Cricket Tournaments

Two depleted teams face off in tomorrow’s marquee clash. Bangladesh takes on England in the port city of Chittagong, at the time when both of teams are in hot waters. The hosts suffered an embarrassing nine-wicket defeat in the hands of a weakened West Indies team a few days ago. While England, who seemed to have gained some momentum after the win against South Africa last Sunday have been dented with the injuries of Kevin Pietersen and Stuart Broad.

It remains to be seen who comes out on top; in a battle which could change the course of Group A. Bangladesh have only won 1 out of 3 matches that they have played so far in the World Cup, so this is a must-win game for Bangladesh or else they are virtually knocked out of the competition. England have also won 2 out of 4 matches so far, and a win here would assure them a quarterfinal berth. But if they lose, they have to beat West Indies in their last group match by a huge margin to qualify. So I am sure England would want to wrap it all up tomorrow itself.

If Bangladesh has to win, they have to rely on their bowlers to do major damage. England’s batting looks fragile without Pietersen and even if Morgan comes in for this game, it does not reduce the pressure on skipper Andrew Strauss to score runs at the top of the order. Their bowling might be hit severely with the exit of Broad, yet Bangladesh does not boast of a strong batting line-up and I would not be surprised to see England’s bowlers, especially Graeme Swann have a field day just as they did against the Proteas.

My hunch is that England are still the firm favourites to reach the victory post tomorrow. But, Bangladesh can never be counted out these days, so they can take advantage of England’s vulnerability as this World Cup has shown that anything is possible.

Bangladesh (probable): Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Shakib al Hasan (Captain), Raqibul Hasan, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Abdur Razzak, Naeem Islam, Shaiful Islam, Rubel Hossain.

England (probable): Andrew Strauss (Captain), Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior (WK), Eoin Morgan, Michael Yardy, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Tim Bresnan, Ajmal Shahzad.

After a drubbing at the Adelaide Oval, the action moved to the WACA, Perth with the Australians staring at a series defeat. A loss to England would mean that Australia would slip to the 6th position on the ICC rankings, their lowest since the system came into reckoning and more importantly Ricky Ponting’s 3rd loss as Australian Captain, the most in the history of the urn.

The stakes were high, the Australian fans just hoped their home team could draw the series, winning being far from their thoughts. After an innings defeat, the Australians had to bounce back and well to create any sort of impact. A lot of chaos was seen around the Australian side, changes, uncapped spinner into the ranks, a sight all to common but usually in the English dressing room. However, times have changed. The once laudable bench strength is hard to see across the country.
Nevertheless, the changes were rung in, Johnson, Hilfenhaus and uncapped spinner in Michael beer were called up. Bollinger, North and Doherty were given the axe after some toothless performances in the 2nd test.
Australia decided to go in with the 4 fast bowlers with Steven Smith at number 6 filling in for North and as the spinner’s role.
All the talks about the old WACA wicket eventually came true. The pitch on the day before the test looked very similar to that of the square. It was green, outfield like. Perhaps, that is the reason why the Australians decided to keep young Michael Beer out of the fray. Although the pitch would favour the tall English seamers, a green wicket was also Australia’s best chance of leveling the series and so it was!
Having won the toss, Andrew Strauss took the decision of bowling in the hope of getting a few early wickets on a lively pitch.

