I left my post as ECB Marketing Director in 2003 (when cricket was still on Channel 4 – that long ago!) and have been a sports marketing consultant ever since. Three years ago, my good friend David Morgan called me to say that the West Indies Cricket Board was looking for help on their marketing – and I’ve worked with the Windies for the past two years.

I first visited the Caribbean in March 1981 when England was touring and up against a fearsome attack of Roberts, Holding, Garner and Croft. The batting wasn’t bad either – Greenidge, Haynes, Richards & Lloyd to the fore! Botham’s England drew a rain-affected fourth Test in Antigua that year but lost the series, and although I had been hooked on Caribbean cricket since 1963 (when I saw my first Test Match at Lord’s when Dexter, Close Trueman & Shackleton took on Worrell, Butcher, Hall, Griffith and Sobers in the most famous drawn match) I had now experienced cricket in the West Indies first-hand – nothing short of joyous.

Until the late 1980s, there was little to distract a young boy from one of the main island pastimes. There was little American influence in the region. No cable television. Usually just one free-to-air station per island. Few affordable flights to whisk many young West Indians away to North America. Little sport to watch on TV, no computers or mobile phones… so plenty of time to play and easy to be spotted and rise up the ranks to the island team. Remember that in those days, Barbados alone could probably challenge the world.

Since the 1990s all that has changed. Australia had inaugurated the first national cricket academy and they were becoming a force to be reckoned with, and whilst Lara, Walsh and Ambrose kept West Indies competitive, others were catching up. Meanwhile a cultural change was taking place in the region.

People often refer to West Indians latching onto basketball but that was only a very small part of the whole picture. American influence grew in the islands through property, banking and tourism but cable television did not just bring basketball. It also brought MTV, fashion, and the rise of the ‘bling culture’.

Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh have yet to be adequately replaced

Young West Indians could now travel more easily to the US and Canada, helped by the tying of local Caribbean dollars to the US dollar. US College sports scholarships, especially for basketball and track and field, offered a funded degree and early recognition of athletic prowess – but not at cricket, these talents were in effect lost to the game.

They could also sit at home and log on to their computers. They could watch basketball, yes – but English Premier League too. They simply got used to the couch as well as the playground. In recent years, an obesity problem has emerged in the Caribbean. Not just a cricketing but also a social challenge. The grass roots were therefore weakened as other interests and aspirations took centre stage. Athletics had always been a source of national pride (and remains so nowhere more than Jamaica!) but soccer also became a gateway to the world’s second biggest global stage as Jamaica (1998), then Trinidad (2006) qualified for Soccer World Cup Finals.

West Indies cricket administration was slow to adapt to the modern sporting era and did not, whilst in the ascendancy, respond the need to build a regional infrastructure for success – easier said than done when the West Indies is only an entity in cricket – and without strong leadership, easily becomes a region hard to organise. As money became more accessible (particularly to other cricket Boards and cricketers), so disputes between the Board and its players (and Players’ Association) became more commonplace.

What should have been a chance for cricket to regain centre stage in the Caribbean, the World Cup in 2007, was the worst edition ever as crowds were over priced and policed by ICC and the legacy appeared to be larger stadiums with fewer fans, especially for Test Cricket where the Windies were now struggling. The advance of IPL and T20 saw a relationship with Allan Stanford that at least revived some interest in island cricket but ended in tears. No more so than when certain players professed more interest in the riches on offer in India than representing their region.

Darren Bravo is helping to re-ignite interest in the West Indies Test side

So is it all doom & gloom? Not at all. Although the Caribbean is a small economy struggling in a world recession, the natural cricketing talent is still there in abundance. It’s just that now cricket has to be really organised in order to compete with the likes of India and, of course, England – who have grown in stature since the formation of ECB and are now top of two piles (T20 Champions and Test Rankings) after 14 years’ determined work.

After several CEOs came and went in the early 2000s, Dr Ernest Hilaire took the reins at WICB in late 2009 and has already started to transform the way in which cricket is organised. A Cricket Academy was launched in Barbados last year, a revitalised Kiddies Cricket programme has been re-launched and a new secondary school programme introduced.

Concerted moves are in place to raise standards of cricket clubs, pitches, umpires & coaches to name just a few key areas. The new men’s team under Darren Sammy is beginning to show competitive signs, evidenced by Devendra Bishoo winning the ICC Emerging Player of 2011. Darren Bravo has real potential (reminding many aficionados of Lara) as does Kemar Roach and several others.

Meanwhile the men’s age group teams – Under 19, Academy, and Combined Campuses & Colleges are beginning to bear fruit. Windies Women are climbing up the rankings and the Caribbean T20 (in which English counties now participate) is drawing back the crowds. The England Lions found the four-Day competition in February and March last year to be very competitive, only winning 2 of their 7 matches.

With a new strategic plan being launched in 2012, watch out for a Caribbean cricket revival. It may take some time and the road may not always be smooth, but one thing is for sure: once the Windies start performing and rising up the rankings, the crowds will return and success should bring its rewards with a greater level of corporate/media support and investment so that the virtuous circle associated with well organised cricketing organisations can be put in place.

Click here to read Rohan Kallicharan’s assessment of the West Indies pace attack

Vaughan says: “In their own conditions, England are a formidable Test side and, weather permitting, 3-0 is very much on the cards. Expect Jimmy Anderson to shine with the ball throughout the series and my shout is for Ian Bell to pile on the runs at Lord’s.

“After a pretty disappointing winter in the UAE and Sri Lanka, which included a series whitewash against Misbah-ul-Haq’s Pakistan side and a hard-fought drawn series against Sri Lanka, England are back on home soil.

“And we all know what that means – Anderson, Stuart Broad and company swinging the ball around corners and opposition batsmen edging the ball time and again into the gloves of Matt Prior and the grateful hands of Andrew Strauss and Graeme Swann in the slips. Well, that’s the plan anyway.

“A lot has been said about what went wrong during the winter so we won’t go over all that again. Suffice to say this is a wonderful opportunity for England to whitewash an inexperienced West Indies side in favourable conditions. Of the Windies’ likely top seven, only Shivnarine Chanderpaul has experience of playing over here before. The little left-hander will be the absolute key wicket and will make life tough for England’s bowlers, but beyond him it’s hard to see who is going to spend enough time at the crease to get big, matchwinning scores.

“I like both Fidel Edwards and Kemar Roach and they can both produce spells of rapid pace bowling. But using the cherry in English conditions is a skill that takes a fair bit of getting used to, especially at Lord’s, the venue for the first Test, where the slope provides a unique feature that has caused trouble for some of the finest bowlers in the game.

“Unless one of the three Tests is heavily affected by rain and we lose more than a day’s play, I can’t see any outcome in the series other than a whitewash. So 3-0 to England in the Series score market at 2.7 (1/1) is an obvious starting point as far as our wagers go.

“James Anderson is for me the best fast bowler in the world with the possible exception of Dale Steyn. Bowling with the new ball in England in May against an inexperienced batting line-up, Anderson will feel like a kid in a sweet shop. Like all the best bowlers, he’ll be targeting five-wicket hauls, not just the odd wicket here and there, and he looks the man to side with as the series top wicker-taker at around 3.5 (2/1).

“A big element of England’s success over the past couple of years has been their consistency in terms of selection. It’s been very much the same 12 or 13 players who have featured in series after series and they’ve kept their places by delivering big performances. Eoin Morgan was probably the one player who didn’t quite play to the level that both he and the selectors would have hoped and that’s cost him his place in the Test side, at least for the time being. But the others have all contributed.

“That said, we have a new face in the Test side – Jonny Bairstow. Whether he would have been selected ahead of a fit Ravi Bopara is something we may never know, but it’s provided the Yorkshireman with a golden chance to prove he’s ready to play at this level.

“Bairstow’s two biggest assets are that he seems to score runs for his county when they really need him to and that he is an extremely phlegmatic young man, nothing seems to faze him. In addition to that he can play the big shots, as well as being solid in defence, so all in all we have an exciting young prospect who looks to have all the assets to be a really good international batsman.

