While England will be sorry to lose their man-mountain Chris Tremlett for the second Test at Trent Bridge, the inclusion of Tim Bresnan has strengthened an already formidable batting line-up. Chris Baldwin takes a look at a tail with serious wagging potential.
Tim Bresnan’s inclusion for the Trent Bridge Test has added more quality to a batting line-up that was already arguably the strongest in world cricket. Whereas England’s batting order used to feature more bunnies than Watership Down, it is now a requirement for tailenders to wield the willow to decent effect.
The Oval Test against New Zealand in 1999 was a prime example of limp England tails from days gone by. In that match No.8 to No.11 consisted of Andy Caddick, Alan Mullally, Phil Tufnell and Ed Giddins, with a combined average of just 27. It was of little surprise when the last four wickets fell for 12 in the first innings and just five in the second dig, as England went on to lose the match by 83 runs.
But Duncan Fletcher’s appointment as England coach that summer heralded a new era. The Zimbabwean inherited a team at their lowest ebb and was intent on trimming a tail that was longer than any other in world cricket. Before England could rule the world, they had to be hard to beat; and that meant a lower-order with stickability.
Bowlers were made to spend considerably more time in the nets and were later paired with ‘batting buddies’ to expand their game. The results were almost immediate. Fletcher’s brand of myxomatosis saw England’s bunnies fall by the wayside. Series wins in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the winter of 2000/01 followed and were notable for the runs made down the order.
A good example of Fletcher’s self-improvement programme was Matthew Hoggard. A genuine No.11 when he made his debut in 2000, Hoggard became a stoic blocker and his defiance proved vital on several occasions.
Injuries forced a change of tack for the ill-fated Ashes series in 2006/07, which saw Sajid Mahmood, Steve Harmison, Monty Panesar and Hoggard line-up against McGrath, Warne and Lee for the fourth Test at Melbourne. Now coach of India, Fletcher has similar dearth of talent in the lower reaches of India’s batting order – as demonstrated when they were blown away on day five at Lord’s.
By contrast, Stuart Broad’s unbeaten 74 in the second innings in the same match helped take the game away from the Indians, while his 169 against Pakistan last summer was the knock of a serious batsman. He is likely to bat as low as No.9 in the second Test. Graeme Swann – batting at No.10 at Trent Bridge – is also more than handy with the bat with his best Test innings to date coming at Centurion in 2009/10 where he and James Anderson (bringing up the rear in Nottingham) put on 103 for the ninth wicket.
Two early wickets on the first morning of the second Test will have got India’s tails up but there’ll do well to beware an England tail with plenty of wag to give.