The two forceful changes for both sides were Philip Hughes coming in for the injured Simon Katich and Chris Tremlett coming in for Stuart Broad who was ruled out of the series with an abdominal strain. Both series debutants were in the thick of things right from the word go as Hughes was the first to go bowled of tremlett in an attempt to flick across the line. Australian skipper Ponting looked pretty good in his brief stay of 12 before he pushed at one outside the off stump of Anderson with Collingwood collecting a beauty at 2nd slip. Michael Clarke was next to go caught Prior and the Australians once again found themselves reeling at 28-3. Just when one thought it could not get worse for Australia, it did, watson was caught in front of the wicket of Finn. Hussey and Steven Smith strung something together as they tottered to lunch with 4 back in the hut and not much on the board.
The English struck back immediately after lunch and all of a sudden it was back to Hussey and Haddin to do the job and so they did. The duo continued their good form and put together a 68 run partnership. Haddin’s coming of age and Hussey’s resurgence to form has come at the right time for Australia. However, they could not pull off a gabba once again and hussey was dismissed by Swann of Prior.
Mitchell Johnson who made a return to the national team after being dropped at the Adelaide Oval walked in with the crowd backing him. Johnson really needed to make some runs to get his confidence going. Fortunately for Australia, he did. Haddin and Johnson went into one day mode and flayed away all around the wickets. They put on 52 runs before Haddin went for one shot too many and perished to a brilliant catch of Swann. Mitchell Johnson continued to swing and got some quick runs with the tail before Steven Finn did for him. The last wicket pair added an invaluable 35 runs in quick time taking the total to 268. Once again it was Hussey and Haddin who resurrected the innings. Johnson played his part too with a fluent 62. Australia may feel they are unable to get the 20 wickets to win a test match, well, th fact of the matter is their top order needs to score too for them to win a test.
The English bowlers were comprehensive once again with all four of them chipping in with the wickets. Anderson was the pick of the bowlers, Tremlett was pretty impressive too in his come back test.
A lot going right for the English.
The batsmen needed to survive a tricky hour or so before the end of day one and so they did; ending up on 29 for no loss.

Australia came to the ground next day knowing that, it was the biggest moment of the Ashes. If Australia had to claw a comeback into the series, that was the day, that was the time. But nothing seem to have changed as Australia failed to grab on to another chance. Strauss edged one of harris and the ball flew between keeper and first slip, none of them even moving a tad. Australia thought to themselves, they had let it go.
England cruised along to 78 for no loss before Ponting handed the ball to Mitchell Johnson. The left armer continued his good form at the WACA as he, in retrospect, bowled one of the most inspiring spell of the 2010 Ashes. Johnson got his in swing (to the right hander) going which made him the bowler that he is known to be.
The left armer bounced back in style as he got rid of the in form Alastair Cook with one that just left the south paw and was sniffled by Michael Hussey who took a brilliant low catch at gully. Australia were on the board.

Jonathan Trott was next to go as he was trapped right in front in an attempt to work one across the line. Mitch got the shape back into the right hander and sent Australia’s two biggest worries back to the pavillion without much damage (in comparison to the first two tests of the series). Flamboyant Kevin Pietersen walked in with a hundred behind him and confidence pumping. Johnson got it spot on immediately and the English had a mini collapse, Johnson was really living up to his WACA reputation and soon the wickets kept falling as the Australians started dominating proceedings. Strauss was given no second chance after the morning blip and was collected neatly by Haddin of Harris. Paul Collingwood was the next of Johnson’s 6 victims and was again done in by the late movement at high speed. The Australians were back at their best and ruling the roost with the English reeling at 98 for 5. Bell, Prior and Swann put together a bit of a resistance before the Australian bowlers did for them. Siddle started his barrage of bouncers to Prior who had the ball go of his arm onto the stumps. Siddle did not hold anything back and gave Prior a mouth full which lead to the English wicket keeper asking his counterpart to meet him outside the ground. The incident was played down as a string of events followed soon after as the Poms were bundled out for a poultry 187. Johnson ended up with 6 for 38 with Ryan Harris being the other major contributor with 3 wickets. The Australians had got their tail up with a very valuable lead of 81.
The Australians came into bat and were in trouble immediately as Hughes was set up by Steven Finn and fell to a catch at third slip, gleefully accepted by Collingwood. Ricky Ponting’s dreadful Ashes campaign seemed to continue as the Australian captain gloved one down the leg side of Steven Finn. Michael Clarke looked in a bit of a hurry in his brief stay at the wicket before Chris Tremlett accounted for him. All of a sudden, the Australians were 3 down with not much on the board and the English could sniff a chance but once again to their undoing was their series nemesis, Mr. Cricket, Michael Hussey.
Watson and Hussey flayed away all around the wicket as the duo joined forces together in a 113 run stand for the 4th wicket. This partnership took the match away from the English and the Australians were once again back in the driver’s seat. Shane Watson look flawless in his innings and one thought he was en route to his 3rd test match hundred but that was not to be as the blonde bombshell from Queensland had departed once again after making a 50. Watson is probably the worst as far as conversion rate is concerned or is soon getting there. Tremlett got one to jag back in to trap Watto in front of the 3 pegs. Watson in despair decided to refer it but the decision would stay and he had to go after a well made 95. Hussey stayed on and along with Ashes debutant, Steven Smith put together a quick few runs before he did a Ponting and was caught down the leg side. Unlike the Australian first innings, the lower order did not have much to say this time around the last 5 failed to reach double figures. The Aussies had bit of a mini collapse but that would not hurt them as Michael Hussey had done the damage with another brilliant hundred.

