The Reverse Sweep

2nd Test Preview: Lord's - Imperious England target series win

 
As we wrote earlier in the week in some ways it was no great surprise that England shot Sri Lanka out for 82 on the final afternoon in Cardiff, given that it was the fifth time in the last ten Tests that they have bowled the opposition out for under 100.

Even as typical glass half-full England supporters, it is time for the Reverse Sweep to confidently (this is not hubris you understand) state that England have an embarrassment of riches at the moment.

Cook, Trott and Bell are in the form of their lives and plundering runs for fun. Swann is indisputably the best spinner in the world and to top it all off, Chris Tremlett has been transformed from a meek, awkward and inconsistent fast bowler into the new Curtly Ambrose. Indeed, England are so strong that they can even afford to carry Pietersen and do without their best bowler Anderson.

England also has a bench that is comparable in strength to Barcelona’s with the likes of Finn, Panesar and Bopara all ready to come in if required. The youth team also has immense promise with James Taylor, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid (eventually) all likely to have long Test careers.

Moving back to the 2nd Test at Lord’s, it will be fascinating to see if Sri Lanka can recover with such a short turnaround time from Cardiff. The bowling was shockingly impotent and some of the shots that the batsmen got out to during the collapse were tantamount to dereliction of duty. If Sri Lanka are to get anything out of the match then the bowling will need to be more penetrating (could it be less?) and their star batsmen Sangakkara and Jayawardene will need to produce substantially more than the 44 runs they managed in total at Cardiff.

England on the other hand will be supremely confident of getting the victory they need to secure the series and continue their impressive march towards the summit meeting with India later in the summer.

Likely line-ups

With Anderson injured, the only change in the England XI will see the return of Finn ahead of Jade Dernbach.

Wholesale changes are likely to the Sri Lankan bowling attack with Fernando, Welegedara and Randiv all coming into contention. Coach Stuart Law will also be casting envious eyes towards Northampton where the legendary Chaminda Vaas has just taken a 10 wicket Championship haul against Glamorgan. If another batsman is required, expect Dinesh Chamdimal, who has a first-class average of over 60, to make his Test bow.

Look out for…

Chris Tremlett will be relishing the chance to get stuck into the Sri Lankan batting line-up again after his exploits on Monday. He’s always had the talent, but now seems to have finally acquired the fitness, luck, aggression and most importantly confidence to fully exhibit his wares. Expect him to continue making up for lost time at Lord’s.

Mahela Jayawardene was one of the few to not give his wicket away on Monday and he is too good a batsman not to produce something special at some point during this series. Lord’s the scene of one of his greatest innings in 2006 (and another century in 2002) seems an apt place for this most regal of batsmen to shine.

Previously at Lord’s

2006 – Match drawn

All appeared to be going to plan as England enforced the follow-on after dismissing the tourists for 192 in reply to their 551 for 6 declared. But skipper Jayawardene led the spirited resistance with 119 as Sri Lanka batted out 199 overs for an improbable draw. Replacement captain Flintoff got his sums completely wrong, bowling himself for 51 overs and Hoggard for 46 whilst only using Panesar for 27 overs (despite him taking 2/49 and dismissing two of the top three).  

2002 – Match drawn

This three match series was the first time that Sri Lanka had played more than the solitary Test in England. They started well by getting the better of a drawn opening test at Lord’s. They won the toss and racked up 555/8 declared with Atapattu (185) and Jayawardene (107) both scoring hundreds before dismissing England for 275 and enforcing the follow on. England did what Sri Lanka were to do four years later by batting for 191 overs to post 529/5 declared. Vaughan and Butcher both scored hundreds. This was as good as it got for Sri Lanka as England powered to a 2-0 series win.

Prediction

Sri Lanka to improve but England to secure the series with a comfortable win and Pietersen to score a hundred.

Where next?

England bowling out Sri Lanka for 82 is not such a big surprise

1st Test, Cardiff: England marks out of 10

Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott are just like Barcelona

Cricket Heroes: Jack Hobbs

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Once upon a time in the court of King Ricky...

 
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, Prince Ricky ascended to the throne upon the death of King Stephen. The King is dead, long live the King.

It was akin to Camelot, King Ricky had at his disposal a quorom of fearsome Knights, the like of whom had not been seen since the time of the Round Table. Chief amongst them was Sir Shane – a Knight that was able to conjure up victory from the jaws of defeat such as in the famous skirmish with the English at the Battle of Adelaide in 2006.

Many foes tried to storm the citadel, but all were easily beaten. King Ricky’s Green and Gold expedition force was also all-conquering overseas apart from a surprise defeat to the English in 2005 where Sir Glenn was felled by an arrow in the ankle, Sir Adam was rendered ineffective and the English found a new hero in Freddie of Preston.

But after being newly installed as Prince Regent of England due to the madness of King Vaughan, Freddie’s attempt to storm King Ricky’s castle a year later was met with ignominious defeat and ultimately the pedalo scandal.

King Ricky was now at the peak of his powers as the most dominant ruler in the world – no arrow could pierce his armour and no sword could breach his shield.

Then at the point of his greatest triumph, Sir Shane succumbed to his gambling habit, absconded from the castle and was last seen consorting with a failed actress. Sir Justin and Sir Glenn departed at the same time and shortly afterwards, Sir Matthew left to become a full-time cook and Sir Adam hung up his helmet to become a well-paid mercenary.

