NOTHING as much as sunshine raises happy memories of summers past. Edgbaston basked under a cloudless sky yesterday and it became easy to recall the defining image of last season, of Andrew Flintoff removing his helmet, wiping his crab-red brow and taking his bat by the shoulder to acknowledge one appreciative crowd after another.
He scored one-day hundreds against New Zealand, West Indies and Sri Lanka, and 99 against India. But he has not had to raise his bat so far this time. Four innings have realised 102 runs, with a top score of 44 against Australia. These are reasonable figures by normal standards, but then the public no longer judges Flintoff by normal standards.
Michael Vaughan, the captain, hinted that Kevin Pietersen may move above him in the batting order today in the dress rehearsal for the NatWest Series final against Australia on Saturday. With Pietersen, another big hitter, in the side it seems that bowling will gradually become the more important of Flintoff’s suits.
Concern about Flintoff and Pietersen trying to outstrike each other in a cricketing equivalent of mutually-assured destruction has proved unfounded, if only because they have batted together for only 14 balls. Flintoff, though, has suffered by going too far the other way. If he can be accused of anything this past two weeks, it is inhibition.
On three out of four occasions he has been caught at long-on or long-off having checked straight drives. Perhaps there was a reaction against Bangladesh on Sunday when he aimed to sweep instead and was dismissed leg-before. Flintoff has looked short of time in the middle; hardly surprising as he did not bat at all in the two Test matches against Bangladesh.
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It cannot have helped that he has filled three different positions in four one-day matches. He established himself at No 5 after the World Cup but Pietersen batted with even more success in the same spot during the winter. Perversely, the answer may be for somebody else to bat at No5, separating Pietersen and Flintoff at No 4 and No6.
Flintoff has not been his usual reliable self in the slips but his bowling has encouraged England as he approaches full speed after his foot injury. He is now one of the most awkward first or second-change bowlers in the world in any case and, as he reiterated against Bangladesh, bowls an effective yorker in the closing stages.
Vaughan, himself, sounded desperate to play today but will reassess his groin injury this morning having undergone lengthy sessions in the nets and in the field yesterday. “It is a big game, this one,” he said, ruling out the option of missing the contest simply as a precaution. “I am hopeful of playing and I want to get back playing.”
The countries have met only twice under lights in this country, Australia winning both times. Although wisdom has it that a captain winning the toss should bat first in a day-night match at Edgbaston, England’s own figures are inconclusive. Their record is won three, lost three batting first; won two, lost three batting second.
Duncan Fletcher, the coach, suggested that Simon Jones will retain his place despite beginning with four consecutive wides at Headingley two days ago. “The way he swung the ball at speed could give right-handers a lot of trouble,” Fletcher said. Unfortunately, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden are both southpaws.
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Gilchrist has attributed Australia’s slow start to the tour to the length of time the majority of players had spent away from the game at the end of their own domestic season. “Nine weeks or so is a long layoff in international cricket and maybe we underestimated how long it would take to get back into the swing of it,” he said. “But we are more confident now.”
HOW THEY LINE UP
ENGLAND (probable): M P Vaughan (captain), M E Trescothick, A J Strauss, P D Collingwood, A Flintoff, K P Pietersen, G O Jones, A F Giles, C T Tremlett, D Gough, S J Harmison.
AUSTRALIA (probable): R T Ponting (captain), A C Gilchrist, M L Hayden, D R Martyn, A Symonds, M E K Hussey, S R Watson, G B Hogg, B Lee, J N Gillespie, G D McGrath. Umpires: B F Bowden (New Zealand) and D R Shepherd (England). Replay umpire: J W Lloyds. Fourth umpire: N J Llong. Match referee: J J Crowe (New Zealand).
TELEVISION: Sky Sports 1: Live coverage, from 2pm.
RADIO: BBC Radio 4 LW: Live ball-by-ball coverage, from 2.15pm.
WEATHER: Partly cloudy with sunny spells but a risk of thundery showers. Maximum temperature 24C.