“Lord’s in May can be a really difficult place to score runs. I’m almost certain the ball will swing early on so life could be tough for the openers on both sides. I don’t think Andrew Strauss will be that worried about the outcome of the toss because he’ll be confident that his bowlers can exploit favourable conditions and that his batsmen have the experience to deal with the moving ball. But Darren Sammy may think his team’s best chance is to bowl first and take early wickets to put England under the right amount of pressure.

“A win for the Three Lions looks a sure thing to me at 1.47 but rather than take that pretty short price, I prefer a punt that the match will end on the afternoon session of day four, at 9.2. I think England will be capable of posting a score of over 400 at least once, which will take time to compile, so I don’t think it will all be over before the end of day three.

“Batting may be tough early on so I’ll be giving the top-order a miss and siding with someone in the middle-order for England’s batting honours. Kevin Pietersen would be an obvious choice but I actually prefer the chances of Ian Bell, who has been in fine county form and has a habit of scoring runs early on in a series.”

Vaughan’s Suggested Tips:

Back England to win the series 3-0 @ around 2.78
Back James Anderson to be top series wicket-taker @ around 2.94
Back Afternoon Day 4 in the First Match Test End market @ around 9.2
Back Ian Bell to be England First Innings top batsman @ around 6.4

The dreadful weather may suggest otherwise, but believe it or not it is only a week until the start of the Test summer when an understrength and unfancied West Indian side take on England at Lord’s.

Andrew Strauss and his fellow batsmen will no doubt relish the prospect of taking guard in familiar surroundings even if the pitch is likely to have more than the usual tinge of green – even for this time of year – given that the rainfall over the last few weeks has probably not been equalled since Noah first raised the anchor on the Ark.

Aside from a decision between Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan, the only real point of debate selection-wise will centre on who will bat at No.6. Let’s assess the possible runners and riders:

Mr Incumbent

The man in possession is Nottinghamshire’s Samit Patel who played both Tests in Sri Lanka without exactly setting the house alight with either bat or ball. He wasn’t even trusted enough to bat at No.6 – he slotted in at seven behind Matt Prior – and a top score of 29 suggests the selectors’ hesitancy was well placed. Has batted at No.4 for Notts in the County Championship since his return from Sri Lanka, but has only passed 50 once in eight attempts.

2012 Championship record: 174 runs at 24.85

Verdict: Is neither fish nor fowl – even his own county coach has publicly doubted Patel’s credentials as a specialist Test batsman.

Mr Splinter

Patel replaced Eoin Morgan after England’s adopted Irishman endured a nightmare series against Pakistan in the UAE, which left his average from 16 Tests at a distinctly unimpressive 30.43. He could have made a case for a recall by scoring runs for Middlesex in Division One, but prioritised a stint in the IPL instead, where he has warmed the bench for Pune without making a single appearance.

2012 Championship record: Weather permitting, will have just the one opportunity to shine for Middlesex at Trent Bridge this week.

Verdict: He left it late last year by stepping off a plane from India and cracking a big hundred in the Lions game against Sri Lanka, but with his credit in the bank now expired, has surely left it too late this time.

Mr Head Lion

James Taylor will lead the Lions against West Indies this week, has a first-class average touching 50 and this writer at least was hugely impressed with his technique and guts against a fearsome Surrey attack on an Oval green top last summer. Has started quietly at Trent Bridge since his move from Leicestershire over the winter, where he is notably batting below Patel in the order.

2012 Championship record: 225 runs at 28.12

Verdict: Doesn’t have form on his side nor perhaps the fluency required to bat at six at Test level. His chance will come again.

Jonny Bairstow whips another to leg in a County Championship game against Leicestershire at Scarborough this season

Mr Orange

The carrot-headed Jonathan Bairstow seems to have overtaken Taylor as the next bright young thing and has already shown that international cricket holds no fears for him. That said, if the selectors are thinking ahead to the winter they will note his struggles against spin in the one-day series in India last autumn. Is in form, has a career average of 46 and perhaps more importantly a healthy strike rate which would make him an asset at No.6.

2012 Championship record: 357 runs at 59.50 (two hundreds)

Verdict: If the selectors are unsure whether to trust Bopara, Bairstow would seem to be next in line.

Mr Run Machine

Nick Compton has been scoring runs for fun whilst pretty much every other top order batsman has been struggling with the early-season bowler-friendly conditions. He is well on target to become the first batsman since Graeme Hick to score 1,000 first-class runs by the end of May. Has been called up to the Lions and if those famous family genes can rub off some more…

2012 Championship record: 479 runs at 119.75

Verdict: Will need to sustain his early-season form for the whole summer and in any case – like Taylor – looks more of a top four batsman rather than a No.6.

Mr Rank-Outsider

If Compton isn’t enough of an outsider, how about Surrey captain Rory Hamilton-Brown? Hugely talented and a formidably quick scorer, RHB has struck fifties in each of Surrey’s first three Division One games – all on devilish pitches. Much ire (most of it sadly inverse snobbery) was spent when he was handed the Surrey captaincy as an utter novice, but he has swum not sunk and looks to have plenty of character to match his undoubted talent.

2012 Championship record: 284 runs at 47.33

Verdict: The likes of Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick had the character (if not the outstanding first-class record when first picked) to flourish at Test level – international cricket would hold no fear for Hamilton-Brown. One to watch.

Mr Unlucky

Finally, there is the favourite Ravi Bopara, who spent most of the winter carrying the drinks – he does reputedly mix a fine G&T – whilst impressing with a pair of fifties in the one-day series against Pakistan. Has scored three Test hundreds (which is one more than Morgan and Shane Watson to name but two), but needs to shake off the black cat that seems to have been following him around for the last couple of years. He was the fall-guy in the 2009 Ashes after his limitations at No.3 were horribly exposed by the Australians, was pipped at the post by Morgan last year and would have played in the Tests against Sri Lanka but for an injury which prevented him from bowling. Has his time finally come again?

2012 Championship record: 138 runs at 46.00

Verdict – Looked a class apart when scoring 117 at Headingley a few weeks back, seems a natural No.6, bowls useful seam-up and surely deserves to be the next cab off the rank. But if he gets the opportunity, will he make the most of it?

David Green is the warped mind behind The Reverse Sweep cricket blog and regards Douglas Jardine as his ultimate cricket hero. You can follow David on Twitter @TheReverseSweep

Read David’s team of FA Cup Final cricketers here

So, it’s not a bad way to announce yourself on the season by trimming up the England captain twice in the same match…

You know, to get Andrew Strauss is a bonus. He is someone people always keep saying you want to get out in order to get yourself back in the side, and I suppose there is a little bit of me thinking that is the case. But I’ve also got to do a job for Durham, and that is to get their best players out. Andrew is the England captain, he is a very good player and for me – obviously by the reactions that you probably saw – getting the wicket for Durham was pretty special.

I saw that opening spell, and to me you looked like an England bowler again. You’ve traditionally done quite well at Lord’s, where of course the first Test takes place next month…

Yeah, I’ve actually had quite a few good moments at Lord’s in my career. I think whenever you go to Lord’s any cricketer should absolutely love playing there and they should relish it. I remember the first time I was there I took a five-fer with Durham. I also got my name on the honours board on my debut against West Indies, and obviously I’ve just got my first 10-fer. These are moments in your career you’ll never forget.

I was impressed with the pace as well – do you feel you’re back to the same level of intensity and pace as you were a few years ago when you were tearing it up for England?

I think the injury that I had [Onions suffered a stress fracture of the back and didn’t bowl a ball in 2010] and the reason I had to have surgery was basically because I’d done a lot of bowling, and my body, and my back especially, took the toll. But that’s gone, I don’t really think about it. I feel good about my body now. I’ve done a lot of work in the gym to get my body fit and strong.

Have you had any twinges?

To be honest, no not really, I try to look after myself, I try to do my stretching, my workouts to keep my back strong. Pilates is a massive thing, I was massively grateful when I was coming back from injury, Pilates made a huge difference. They [Durham CCC] spent a lot of money on me, to try and get me back on the park and I thank them massively for that. It was certainly the toughest part of my career, but it makes it even better now knowing that I’m fitter, stronger and taking wickets.

