 2015 World Cup have been touted as markers of success, but The Telegraph’s Derek Pringle said Andy Flower won’t be stopping there: “For many, just staying at number one until the Test Championship is inaugurated in 2013 would seem to represent a stern enough challenge, but for Flower that is nowhere near ambitious enough”.
Nasser Hussain, writing in the Daily Mail, opted for a different angle and focused on the problems facing Indian cricket after they were so emphatically toppled from the summit of the world rankings. He liked the Indian bowling attack to an average county-standard outfit, suggesting that marked improvements must be made otherwise the future of Indian cricket will be a bleak one: “The worrying thing for India is that this could be a vision of the future. I’ll always back their batsmen to score big runs at home on flat pitches but how incisive can this bowling attack be?”
Despite India’s failings, the quality of England cannot be disputed and Shane Warne believes that the side could become as good as the great Australian team of the late 1990s and early 2000s, with consistency the key to success: “England need to be as consistent over the next two years home and away before they can be truly compared to some of the great sides, but the basics and the platform are in place”. High praise indeed from the man who was once England’s chief tormentor and Warne’s view encapsulates just why it’s such an exciting time to be an English cricket fan.
England On Top Of The World: What The Papers Say
It was just after 3pm on Saturday when Kevin Pietersen claimed the catch which secured England’s status as the number one ranked Test team in the world. But this is by no means mission accomplished. The real challenge is retaining the top spot and that was a recurring theme in the reporting of the national newspapers in the wake of England’s thumping win at Edgbaston.
The sheer joy and togetherness of this world-conquering England side was there for all the see in the players’ reactions as they sprinted to congratulate Tim Bresnan on snaring the final Indian wicket before mobbing their evidently proud skipper, Andrew Strauss. Paul Weaver of the Guardian eloquently framed the moment, describing the jubilant squad as “a moving, jumping white mass of pure joy”.
Weaver’s pays tribute to the real sense of team spirit and togetherness, which has been so integral in England’s climb up the Test ladder, and while this has been a contributing factor in becoming number one, it has also been earned through hard work, detailed management and a real focus on achieving ambitious goals. Michael Vaughan, writing in the Daily Telegraph, highlighted the strength of the current system in manufacturing success, arguing that: “Good players come from a good system. It has taken a very long time but we have that now”.
Vic Marks of the Guardian continued this theme, emphasising the importance of the current system in ensuring that player and team potential is fully realised through continuous investment of money and resources: “The England structure, generously resourced, improves the chances of generating a conveyor belt of players. Hardly any expense is spared”.
Yet the real focus of the media was fixed on where the team needs to go from now to ensure that they remain on top of the world. The impending Test Championship in 2013 and the 2015 World Cup have been touted as markers of success, but The Telegraph’s Derek Pringle said Andy Flower won’t be stopping there: “For many, just staying at number one until the Test Championship is inaugurated in 2013 would seem to represent a stern enough challenge, but for Flower that is nowhere near ambitious enough”.
Nasser Hussain, writing in the Daily Mail, opted for a different angle and focused on the problems facing Indian cricket after they were so emphatically toppled from the summit of the world rankings. He liked the Indian bowling attack to an average county-standard outfit, suggesting that marked improvements must be made otherwise the future of Indian cricket will be a bleak one: “The worrying thing for India is that this could be a vision of the future. I’ll always back their batsmen to score big runs at home on flat pitches but how incisive can this bowling attack be?”
Despite India’s failings, the quality of England cannot be disputed and Shane Warne believes that the side could become as good as the great Australian team of the late 1990s and early 2000s, with consistency the key to success: “England need to be as consistent over the next two years home and away before they can be truly compared to some of the great sides, but the basics and the platform are in place”. High praise indeed from the man who was once England’s chief tormentor and Warne’s view encapsulates just why it’s such an exciting time to be an English cricket fan.