The Australians finally folded for 309 with a lead of 81 runs, basically implying that England needed 391 to win on a track which still had some pace and bounce in it. Chris Tremlett was the pick of England’s bowlers. He ended up with impressive figures in his comeback trail of 5 for 87. It was up to the English batsman now to pull off something extraordinary and seal the deal as far as the series is concerned. It was not impossible with 2 days to go but was going to be an uphill task with a fiery Australian attack and some aid with the conditions being in their favour.

The Poms had 11 sessions to make their runs and sometimes that could work against you as batsman tend to go into their shell instead of playing their natural game and that is what seemed to happen with England. The Aussies hit the ground running and drew first blood almost immediately with Ryan Harris getting on to straighten, cook missed and was trapped plum in front of the wicket. From then on in the English wickets fell like nine pins. There was no substantial partnership and the Australian bowlers rattled the English. This time round it was Johnson who played second fiddle and Ryan Harris assumed the strike bowler’s role. He snuck out 6 of the 10 wickets to fall and dominated proceedings to come. The English ended their day with the score board reading 78 for 5. The last ball of the day summed up the entire test match as Collingwood fished at one outside the off stump of Harris and was caught at slip by Steven Smith.

Australia made quick work of the English next morning, wrapping up the lower middle order under 50 runs. Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson lead the Australians off the field and rightly so. It was Mitchell Johnson who bagged the man of the match award. He bowled one of the best spells bowled in Ashes history on the 2nd afternoon more so after a horrid time of it and being dropped for the first time in his career. Johnson also chipped in with the bat at the tail end of the first innings with a useful 60 odd, which helped the Australians reach a respectable albeit modest total of 268. In retrospect, the Australians still found themselves reeling when the English had reached 78 for no loss. It was Mitch Johnson who was the perpetuator and he changed the course of the match.
In the skippers words, his spell was the defining moment of the Ashes and could change things to come in the next two tests. However, one must not forget that Australia still have things to worry about. Harris and Johnson are not going to get another Perth like wicket and the freemantle breeze would be missing too. The dry, slow surface at the MCG would aid Graeme Swann’s off spin. Australia may not be able to go in with the same attack with Smith playing as the spinner. But again one would not one to change a winning combination. Australia’s batting with the exception of Watson, Hussey and Haddin has left a lot to be desired. The rest must find their feet soon enough as it would be highly unlikely that a single man would drive the series in Australia’s favour.

Having said this, the momentum is with the Australians and the English have worries of their own, they find themselves carrying Paul Collingwood.

What one can be sure of is, the standard of cricket will just rise and as a neutral this sure is what Test cricket is loved for.

When the Australians march on to the ground, they have all to play for, as the Ashes would be out of reach if England pulled of another win against the old enemy. The English on the other hand wouldn’t want to lose the initiative and would look to continue their winning momentum. The English have already lost a match after winning a test early in the series, it happened in South Africa and in the last Ashes. However, after headingley they got out of jail due to a certain Andrew Flintoff. England must ensure that they continue in the same vain and play positive cricket right through.
There’s a lot more at stake than the Ashes, it’s perhaps Australia’s greatest ever batsman since Sir Donald Bradman, Ricky Ponting. While, the man, personally might not lose his place in the team but a loss at the WACA could sure mean a loss to his captaincy at test level. If Australia lose, Ponting would be the first ever captain to lose the Ashes thrice ever since the history of the urn began way back in 1882. Also, a loss could mean, England’s first Ashes victory on Australian soil since 1986/87. On a personal note too ponting does not have a hundred to his name in the last 8 test matches and has added a poultry 70 runs to his total in the current Ashes series. It is critical that Ponting returns to his menacing best if Australia have to have any chance of winning a test match not least regaining the Ashes.