When you were playing in 2009, you were sharp and at Test pace, say 85-87mph, even pushing 90 when it was coming out really well. Are you at that same kind of level now?

Yeah, it’s such a strange one, as a fast bowler you talk about this magical word ‘rhythm’ and last week [at Lord’s] I was probably bowling as quick as I’ve bowled but I felt as if I could bowl all day, which I did really, I bowled a hell of a lot of overs in the game. But I felt as though I was bowling within myself and people were saying ‘good pace’, but I actually felt I was running in quite easy. I try not to look at the speed guns, 90mph is just a figure, but if you’re bowling 90mph and bowling it outside off stump and you’re getting smacked everywhere then it makes no difference. I was only bowling at whatever pace I was bowling at, but I was bowling at the batter, I was bowling aggressively: hence the reason I got the wickets.

What’s it like bowling seam in April?

I’m not going to lie to you, the wickets that we’ve played on so far at Durham and then at Lord’s have certainly been helpful towards the seamer, but you’ve still got to put it in the right areas. When the ball isn’t doing as much, that’s when you need your skills as a bowler. You need to be thinking about swinging the ball more, or your bouncer comes into play a bit more. That’s when your experience helps, knowing when is the right time to do that. I think I’ve got that now. I’ll back to last year and when I came back from injury I took wickets at Sussex and that was one of the flattest wickets I’ve played on. You’ve just got to realise when you need to put a bit more effort in, or when to throttle back and pitch it on off stump, and that’s how you get your wickets.

Were you surprised that you got called up to the Test squad over the winter?

I felt as though I had done enough [Onions took 50 Championship wickets in 2011] to be picked on the tour. But there was Tim Bresnan, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson, Steven Finn and Stuart Broad! I was there as back-up, and as it happened Bresnan went home early and I got to stay. But obviously on the other side of things I didn’t get picked to go to Sri Lanka, which was very hard to take. But you go through ups and downs and I didn’t get dropped as such, they just played an extra spinner.

Do you expect to hear your name when the first Test squad is announced?

If I’m being totally honest, probably not. I think I’m certainly up there with the best bowlers in England but it’s just a case of who they pick at the right time. The reason why I say I don’t expect to be picked is because of what I went through in 2009. I don’t expect anything, that’s the way I look at things, I’ll enjoy myself, I’ll do everything I can to do it but if it doesn’t come along it’s not the end of the world.

If you do get that call-up and pull on that shirt again, it’ll be two and a half years since you last did it. Was there ever a time you thought it wasn’t going to happen?

All the time, all the way through my surgery.

It’ll be an emotional moment right?

It’ll be massive, absolutely huge. I will also be very proud. I never realised how hard it would be to overcome such a serious injury. It’s special knowing that you’ve actually had to work hard to get to where you want to be, and I feel I’m pretty close to it again.

Click here to read Phil Walker’s debut entry of The Grubber, featuring Graham Onions

The charity provides support to melanoma patients and campaigns for greater awareness of the dangers of malignant melanoma, the skin cancer that kills over 2,000 people a year in the UK. With over 12,000 new cases diagnosed each year, it is wholly committed to this valuable cause.

Flower also took the opportunity to raise money for two other worthy causes, the Lord’s Taverners and Hope for Children. Speaking after his achievement, he said: “I had been told what an amazing experience running the London Marathon was, so when I got the opportunity to do it and raise some much needed funds for three great causes, I took it. I couldn’t believe how much pain my legs were in during the last eight miles, but it is true it was a truly unforgettable experience and I was so pleased to have been part of such a special day.”

Flower himself had surgery following a diagnosis of malignant melanoma in 2010, and became a Factor 50 ambassador in the summer of 2011. Spending long days playing cricket in hot sunshine is part of a cricketer’s life, and Flower’s connection with the charity serves as a reminder to them, and other sportsmen and women, to use protection and avoid sun damage to their skin.

Factor 50 founder, Gill Nuttall, said: “We are thrilled that Andy decided to run the London Marathon for us. His commitment to Factor 50, combined with his personal experience of melanoma, is so powerful, especially for young sportsmen and women. Money continues to pour in but at the end of the marathon Andy had raised just under £7,000. That will help to continue funding valuable research into malignant melanoma.”

For more information, visit www.factor50.org.uk

Tesco Executive Director, Lucy Neville-Rolfe and England Women’s captain Charlotte Edwards are part of a newly formed Girls’ Cricket Board, organised by the Chance to Shine cricket charity. They will help launch ‘Girls on the Front Foot’, a programme of activity that aims to give girls the same opportunity as boys to play cricket at schools, clubs and in the community.

Joining them on the rooftop of the Pavilion at Lord’s Cricket Ground will be a host of cricketing and non-cricket celebrities, including Sir Tim Rice, a Vice President of Chance to Shine, Head of Women’s Cricket at ECB, Clare Connor, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs Stefan Green, the country’s leading female cricket commentator Alison Mitchell and Sky News’ Nazaneen Ghaffar.

One of the Board’s key objectives is to enable mass participation in girls’ cricket, while allowing girls from disadvantaged backgrounds to increase their aspirations and to engage them in positive, life-changing activities. The Board also wants to enable girls around the country to develop skills and values such as teamwork, competing with boys, and learning to win and lose, which will help them in their future careers.

Speaking about the launch of ‘Girls on the Front Foot’, Charlotte Edwards said: “I am delighted to be involved with the Chance to Shine Girls’ Board. It is amazing to see this collection of high-powered women come together for such a worthy cause. In my dual role as England Captain and Chance to Shine Coaching Ambassador it is fantastic to go into schools around the country and see girls playing cricket. A few years ago one of those girls could have been me and I hope the work we do as a board will inspire girls around the country to enjoy this great sport and help the game continue to grow.”

Lucy Neville-Rolfe said: “England’s women cricketers have been very successful in recent years when competing against other countries and we all want them to stay on top with a stronger pipeline of talent. Playing cricket also helps girls to master teamwork and I believe that learning to excel at anything is a good preparation for business life and a rewarding career.”

The Chance to Shine campaign aims to bring cricket – and its social and educational benefits – to young people in state schools across the country. The programme, run by the Cricket Foundation, has so far reached 1.4 million children in over 4,000 schools. Of these 1.4 million kids 44% are girls. In 2011 alone around 160,000 girls took part in the programme. The campaign runs a number of girls-only cricket projects, providing an appropriate environment for girls to learn the game, and working closely with cricket clubs to set up new girls’ teams.

Tim Bresnan

… it is an interesting paradox that Tim Bresnan can be named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year before becoming a regular in England’s Test side. At 27, he is approaching his prime and is living proof of Fred Trueman’s theory that the best bowlers are “broad in’t beam”. Broad, mmm. Therein lies another interesting conundrum. Once Stuart of that ilk is fit, it will be interesting to see whether the team can accommodate both allrounders. For Bresnan’s part, since he became Yorkshire’s youngest player for 20 years when he made his county debut aged 16, he seems to have done little wrong and let nobody down. His ‘heavy’ ball, robust hitting and uncanny knack of taking wickets when tossed the ball (Ian Chappell said he changed the game at the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne 2010) will certainly keep Bresnan in the squad, and perhaps Stuart Broad’s bad luck with injuries will even keep him in the team. Bresnan shares a birthday with…

Ian Smith

… whose clipped, acerbic commentary is well known, despite teasing by Simon Hughes about “Tist wuckuts” and what he dubbed “irritable vowel syndrome”. Smith’s days behind the timbers for New Zealand may be lesser known, but he shone in a team which often had little going for it other than Richard Hadlee, and the most revolting one-day kit in history. There was nothing beige about Smith though. In February 1991 he took seven catches in an innings against Sri Lanka, but his finest hour came the following season when he rescued his team against Pakistan with the not-so-small matter of 173 off 136 balls. It remains the highest Test score by a number 9 and was no fluke – his ODI strike rate is a whisker under a run a ball from 60 matches. Behind the mic he is also something of an allrounder, and contributed to Sky’s coverage of the Rugby World Cup in 2011. However, he will want to forget confusing French skipper Thierry Dusautoir with footballer Thierry Henry in a post-match interview. Both Bresnan and Smith share a birthday with…