With his best Knights deserting him at the same time, a bereft King Ricky was suddenly vulnerable. Overseas raiding parties now met with regular defeat on the battlefield and the nototiously brittle Proteas army even managed to breach the walls of King Ricky’s castle, before his forces launched a successful counterattack.

But with the newly powerful English landing on his shore in the autumn of 2010 under the astute leadership of Lord Strauss of Radley and his Chief Adviser – a mysterious wizard only known as Flower, King Ricky knew the game was up. His new Knights were not up to the task. Sir Doug wears a toupee for Christ's sake, Sir Twatto has no staying power and is prone to tears, Sir Mitch is just as likely to slice himself open with his own sword then kill any of the enemy, and as for his heir Prince Michael the less said the better.

King Ricky took a gamble. Sir Nathan had proved a steady if uninspiring successor to Sir Shane. But King Ricky didn’t need steady, he needed the X-Factor. So, he knighted his unimpressive steward as Sir Xavier, and Sir Nathan was sent to the haberdashery to sell his old armour.

But, Sir Xavier had no pedigree and failed to impress in the battles at Brisbane and Adelaide. In the aftermath of the latter tussle, his fool Hilditch suggested that King Ricky have a Beer instead and lo and behold that is exactly what happened.

Things got better temporarily at the Battle of Perth, where Sir Mitch and Sir Cricket excelled but the English decimated his army at the Battle of Melbourne and King Ricky himself was wounded as his castle was ransacked by the rampant English sprinkled with some Proteas insurgents.

Too little, too late it was decided to exile the disgraced Sir Xavier and Sir Nathan was handed a new suit of armour for the forthcoming battle for the Holy Grail. King Ricky and his predecessor have successfully held onto the precious Grail for 12 years, but either King Strauss, King Muppet or King Mahendra all look set to wrest it from his grip over the coming weeks.

All seems lost for King Ricky. He has even taken to humming a tune from the famous English songsmith Sir Christopher of Martin:

“I used to rule the world / Seas would rise when I gave the word / Now in the morning I sleep alone / Sweep the streets I used to own ...”    

The inevitability of final defeat awaits and King Ricky knows that his folly of placing his kingdom in the hands of the untried Sir Xavier has proved to be a mistake of the most deadly proportions.

Prince Michael, it would seem, is already practicing his apologies and planning a new tattoo for his coronation - not that he is going to be King of much.

Where next?

Is this Ponting's cataclysmic epitaph?

Michael Clarke joins Linkin Park

Ashes 2010/11: Australia series marks out of 10

Ashes 2010/11: England series marks out of 10

Shane Watson: Finally the bride 

Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes including amongst others Nathan Hauritz, Justin Langer, Matt Hayden, Brett Lee, Sachin Tendulkar, Andy Flower, Andrew Hilditch and Hedley Verity

Follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

How England won the Ashes: Part 1 - Preparation

 
Like many English cricket fans we are still basking in the joy of Ashes triumph and fully intend to gloat and glorify about it for some time to come. We make no apologies for this as having been starved of success down under for 24 long years and having copped plenty of flak from our Antipodean cousins, the shoe is now most definitely on the other foot.

As such over the next few days, the Reverse Sweep will look at some of the reasons why we believe that England triumphed and Australia choked. Preparation seems a good place to start.  

It was Thomas Edison who coined the phrase “genius is only 1% inspiration, but 99% perspiration” and in terms of having done all their homework prior to the big event, Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss would get a large tick in the box from Thomas.

In 2006 England arrived beset by injuries, had the untried axis of Fletcher and Flintoff at the helm and played a couple of jolly warm-up matches before taking the field for the 1^st Test at Brisbane thoroughly under-prepared. Unsurprisingly, they were royally rogered by an Australian side intent on revenge from 2005. The whole thing stunk of complacency, hubris, ineptitude and eventually farce.

Messrs Flower and Strauss however left no stone unturned. Following a team-building boot-camp in Bavaria, England played three proper first-class matches upon arriving in Australia, which they played to win. They sent their first-choice bowling line-up to Brisbane early to acclimatise whilst the likes of Tremlett, Bresnan and Shahzad blasted England to a 10 wicket win over Australia A.

Australia on the other hand, played a one day series with Sri Lanka just prior to the first Test, named a 17 man squad and then jettisoned their first-choice spinner Nathan Hauritz for a punt on the untried Xavier Doherty. The whole thing smacked of uncertainty and a lack of planning.

Consequently, when England were blown off course first by Peter Siddle and then Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin in the 1^st innings at Brisbane, they were able to come back in the second with the infamous 517/1. In part this was down to the ineptitude of the Australian bowling, but it was also because the England players had been well-prepared, well-drilled and knew exactly what they were doing.

The best-prepared side won at a canter in 2006, exaggerating the already large gap between the sides. But with the two sides supposedly so evenly matched before the series started, it was England’s preparation and their ability to hone and execute well-defined plans that was one of the keys to their triumph.

Flower and Strauss - Edison would be proud of you.

Where next?

The curious case of Nathan Hauritz

Ashes 2010/11: Australia series marks out of 10

Ashes 2010/11: England series marks out of 10

Read all the latest from our Ashes 2010/11 coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes 

Follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

England's Dirty Dozen

 
After all the talk of securing the Ashes before Christmas and going through the tour unbeaten, England certainly came crashing back down to earth in Perth. Indeed, the collapse from 78/0 to 187 all out in the first innings was so disappointing that Icarus himself could have been the pilot of England’s doom. And it got worse in the second innings too with the capitulation for 123 reminding us that being an England cricket fan can be tough.

