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From Horribilis to Mirabilis under Captain Fantastic in England’s Test match year


image-lbxmc7idEngland Cricket Team (Source: AP Newsroom)

Another Pakistan Vs England Test has flown by, gripping at every turn as ultimately England’s relentless bravery, or more accurately, refusal to fear failure, was too much for Pakistan. 

Along the way, records tumbled. Not least amongst which was Pakistan losing a home Test series 3 – 0 for the first time ever. In general, Pakistan have been a formidable opponent at home since their first Test series in 1955 and have lost only a shade over 20%. The fact that two of those defeats were the most recent may point to a decline and what Babar Azam bemoaned, with some justification, as a lack of experience but the manner in the winning between England today and Australia in March was vastly different. Two draws and then a clincher in Lahore for the Australians demonstrated the more traditional contain and destroy model. The containment aided by a placid featherbed at Rawalpindi that neutralised both sides. England by contrast set out not to draw and were prepared to risk defeat to set up a win. They scored faster and took sixty wickets to Australia’s forty-one. The rigour of their attack with bat and ball engineered time to overcome the lifelessness of Rawalpindi. Indeed, England’s run rate across the series of 5.5 was the best ever in any series of three or more Tests and was crucial to give their bowlers time to take wickets on placid surfaces. 

There may still be some purists with eyes firmly on the past rather than the future that will bemoan that this final Pakistan vs England Test in Karachi did not go the full five days. That would, however, be to devalue just how effective this England approach has been. Remove fear of failure, have fun, delight in entertaining are all ingredients that both McCullum and his captain have highlighted, but saying is one thing, doing is another. With victories come an additional swagger, beautifully typified by not just playing the 18-year-old Rehan Ahmed and backing him with the ball, but sending him in to bat at number 3. Eyebrows were raised, harrumphs from the more conservative traditionalists were harrumphed. Little will Captain Stokes and General McCullum care. It was just a part of winning, entertaining and having fun in the process.

Captain Fantastic sinks the Big Ship

It is always a bit dangerous to see the measure of England’s success purely through the blinkered eyes on the Ashes. It is no surprise however that Ben Stokes may already be eyeing that conflict with relish even though a Tests against New Zealand and Ireland await first. Innovation in approach and a light but firm hand in man management mean that on top of the Summer Mirabilis and Pakistan success, Stokes has an 82%-win rate that takes him sailing past Warwick Armstrong the mighty Australian ‘Big Ship’ who at 80% had highest win ratio for a captain in more than ten Tests. Stokes’ donation of his match fees to support Pakistan flood victims was further evidence of a leadership both on and off the field.

Along with preparedness to innovate and a rapidly growing tactical acumen, no moment perhaps better illustrated the Stokes man management touch than the reassuring thumbs up to Harry Brook, who had just run out his captain. Brook went on to score a match winning hundred. Other captains would have been far less forgiving. I won’t name them, but I’ll bet you can think of more than a few. 

If you are good enough, you’re old enough 

Sir Matt Busby coined the above phrase for his Manchester United Busby Babes. I don’t know if Sir Matt was a cricket fan, but I am sure he would have delighted in the debut of young Rehan Ahmed. At 18 years and 126 days, the bowling allrounder beat Brian Close’s 1949 English record by 23 days. Close went on to exemplify bravery in his performances for England, but his debut was a lot less auspicious with a duck and a wicketless bowling spell to mark it.

 Jimmy Anderson was playing his tenth Test match on the day that young Rehan was born. There is little doubt that the culture England are promoting settled nerves and instilled the confidence that led to his two first innings wickets and then the joyous momentum of the second innings fivefer that crucially broke the resistance of Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel. 

It wasn’t just ability but an infectiously enthusiastic attitude that got Rehan Ahmed his chance. There were similar qualities in his slightly older name’s sake who was once again the pick of the Pakistan attack. Ahmed and Ahmed may have the ring of a firm of solicitors about it in terms of name. But it would be some attack to terrorise batsmen should they ever get to work in tandem.

Brook by name but a raging river of runs

Buoyed by his captain’s encouraging thumbs up following their comedy run out, Harry Brook admitted that it “made him concentrate more” as he went on to post his ton. 468 runs at a whopping 93.6 average and a ton in each Test fully earned his ‘Man of the Series” award, but it is the manner of their scoring, with controlled aggression and an ability to change pace that will delight Stokes and McCullum most. Add to that an unshakable confidence the typifies the new England mould. When asked what his reaction would have been if he had been told before the series that England would win 3 -0 his reply was "I'd have probably believed it to be honest... the way the boys are playing".

Yorkshire has been much in the new for all the wrong reasons this year, but if Jonny Bairstow waved the flag for them in the summer before his errant golfing trip, he passed the mantle for Harry Brook to bear here. 

In 2022, England have won nine test matches, all in the McCullum Stokes leadership era. Only once, in 2014 have they ever scored more. Given that the year started so dismally with two defeats and three draws in Australia and the West Indies, makes their revolution even more remarkable. 

There will be decisions to be made as they look ahead to New Zealand, Ireland and then the Ashes. Stay strapped in for the ride. Test Cricket has always enthralled and excited in equal measure, but it’s rarely been delivered with such unbridled joie de vivre.


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