Ross Gregory

… who only played twice for Australia, both times against England, but two stylish fifties suggested he could add to the legend already established by Archie Jackson and Bradman et al. Picked for Test duty after his century for Victoria against the tourists in 1936/7, his ‘exhilarating’ 80 overshadowed three Aussie centuries in a monster total of 604, including one from the Don himself. A blip in form meant he was overlooked for the 1938 tour to England, but the consensus was that the boy had class to spare. His potentially career-defining 80 at the MCG was ended by England bowler Ken Farnes, who lost his life in a wartime flying accident in 1941. With tragic irony Gregory too lost his life a year later at the age of 26, when he was killed in Assam. He was the only Australian first-class cricketer to perish in World War 2. Another flyer killed on active service was…

Geoffrey Legge

… from his early days in Malvern School, and then Oxford, Legge demonstrated what E.W. Swanton called “wristy off side play”, much in keeping with those institutions and initially encouraged by “short cover point boundaries”. He captained Kent with no-little skill, and was within a pip of leading them to the Championship in 1928. The brightest day of a short, breezy career came in the last of his five England Tests, played at Auckland against New Zealand in 1929/30. Wisden asserted that “in one of the best innings he has ever played”, he batted “faultlessly almost, until within four of a double century”. He dropped out of cricket in the early thirties, and like so many amateurs the lure of life outside the game could not be denied. When he was killed during Fleet Air Arm operations over Devon in 1940, he was only 37, another swashbuckler gone too soon. Another to captain Kent was…

Mark Benson

… who plied a stellar trade for Kent at a time when England had numerous accomplished, if functional, opening bats. Benson was unlucky to only get one crack at Test cricket and certainly didn’t disgrace himself against Kapil Dev and Maninder Singh at Birmingham in 1986. As it was, only Brian Luckhurst and Colin Cowdrey have scored more heavily for Kent since the war, with Luckhurst calling Benson “Kent’s greatest post-war opening batsman” and “his generation’s unsung hero”. On his watch, Kent were Championship runners-up in 1992, Sunday league runners-up in 1993, and went one better in 1995 as well as appearing in the Benson and Hedges Cup final that year. As an umpire he was the first to refer a decision upstairs, and it was a shame that before quitting the international panel, the final part of his career was overshadowed by ill-feeling and some contested decisions. Still, their loss is the domestic game’s gain, and he continues as a senior member of the county cricket panel in 2012. Benson was on duty at Leeds in 2006, when a young tyke had possibly his worst day in an England shirt, savaged by the evergreen Sanath Jayasuriya. With wretched figures of 2-0-29-0 that day, the hapless 21 year old was… Tim Bresnan!

Click here to read Following On: From Jayawardene to Jayawardene

What were your first impressions of Simon Kerrigan as a bowler?
I got injured two years ago, and he came in for me and made an immediate impression on the team – he took five wickets and had a brilliant start to his career. He proved straight away that he could get top class players out; Ian Bell was his first wicket, so we never doubted what he was capable of. From playing with him, watching him in the nets and helping him, I can see what a seriously good talent he is. He’s still only young and a bit of a rough diamond, and he’s still working on parts of his game and improving as a cricketer. But on the back of what he’s done over the past two years, he’s going to have a very, very good future, no doubt about that.

What would you say are his strengths at the moment? And what do you think he needs to work on?
His main strength is his mental attitude and his attacking nature – he’s just desperate to bowl teams out. When he gets it right, as he showed last year when he took 9-51 against Hampshire, he’s absolutely unplayable. The advice that I’d give him is that when conditions aren’t as suited to spin, he needs to be a bit more patient. I don’t tell anyone not to try and take wickets, but sometimes it can be your downfall. There are times when you need to be patient, and by bowling maidens you apply pressure, which ultimately buys wickets. If there’s something for Simon to work on, it’s that.

Is he a big spinner of the ball in all conditions? Is he just steady in flatter conditions, or does he really give it a rip?
No, he really gives it a proper rip, and that does help him out on the wickets that don’t turn as he gets natural shape on the ball. On the non-responsive wickets if you can do someone in the air you get people out, and he’s really good at that to be honest.

You’ve bowled in tandem with Simon for long spells, what would you say are your similarities and differences as bowlers?
I’m a little more patient, and bowl a little bit slower with a bit more flight. We both attack the stumps –that’s something we work very hard on. But whether it’s down to experience or not, I know when to try to bowl maidens and when not to, and Simon, while there’s nothing wrong with being aggressive, is always trying to bowl people out. But that will come. A 22-year-old is rarely the complete package.

Would you say that Simon’s strength is in Championship cricket, and does he have to learn a new method to succeed in limited over games?
Limited overs cricket is tough as a young bowler – I’d try and bowl a little slower or flight it to get people out and end up getting knocked out the park. I had to find my own method of bowling in that format, and from what Simon’s shown, he has the ability to do that do.

Off the pitch, as well as on, how is he in general? What sort of character is he – one of the lads and very confident, or a quiet guy?
We did some profiling which characterises people by what colour you are, and Simon came out as fiery red. I don’t know what half of it means, but that speaks volumes – he’s aggressive in nature, says it how it is and he’s in your face, while I’m at the other end of things. It’s a good way of learning about your teammates and how they are as characters.

There’s a lot of strength in English cricket at the moment, but does he have a chance of breaking into the England ranks in the next year or two?
You talk about the strengths, and there are some good bowlers out there, but I think quality-wise, with what Simon’s produced, he’ll be very high up the list. He’s shown that he’s capable of bowling top-class players out on good pitches, and I can’t really pay anybody a greater compliment than that really. If he keeps going the way he is, there’s no reason why he couldn’t be knocking on the door.

Lancashire fielded three spinners at times in both the Championship and one-day games last season, can you see the team doing the same again?
What the coach and captain do is look at the surface before the game and work out who are the eleven players who are going to give us the best chance of winning that match, whatever combination that is. Whether that’s four seamers or two spinners, we’ll put our best bowling pack out for that wicket. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don’t, but that’s the way we operate and as professional cricketers we respect the decision of the captain and coach.

Find out who else we’re tipping for big things in 2012 by picking up this month’s mag

Kevin Pietersen, lest we forget, arrived in Colombo having scored a paltry 100 runs at a rather unbecoming average of 12.50 during the winter. In the eyes of many, he was under more pressure than any of his colleagues, save the skipper himself. It seems many people had forgotten that he had spent the best part of 2011 laying waste to the bowling attacks of Australia, Sri Lanka and India, on his way to amassing 821 runs at a shade over 82. We shouldn’t be surprised, however – criticism and doubt have been a perpetual companion to KP throughout his England career.

But why? Maybe it’s because his unequivocal self-belief, bullish demeanour and unorthodox technique don’t sit easily with the traditionalists. Perhaps it is merely the South African name? Despite living in one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, there are still those who have reservations with players of South African origin bolstering the English ranks. But if that were the case, would not Jonathan Trott have received considerably more criticism as well?

In reality, a combination of the above likely contributes to the amplified scrutiny Pietersen experiences at the first sight of a flaw. Some may indeed resent the South African association, whilst others undoubtedly dislike the outward displays of bravado. It is this individuality, however, that makes Pietersen the player he is.

Hitched up sleeves presenting Pietersen’s powerful, tattooed arms and a propensity for adding an element of extravagance to even the most rudimentary of strokes are all intended as a demonstration of purpose to a fielding side; this is Kevin Pietersen’s stage, not theirs. This hasn’t always sat well with the older generation unused to such pageantry and bluster; plenty are quick to label Pietersen a ‘show pony’ only interested in limited-overs cricket, yet it is widely acknowledged that nobody puts in more hours of practice.

The bottom line, of course, is his record. With the best part of 6,654 runs at an average hovering a shade below 50, and 20 centuries, KP is one of the finest players to have ever picked up a bat. For him to be considered an all-time great some of his softer dismissals will have to stop, but to question his place in the side just doesn’t make sense.