In fact, with alarming regularity, England’s batting has a tendency to brittleness and being prone to collapse like a house of cards in a force nine gale. On far too many occasions in our 30 years of following England expectation and anticipation can quickly turn into crushing disappointment, misery and despair.

Here is a dirty dozen of England’s worst batting performances over this time. Unfortunately, it is not an exhaustive list but merely one compiled of those disasters that come most easily to mind.

1. 51 all out, 2^nd innings, vs West Indies, 1^st Test, Kingston, 2009

In an inauspicious start for Andy Flower in his  first match in charge, England started their 2^ndinnings 74 runs behind. Just 33.2 overs later England were all out for 51. Coincidentally, this was almost a role reversal of what had happened at the same ground five years before when Steve Harmison, with 7 for 12 had bowled the West Indies out for 47.

2. 46 all out, 2^nd innings, vs West Indies, 3^rd Test, Port of Spain, 1994

Having played well throughout the match, England had been set 194 to win and were confident even though they needed to get the better of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh to reach their target. Nineteen overs of hostile fast bowling later, England were dismissed for a paltry 46, Ambrose with 6 for 24 and Walsh 3 for 16.

3. 79 all out, 2^nd innings, vs Australia, 1^st Test, Brisbane, 2003

After Nasser Hussain’s bizarre decision to give Australia first use of a flat Gabba track, England were always chasing this game especially with Matthew Hayden scoring a century in each innings. Set an unlikely 463 to win, England were demolished for 79. And Mark Butcher scored 40 of this dismal total!

4. 175 all out, 2^nd innings, vs Pakistan, 1^st Test, Multan, 2005

After dominating this match, with Marcus Trescothick scoring 193 in England’s 1^stinnings and Andrew Flintoff taking match figures of 8 for 156, England were set 198 to win on the last day of the 1^stTest. However, they fell 22 runs short to the express pace of Shoaib Akhtar and the wily spin of Danish Kaneira. The balloon of optimism from the 2005 Ashes success had been burst after only one match.

5. 129 all out, 2^nd innings, vs Australia, 2^nd Test, Adelaide, 2006

On the flattest of flat pitches England had scored 551 for 6 in their 1^stinnings, with Paul Collingwood scoring a double century. Although Australia had responded with 513 all out, surely England couldn’t lose from here?  Even the Australians, Shane Warne apart, expected the game to meander to a draw. However, after a shocking and timid display England were bowled out for 129 in 73 overs. Australia won by six wickets, and England, with Flintoff crying as he bowled, never recovered and lost the series 5-0.

6. 82 all out, 1^st innings & 93 all out, 2^ndinnings, vs New Zealand, 2^nd Test, Christchurch, 1983

Not one but two dismal batting performances in the same match. The nadir of a shambolic tour to the land of the long white cloud in 1983 was the 2^ndTest at Christchurch, where after New Zealand made 307 in their 1^st innings, England were shot for 82 and 93, following on, to lose by an innings. Richard Hadlee had match figures of 8 for 44.

7. 162 all out, 2^ndinnings, vs New Zealand, 4^th Test, The Oval, 1999

In this fourth and deciding Test of the series, England suffered the ignominy of defeat against a New Zealand side that had previously been ranked the worst team in Test cricket. Chasing 245 to win, England slumped from 123 for 2 to 162 all out to replace the Kiwis at the bottom of the rankings. Fortunately, Nasser Hussain recovered from this inauspicious start to his captaincy to help forge a more resilient England side in tandem with Duncan Fletcher.

8. 203 all out, 1^st innings, vs South Africa, 2^ndTest, Headingley, 2008

England were shot out for 203 by a South African side that had just had to save the 1^stTest at Lords. England, who had brought the hitherto unknown Darren Pattinson in for Collingwood, were blown away in 52.3 overs. South Africa responded with 522 and England eventually lost by ten wickets. This defeat and another one in the following Test at Edgbaston led to the resignation of Ashes hero Michael Vaughan as skipper.

9. 222 all out, 2^nd innings, vs Pakistan, 3^rd Test, The Oval, 2010

Having recovered from 94/7 in the first innings thanks to Matt Prior’s 84, England started their second innings 75 behind Pakistan. However, with Alastair Cook hitting a career saving hundred, England were 81 ahead with only two wickets down. Then Cook’s demise led to a sorry procession and the last seven wickets fell for 28 and despite a late flurry of wickets, Pakistan won by 4 wickets.

10. 155 all out, 1^st innings, vs Australia, 1^st Test, Lords, 2005

After bowling the Aussies out for 190, with Harmison taking 5 for 43, England collapsed to 21 for 5 thanks to their nemesis Glenn McGrath. Although the Aussies went on to win this battle by 239 runs, England won the war, the adulation, the Trafalgar Square celebrations and their MBEs.

11. 180 all out, 1^st innings and 169 all out, 2^{nd innings} vs South Africa, 4^th Test, Johannesburg, 2010

Having escaped by the skin of their teeth in the previous test at Cape Town, England went into the final test at The Wanderers needing just a draw to win the series. Unfortunately as at the WACA, the pitch had pace and bounce, and when Andrew Strauss was out to the first ball of the match, England’s defeat seemed inevitable. They weren’t helped by Daryl Harper’s ineptitude in the video umpire’s chair enabling Graeme Smith to be reprieved on the way to a hundred, but it was their inability to face the pace barrage from Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel - who snared 14 wickets between them - that hastened their doom.