At the moment, nothing seems to be going right for the hosts and each player must put in their best stride forward so as to lift the team. The Australian selectors have sprung up some surprises. The series is only 10 days old and both teams have been troubled by injuries. Stuart Broad, is already out of the Ashes with an abdominal strain while Australian opener Simon Katich misses out due to an achilees problem something that Kevin Pietersen suffered from. Chris Tremlett is the most likely replacement to Stuart Broad as his tall frame could help extract some extra bounce from a green WACA wicket. Australia on the other hand have called back young Philip Hughes into the squad who is set to replace Katich come Thursday. Xavier Doherty and Doug Bollinger are the others who have been axed for the third test due to poor performances in the Adelaide test. Johnson has been brought back while uncapped Michael Beer has been brought into the squad as replacement. Beer was a huge surprise selection as he has only played a handful of six first class matches. Another major exclusion has been that of Marcus North who has finally been dropped. Steven Smith should dawn the number 7 slot with Haddin moving up to take North’s position. Johnson’s return will bolster the batting a tad while Beer’s batting credentials don’t seem to stop the world.
However, the main concern with Australia is the toothless attack that they possess. Although Ryan Harris looks to be good but his knee would hold him back from bowling at full tilt and would they love a full firing Mitchell Johnson back. One good thing the seamer has going for him is his record at the ground. Johnson has taken 21 wickets in the three test matches he’s played here previously including the devastating spell of 8 for 61 couple of years back when he ripped through the backbone of the South African batting line up. Australia would want to go in with a specialist spinner which could mean beer could play with Siddle given the axe. However, what is to hear is that the wicket is a result oriented one and strauss could barely discriminate between the wicket and the outfield.
England’s top order has been the biggest worry for the Australian team. Australia have failed to get rid of the English top 4. Cook and Trott have been instrumental in denting the Australian bowlers. Cook who was considered to be the only weak link in the English batting line up has come out to be the biggest shining star. Kevin Pietersen on the other hand, seems to have regained his lost form.
When compared man to man, the English seem to be the better line up on paper. With the exception of Michael Hussey at 5 in comparison to Collingwood the English look far more supreme.
Australia really need to turn everything around and the stakes are huge this time round. What one can be sure of like every India- Pakistan battle, this one sure is to be an enthralling on to say the least.

Kevin Pietersen

In Tests, Pietersen continued his sublime form since his debut by scoring back-to-back hundreds against West Indies at home in 2007, which included his highest score till date of 226. And he also scored a hundred against India, making his position as one of the world’s best Test Cricket batsman confirmed. His hundred against New Zealand in Napier was a series-winning one and he looked unstoppable as he played all kinds of shots, the pull, hook, drives and so on. A fine run of form in early 2008 and his increasing reputation in the team was primarily the reason why the selectors made him captain of the Test and ODI team after the retirement of Michael Vaughan, following a home series defeat against South Africa in Tests.

His captaincy stint didn’t go according to plan. Although he did lead the team to a ODI series whitewash against South Africa, yet this was the beginning of the worst to happen. Pietersen was average with the bat and captaincy as his team was comprehensively thrashed in India, 0-5 out of 5 ODIS. And in Tests, they lost 0-1 out of 2. England were expected to give India a tough fight on the tour but the team unity was lacking, looking at the players body language. Later there were revelations that all was definitely not well between Pietersen and coach Peter Moores. A public banter followed and as a result, Moores was sacked as coach and Pietersen was also sacked as skipper of the team in all formats. However, one never thought that this could create such a negative impact on his mindset that he loses his confidence completely.

Ever since that period, Pietersen has only scored a solitary Test hundred, which was against West Indies in February 2009. As his confidence lowered, he was afraid to be the aggressive player that he usually is. What followed was more controversy because of his switch-hit which he endorsed, considering that he wanted to be innovative. Secondly, he also played in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore as the leagues most expensive player and captained the team unsuccessfully. The IPL stint didn’t do wonders to his batting as too much pressure perhaps got him injured and he only played for England in the first of the 5 Ashes Test matches against Australia at home. Then came South Africa again, which completed his career cycle. He was the pale shadow of the Pietersen the world saw when he made his debut four years ago. A string of single-digit scores in the ODIS there and just one half-century in seven Test innings confirmed that the law of averages finally caught up with him.