In Kevin Pietersen England has one of the most successful and entertaining batsmen to don the Three Lions in many a year, an astonishing talent likely to have smashed all English Test batting records by the time he hangs up his boots. His tendency for combining the sublime with the ridiculous will likely continue to frustrate, but innings such as those in Colombo are a timely reminder that Pietersen remains a match winner for England, and a batsman that is deserving of considerably more slack than he is currently afforded.

What do you think? Whether you agree or disagree with Andrew, let us know via comments@alloutcricket.com

Andrew is the author of the Silly Point(s) blog. Click here to follow Andrew on Twitter.

Perhaps Woody Allen’s most perceptive observation since that line in Annie Hall about relationships and dead sharks concerns the “beautiful grey skies” that hover over London when it’s overcast. I thought of Woody when I arrived in south London on Thursday morning. I’m not sure if the old cad has ever done a Groucho and sat through a day at the cricket, but I’d like to think he’d enjoy the fare if he were to.

The floodlights at Kennington were on from first ball to last. The first day of the Championship season had its perfect climate: close, eternal, English. We wouldn’t want to peak too early, so no stolen shafts of sunlight here – that can come later, when the fairweathers flock in with their beers and paper hats, coming down for the short stuff. Sussex won the toss and chose to field. I got to the Bedser Stand just after lunch. No gloves, but a thick black scarf and a collar-up pea coat kept me braced.

I’d spent the morning in the office watching England’s top order sap the spirits of Sri Lanka’s bowlers, clearing the ground for the grand emergence of the greying figure of that most occasional of Surrey players, Kevin Pietersen, to play the innings of his recent life: as audacious as his 2005 punkish freakshow at The Oval – or that dismantling of Murali at Edgbaston in 2006 – and as technically secure as his masterful hundred, as captain, against South Africa at The Oval in 2008.

Everything with KP in this latter period of his England career seems like a riposte – to the media, to the imagined armies of doubters, to those who write him off and those who could never quite love him, despite his invocations. This innings, in this match – salvaging England’s No.1 status in the act of saving his own – was the sort of vintage two-fingered salute that those of us who advocate what Pietersen has done for English cricket – and I’m one of them – should use as primary evidence. The celebration of his hundred, theatrical even by his hammy standards, amounted to the offloading of all the stifled energy built up over a winter of deepening discontent. What an innings. A fruitful summer and he becomes England’s greatest century-maker in Test cricket history. “I don’t have anything to prove,” he says repeatedly, during those detached, melancholic interviews he sometimes has to give. And I always think: I believe it, Kev, I do; I just wish you believed it yourself.

Back in the Bedser Stand. In amongst it. The student in the beanie hat, of London’s doomed generation, sipping cold coffee from a pink flask; the old soak in the England cap and Middlesex tie, blazer stretched over his cricket shirt, standing by the players’ gate swigging from a hip flask, delivering soliloquies to incoming batsmen and advising all of us that if we dare to do anything different in life the government issues a pamphlet for it.

And the cricket? Fast-moving and intense. Amjad Khan got carry, gully took a screamer, Tom Maynard (future England player) stood tall and cuffed it on the up. It was too cold to stay for long; the season will heat up as it rolls along.

Two mornings later, after England’s brilliant bowling unit had jabbed and prodded Sri Lanka’s batsmen a second time, Pietersen ran down the pitch to Tillakaratne Dilshan, got nowhere near the pitch and swung his seventh six of the match high over midwicket, delivering another fist pump and a sweet moment of relief. England would still be No.1 going into the domestic summer season; in comic parody, so would the County Championship.

Click here for Phil Walker’s words in Grubbers past.

All Out Cricket has teamed up with sports forum 606 v2 to discuss the game with thousands of like-minded cricket fans. For friendly, informed debate, check out 606 v2 today.

Click here for the latest blog from the Army in Sri Lanka.

With that Test defeat in Galle now behind them, England must focus on putting in a better performance and levelling the series in Colombo this week.

The two Andys will have much to ponder after another poor batting display but it is in the bowling department where many of their thoughts will be, with Stuart Broad back in the UK suffering from a calf injury.

I joined Broady back in good ol’ Blighty at the weekend but while in Sri Lanka, the locals insisted on telling me that the P Sara Oval in the island’s capital would be a flatter pitch with more assistance for the seamers.

And if they are right – and we all know how Sri Lankans like to tell you what you want to hear, in the nicest possible way, of course – then it throws the two-pronged spin attack into question.

Monty Panesar was largely ineffective in Galle and with Samit Patel able to offer you that left-arm option as well, then they may look to play a quick instead of Monty. Don’t forget that his fielding let England down in the first innings as well, with those two crucial dropped catches.

With Steven Finn likely to come into the side for Broad, as long as there are no snakes nearby (we hear Finny isn’t a fan), then Tim Bresnan could be the man to take Monty’s place, strengthening the batting at the same time.

I’m never 100% comfortable with Prior at six – I think he bats with more freedom at seven, with less pressure on him – but if you have Patel at seven and Bressie at eight, it does increase your chances of lower order runs, something that could win you a Test match as we saw in Galle.

They’ll obviously stick with the batters, with the argument for including Ravi Bopara not really carrying any weight, but the likes of Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen will be desperate for a score.

Pietersen didn’t look comfortable in Galle (in all honesty, he hasn’t looked at his best in Test matches all winter) and I’d like to see him construct an innings rather than thinking he’s got to be the ‘gun’ batter, scoring at four an over.

In the ODI series in the UAE, KP played two world-class knocks, assessing the situation and executing his plans superbly to get those two magnificent centuries. But his brain looks scrambled in the longer format and his place will be up for debate if he fails again this week.

But despite the fact that England have now lost four Test matches in a row, there is no reason why they can’t win in Colombo and if they do, it might go some way to getting rid of this ever-growing subcontinent monkey off their back.

It has become a huge psychological barrier for the players and it was probably the difference between victory and defeat last week, with the shot selection against spin as poor as it has ever been.

But you are only ever one win from getting back on track, and let’s hope England can get it in Colombo this week.

Click here for Tom’s review of the first Test in Galle

Rip-off Britain isn’t just a slogan for overpriced goods in the UK. It’s the definite and real policy of cricketing authorities in Sri Lanka who have decided that seeing as the English are in town it’s the perfect opportunity to raise ticket prices. And this is not just any old price rise. This is a price rise of 10 times. When the Australians were here their fans paid around £2.50 a ticket. We will be charged £25. If Lord’s made a similar increase you’d be looking at £1,000 to watch a day of Test match cricket.

Now I know what you’re thinking if you are reading this in cold, rainy England faced with the prospect of dragging your arse out of bed early in the morning to watch us all having fun in the sun. £25 isn’t that much for a day at the cricket. And in the world context maybe not. But it would put Sri Lanka as about third costliest place for us to watch cricket. And even then the actual monetary value is not really the point. It’s being shamelessly ripped off by an organisation that doesn’t even bother to pay its own players half of the time. There are discrimination laws against this in some countries.

In Galle we had the opportunity to sit on the Fort and protest about these outrageous prices. In Colombo there is not that chance and for those of us that have travelled over then sitting in a café or bar to watch the cricket on TV is ridiculous. So what option do we have? We pay or we stay away and miss what is shaping up to be a great Test match.

This situation needs to be sorted as a dangerous precedent is being set. Sri Lanka Cricket seems to have gotten away with hiking the prices just for the English fans – will this start happening around the world? Are we being persecuted for being the only fans that truly travel? There are many questions to be asked and answered by the cricketing authorities before England travel to India later this year.

Click here for The Grubber, in which Phil Walker sees the joy of Test cricket even when England lose…

Well I know they said it was going to be hot out in Sri Lanka, but England’s bowlers showed great heart to get eight wickets on a sweltering day one in Galle.

With much of the talk surrounding ticket availability and price, which has been discussed in great detail elsewhere, England’s five-man attack (if you are including Test debutant Samit Patel) kept the 1000s of away supporters happy with events on the pitch. Even if they had had some problems off it.

But they were left frustrated after a final session in which Mahela Jayawardene and an assortment of tail-enders put on vital runs and the captain especially was in divine touch.