12. 102 all out, 1^st innings, vs Australia, 4^thTest, Headingley, 2009

With all the talk before hand being about how a win would enable England to regain the Ashes (remind anyone of anything?), a confident Strauss elected to bat on a bowler friendly Headingley surface. But, fears that in the absence of Kevin Pietersen, the England batting was totally reliant on Strauss came to pass. With Stuart Broad batting too high at seven in the absence of Flintoff, and the selectors continuing to rely on an out of his depth Ravi Bopara, at number three, Australia roared back into the series. Happily for England, they bounced back to win the series and the Ashes in the next test at The Oval – can they repeat the trick in Melbourne?

Where next?

Read all the latest from our Ashes 2010/11 coverage

England's 10 best test wins of the noughties

Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Ashes 100-1: 12 - The 25 Greatest Ashes Tests: Part 3 of 3

 
Today we conclude our mini-series of the 25 greatest Ashes tests of all time (see also Part 1 and Part 2 of the Greatest Ashes Tests ever) with the final nine starting in 1977 and ending in 2009.

Centenary Test, Melbourne, 12-17 March 1977 - Australia won by 45 runs: Not strictly an Ashes Test as the urn wasn't at stake, but this match staged to commemorate the first-ever Test exactly 100 years earlier was a classic. Australia were shot out for 138 before Lillee turned the table on England with six for 26 as England could only muster 95. Rod Marsh then struck 110 as Australia set England a mammoth 463 for victory. Amazingly they got close and at one point were 346 for four. But when Randall fell for a brilliant 174 the end was nigh and Australia scraped home by 45 runs - the same margin as in that first test 100 years before.

3rd Test, Headingley, 16-21 July 1981 - England won by 18 runs: For the first three days, England were completely outplayed and followed on. It seemed inevitable that Australia were about to go 2-0 up in the series. Then Botham with able support from Dilley and Old smashed 149 not out and Willis roared in with eight for 43 to enable England, who at one point had been 500/1 for the win, to score an amazing victory.

4th Test, Edgbaston, 30 July-2 August 1981 - England won by 29 runs: Lightning struck twice for Australia in the very next match when they looked like winning a low scoring encounter at Edgbaston. Set 151 to win, they eased to 87 for three before Botham produced his second miracle of the summer grabbing five for one in 28 balls to secure a 29-run victory.

4th Test, Melbourne, 26-30 December 1982 - England won by 3 runs: An extremely tight match saw all four innings total between 284 and 294. When Australia were 218 for nine chasing 292 all looked lost for the home side. But Border and Thomson took them to within sight of the finishing line before that man Botham struck inducing an edge from Thomson that Tavare parried into the hands of a grateful Miller.

4th Test, Melbourne, 26-30 December 1998 - England won by 12 runs: England were 2-0 down and the Ashes had already gone coming into the Boxing Day Test. But some unlikely seasonal cheer came their way when Australia collapsed chasing 175 - sliding from 130 for three to 162 all out. Dean Headley had his moment in the sun with six wickets whilst Steve Waugh scored 122 not out and 30 not out.

2nd Test, Edgbaston, 4-7 August 2005 - England won by 2 runs: The best test in history? McGrath and that cricket ball. Ponting wins the toss and inexplicably puts England in. England score over 400 on day one and lead by 99 on 1^stinnings. The Aussies fightback but a last wicket stand of 51 from Flintoff and Simon Jones enables England to set the Aussies 282 to win. A magical over by Flintoff accounts for Langer and Ponting. A magnificent slower ball from Harmison bamboozles Clarke. Lee with Warne and then Kasprowicz take Australia to the precipice of victory before Harmison and Geraint Jones combined to win the day for England. Flintoff consoles Lee. Breathtaking.

4th Test, Trent Bridge, 25-28 August 2005 - England won by 3 wickets: England dominated the match with a century from Flintoff and five wickets for Simon Jones. But in pursuit of only 129 for victory after Australia had followed on, panic set in against an inspired Warne and Lee. Giles and Hoggard were the unlikely heroes that steered England home.

2nd Test, Adelaide, 1-5 December 2006 - Australia won by six wickets: Disaster and ignominious defeat for England and glory for Australia. A double-hundred for Collingwood and 158 from Pietersen saw England declare on 551 for six. Hoggard took seven wickets as Australia conceded a 38 run lead - it should have been more but Giles dropped Ponting and the Australian captain cashed in with 142. With a draw the most likely result, England caved in on the last day to be all out for 129 with an inspirational Warne pulling the strings and Australia cantered to victory and ultimately a 5-0 series win.

5th Test, The Oval, 20-23 August - England won by 197 runs: With the series level at 1-1, the momentum was with Australia after a crushing win at Headingley in the 4th Test. But Strauss won a crucial toss and led from the front with 55 and Bell top-scored with 72 as England scored 332. Then with Australia cruising at 73 for o, Stuart Broad (five for 37) bowled an inspired spell as the tourists were reduced to 111 for seven and finally 160 all out. Jonathan Trott then struck a composed hundred on debut with Strauss hitting his second fifty of the match to help set Australia an unlikely 546 for victory. At 217 for two, England were nervous but Flintoff's run out of Ponting proved to be decisive and the Ashes had been regained.

Where next?