Times were bad for him as another chink in his armour was exposed. The left-arm spinner can get the better of him. Shakib al Hasan, the Bangladesh captain got him dismissed the most number of times in 2010. He was disappointing in the home season against Bangladesh and Pakistan earlier this year, despite winning the man-of-the-tournament award in the T-20 World Cup in West Indies, which England won. He did well in the IPL but T-20 didn’t help boost his confidence in Tests and ODIS. However, his favourite opposition is Australia and the Ashes brings the best out of him. He is on a roll with a double hundred at Adelaide (again!) and for sure, this innings has witnessed the rebirth of Pietersen, who like a not-so-true Englishman, attacked the Australian bowlers to set the tone for a magnificent series.

Kevin Pietersen

Some describe him as a traitor for abandoning his home country, South Africa to turn out playing for England in international cricket. Some call him the style icon for his fancy hairstyles and tattoos. Legends like Shane Warne refer to him as the ‘walking ego’ or for that matter, Australia’s former coach John Buchanan calls him a ‘poor starter’. All this describes England’s Kevin Pietersen, who despite all the negative perceptions is arguably one of the world’s best batsmen today and by far one of my favourite cricketers as well.

Pietersen rose to prominence early in his career when he made his ODI debut against South Africa in South Africa. I would rate his three centuries in seven matches of that tour as the finest I have ever seen. He was under pressure from partisan crowds and he had a tough job to revive England’s one-day fortunes as well. He couldn’t do the latter but he handled the pressure remarkably well. He studiously followed the advice of his first captain, Michael Vaughan that he only had to watch the ball and nothing else. And all the three centuries were attacking and almost made South Africa lose a one-day series at home. He made the world stand up and appreciate the fact that a star was born.

His exploits in South Africa made him a serious contender for a place in the starting XI of the Test team which would be playing against Australia for the Ashes in the summer of 2005 at home. Despite the fact that the XI was more or less set, yet Pietersen upstaged the veteran Graham Thorpe as Englands No. 5 for the first Test at Lords. And he didn’t waste this golden opportunity. England were 21/5 in the first innings when he walked out to bat. There was humungous pressure on him because all the big guns, Strauss, Trescothick, Vaughan, Bell and Flintoff had been foxed by some ferocious swing bowling by Glenn McGrath. Yet, he thrived under pressure as he played his counter-attacking game. He scored a half-century on debut, which even included sixes of the bowling of his Hampshire teammate, Shane Warne. His mature innings of 57 eventually made England reach 155 in response to Australia’s 190 in the first innings. He scored 64 in the second innings again amidst pressure because England had to chase 420 to win the Test. Though England lost eventually, Pietersen stood out and he created the momentum which the batting needed, in order to win the Ashes later on. But he wasn’t done for the series. He hammered 158 at The Oval in the final Test in the second innings to ensure that the match was drawn and England won 2-1, holding the Ashes for the first time since 1986.

His un-English attitude of tearing the opposition apart right from the first ball made him successful in the Test arena and to an extent ODIS as well. In his next Test series, he scored another century against Pakistan at Faisalabad when again the others failed miserably. However he was in fine nick the next home season where he scored back-to-back hundreds against Sri Lanka. Many still remember the reverse sweep, which could be now considered a switch-hit off the bowling of the wizard, Muttiah Muralitharan for a huge six. His Test career was going as smooth as a roller-coaster, however he did not have a memorable year in ODIs in 2006. He was getting the starts but he couldn’t convert those into big hundreds. It was only in the World Cup 2007 against Australia that he had scored the 4th hundred of his career. He looked confident because he had created the fear in the Australians after that 158 he scored at Adelaide during the Ashes in 2006. And soon, he also scored a match-winning hundred against hosts West Indies in a crucial Super 8 clash in Barbados to make sure England have a genuine chance to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.