While fellow class acts such as Kumar Sangakarra and Tillekaratne Dilshan went cheaply to the excellent early bowling of Jimmy Anderson, the skipper held the innings together with a wonderful 168 not out by the close of play. If it wasn’t for that crucial, obdurate knock, Sri Lanka’s innings would have been in real trouble.

The hosts ended day one with spirits slightly restored after a favourable last session and the next day – another scorcher on the south west coast – started well for Jayawardene’s side. They managed to get their way up to 318 before being bowled out and after being 191-7, England were visibly frustrated walking off.

From a crowd point of view, there was a much more relaxed atmosphere on the second day. Supporters who had decided that paying 5000 Sri Lankan rupees was not for them were on the fort and those who were there insisted it was a great experience. But while it was less cramped and the queues for food and drink were considerably smaller, there were still 1000s of English fans in the ground enjoying the whole Sri Lanka experience.

And one of the most heartening parts of that experience is around the tea interval every day, when local and English kids mix and play cricket on spare areas between the stands and the pitch.

For the most part they cannot communicate verbally, but via the global language of cricket, they were having a great time.

Also having a great time were the home bowlers and as much as I’d like to dodge this issue, I can’t.

It was a familiar story against spin in the subcontinent I’m afraid chief protagonist Rangana Herath – who picked up seven wickets – wasn’t even turning the ball a great deal.

Andrew Strauss, Matt Prior, Patel and Broad were all trapped lbw by the consistent Herath and the sweep shot was to blame on some of those occasions.

This is a stroke that plenty of players got out to in that UAE series against Pakistan but they haven’t learned those lessons and that was a disappointing aspect of their batting – with the tourists bowled out for 193 after some late hitting from Broad, Graeme Swann and Anderson.

The only batsman to get a score of any note was Ian Bell with 52 – which after his recent troubles was a real bonus.

Day two was not finished, however, and if anyone was assuming Sri Lanka were going to build an unassailable lead, they were mistaken.

The hosts ended on 84-5, with some excellent off spin bowling from Swann accounting for four of those batsmen, and a remarkable day had come to a close. 17 wickets in the day on a reasonably flat pitch. Wow.

And the vast swathes of England supporters could at least drift off to the bars and hotels heartened by the fightback with the ball.

It was all set up nicely on day three but it was possibly that first session which cost the tourists in the end, with Prassana Jayawardene and assorted others able to get Sri Lanka over 200 and England were facing a mammoth chase of 340.

A Broad no-ball cost Andy Flower’s men as well, when if he had kept his foot behind the line, England would have been chasing less after claiming the final wicket.

To be honest, it felt like ‘one of those’ Test matches, where the marginals were just going against England and as we all know, when you are finding life tough, the powers that be offer you no shortcuts.

They made a decent fist of the chase, which was always going to be very tough with scoreboard pressure and the pitch beginning to offer a little more assistance, but in the end they fell 75 runs short – despite a ton from Jonathan Trott.

And that was that; England were 1-0 down with Colombo offering their only hope of salvaging a draw in this mini-series.

The overriding emotion afterwards was that the tourists lost the Test match rather than Sri Lanka winning it and on reflection, whilst trying to remove those blue, white and red-tinted glasses, I think it’s a fair assumption.

With so much time left in the game on day two, England seemed to become preoccupied with scoring at a fast rate and if they had batted “sensibly” (a word that popped up time and time again on the packed banks of away supporters) first time around, we would probably be talking about a 1-0 lead rather than deficit.

Click here for Phil Walker’s positive take on events in The Grubber.

I know, I know. England have lost again, four in a row, we’re rubbish, the batsmen can’t play spin, the captain needs runs, the sun’s too hot, the fort’s too tall, the 50p tax rate’s been cut, there are no jobs, Englebert’s not up to it, this country’s going to the Isle of Dogs in a handcart sponsored by Crufts… Oh come on!

I get it. It’s unpatriotic to pull oneself out of a post-defeat funk so quickly, without recourse to a good whinge and a nice bracing sulk. One is missing out by not wallowing in the exquisite misery of defeat, this being one of the finest life-giving consolations in all of sport.

But frankly I can’t be bothered. Not when the spectacle’s as rich and enticing as that. When for four days a pair of teams haggle for supremacy on a pitch that’s alien to one side and customised for the other, but where the imbalance is levelled out by the presence on the grassy banks beneath the old fort of cricket’s collective heartbeat beerily cheering for England, St George and, inadvertently, the five-day Test match.

The five-dayer. What a freak of nature. Even as we despair over the betrayal of the game hatched by the two-Test ‘series’, it’s impossible to hide a smirk at the old dame’s knack for ridiculing those who make such boneheaded decisions. Last autumn we had a pair of two-Test series – Australia versus South Africa and Australia against New Zealand. And of course, because this is what happens when you mess around with God’s game, after two matches both scores stood at one-each! No decider, no resolution, just a rather feeble anti-climax. It’s like your evil big brother ripping out the final pages of an engrossing book and eating them right in front of you.

So England must be stick-ons to win next week at Colombo. Test cricket demands it. Whether it will console them after such a chastening winter is a moot point. There will be an enormous sense of frustration that a winter that reads 4-0 could so easily have been 2-2 if the final-day collapses at Abu Dhabi and here at Galle had just been staved off for one more session. It’s tough at the top, and now they need to win next week to stay there.

If anything, this thrilling game at Galle deserved a closer arse-nipping finish than Sri Lanka’s eventual 75-run win suggests. In the final analysis, the victory margin will look quite comfortable, when the truth is that halfway through the fourth day England were winning it. At that stage, with Jonathan Trott digging for Mordor and Matt Prior showing the class of a natural Test No.6, their highest ever chase to win a Test match looked not just on, but likely.

It was apt that the game should swing on a moment of brilliance from Sri Lanka’s freakish short leg fieldsman, Lahiru Thiramanne, to snaffle Prior. Channelling the spirit of Mickey Stewart – the Surrey jackrabbit from the Fifties who pioneered the pre-emptive shuffle in sync with the batsman’s own movements – Lahiru instinctively moved finer as Prior shaped to sweep. He middled it. It would have raced away for four, bringing the target down to 103 with six wickets in hand. But the boy under the helmet anticipated Prior’s execution to be in the perfect position to chest the ball into his palms and grab it at the second attempt. It may have been tough luck on Prior, but that’s where the issue of luck finishes. This was an inspirational, intuitive piece of work, and in its own way as worthy of winning a Test match as was Mahela Jayawardene’s dominant first-day masterpiece.

So let’s not skulk about wringing our hands and crying into our Wills ‘n’ Kate commemorative mugs. Choose instead to remember Jimmy Anderson passing Matthew Hoggard as England’s most successful bowler of his generation with a spell of professorial seam bowling; choose Mahela’s checked pick-up shots over midwicket; take Swanny’s six-fer and feisty post-day interview which contained a touch of ‘up yours’ amongst the trademark vaudeville. Take Trott’s methodology, Lahiru’s imagination, Asad Rauf’s sunhat and Rangana Herath’s passable impression of a wobbly uncle wheeling away on a Sunday afternoon. It seems such a waste to turn away when there’s so much to see.

I’m not entirely sure what all this hysteria is about regarding Ravi Bopara’s injury, which will prevent him from bowling. Sure, he may have come in and bowled few overs to give the others a rest in draining conditions. He may even have grabbed a wicket with his medium-pacers. But that’s a far cry from suggesting the Essex man is an integral part of this England bowling attack. He’s a number six who bowls a bit, not the next Andrew Flintoff!

England’s strategy of picking four front-line bowlers has served them well, and in the heat and humidity of Sri Lanka they’ll need every last one of them. I can’t see that there was ever any suggestion at all of Bopara being a much-used fifth bowler. Jonathan Trott can always come in and bowl a few overs if necessary, anyway. As for Samit Patel, he will have to wait for his chance to make his Test debut.

So, in truth, the team picks itself: Strauss, Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Bopara, Prior, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Panesar. The only doubt would be Panesar, if England look at the wicket and decide there’s more there for the seamers rather than the spinners, but this is a Sri Lankan track we’re talking about so that’s highly unlikely.