Read all the articles of our Ashes 100 day countdown

Botham's Ashes

10 reasons why Andrew Flintoff was a true Ashes great

Dean Headley's one day in the sun  

Ashes 100-1: 43 - All-time England Ashes XI: All-rounder

 
Being a child of the late 1970s and 1980s, the English all-rounder that immediately springs to mind for an all-time England Ashes XI is that hammer of the Aussies - Ian Botham. But before we come to Beefy, there are a handful of other English all-rounders who warrant consideration.

When you read the reports of the time about the 1981 Ashes Series where Botham almost single-handedly ensured that the Ashes stayed in English hands, a number of writers compared Botham's quickfire hundreds at Headingley and Old Trafford in terms of brutality to Gilbert Jessop.

Even as a nine year old this piqued our interest to find out more about Jessop. We quickly learnt that like Botham in 1981, Jessop had turned an Ashes test match England's way pretty much on his own. in The Oval test of 1902, Jessop came to the crease with England 48 for five chasing 263 for the win and proceeded to make 104 out of 139 in 75 minutes, taking England to an improbable victory. However, this was the only time that Jessop's star really shone in test cricket despite many similar feats at county level.

The next all-rounder has much more claim to be England's greatest despite playing his first test as a number 11 (indeed he was at the crease when England hit the winning runs in Jessop's test). The legendary Yorkshireman Wilfred Rhodes is the highest wicket taker ever in first-class cricket with 4204 victims. By the time he retired after a long and glittering career he had become Jack Hobbs' test opening partner. In Ashes tests, Rhodes snared 109 victims in 41 tests at 24 and hit 1706 runs at 31 including one hundred (179 at Melbourne in 1912).  Even if he doesn't get the nod here then Rhodes will come into the frame again when we look at the spinners.

The third candidate is Tony Grieg. Like Botham, the South African born all-rounder was a larger than life character who thrived on standing toe to toe with the Australians. In 1974/75, England were outgunned, outclassed and undone by the pace of Thomson and Lillee, but Grieg was uncowed as evidenced by his brave hundred at Brisbane where he riled the Australian bowlers by signalling his own boundaries. In all Grieg played in 20 Ashes tests, hitting 1244 runs at 36.58 and taking 42 wickets at 38.03 with his cunning brand of medium pace. Unlike Botham and the final candidate, Grieg was also a decent captain.

Post-Botham, we lost count of the number of so-called English all-rounders who were tagged as the 'New Botham', but it wasn't until the emergence of Andrew Flintoff that a true successor presented himself. Due to injury, Freddie had to wait until 2005 to make his Ashes bow, but he made up for lost time by being the man of the series with 402 runs and 24 wickets and putting in a Bothamesque performance in the infamous Edgbaston test in particular. Things didn't go so well of course, when Flintoff led England to a 5-0 defeat in 2006/07. He bounced back in 2009 when he may have played a peripheral role in the series, but he did provide crucial flashes of brilliance such as on the final morning at Lord's and in his run out of Ponting at The Oval. In all, Flintoff played 14 tests against the Australians and hit 856 runs at 34.24 and took 43 wickets at 36.11.

But it is Botham that stands out from the crowd. From the moment he took five wickets on debut at Trent Bridge in 1977, Botham put in a series of inspirational performances whenever the Baggy Green came into view. In all, he played in seven Ashes series, winning five and it was Botham who invariably played the crucial innings or took the vital wickets that took England past the winning post. In addition to his well-documented heroics of 1981, Botham took 31 wickets in the 1985 series and hit a hundred at Brisbane and took a five for at Melbourne in the two wins in the 1986/87 series. In all, he took 128 Ashes wickets (he took another 19 in the 1979/80 series where the Ashes weren't at stake) at 28.04 and took seven five fors. In addition, he hit three hundreds (four if you include the one at Melbourne in the aforementioned 1979/80 series) and scored 1486 runs at 29.13. 

For his ability to win test matches single-handedly and his all-round brilliance and dominant personality, there is only one possibility for the all-rounder position in an all-time England Ashes XI and that is IT Botham. 

Where next?

Botham's Ashes

10 reasons why Andrew Flintoff was a true England great 

All-time England Ashes XI: The Openers, Number 3, 4 and 5

Ashes 100-1: 64 - Andrew Flintoff: A true Ashes great

 
Andrew Flintoff bestrode the 2005 Ashes (the greatest cricket series ever after Bodyline?) as England finally won the little urn again for the first time after 18 years of absolute hammerings at the hands of a string of superlative Australian sides. Unless you are reading this on Mars, you will also know that Flintoff finally bowed to the inevitable and retired from cricket last week.

As such, it seems opportune that we salute Freddie in our Ashes 100-1 countdown today and give ten reasons why cricket lovers and England fans in particular will remember him fondly.

1. Edgbaston 2005

Flintoff reached his zenith in the second test at Edgbaston in 2005. After hitting 68 (off 62 balls) and taking three for 52 in the first innings, he rescued England's second innings with a wondrous 73, which included some monstrous hitting during a last wicket stand of 51 with Simon Jones. Then with Australia cruising towards their target of 282, Flintoff came on to bowl with the score at 47/0. Seven balls later (one was a no-ball), Langer and Ponting had departed and England were on their way after the finest overs this writer has ever witnessed. Flintoff ended up with four for 79 and still found time to console Brett Lee in that iconic moment at the end. Even the Ian Botham of 1981 couldn't have surpassed Flintoff's achievements in this match.

