England vs South Africa: A thriller in prospect

Jonathan Trott

“Once I step over that white line I become a bowler. I think there are times when I can bowl as quick as anybody in the world, but I just want to take wickets and I want to scare the shit out of people. I remember hitting him (James Anderson) on the head; I remember good things like that.”- Dale Steyn.

“I don’t think the South Africans see me as a target any more than anyone else. I feel completely British”- Jonathan Trott. WARNING ALERT: The mind games have already begun. Let us see what these guys have in their lockers for the big game coming up on 19th this month at The Oval.

It has been nearly two months since my last post and to be frank I am a little disappointed. So many cricketing events have flown in the interim and every time I sit down to think I am out doing something else before I even start typing. This time though I am glued to my chair and determined to finish this piece. But before I even get into sharing my views I would like to pay tribute to two greatest players who retired recently. The entire cricketing fraternity would miss the services of the greatest wicketkeeper ever Mark Boucher and Brett Lee who redefined fast bowling with extreme speed, pace and swing bowling after the likes of the West Indies greats.

London has been the central station of talking around the globe. From Euro crisis to Wimbledon to Olympics, it is all in the Queen’s own land. London has reserved a piece of share for cricketing folks like us too. The biggest and most anticipated cricketing series will be played during this English summer. Last year around there was a huge build up before the start of the 2000th test and the battle of the top two test teams in the world. But sadly the series never lived up to its billing. This time again we have the top ranked teams competing for glory and the #1 spot(which has been hanging in the balance for some time now). The series beckons some exciting action and huge anticipation from both sides. We are all set to witness the most enthralling cricketing action after a long time now.

On paper though, both teams look rock solid and hungry to win. Let me start with the English line-up first. Their bowling looks deadly and their bench strength is a hallmark. The pace attack revolves around James Anderson, the supreme swing bowler. Broad is an exciting entity with reverse swing while Bresnan is apt for breaking long partnerships and providing critical breakthroughs. One might wonder how come Finn and Onions haven’t played so many tests yet. That question of doubt is the answer for England’s bench strength. Spin solely relies on Swann and he delivers more often than not. Matt Prior is probably the best wicketkeeper-batsman today in tests and his average of 42 speaks of his batting ability.

He has molded himself to give ample time for the players coming after him and ensure that the England tail can keep wagging to torture the opposition. The supreme players who have mastered that art are Broad, Bresnan and Swann. They can be a real nuisance when they start plucking easy runs and stay on the field for more than 10 overs. But that situation rarely occurs because England’s batting is rock solid. Strauss and Cook have a very good understanding at the top of the order and they make sure that one of them gets atleast a half-century.