Sri Lanka’s bowling line-up isn’t that great, but their batting is strong. They failed against the swinging ball over in England last summer but that won’t have come as a surprise to many because those are conditions that all subcontinental batsmen struggle in. India were no different.

Tillakaratne Dilshan is one of the most destructive batsmen in the world, Upal Tharanga is an experienced campaigner, Dinesh Chandimal looks a real talent and both Prasanna Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera can occupy the crease for long periods.

Then there are the two monsters. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene are as good as anyone in the game and have been for the last decade and a half. Other players in this Sri Lankan team have come and gone over that period but those two have been a constant presence in the side, piling on the runs against all-comers.

With Swann being a more dangerous threat to the left-handers – and therefore Sangakkara – I’m going to side with the skipper here for first innings honours and Jayawardene is the call for top bat at around 4.5.

This should be a bat first wicket. Post a big score, keep the opposition in the field for a long as possible and try to drain as much energy out of them as you can. I’ve said already that I fancy England to edge the series 1-0 but Sri Lanka look a bit over-priced to win the first Test at 3.5.

If they bat first they can post a big score and if they bowl first it’s not inconceivable that they can take a couple of early wickets whilst the England batters take some time to get accustomed to a pitch that will be very different to anything they’ve played on in recent times. I don’t think they’ll win but their price should come in at some point so they’re a good back-to-lay at the current odds.

Recommended Bets

2 points Back-to-lay Sri Lanka @ 3.5


1 point Back Mahela Jayawardene to be first innings top scorer @ 4.5

It probably won’t happen, but ahead of the start of the series with Sri Lanka on Monday (if you can actually call two Tests a ‘series’), England should give serious consideration to swapping the positions of Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott in the batting order.

Strauss’ position as England’s Test captain should still be considered sacrosanct, such has been the importance of his thoughtful and at times inspired leadership as England have risen to the top of the ICC rankings, but it is impossible to ignore his diminishing returns with the bat.

While Strauss is not yet approaching Mike Brearley territory (his captaincy skills have not yet reached the rarefied levels of the Ayatollah, nor is he effectively being carried as a passenger as Brearley was at times in the batting order), there is no hiding the fact that the present England captain’s numbers just don’t stack up. His last Test hundred at Brisbane came nearly 17 months and 22 innings ago, since when he averages just 28.71, and that solitary hundred was a rare bright spot in a runscoring black hole that stretches back to the end of the home Ashes series of 2009.

It was all so different at the start of the ‘Androcracy’ when Strauss fired four hundreds in his first nine Tests as permanent skipper of the side. One has to ponder whether it is a case of the pressures of captaincy taking a toll on his batting, but the situation hasn’t improved since he retired from one-day international cricket after the World Cup.

So what about a move down the order? Some will argue that dropping down the order will be a sign of weakness from the captain, but there are many arguments to counter this.

Firstly, a similar move to No.3 probably saved Strauss’ England career in his last form slump. His 177 at Napier in March 2008 – his first for 15 Tests, which had also seen him dropped from the previous tour to Sri Lanka – may not have been pretty, but it did provide the basis for an upsurge in fortunes, a quick return to the top of the order and his eventual ascension to the crown of England captain.

Secondly, there is no doubt that combining captaincy and opening the batting is about as tough an assignment as any long-term international skipper can attempt. Few make a success of it over a long period of time, which makes the achievement of the vastly underrated Graeme Smith, who in 88 Tests combining opening the batting and captaining South Africa has accumulated 7,257 runs at 50.74, all the more impressive.

Strauss may benefit from the extra time afforded to him by batting at first drop. That breathing space after finalising the XI and partaking in the toss and pre-match interviews or recovering from a long slog in marshalling his troops on the field could prove vital in enabling him to focus on his individual needs rather than those of the team. That can only be good for his batting.

Finally, England have a ready made replacement in Jonathan Trott, who clearly has the technique and mental strength to flourish at the top of the order. Not only would it give England a right-hand/left-hand opening combination with Alastair Cook, but also the additional responsibility could benefit Trott who looked out of sorts in the Pakistan series where he fell to a series of uncharacteristically loose shots. A fresh challenge could embolden Trott and see him return to his obdurate best.

The move need not necessarily be permanent, but it could provide the impetus to reinvigorate both batsmen, and – after a tough series in UAE – the England team as a whole.

David Green is the warped mind behind The Reverse Sweep cricket blog and regards Douglas Jardine as his ultimate cricket hero. You can follow David on Twitter @TheReverseSweep

As I pondered the ideal England bowling attack ahead of last month’s Test matches with Pakistan, an array of wishful (bordering on unrealistic) thoughts entered my head. Among them, indeed at the forefront, was that age-old obsession: the desire for a genuine allrounder.

England do, of course, have options, should they wish to play five frontline bowlers. Tim Bresnan holds a healthy Test batting average to complement his impressive bowling statistics, while Samit Patel can boast a first-class average the right side of 40 and provides a useful spin option. Both fine players, but could they be relied upon to consistently provide both runs and wickets?

The conundrum seems to have been settled for now, but one genuine allrounder that perhaps has the potential to eclipse both Bresnan and Patel is Warwickshire’s Chris Woakes. Fans have seen but glimpses of Woakes in an England shirt to date, but if last season’s returns are anything to go by, that could soon be set to change. Having recently turned 23, Woakes holds a significant age advantage over his rivals and, more importantly, the Birmingham-born youngster is rapidly improving and yet to reach his peak.

I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Woakes, and the Warwickshire man knows that he will need another impressive season if he is to force his way in to England’s plans.

“2011 was an incredible year for me personally” says Woakes when asked about his outstanding County Championship returns of 48.25 with the bat and 21.78 with the ball, “to better those in 2012 would be an amazing effort. I am hoping to be as good if not better with the bat, in particular, and will hopefully continue my form with the ball. To better an average of 21.78 isn’t the easiest, is it?”

He has a point, of course. Further reducing an already remarkable bowling average will take considerable skill and probably an element of luck, too. To put Woakes’ achievement in perspective, the current number one ranked Test bowler in world cricket, Dale Steyn, averaged 25.86 with the ball when playing in seven County Championship matches for Warwickshire in 2007.

Indeed, Woakes is of the belief that division one of the English County Championship isn’t too far adrift of the standard of Test cricket. “I do believe I would make runs at that level, but obviously the England Test team are the best in the world at the moment, which makes it difficult to force your way in. I feel that my batting has the potential to become more effective and allow me to bat higher up the order than just seven or eight.”

Citing his recent tour of the subcontinent with the England Lions as a great learning curve in further developing his all-round game, Woakes adds, “I want to improve as a bowler as well. I have worked on certain areas of my technique, and also my one-day skills. Having spent a decent amount of time away in the subcontinent, working on facing spin with the bat and working on variations and reverse swing with the ball, I feel my game has progressed significantly since last summer.”

Ask any Warwickshire member whether Woakes’ bowling is of the required standard for Test cricket and you will be met with an unequivocal ‘yes’, and likely a look of disbelief that you ever dared to think otherwise. Yet it would seem that this view isn’t quite shared by some outside of Shakespeare’s county, with a number questioning whether Woakes possesses the necessary pace.

I put this question to him, but he was as confident as the Warwickshire faithful. “Look, I believe I am a very skilful bowler who can work out a batsman’s weaknesses and find a way to get them out. I also feel it is difficult to bowl flat out for a whole county season with the very heavy schedule. I am working on a few things to try and unlock a little bit of additional pace so hopefully these minor changes will prove beneficial.”

Another claim levelled at Woakes is that he is more suited to limited-overs cricket; a statement rubbished by vastly superior statistics in the four-day game. Woakes, though, feels that he can become an all-round allrounder, as it were, for England.

“I think my statistics suggest that I am a very good four-day player and enjoy that form of the game more, but my limited-overs skills have definitely improved over the past 12 months. I think people feel my batting is more suited to the shorter form as I am capable of scoring runs quickly at any time during the innings. I feel I could offer more higher up the order, and hopefully that will happen.”