2. But it wasn't just Edgbaston in 2005...

Freddie was at the peak of his powers in the 2005 Ashes and in our view was the central figure and inspiration for England's success along with skipper Michael Vaughan. 402 runs and 24 wickets in the series suggests we may well be correct and as well as the other England bowlers performed, Messrs Jones, Harmison, Hoggard and Giles would admit that it was Freddie's sustained brilliance at the other end that helped them get some of the wickets they gained. Flintoff's belief and refusal to bow down to the Australians as previous England teams had was the catalyst for this remarkable triumph.

3. You could never take your eyes off him

A devastating batsman on his day who could clear the ropes with ease and a bowler capable of speeds in excess of 90 mph. When you add his unerring accuracy and ability to get reverse swing, that is a pretty potent combination. There aren't many cricketers that empty bars when they are batting and bowling, but Flintoff was one of them.

4. Mind the windows, Tino

Australians seemed to warm to Freddie. Here was a guy who gave his all on the pitch and then enjoyed himself off it. And like our Antipodean cousins he wasn't short of a word or two, as the clip below shows. First of all, Fred puts Dwayne Bravo in his place before hilariously talking Tino Best into something foolish...

5. He liked a drink

Freddie endeared himself to cricket supporters because in many ways he seemed just like one of them, if albeit a little more talented. He liked a laugh and he certainly enjoyed a drink. From cavorting on a pedalo in the early hours to (allegedly) relieving himself in the garden of 10 Downing Street after the 2005 Ashes win, the stories of Fred's fondness of a tipple are legion. As such it probably wasn't a surprise that there were a number of references to Flintoff's capacity for drink when he announced his retirement last week. Our favourite one came from Michael Vaughan on Twitter:

"Fred had an unbelievable ability to put six bottles of beer in his mouth at once and down the lot. Quite remarkable"

6. A worthy successor to Botham

Most of the commentators last week agreed that Flintoff fitted into the "good" rather than "great" category. We're not so sure. Certainly, if you look at Flintoff's overall test stats then the critics would seem to be right. But if you split Flintoff's career into three stages - the Formative years, the Peak years and the Final years, then things look a little bit different:

Andrew Flintoff - Test career record
	Span	Mat	Runs	HS	Bat Av	100	Wkts	BBI	Bowl Av	5
Total	1998-2009	79	3845	167	31.77	5	226	5/58	32.78	3
Formative	1998-2002	21	643	137	19.48	1	33	4/50	47.15	0
Peak	2003-2007	46	2738	167	38.56	4	164	5/58	28.97	2
Final	2008-2009	12	464	74	27.29	0	29	5/92	38.00	1

When you add in the fact that Fred was a game-changer and the man for the big occasion, then the "great" tag could certainly be applied to him for the period 2003-07. 

7. He was a great ODI cricketer

Along with Marcus Trescothick and Kevin Pietersen, Flintoff is one of the few England players to consistently shine in the ODI arena since England forgot how to play the format after the 1992 World Cup. Certainly, even in comparison to Ian Botham, Freddie was a great ODI player.

Andrew Flintoff - ODI career record
	Span	Mat	Runs	HS	Bat Av	100	Wkts	BBI	Bowl Av	5
Total	1999-2009	141	3394	123	32.01	3	169	5/19	24.38	2
Formative	1999-2002	46	847	84	24.20	0	36	4/17	29.63	0
Peak	2003-2007	81	2243	123	35.60	3	110	5/56	23.61	1
Final	2008-2009	14	304	78*	38.00	0	23	5/19	19.82	1
Ian Botham - ODI career record
Total	1976-1992	116	2113	79	23.21	0	145	4/31	28.54	0

8. He won the Ashes on one leg

If Flintoff was the central figure in England's 2005 Ashes triumph, he was only a peripheral injury hit figure in 2009. However, when he did contribute it was invariably at crucial times. At Lord's, where England hadn't won since 1934, the partnership between Clarke and Haddin had England visibly nervous as Australia chased down 522. But Fred stepped in on the fifth morning with a lion-hearted spell, dodgy knee and all,  to take a five-wicket haul. Then with Ponting and Hussey compiling a big partnership as Australia chased another huge target in the deciding test at The Oval, it was Flintoff who ran out the Australian captain. It has proved to be a fitting epitaph.

9. A fantastic slipper

Just like Botham, Fred was as good a slip fielder as he was a batsman or bowler. In other words a true all-rounder. And when you chuck in the extra-curricular activities off the field then England have had the fortune of producing two larger than life all-rounders in the last 30 years. Here's one of our favourite Flintoff catches:

10. Freddie has already found another job

Just to prove that he is a man of the people, the picture below would suggest that Freddie has already found another vocation. It certainly looks more worthy than the comfort of the Sky commentary box.

It's a fix...

The world of cricket knew the Reverse Sweep was taking a four day break and it decided to issue a torrent of stories, scandal, conspiracy and madness in our absence:

• Pakistan actually won a cricket match thanks to an inspired spell of bowling by Umar Gul and some insipid batting from England, but still managed to become embroiled in yet more spot-fixing allegations
• Ijaz Butt confirmed that he is not of this world by making his first pronouncement on the spot-fixing debacle and duly accusing England of collapsing deliberately on Friday night. Is it any wonder that Pakistan's cricket is in such a mess with this imbecile in charge?
• Freddie Flintoff bowed to the inevitable and retired from cricket, which means that his last ever match was the victorious fifth test at The Oval last summer - a much more fitting end than some obscure Twenty 20 match  
• Somerset have become the eternal bridesmaids of English cricket by finishing second in everything - the thought of Marcus Trescothick and Peter Trego in frocks frightens us too
• Ian Bell has gone from the Beckhamesque with his broken foot to the Bradmanesque with his run filled return from injury 
• Oh, and the Champions League has apparently been taking place in South Africa. Ok, we haven't missed much there.

