Cricinfo assess the performance of the England players after their 2-0 series victory against New Zealand
Andrew Miller09-Jun-2008England were expected to win this series, and win it well, and in the end they did. But it was by no means as easy as the 2-0 scoreline suggests. A series of outstanding personal performances at Old Trafford and Trent Bridge masked long periods of mediocrity. Cricinfo runs the rule over the 11 men who took part:
Andrew Strauss: re-established as the rock of England’s top-order © Getty Images
Andrew Strauss – 8
It’s hard to believe the Strauss we’ve just witnessed is the same Strauss who was battling for his Test career only three months ago in New Zealand. The fretfulness that characterised his game on that trip has been buried beneath the Napier outfield, and instead he is back to his compact, thoughtful and fluster-free best. During his Old Trafford masterclass, he forced New Zealand to feed him runs on the leg-side by declining any temptation outside off – an approach that echoed his remarkable debut season in 2004 and demonstrated a renewed self-assurance. He suffered a slight relapse at Trent Bridge, where he chased a wide half-volley after lunch to trigger England’s first-innings collapse, but his Player of the Series accolade was richly justified.James Anderson – 8
England fast bowlers with a “-son” suffix are an infuriating phenomenon, but they don’t half impress when they get in the mood. England lost patience with Steve Harmison after his Hamilton no-show in March, and since then James Anderson has taken over that enigmatic role with incredible success. When he pitches up to the blockhole, the natural whip in his action causes the ball to perform tricks that the bowler himself struggles to understand. None of the New Zealanders had any answer, that’s for sure. The pair of pearling outswingers that detonated the stumps of both Aaron Redmond and Brendon McCullum were collector’s items, and set Anderson on his way to the best match and innings figures of a mercurial career.Ryan Sidebottom – 8
What a year Sidebottom is having. Twenty-four wickets at 17.08 in New Zealand; and now 17 more at 20.47 in the first series of the home summer. Last year he was arguably the unluckiest bowler in the world game, with dropped catches ruining his figures against India and Sri Lanka, but now he’s picking up wickets on reputation as well as skill. By his own admission he was off the pace at times in this series, not least on the opening day at Lord’s, but New Zealand’s batsmen were in such a funk whenever his unruly barnet bounced up to the wicket, he still harvested a bagful. His 6 for 67 in the final innings of the series was his fifth five-wicket haul since his recall last summer. He is firmly ensconced as the leader of England’s attack.Michael Vaughan – 7
Two series wins in a row, and Vaughan is the daddy once again. His authority was being questioned after a lean winter in Sri Lanka and New Zealand, but the captain silenced the doubters with a determined hundred at Lord’s, then followed that up with a vital and imposing 48 as England turned the tables at Old Trafford and chased 294 for victory. His strokeplay was as sublime as ever, even if his shot selection went awry at times, but as a leader you can sense he’s finding his level with his new charges. His marshalling of his troops at Trent Bridge was spot on – he backed his bowlers with attacking fields, and showed the same nous for a timely bowling change that was his hallmark in 2004-05. South Africa will be his biggest test since his return to the side last summer, but there’s no doubt he’s ready for it.Stuart Broad – 7
A series that began amid talk of Andrew Flintoff’s comeback ended with the arrival of another serious allround cricketer. Broad’s rich promise had been plain to anyone who witnessed the Napier Test in March, when he took vital wickets and scored vital runs in all four innings of the match, but this was a first chance for the English public to watch a man who has already attracted rave reviews from the former coach, Duncan Fletcher. In truth, Broad’s bowling was a touch disappointing. He wasn’t left much to do given the success of his new-ball colleagues, but he’d have hoped for better than seven wickets at 43.57. His batting, on the other hand, was composed, technically impeccable, and above all ballsy. He reignited England’s flatlining performance at Old Trafford with a crucial first-innings 30, then put the boot in at Trent Bridge with a maiden half-century that broke New Zealand’s resolve. He’s only 22, and he’ll only get better.
