Andrew Strauss believes that England have struck upon the brand of cricket they will need to reproduce to stand any chance of success at the World Cup in the sub-continent in 2011.
Having become the first England captain to win a one-day series in South Africa after the washout at Sahara Stadium, Strauss said that the squad should stay together as far as possible to build on the 2-1 success, beginning in Bangladesh in February and March.
At the Champions Trophy in September and in the subsequent truncated series, England have shown far more aggression with the bat, while Strauss also pointed to greater control among the bowlers and athleticism in the field.
“It feels like a stronger group of players who know what they are trying to do better than 12 months ago,” Strauss said. “I have seen enough from them here to suggest that we are not too far from where we want to be. They are willing to play an expansive type of game, which looks like it has the potential to work against most teams.
“This is probably the brand of cricket we need to play in the World Cup. The old-school way is to save wickets for the last ten overs, but you are going to be behind the eight-ball playing like that.”
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With the sky’s greyness stretching as far as the eye could see, the game yesterday was finally abandoned at 5pm local time, to the surprise of no one who had spent the previous week in the city. By that stage, the crowd was down to a few sodden souls. Had England chosen to conduct a lap of honour, they might have decided to swim rather than sprint.
Paul Collingwood was named man of the series, but Jonathan Trott was the most conspicuous “winner” among the England squad, having scored two half-centuries in the three matches to cement the opening place alongside Strauss. Sajid Mahmood and Adil Rashid, on the other hand, failed to take their opportunities.
On the surface, a series bookended by washouts in Johannesburg and Durban should not be long remembered. However, England have clearly bonded as a group, implemented popular and productive practice drills and, finally, found a balance without Andrew Flintoff. Time will tell whether it proves a significant turning point.
Strauss played down the idea that success will have much of an impact on the Test series, which begins in Centurion on December 16. England already have one potential issue because Ryan Sidebottom was unable to bowl during the second innings for the England Performance Programme in their nine-wicket win against Highveld Lions in Pretoria.
Sidebottom strained a side muscle during the first innings and he will be reassessed when he joins the senior squad in East London today, along with Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Steven Davies, Liam Plunkett and Rashid. James Tredwell, Mahmood and Joe Denly will make the reverse journey, joining the Performance group as cover for the Test party.