Clearly, this is a conspiracy perpetuated against the Reverse Sweep by other cricket writers around the globe. This is not a conspiracy to defraud bookies but a conspiracy to defraud the Reverse Sweep and this blog. The Reverse Sweep has taken it in hand to start our own investigations. We will shortly reveal the names of the people, the parties and the bodies involved in this sinister conspiracy and we also reserve the right to sue them for damages.

The guilty will be punished... 

Ashes 100-1: 92 - Simon Jones: Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

Once again today in our Ashes 100-1 countdown, our first guest writer David Siddall of World Cricket Watch delivers the post - well you didn't expect us to write 100 on our own did you?

Today, David looks at Simon Jones and asks what could've been?

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There are so many cricketers out there who haven’t realised their full potential on the world stage despite having more talent in their little finger than most have in our entire bodies. This can happen for a number of reasons, be it illness, injury, selection troubles, personality clashes or all of the above. Either way, I like to call them my “Shoulda Woulda Coulda cricketers”. Sadly the England pace bowler Simon Jones, through no fault of his own, belongs to this group. And who can forget how good he was in the 2005 Ashes series?

The start of Simon Jones’ international career – Ashes 2002/3
When Simon Jones made the journey down under in 2002/3 he was billed as the next big thing in a bowling line-up that lacked true superstars. In his first test in Brisbane he bowled only 7 overs and dismissed Justin Langer with his ninth delivery. Then what can only be described as a horrific injury followed in which Jones slid to field a ball only to twist his knee in the turf and rupture his cruciate ligaments in his knee. It wasn’t until 2004 he would feature in an England shirt once more.

The defining moment – Ashes 2005
It is easily argued that the difference between the two sides in the 2005 Ashes series was the mastery of reverse swing by the England camp. And the two chief architects were Andrew Flintoff and Jones. Just how much of an impressive feat some of the bowling was (see video) is epitomised in Jones' dismissal of Michael Clarke at Old Trafford. The angle of the ball looked for all the money in the world to be angling further and further towards the slips only for the ball to reverse swing inwards viciously to take the off peg out the ground. Jones would go on to record match figures of 7-110.

Jones went on to claim 18 wickets at an average of 21 in the four tests before being ruled out of the fifth through [surprise,surprise] injury. Despite much of the plaudits for England’s sensational 2-1 victory in 2005 – incidentally this writer’s favourite ever series of cricket – going the way of the man of the series Flintoff, it shouldn’t be forgotten the pivotal role Jones played in the series. He bowled with aggression, control and on so many occasions was the vital partnership breaker.

During what would become to be known as his defining moment Jones was a handful for any batsman in world cricket. A skiddy action at pace thanks to an explosion into the delivery stride left batsmen extremely fearful. All these attributes considered, it’s hardly surprising that in 2006 he was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year.

Sadly Jones' time at the top of world cricket would be short-lived…

Subsequent injuries ensure Jones is a Shoulda Woulda Coulda
Since the jubilant summer of 2005 Simon Jones has injured his ankle, knee and neck and has required multiple bouts of surgery. He’s had brief comebacks where he’s demonstrated just how good he still is – he claimed career best figures of 5 for 32 from 10 overs for Worcestershire against Hampshire at 90mph+ in 2008. He now plies his trade with Hampshire but hasn’t played a great deal of cricket of late.

I personally would absolutely love to see Simon Jones get a full season of county cricket under his belt next time around. I just wish he was lining up in an England shirt come November 25th bowling like he did in 2005!

The ten most poignant cricket memories of 2009

As we've written previously, yesterday was a special event in the Reverse Sweep household with the birth of our second child. This means that the posts for the next few days will be looking back rather than commentating on what is happening today and now in the cricket world.

 

This post looks back at 2009 - a year of change for cricket. This was certainly true for England as the year ended with the team in a much better position than they were on New Years Day 2009 with the spat between KP and Peter Moores just about to culminate in both men being sacked.

 

2009 was also a momentous year. England lost to the Netherlands but regained the Ashes. The Aussies fell back into the pack in test cricket but continued to lead the way in the 50 over game. Pakistanwon the World T20 and unveiled yet two more outstanding teenagers. And Bangladesh finally won a series abroad against the West Indies Cricket Board XI.

 

Anyway without further ado here are The Reverse Sweep’s ten most memorable and poignant cricket memories of 2009, appropriately in reverse order.

 

10. Trinidad & Tobago light up the inaugural Champions League

I must admit that I was dubious. For me T20 is more ‘hit and giggle’ than ‘proper cricket’, but I accidentally tuned into the coverage of the inaugural competition on Eurosport and was captivated by the brilliance of T&T. Excellently led by Daren Ganga, the minnows made it all the way to the final against New South Wales; a team full of test players who they had already beaten earlier in the competition thanks to a whirlwind innings from Kieron Pollard. Unfortunately, they lost the final but they were the true winners and their success will hopefully spark the West Indies to a much needed revival.

 

9. Shoaib Akhtar makes us laugh

First there was the press release from the Pakistan Cricket Board explaining that Shoaib was not able to play in the World T20 due to genital warts. And if that wasn’t enough the portly fast bowler was then ruled out for another three months because he had had liposuction. Thanks for the laughs Shoaib.