Monty Panesar: one great day at Old Trafford changed the series for England © Getty Images
Monty Panesar – 7
This was a one-spell series for Monty, but what a spell. On Sunday morning at Old Trafford, England were staring at humiliation. They’d limped past the follow-on having succumbed for 202 to Daniel Vettori, but when New Zealand reached 85 for 2 in their second innings, their lead was 261 and there was surely no way back. Enter Monty, with a performance that irrevocably transformed the dynamics of the series. His career-best figures of 6 for 37 included 5 for 10 in nine overs, as New Zealand’s last seven wickets tumbled for 29. The haul included his 100th in Tests, from only 28 matches, and the fact that he was unable to add to that tally at Trent Bridge was a testament to his team-mates rather than any shortcoming on his part.Kevin Pietersen – 7
Started slowly when Daniel Vettori pinned him for 3 at Lord’s, but finished with aplomb, with his second vital century in four Tests against New Zealand – it was Napier revisited when Pietersen faced up to England’s post-lunch scoreline of 86 for 5, but then as now he responded with a calculating counterattack and a superbly paced century. His celebrations on reaching three figures were a neat insight into his mindset – at Napier he produced little more than a sheepish bat-wave, but at Trent Bridge he was back to full-frontal bombast. The message is clear – KP is back in the mood, and with his favourite opponents, South Africa, awaiting, the timing could not be better for England.Tim Ambrose – 6
Blameless with the gloves, but took a while to get going with the bat after three runs in the first two Tests at Lord’s and Old Trafford. Made impressive amends in partnership with Pietersen at Trent Bridge, however, where he revived memories of his series-changing century at Wellington in March. New Zealand seemed to have got his measure after that game, as they pitched up by an extra half a yard to compensate for his diminutive frame and restricted him to 50 runs in his next five innings, but they lost their discipline during a crucial 161-run stand for the sixth wicket. In the long term, Ambrose still faces a fierce challenge from his former Sussex team-mate, Matt Prior, but at least he enters his one-day debut flushed with renewed confidence.Alastair Cook – 5
It’s been a quiet year so far for Cook. His highest score in home and away campaigns against New Zealand was a mere 61 at Lord’s, which is the first time in his young career he’s gone consecutive series without a century. New Zealand’s seamers are, in Michael Vaughan’s memorable estimation, no more than “workmanlike”, but their diligence in the channel outside off stump was sufficient to reawaken some familiar troubles for Cook – that gap between bat and pad led to his dismissal in each of his last two innings. He and Strauss did at least prove they can work together as a partnership with their maiden century stand, at Lord’s, but the younger partner is the one with the form worries at present.Ian Bell – 3
It’s getting a bit monotonous to criticise a player who, over the past four years, has averaged a healthy 41.79 from 39 Tests, with seven centuries and more than 2500 runs, but Bell’s anonymity when the heat is truly on is becoming more than just a coincidence. England’s top six has been under scrutiny from the first ball of the Lord’s Test, and while three of the top four have responded with centuries, the man at No. 5 has mustered 45 runs in four innings. He and his fellow struggler, Paul Collingwood, steered England over the finish line in tense circumstances at Old Trafford, but his three-ball abomination at Trent Bridge was a truer reflection of his foggy gameplan – England were in the throes of a post-lunch wobble at 85 for 3, when Bell exacerbated them by playing around a straight ball from Iain O’Brien and falling lbw for a duck. His talent is unquestioned, and England’s current winning streak means he’s sure to be retained. But England need him to be more than just a pretty bit-part player.Paul Collingwood – 3
Collingwood’s returns were even worse than Bell’s – 30 runs in four innings, including that single unbeaten innings at Old Trafford. His problem, however, has never been one of temperament – he’s dug England out of far too many holes for that to be called into question. He’s simply suffering from a shocking run of poor form. He entered the series with concerns about his long-term fitness after a second cortisone injection in his shoulder, and who knows how that has been weighing on his mind? There’s little time to dwell on his woes, however, because as England’s one-day captain, he’ll need to pick himself up ahead of the Twenty20 international at Old Trafford next week.