Woakes undoubtedly remains an outside bet to make his England Test bow in 2012, though a repeat of last year’s performances would convert the current selection headache to a rather severe migraine. Whilst loathe to utter those infamous words ‘the next Botham’, there is one thing eminently clear: in Chris Woakes England have a young, ambitious and immensely talented allrounder, and 2012 might just see his knocking at the door of England HQ begin to wrench those stubborn hinges.

Andrew is the author of the Silly Point(s) blog. Click here to follow Andrew on Twitter.

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The final game of the one-day series, which was our second match, shaped-up very much like the previous one. A steady mid-innings partnership shepherded Pakistan towards a 200-plus score, but disciplined bowling and fielding from England ultimately restricted the hosts to an eminently gettable 237.

England looked refreshed in the field, in no small part thanks to the inclusion of youngsters Danny Briggs and Jos Buttler, who – with surnames beginning with B – appear to have the key attribute to securing England careers. With Bell, Bopara, Buttler, Bairstow, Bresnan, Broad, Borthwick and Briggs all having represented England in the past year, it is surely just a matter of time until Jack Brooks makes his full debut, and Gareth Batty and Ian Blackwell are recalled to the side.

England’s reply started badly, with the in-form Alastair Cook given out lbw on review to Junaid Khan. And it did not look good when a middle-order muddle more reminiscent of the Test series began unfolding. But an inspired Pietersen held things together and eventually cruised to a second consecutive hundred – despite the stadium commentator’s best efforts to throw him off, by taking to the loud speaker to remind him that he was only one short of a ton. With KP eventually dismissed for 130 – his highest one-day score for England – it was left to Samit Patel and the returning Tim Bresnan to see England over the line with four balls to spare.

One of Pakistan’s most ardent fans packed his
lucky socks for the last ODI, but it was not enough.

Despite our less-than-glowing recommendation from Monday’s blog, the England players nonetheless headed for the Dubai Tennis on their rest day, while we ventured into Dubai’s old town. The glistening skyscrapers, including the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, were replaced by the delights of the pungent spice souk, and fervour of bargain hunters at the Al Karama flea market.

As we headed back to our hotel, we briefly abandoned Dubai’s answer to the DLR to experience a more traditional form of transport. Hundreds of water taxis litter the bustling harbour ferrying passengers from one side of Dubai’s creek to the other. With the driver earning a fare of just 1 dirham (17p) per person, speed must be a necessity to make a living: our crossing was over quicker than a Ravi Bopara single to get off the mark.

Dubai’s boat taxis offer a cheap and relaxing way to get about.

Thursday evening saw us return to Dubai Sports City, accompanied by in excess of 15,000 other fans, to watch the two most recent World Twenty20 Champions contest the first of a three-match series in the game’s shortest format.

Pakistan started brightly, with the debutant Awais Zia tearing into the previously consistent Finn, lifting Pakistan to 36 from just three overs. But the regular fall of wickets, including a double-wicket maiden for the indefatigable Graeme Swann, left England with just 145 to get – it seemed no more than a par score on this rapid surface with a large, fast outfield.

But that did not dent the home fans’ enthusiasm. By the time England began their chase, the two-thirds full stadium – which has excellent acoustics – was near cacophony. Despite the noise, Pietersen carried on where he left off in the previous two games, and a fifth consecutive ton by an England opener seemed a possibility. But just after he had slammed Shahid Afridi for a straight six, over-exuberance got the better of him as he tried to repeat the dose but instead picked out fielder on the deep midwicket boundary.

So began England’s inexorable slide to defeat. Successive batsmen came to the crease seemingly without a game-plan, panicked, and threw their wickets away in search of big boundaries, leaving England behind the required rate. The increasingly skittish batting, added to an impressive return to form for Umar Gul, saw England finally lose sight of the total and, with no boundary in the last five overs, finish with a whimper.

No sooner had England’s failed chase ended, than our personal pursuit of a taxi begun. Disappointingly, the organisation of the taxi rank collapsed quicker than England’s middle order. And, with the game finishing near midnight, and the hitherto excellent queue marshals missing, those wanting to get some sleep before the next match were forced to wander out onto the Emirates road – Dubai’s equivalent of the M1 – to find a ride.

After a couple of near misses, eventually our outstretched arms managed to cling onto an elusive cab. We were soon winding our way back through the desert to wonder whether England’s Jekyll and Hyde batting line-up would be able to improve in Saturday’s game, the last of our tour.

Click here to read the first installment of Ed and Ash’s diary.

One game in, and it had already been worth the trip.  England wrapped up an unassailable three-nil lead in the series, Finn looking fresh, tearing in with hostility and delivering again on his way to 3-24, and Kevin Pietersen scoring a 93-ball hundred, and showing the ferocity of old. And all of this unfolding in the surprisingly atmospheric cathedral of a ground, Dubai Sports City’s ‘Ring of Fire’.

Compared to touring India and Sri Lanka for the World Cup last year, the logistics of this tour have been as straightforward as Geoff Boycott’s defensive technique: four games in a week in Dubai, the end of the one-day series and the start of the Twenty20s; one hotel not five; and two flights rather than seven. Having started our journey by negotiating a couple of large suitcases on a full-to-bursting Piccadilly Line Friday night rush-hour train, it ought to be downhill all of the way.

After a six-hour flight we touched down in the desert. We negotiated our way through Dubai’s grandiose airport, which – with 50-foot silver pillars and in-built waterfall – felt more like a Las Vegas casino than a immigration hall, we were greeted by a sandstorm, which was busy wrecking England’s pre-match practice for the third match of the one-day series.

We arrived early at the stadium, which was surrounded by half-built tower blocks and housing estates and without another cricket fan in sight. We were soon wondering whether we’d be the only supporters in the ground alongside Dubai’s answer to Jimmy Savile, Mohammad Zaman – Mr Twenty20 himself – the man who is known for twirling his moustache as he dances his way through matches, and is an ever-present at Pakistan’s fixtures in Dubai.

As it was, people steadily arrived at this cricketing oasis from all directions and the ground ended up around a quarter full. Spotless, and with good camber on the seats, it’s a beautiful stadium akin to Hampshire’s Rose Bowl.  And, with the drumming and chanting of Pakistan’s enigmatic supporters there was a decent atmosphere too.

The home fans did well to keep their spirits up as Pakistan, having won the toss, batted poorly for the third match in succession. For Mr Twenty20, some solace could be found in a half-century by Shahid ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi, who from the evidence here remains Pakistan’s premier hero.

For England’s more thinly spread supporters, aside from the aforementioned spell from Finn, England’s fielding highlight was another salmon-like leap from Samit Patel to snaffle Umar Akmal, the only other Pakistan batsman to contribute much with an uncharacteristically patient fifty.

England set about the task of chasing down 224 with plenty of purpose. Cook, who appears to have reinvented himself as Sanath Jayasuriya, was cutting almost every ball along the immaculate turf. He was aided by some inept bowling and fielding from the home side, including a 10-ball over from Umar Gul.

A 10-wicket victory and another one-day ton for Cook seemed inevitable. But, 20 runs short of becoming the first Englishman to join the club of three consecutive one-day hundreds alongside Zaheer Abbas, Saeed Anwar, Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers, disaster struck. Cook went for one cut too many and feathered a catch behind, where he was perhaps unlucky to find himself caught by the least calamitous of the three wicketkeeping Akmal brothers.

That left Pietersen to cruise to his own personal century, astonishingly his first for over three years. And, with that excitement complete, there was just enough time for the smattering of England fans to create (at close to £6 a pint) the most expensive beer snake in world cricket before the remaining spectators disappeared like ants over the sand dunes and into the desert.

Our first game complete, we had two days to soak up Dubai culture. First, we headed – via Dubai’s potent Fish Market – to the glittering gold souks in the Old Town.  With more sparkle than Dwayne Bravo’s earring collection, it was hard not to be impressed – although it did highlight a worrying goldeness to Ed’s facial hair. But at least the beard blended in. Bling is everywhere in Dubai.

After a short journey on a ‘souked-up’ version of the Dockland’s Light Railway, we arrived at another of Dubai’s ostentatious sporting venues, the Dubai Tennis Stadium.  We didn’t linger long.  The first-round ladies tennis on show was as one-sided as the early stages of a cricket world cup, or a Pakistan v England series for that matter…