Monty Panesar

The selection of paceman Chris Tremlett and Monty Panesar for the upcoming Ashes series in Australia may surprise a few, but it must be viewed as a fair reward for consistent performances at the domestic level by both. Tremlett had a wonderful time with Surrey this season, capturing 48 wickets at just a tad over 20.18. On the other hand, Panesar scalped 52 wickets for Sussex at an impressive average of just over 25. Also, both have achieved success at the international level previously, which would stand them in good stead in such a big series, which England are expected to win for a change. True it can be said that Ajmal Shahzad and Adil Rashid were unfortunate to miss out to the two. However, the decisions seem to be in the best interest of the team.

Tremlett’s inclusion must have been made easier considering the fact that with his height and pace he could trouble the Australian batsman in seaming conditions. Of course, that is only if he gets a chance. The starting spots are already reserved for James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn. There might have been question marks over Bresnan’s place. However, his all-round prowess means, he retains his place. Also, it would be interesting to see how far the predictions on Finn’s success down under prove to be correct.

Apart from the abovementioned couple of surprises, there were not too many other revelations. The rest of the players pretty much pick themselves. It is good to see Steve Davies retained in the squad as the reserve wicket-keeper. He has done well enough to warrant that spot and could be utilized to give some well-deserved rest to Matt Prior, who has truly come of age lately. Amongst the others, Kevin Pietersen has retained his place despite his wretched form in the last year. The swashbuckling batsman needs to get his bearings right very soon, and what better setting that the Ashes where he announced himself on the big stage with a series-winning hundred during the historic summer of 2005.

Skipper Andrew Strauss also has fond memories of the Ashes, having played a major hand in both of England’s triumphs in the last five years. However, it has to be remembered that both the wins came at home, and that in between they were blanked 5-0 under the raw leadership of Andrew Flintoff. This series is expected to be a lot more closely fought and rightly so since England have a genuinely strong side.

In Strauss, they have a no-nonsense leader, who has handled the team professionally in a crisis situation on more than one occasion, the series against Pakistan being the latest. Then, there are likes of Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan, who have come up exceedingly well under pressure in the last year. A lot would be expected of the inspiring duo during this Ashes. Former captain Paul Collingwood has been having a rough time of it with the bat. Even so, one can be assured of his tenacity every time he goes out to bat. And finally, as has been the norm in English cricket in the last year, how Graeme Swann performs will go a long way in determining the result of the Ashes.

All said and done, a fascinating contest is on the cards since Australia are still among the best, if not the best.

Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen has been a revelation, right throughout his five years of international cricket. He has dominated every bowling attack possible, and has left no margin for error in helping England win not just at home, but also abroad. He is an equally good player in all three formats of the game.

However, the so-called ‘law of averages’ tends to catch up with many cricketers in some points of their careers. And Pietersen has suffered from this since the last ten months or so. Even the most ardent Pietersen fan is likely to believe that he is not at his best, at the moment despite a wonderful World Twenty20 in the West Indies. This is because of one particular reason – the emergence of left-arm spinners in world cricket.

Great batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar or Brian Lara have played so well right throughout their careers that there are no apparent weaknesses which can be spotted when they are batting. So, Pietersen cannot be in the list of greats yet, because he has this rather peculiar weakness of getting dismissed against the left-arm spinner.

Pietersen, no doubt is a fine-quality player of pace bowling when he can play any shot on both sides of the wicket. However, spin can make Pietersen look silly at times, just as how Sehwag often is tempted when spinners are bowling to him.

Pietersen emerged as one of England’s valuable players in 2005 in the one-day series in South Africa. The three hundreds which he had scored in seven matches, clearly showed how he can bat on hard, bouncy tracks. However, what many didn’t observe was that Pietersen struggled to play Nicky Boje in that series and got out to his bowling once.

So the problem remained but he was able to flourish thanks to no regular left-arm spinner in the Australian team in the 2005 Ashes. His blossoming was due to his innovation against spinners, which was risky but successful. He invented the switch-hit in 2006 off the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan, when he hit a huge six at Leeds. He took on Pakistan’s slow bowlers well at home. For that matter, even in the 2007 World Cup, he played really well because of his aggressive attitude towards spin bowling.

