Desperate England must now place a belated trust in Alex Hales
The most thrilling batsman i n England's squad has been given no
opportunityEngland must win two matches to qualify for the
quarter-finals of the World Cup. To achieve that there is another
compulsory element: change the team that has managed to bring them this
low. Wholesale amendments are neither possible nor desirable at this
late stage.

Alex Hales |
The balance of the team, if not quite the precise composition, was,
or should have been, settled months ago. But they have failed in
conception and execution, hesitant when they should have been bold,
cavalier when they might have been cautious, afraid of failing and
therefore bound to fail.Into this fragile structure must be thrown Alex
Hales, who has been dealt the worst of cards by the selectors.
He is the most thrilling batsman in the squad, a destroyer of
opposition attacks, yet he has been given no opportunity to flourish in
the one-day format.Picked belatedly last summer when it was realised
something had to be done, he has not been allowed a proper sequence of
games.
He played another three times in Sri Lanka late last year, always as
an afterthought or because the side needed cobbling together. It has
almost been as if England do not trust him.They have no option.
To stick with the XI that has been defeated three times by a
landslide would be an abrogation of responsibility. Gary Ballance, who
was always a hunch given how late in the day he was called up, has been
disturbingly out of form.
His leaden-footed exhibitions, as if he were modelling pit boots,
have been strangely at odds with the assured, controlled craftsman who
dominated opponents in Test matches last summer.Perhaps Ballance will
come again, perhaps he does not have the versatility to be an
international one-day batsman despite his excellent returns for
Yorkshire, but he has to be jettisoned now. Ideally, Hales would open
(his natural position) and Ian Bell drop down to three.
But Bell and Moeen Ali batted together in England’s middle practice
yesterday at St Peter’s School in Adelaide, suggesting they are not
about to split. Hales will then have to settle for first drop.
Other changes could be made. Stuart Broad has taken two wickets in
the tournament, none in the last three matches, and Steve Finn is still
a shadow of his former self no matter what it says in the wickets
column. Chris Jordan, not the most trustworthy of bowlers, has more
components as a player; James Tredwell never did anything to deserve
being dropped.Despite their wretchedness, all the evidence suggests
England should overcome Bangladesh on Monday.
True, Bangladesh have won two of the last three matches between the
sides, in Bristol and in the last World Cup, in Chittagong, but they
were four years ago.
The lack of potency in Bangladesh’s attack should mean that one or
two England batsmen play substantial enough innings for the totals not
to be close. Equally, England’s bowlers will have to be wary.
Bangladesh, with nothing to lose, will be fearless and if two of them
can stay around just long enough then vulnerable opponents will begin to
feel brittle once more.
What England should avoid is settling for a total of around 300 if
nearer 400 is possible.“It’s good for us that it’s very simple,” said
Jos Buttler, England’s vice-captain, yesterday.
“We have to play well and win two games of cricket if we want to
progress to the next stage. Everyone knows what we need to do, now we
have to go out and do it.“We just haven’t played well enough for 100
overs. We’ve played against some good sides who have shown us up when
we’ve given them the chance.
Teams have taken their chances and taken them well against us.“We
feel like we’re under-performing and everyone’s desperate to turn that
around. In simple terms, we need to play better. If we don’t think we
can turn it around we may as well go home. Everyone’s got to have that
determination and drive to turn it around.
If you’re admitting defeat already there’s no point in playing these
two games.”Outside the camp, if not inside it, there is a sense of
resignation that the team’s brand of cricket is not smart enough. They
may not feel it, but there is a concerning sense of indifference towards
their lack of progress here.
Followers did not expect much, have not had their expectations
contradicted and are thus disengaged.The players are right in one thing:
a couple of resounding victories could begin to change perceptions.
After Bangladesh they move to Sydney to meet Afghanistan, a resonant
fixture for reasons far beyond cricket.
England can afford no errors. That knowledge creates the potential
for mishap. They are fortunate that their immediate destiny still lies
in their own hands. |