Real test starts now for England

Where on earth have England’s ICC Champions Trophy displays come from???? The big test though for Andrew Strauss’ rejuvenated side is on the horizon.

Pretty much every cricket pundit and fan would have expected England to have crashed out of the group stages, with many predicting that they would not win a single game after their recent struggles.

A 6-1 series defeat to Australia left plenty of questions as to where the ECB selectors were heading, as far as team selection is concerned. But it appears the message has finally got through to the undoubtedly talented squad.

Strauss made it clear before the ICC event in South Africa that many of the squad were drinking in the last-chance saloon of international one-day cricket, amongst them Owais Shah.

The Middlesex man has responded in fine fashion and now looks a world-class one-day player, after looking like a club cricketer during the Australia series.

The captain described the 323-8 scored against the hosts, the second highest total in Champions trophy history, as England’s best-ever batting display.

The cynics though would say that the only reason England have beaten Sri Lanka and South Africa, is that the pressure has been off the players with nobody expecting them to win those matches.

If that has been the case, it will be interesting to see how they perform in the semi-final after the expectation level and cricket betting odds have been cranked up several notches.

But even if England are to crash out in the last four, they will have surpassed many people’s expectations and the squad have shown that, even without Kevin Pietersen, they can still compete with the best in the world.

ICC’s last-ditch Test bid

The International Cricket Council’s idea to have a world Test championship appears to be the last chance to save international Test cricket, but the plan is set to face some dissenting voices.

The sport’s governing body has been considering a format which will see a series of matches over four years culminating in semi-finals and a final, in the hope that the crowds will be drawn back to the five-day game.

Although several nations are likely to support the idea, the problem facing the ICC is that some cricket boards want to organise their own tours and set firm itineraries well in advance.

The ECB has already expressed some concern even though they like the idea of a Test championship, preferring a different format with either a single Test play-off or a short series to decide the world’s top team.

England officials are worried that a four-year event could devalue series’ such as the Ashes, which always brings full houses in the UK or Australia, and has the best opportunities to place a cricket bet; it could also bring shortened series to accommodate matches against lesser Test nations.

ECB chief executive David Collier said: “The original proposal from ICC, for a two-year cycle with two years of an uncertain fixture programme in regard to the Test Championship, would be detrimental to Test cricket and the ECB's prime consideration is to ensure that Test cricket is at the pinnacle of the world game.”

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has claimed that the only two nations unhappy are England and India, but the problem for the ICC is that they are the two nations that bring the most money into the sport.

The other problem attached to the long-term tournament would be how to fit it into the calendar, especially with the number of lucrative Twenty20 tournaments popping up around the world.

No way Owais

As England continue their desperate search for a one-day formula that works, Owais Shah looks set to be a major casualty of the team’s 50-over frustration.

With England looking to salvage the ODI series against Australia, the selectors and Andrew Strauss also have one eye on the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.

A cull should, and will happen after some below-par performances in recent times, highlighted by the opening two matches in the Australia series – on both occasions England have been in the driving seat and both times they shot themselves in the foot.

Speaking after the 39-run defeat at Lord’s, skipper Strauss admitted: “We can't let chances like this slip through our fingers.”

“We keep talking about the batsmen making a score. We haven't done that in two games, we are aware of it and need to get better.”

Shah is likely to be one of the unfortunate batsmen to lose their position, having endured a torrid time at international level, especially with his running between the wickets.

The 30-year-old got himself run out in the second ODI at Lord’s after a shocking mix-up and that is not an isolated incident – Shah has been run out nine times playing for England, including three occasions at Test level.

The Middlesex man averages 31.00 in 57 innings and has scored just one century in his ODI career – a knock of 107 which came against India two years ago.

In Shah’s defence, a number of batsmen have tried their luck to fill the void left by Kevin Pietersen, but replacing the top one-day player appears a near impossible job.

England can only hope that KP is given the all-clear for the tournament in South Africa, with his presence making them a totally different prospect and increasing their odds of winning the ICC Champions Trophy.