"England bowlers need a Plan B" - Benny's latest world cup blog
6 March 2015
In his third World Cup blog for the Western Morning News in association with St Austell Brewery, Benny Howell offers his insight into how the England need to adapt now if they are to stay in the competition.
England posted 309 against Sri Lanka, which I felt was a solid total on an excellent batting pitch in Wellington.
But it wasn't to be.
Once again it just seemed a little too easy for the opposition as Lahiru Thirimanne and the new master of cricket, Kumar Sangakarra made unbeaten hundreds. What a player!
When you have a pitch that offers little help for the bowlers and batters can just hit through the line then you need a well thought out plan. If that doesn't work then you need to be quick-witted and think on your feet to come up with a Plan B.
To do this you need an attack with the perfect balance of fast, medium and slow bowlers. You have to be canny, using clever variation to deceive batsmen and have the nous to move your fielders in positions to prevent easy runs.
A vital part of being successful in any situation is execution. Holding your nerve, leaving the past behind and ensuring you are in the your best mental state possible to execute your skills.
Maybe it's technical, maybe it's tactical but most likely it's mental. England seem low on confidence and I assume they're feeling the pressure of the nation breathing down their neck.
'Adapt or die.' A quote from Billy Bean, general manager of the Oakland A's. He was famous for turning a struggling major league baseball team into a championship winning side. This is where England are at. They need to turn it around rapidly otherwise they will “die” and leave this World Cup early.
Now to the heart of the problem. We have four seam bowlers who bowl the same pace, each averaging speeds of 135km. Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa all have guys who bowl 145km plus. It is not ideal but it means we must adapt. We need to play to our strengths. If that means dropping one of the so-called strike bowlers then it must be done. With the lack of pace, I would drop Finn for Tredwell. I would also bring Bopara in for Ballance with Taylor moving to three. This would add some much-needed variety to the bowling attack and some serious hitting power down the order!
So now it is the crunch time for England to show what they're made of. They remain a quality side with a mix of experienced and extremely talented players and I still believe that we can cause an upset. It's time now for the whole team to click.
And there is time - just!
#bennyfacts - “Sometimes, you have to get knocked down lower than you have ever been to stand back up taller than you ever were”
So Let's get behind them. C'MON ENGLAND!!!!
