Andrew Strauss must act to end the old English tendency to self-destruct

Tom Collomosse
7 Sep 2009

By leading England to Ashes glory just seven months after taking over as skipper, Andrew Strauss proved himself a quick learner of the art of Test captaincy. He must show similar qualities in the 50-over game if his team are to avoid humiliation against Australia in the NatWest Series.

Yesterday's 39-run victory at Lord's gave the tourists a 2-0 lead in the seven-match series, but far more worrying for Strauss was that his team did more damage to themselves than the Australians could manage.

Chasing a target of 250 should have been simple on a true Lord's wicket, so why did England come up short? Strauss and coach Andy Flower must diagnose the problems and apply the cure before Wednesday's third ODI at Southampton.

They could start by giving Owais Shah a lesson on how to run between the wickets. The Middlesex batsman is arguably the most talented stroke-maker in this team, but his uncertainty when running is now a significant concern for Strauss and Flower.

Shah's demise yesterday - he was run out after hesitating in mid-pitch during what should have been a successful single - was the latest example of a trend which is blighting his career.

He was run out in his second one-day international, in 2001, and suffered a similar fate on his Test debut in India in 2006. He was also involved in a mix-up which left Kevin Pietersen stranded in an ODI against India at The Brit Oval two years ago, and was then run out on his return to the Test team - from which he was dropped at the start of the summer - in the Caribbean earlier this year.

Shah's uncertainty at the crease is a danger not only for him, but for his batting partner. If Shah's team-mates know he is an unpredictable runner, they are far more likely to make mistakes themselves when deciding whether to risk a sharp single.

Publicly, Strauss played down the issue. But it is one he and Flower must deal with if they are serious about turning England into a force in 50-over cricket.

Shah's departure was not England's only self-inflicted wound. With the run rate well within their reach, Matt Prior was out for one, driving recklessly at Shane Watson, while Strauss himself was guilty of a soft-dismissal, offering a straightforward return catch to off-spinner Nathan Hauritz after mis-timing a leg-glance.

The wicket came minutes after a Lancaster Bomber had flown low over the ground as part of the commemorations for the 70-year anniversary of the beginning of World War Two, and it appeared to have distracted the skipper.

Strauss acknowledged: "We were the architects of our own downfall. From being 74 without loss after 14 overs, we should have come home quite comfortably. But there were three soft wickets in a short space of time, and then we were approaching a situation where we were asking bowlers to score runs, which isn't what we want to do.

"People keep getting starts but failing to go on to register a big score, so we need to be smarter in our percentage shots. It is up to the top six to score the bulk of our runs."

The decision to leave out Adil Rashid, after the Yorkshire leg-spinner had impressed at The Oval on Friday, was also bizarre.

While the early-autumn conditions at Lord's favoured seam bowling, rather than spin, Rashid's confidence would have been very high after his performance in the first ODI. Furthermore, the 21-year-old is expected to go on England's tour of South Africa this winter, so it would surely be sensible to expose him to as much international cricket as possible before then.

Rashid should return to the XI for the day-night match at the Rose Bowl, while England are also hopeful that Stuart Broad will be back. The all-rounder missed yesterday's game with a neck injury sustained while diving in the field at The Oval, and he will be assessed today, although Strauss does not believe the problem is "particularly serious".

For Australia, Mitchell Johnson was made man of the match after scoring an unbeaten 43 from just 23 balls, and taking two for 50 from his nine overs. Brett Lee also shone with the ball, bowling 93mph inswinging yorkers and leaving Australia to wonder what might have been had he not sustained a side injury on the eve of the Ashes series.