da apostaganha： England’s 2008 began in earnest in the summer, with Pietersen’s ascent to the helm and Stanford’s audacious overture

da bet vitoria： Andrew Miller30-Dec-2008
Let’s hear it for the boy: Pietersen has had an eventful first few months in the job, and he has been impressive in that time © AFP
Two thousand and eight was the year that changed cricket forever, but in the crazy sprint towards the game’s new future, England were the team caught dawdling in thestarting blocks. On the field and off it, they endured a year of extraordinary transition, but by the time they had recovered their stride pattern, many of their rivals seemed to have streaked too far ahead to be reeled in.The talking points of England’s season were too numerous to list in a singlebreath. In an ordinary year, the resignation of Michael Vaughan, their mostsuccessful Test captain of all time, would have been the standout event. Inthe final analysis, however, his tearful farewell was just another momentcompeting for airtime, one that was swiftly overshadowed by the announcementof his successor, Kevin Pietersen.Aside from Pietersen, whose full impact as captain will become clear enoughin time, the most significant players in England’s season were to be foundbeyond the boundary’s edge. On June 11, the arrival at Lord’s of the Texanbillionaire, Sir Allen Stanford, sent shockwaves through the shires, bothfor the audacity of the offer he brought with him – five US$20 million winner-takes-all contests between England and his Stanford Superstars – and for the eagerness with which Giles Clarke, the ECB’s opportunistic chairman, leapt for the loot.To all intents and purposes, that date – June 11 – marked the true start ofEngland’s year, because up until that point they had lacked any meaningfulfocus. Thanks to a quirk in the international calendar, each of England’sfirst 19 internationals of 2008 (six Tests, 10 ODIs, three Twenty20s) cameagainst the glamour-free New Zealanders, a team of worthy competitors whogave as good as they got (and better over 50 overs), but against whom it wasimpossible to gauge any significant progress.As if to prove the peripheral nature of these contests, England’s main manof this early part of the year was destined to have been forgotten by itsend. Ryan Sidebottom was named the PCA Player of the Year after claiming 41wickets in six Tests home and away, including a hat-trick in Hamilton and acareer-best 7 for 47 in Napier. But despite his best efforts, something indiscernible was lacking, and it wasn’t merely the ongoing absence of Andrew Flintoff, whose fourth bout of ankle surgery had left a void in theteam that no single player could adequately fill.It wasn’t until South Africa arrived in England in early July that the realproblem was discerned. England’s bowlers lacked a serious cutting edge.Steve Harmison had been dropped after an awful performance in Hamilton inMarch, and in his absence the attack comprised the consistently inconsistentJames Anderson, the rookie Stuart Broad and the hardworking Sidebottom,backed up by Monty Panesar’s left-arm spin. That combination had taken it inturns to see off the Kiwis, but as a unit they came horribly unstuck againstthe better-drilled South Africans.Their failure to force victory with South Africa on the ropes at Lord’s inturn heaped pressure onto the shoulders of Vaughan, whose reputation as aninspirational captain had been losing its sheen ever since the home seriesdefeat against India in 2007. With his personal form falling away with everygame, his integrity also came into question after England were overwhelmedby 10 wickets at Headingley, a game in which he tacitly blamed the debutant Darren Pattinson for undermining the spirit within the dressing room.It took one more game, and two more failures, for Vaughan’s time at the helmto come to a swift and ignominious end. England’s failure to defend a fourth-innings target of 281 enabled South Africa to surge to their first series win in the country since readmission, and to usher in the era of Pietersen (who took over the one-day captaincy from Paul Collingwood in one all-embracing appointment). His first significant move as leader was to restore Harmison as an out-and-out strike bowler, a decision that paid handsome dividends with a maiden victory, at The Oval.Pietersen’s first five months in the role were eventful to say the least. Hecould do no wrong against his native South Africans, whom he beat in fivecompleted matches out of five, and even in humiliation in Antigua and Indiahe maintained a diplomatic composure that impressed those who had assumed hewould be too volatile under pressure. But it wasn’t until the terroristattacks in Mumbai that he really came into his own. Clarke and Hugh Morriswere major players in the negotiations that ensured that the Test series inIndia went ahead in spite of the atrocities, but without Pietersen’sfirm but fair persuasions behind the scenes, a full-strength tour partywould surely not have boarded the flight from Abu Dhabi to Chennai.It is a moot point whether England would have resumed their tour had thedestination been anywhere other than India, the financial hub of the worldgame, but at the same time the decision brought out into the open many ofthe underlying issues that had been niggling away at England’s year. Thefailure of the ECB to provide a window for their players to take part in theinaugural IPL season had been a major bone of contention all year long – onethat the Stanford deal had only partially atoned for. The improved dialoguebetween the two boards might yet help to turn the team’s long-term fortunesaround.New kid on the block
Stuart Broad. His season tailed off in India where injury and fatiguecombined to limit his impact, but few English rookies have seemed so assuredof a long-term future at the highest level. An intelligent paceman withenough aggression to make up for the yard of speed his frame currently lacks,Broad is also an increasingly cocksure batsman, who at times against NewZealand was England’s most reliable source of runs. Geoff Boycott is in aweof his cover-drive, going so far as to invoke the memory of Garry Sobers. Hewould be a surefire hit in the IPL, given half a chance.
The next new Botham? Stuart Broad is shaping up to the be the allrounder of England’s dreams © AFP
Fading star
Matthew Hoggard featured in a solitary international in 2008, and willsurely not be back for an encore next summer, given the ruthlessness withwhich he was jettisoned after England’s shock defeat in Hamilton in March.Steve Harmison was the worst offender in that contest, and though he too wasleft out for the subsequent Wellington Test, England soon discovered theycould not live without him any more than they could live with him. Hoggard’senduring attributes of loyalty and diligence could not compensate for theapparent decline in his on-field effectiveness.High point
Pietersen’s honeymoon period. Vaughan left the England captaincy just as hehad arrived in it, midway through back-to-back Test matches against SouthAfrica, allowing his successor barely 48 hours to get his house in order. Pietersendid so with stunning efficiency. He recalled Harmison to inject more oomphinto his attack, he scored a century at the first attempt to stamp his markon his new role, and having won his maiden Test, at The Oval, he carried thatmomentum into an incredible 4-0 victory in the subsequent ODI series. Atthat moment in time, he could do no wrong, and England looked like they hadit cracked.Low point
The Stanford shenanigans. Faced with a fortnight in the Caribbean sun, andthe prospect of riches beyond their wildest dreams, England’s cricketers gottheir knickers into a total twist, before skulking away empty-handed andstraight into a 5-0 ODI drubbing in India. Complaints about a tea-party atmosphere intermingled with gripes about the floodlights and playing surface, not to mention deep suspicion of their patron, Allen Stanford, whoinvited himself into the dressing room uninvited before being picturedbouncing Matt Prior’s wife, Emily, on his knee. The phrase “be careful whatyou wish for” had never felt so apt.What 2009 holds
England’s biggest home season since 2005 looms, with the twin highlights ofthe ICC World Twenty20 and, of course, the Ashes. Victory in either wouldatone for a multitude of sins (and for the first time in 20 years, Englandcould well be favourites by the time the Australians arrive). But off thefield the politicking will continue apace, and England’s improvedpost-Mumbai relationship with India will have to be cultivated for thegreater good. Stanford-style exercises are all very well, but without apresence in the Asian market, English cricket won’t even have a soul worthselling to the highest bidder.