 

8. Colly, Jimmy and Monty save England in Cardiff

It seemed inevitable that the Aussies were going to go one-up until the dogged Collingwood dropped anchor in a marathon 344 minute innings. And when he was ninth out with over 11 overs to spare, Monty and Anderson took over and became the unlikely heroes. The Durhambattler then repeated the trick at Centurion in tandem with Onions (and Newlands with Ian Bell) and as at Lord’s, England responded by winning the next test at Durban.

 

7. The Netherlands beat England (and not at football)

Now we knew Englandwere bad at limited overs cricket but this really took the biscuit. An absolutely shambolic performance by the home side meant that the World T20 began with a bang. Things actually got worse with the 6-1 ODI reverse to the Aussies. Then an unlikely renaissance with an improved performance in the Champions Trophy followed up by a surprise series win in South Africa. But on that day in June England were well and truly clogged.

 

6. Cool Chris’ 70 ball ton at the WACA

Australia had just declared on 520/7 but that didn’t bother Mr Cool as he smashed a weakened Aussie attack all over the WACA in compiling a devastating 70 ball hundred (the fifth fastest in test history). He hit six huge sixes, four off a shell-shocked Hauritz, including a monstrous shot that landed on the roof of the towering Lillee-Marsh Stand.

 

5. Freddie Lord’s it over the Aussies

Englandhadn’t beaten the Aussies at HQ since 1934 and despite setting them a massive 522 run, an excellent partnership between Clarke and Haddin had the nerves jangling. Step forward Flintoff who blew the Aussies away on a tense Monday morning to take the plaudits ahead of the perhaps more deserving Strauss, who had set up the victory with a first innings 161.

 

4. Sehwag smashes the Sri Lankans for 293

The most devastating batsman in the World reached a new high with this phenomenal innings. Sri Lankahad been bowled out on the second morning for 393 and Sehwag wasted no time as he smashed seven sixes and forty fours in a 254 ball innings. By the end of the second day Indiawere 443/1 off only 79 overs and Murali had been obliterated. Sehwag was out early the next morning so just failed to become the first batsmen to hit three test triple centuries but that should not detract one iota from a truly spectacular knock.

 

3. Trott gets the runs on debut to help England seize the Ashes

Despite calls for former players such as Trescothick and Ramprakash – even W.G Grace was mentioned at one point – the selectors bravely opted for the South African born Trott. And boy did he repay their faith in spades with a brilliant and determined century in the second innings to help set Australiaan unachievable target. Broad, Swann and Harmison did the rest and the Ashes were on their way home.

 

2. Dilshan takes to opening like a duck to water

Before the start of 2009, Dilshan was known more for his brilliant fielding than his inconsistent batting. Then he had a go at opening and by the end of 2009 was rivallingSehwag as the most exciting and destructive batsman in the world. His stats as an opener are truly impressive: in Tests he averaged 66 and scored three hundreds in only five tests, in ODI it was 56 and four hundreds in 19 matches, and in T20 he averaged 43 and invented the Dilscoop. Arguably, Dilshan was the player of the year; how it has changed in 2010.

 

1. Terrorists attack the Sri Lankan bus

The most poignant event of 2009 happened on 3 March when the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked in Lahoreen route to the Gaddafi Stadium for the third days play. Thankfully, although five players were injured, none were killed but eight other people were and Pakistan is now a no-go destination for all international cricket sides.

 

 

Appropriately, the same two sides contested the World T20 final in June and Thilan Samaraweera, who was shot in the leg, recovered to become the leading test runscorer of the year with 1,234 runs at 72. World cricket needs Pakistan, its most flamboyant side along with the West Indies, and it is to be hoped that the situation will improve to enable international cricket to be played in Pakistan again as soon as possible.

Lazarus Freddie aims for the Ashes?

According to the famously balanced Daily Mail, Freddie is contemplating a comeback to Test cricket in time for the Ashes Down Under next winter.

Apparently he is missing playing at the highest level and in taking the first step to what would be an amazing comeback has signalled his intentions to play four day cricket for Lancashire in the summer.

Many thought his run out of Ricky Ponting at The Oval coupled with his five wicket haul at Lord's were fitting epitaphs to a mercurial test career.

If true, this raises awkward questions for Andrew Strauss, Andy Flower and Geoff Miller.

There have been heavy hints from the England camp that Freddie's presence is not particularly missed and Miller has even questioned whether he would 'fit in' to plans for the one day team.

So if Freddie proves his fitness in the summer and produces anything like the form he is capable of, it is likely that the press will create an unstoppable bandwagon aimed at restoring Flintoff to the side in time for the 1st test in Brisbane next November.

England could clearly do with an in-form and fully fit Flintoff bowling at 90mph and scoring useful runs at six or seven.

Stuart Broad showed in South Africa that he is light years away from being a genuine test all-rounder - I doubt he will ever be one and he should be left to concentrate on his bowling and making useful contributions at eight or nine. Swanny too should be left alone to focus on his bowling, which has been a revelation since his elevation to the test side.

Adil Rashid is clearly out of favour and not ready in any case. Luke Wright is not good enough with bat or ball.

So that leaves Freddie. If he really does want to make a comeback and he proves his form and fitness he may yet have an opportunity to make up for the debacle of the 2006/07 series.

I reckon Strauss, Flower and Miller will be even more unhappy than the Australians about this prospect.

Should be interesting.