Steven Finn tried to flick a Mehedi Hasan delivery off his
pads, but the ball hit his back leg. Bangladesh appealed and Kumar Dharmasena
raised the finger. England’s agony and frustration were overshadowed by crazy
celebrations at Mirpur. Alastair Cook and co . were left to ponder about their
collapse in the final session of day 3 and the inability of the English batsmen
to handle spin.
Neither had the England batsmen fared well against the
turning ball nor had their spinners impressed on weary pitches in Mirpur.
England’s next assignment would be against India in India.
Those who toured India over the past few years experienced humiliation on
rank-turners. Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra are Virat’s lethal
weapons who devour the opposition batsmen with turn, zip, flight and accuracy.
Australia in 2013, South Africa in 2015 and New Zealand in
2016 were all steamrolled in ruthless fashion, and considering the
circumstances, England’s chances of doing well on Indian soil were low. And,
after getting nailed by Mehedi and Shakib Al Hasan, very few dreamed of a
better outcome in India.
As soon as the first Test started, the pessimistic hopes and
statements about England’s poor show took a back seat as the Three Lions
exhibited a professional display throughout the five days and ended with their
heads high.
England’s performance has surprised many, but it was not a
flash in the pan.
What
changed?
Firstly,
the English batsmen stuck to basics while batting against Ashwin, Jadeja and
Mishra. They did not try to attack by coming down the pitch. They also did not
succumb to the dreaded sweep shot. Instead, they used their feet excellently
and picked the gaps very well by getting behind the line of the ball more. They
played the ball with a straight bat and executed strokes by allowing the ball to
come closer to the body. The bad balls were not spared, but either punished or
pushed for singles or twos.
Secondly,
the best way to neutralise spinners is by rotating the strike rather than
blocking them and inviting pressure. Whenever a batsman rotates the strike,
automatically it creates doubts in the minds of the spinners which results in loose balls. England batsmen
invested more time in strike rotation. It not only helped them to dominate the
Indian spinners but also contributed to effective partnerships.
Thirdly,
the English spinners learned from Bangladesh about how to be more productive on
subcontinental tracks. They brought the Indian batsmen forward by pitching it
up more rather than pitching it on the short or good length. Rashid and Moeen
Ali’s length hardly gave the Indian batsmen the freedom to go on the back foot
and thus, they were able to test and tease the top order and fetch wickets.
Fourthly,
the reverse swing and aggressive intent from the English pacers reaped rewards.
Yes, it paid rich dividends in Chittagong and Mirpur as well and in India, it
didn’t help to trigger a collapse, but always kept the Indian batsmen under
pressure. The aggression and skill of Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes
created the platform for breakthroughs in the crucial juncture of the
match.
Finally,
during the Test series in Bangladesh, there lacked a certain amount of
composure and self-assurance among the English players, especially the batsmen.
Lack of composure denied them the opportunity to graft partnerships while absence
of self-assurance dented their ability to focus and read the turn of the ball.
Also, the English spinners, short on confidence, failed to pitch it up more and
were hence, unable to gain positive results from the weary tracks in Chittagong
and Mirpur.
Mental
toughness
Their
perseverance was evident during the first Test at Rajkot which was supposed to
be a forgone conclusion in favour of the home team. To the astonishment of all,
it was England who ended the Test dominantly. Without a doubt, England have
gained some much-needed momentum. It will be interesting to see whether they
will be able to maintain such a high level in the remaining Test matches.
Note: This article has been
published at Sportskeeda on 14/11/2016 England re-gain momentum after Mirpur debacle
Thank
You
Faisal
Caesar
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