However, captaincy was thrust on to him in 2008 and the threat of injury loomed large after playing three years of non-stop international cricket. This is when his agility also reduced to a certain extent. A lean run followed in 2009 as it was evident that the emergence of left-arm spinners had an effect on his batting.

In the tour of New Zealand and the return series in 2008, Daniel Vettori troubled Pietersen and curbed his scoring to a large extent, if not taking his wicket. Even in the IPL 2009 in South Africa, Kevin Pietersen was playing as captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in a match against Delhi Daredevils.

Vettori, playing for the Daredevils was bought on to bowl by captain Virender Sehwag when he was batting. Pietersen tried the switch-hit but was comprehensively bowled by Vettori. In the 2009 tour to South Africa, he returned to play for England after an Achilles injury.

In the ODIS there, unlike the last time when he burst into top-flight cricket with a brilliant performance, he failed miserably. And in Bangladesh in March 2010, the problem of left-arm spin had taken centre-stage. In the ODIS, Pietersen’s poor form had continued as Abdur Razzak, Bangladesh’s spinner picked up his wicket in 2 ODIS and the captain Shakib al Hasan picked him in the first ODI. It was a similar story in the Tests.

Shakib continued to dominate with the wicket of Pietersen, especially with the flighted delivery from around the wicket, which comes back to hit the middle stump. That ball has a lot of use as it can either get the batsman lbw or bowled or even catch out on the off-side or at short leg. And that is exactly what happened with Pietersen.

Despite having a healthy average of 40 in the Test series, Pietersen could have gone on to make more runs, if he hadn’t been dismissed by Shakib on those turning wickets in Bangladesh. And in the recent Test series against Bangladesh at home, he tried to break the shackles by playing at his aggressive best, but he didn’t get the better of Shakib once again.

This is a major worry for Strauss and co if England are aiming to be World No.1 in all three formats of the game in atleast the next 2 or 3 years. Perhaps, its time that Pietersen changes his approach towards batting altogether to become a much better player for England, who need some experience to rely on.

Eoin Morgan is Irish-born who currently plays for England. He has this reputation of creating strokes rather than playing text-book shots. And to add to that, his strokes are indeed as powerful as his team-mate Kevin Pietersen’s.

Last year, when he became 23, he shot to fame with two outstanding, match-winning knocks against South Africa. First, he hit a crucial 67 of just 34 balls in the Champions Trophy in September 2009 followed by unbeaten 45-ball 85 in the first of the two Twenty20s of England’s tour of South Africa, two months later.

Morgan looks like a born ‘finisher’ who is apt to be known as England’s Bevan or Michael Hussey. England needed finishers in their ODI team and Morgan’s resurgence has helped end the search for that position.

A solid and sedate left-hand bat, Morgan grew up playing hurling and with his change-up sweeps and pulls, he has clearly taken aspects of the Irish sport into his cricket. He first played for Ireland in the World Cricket League in 2006, averaging 52.20.

In the tournament, he scored his first ODI century, a top-notch 115 from 106 balls against Canada. However, in the 2007 World Cup, it was proved that Morgan was a huge hype. As his team-mates impressed, he underperformed with 91 runs from nine matches.

He joined his countryman, Ed Joyce, at Middlesex in 2006, where he helped them to the Twenty20 Cup in 2008 and caught the eye of the England selectors.

As he has played for England over the last one year or so, his stature has kept increasing which was proved when he was the only England player to play in the IPL 2010. He was signed for $220,000 by Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he joined Kevin Pietersen.

Yet again, he failed to make an impression when it was the most expected and was soon left to sit on the substitutes bench by a no non-sense captain Anil Kumble and coach Ray Jennings.

However, he was back giving it his best for England in the World Twenty20 that followed, as his powerful shot-making and coolness under pressure helped him score 183 runs and England won a global event in the form of the championship for the first time since 35 years.

As Paul Collingwood, the winning captain was rested ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh at Lords, Eoin Morgan got a surprise call-up to the squad of 15, much like Pietersen in 2005 Ashes.

The English selectors certainly had enough faith in him as he had proved his mettle. He has a bright future ahead of him and he might be the next Pietersen, who could put England on the top of the world map in all the three formats of the game in the next five years, at least.