England under DaveK

[DaveK93]

ODI

World Rankings:



Most Runs:
D Warner (AUS) 1032 runs @ 49.14 (24 innings)
J Ryder (NZ) 1013 runs @ 56.28 (18 innings)
A Mathews (SL) 1006 runs @ 41.92 (26 innings)
C Gayle (WI) 930 runs @ 38.75 (24 innings)
K Sangakkara (SL) 828 runs @ 34.50 (26 innings)

Highest Score:
S Nafees (BAN) 161
H Amla (SA) 141
A Mathews (SL) 139*
J Ryder (NZ) 138
M Hussey (AUS) 134

Most Wickets:
S Watson (AUS): 49 wickets @ 17.29
R Herath (SL): 49 wickets @ 24.65
C Woakes (ENG): 39 wickets @ 19.31
M Hafeez (PAK): 33 wickets @ 21.33
C Gayle (WI): 33 wickets @ 26.36

Best Bowling Figures:
M Gillepsie (NZ): 7-41
M Sami (PAK): 6-18
V Kumar (IND) 6-49
G Swann (ENG) 6-52
I Pathan (IND) 5-18

End of Season Rankings:

Batting:
J Ryder (NZ) 802
D Warner (AUS) 749
C Gayle (WI) 742
Y Khan (PAK) 692
S Nafees (BAN) 662

Bowling:
S Watson (AUS) 905
R Herath (SL) 788
M Hafeez (PAK) 773
C Woakes (ENG) 727
G Swann (ENG) 619

[DaveK93]

TEST



Most Runs:
M Hussey (AUS): 1207 runs @ 48.28 (25 innings)
A Hales (ENG): 1071 runs @ 53.55 (20 innnings)
K Edwards (WI): 1071 runs @ 46.57 (24 innings)
G Smith (SA): 1066 runs @ 48.45 (22 innings)
D Bravo (WI): 1062 runs @ 48.27 (24 innings)

Highest Score:
H Amla (SA): 246
V Sehwag (IND): 220
J Trott (ENG): 207*
A Hales (ENG): 198
R Ponting (AUS): 186

Most Wickets:
M Gillespie (NZ): 66 wickets @ 28.42
D Steyn (SA): 58 wickets @24.09
R Harris (AUS): 58 wickets @ 28.24
R Ashwin (IND): 58 wickets @ 28.79
R Herath (SL): 57 wickets @ 25.53

Best Bowling Figures:
R Herath (SL): 8-38
S Finn (ENG): 7-49
U Gul (PAK): 6-39
M Gillespie (NZ): 6-49
D Vettori (NZ) 6-61

End of Season World Rankings:

Batting:
V Sehwag (IND) 851
A Hales (ENG) 757
G Smith (SA) 756
M Prior (ENG) 742
B Watling (NZ) 728

Bowling:
D Steyn (SA) 826
R Herath (SL) 791
V Philander (SA) 755
J Anderson (ENG) 717
R Harris (AUS) 688

[DaveK93]

Second T20I:

Teams: England remain unchanged, as do NZ.

Toss: NZ won the toss and bowled.

Match Report:
It’s a tied series. I did play this match at a previous point though, so I apologise for lack of match report.



Batting Award: Kieswetter, batted well at the start.
Bowling Award: Finn again, a good performance.

Now that this year is complete for me, I’ll post some stats for the season.

[DaveK93]

First T20I

Teams:

England:
V Chopra
E Morgan
R Hamilton-Brown
L Dawson
C Kieswetter
S Davies
S Patel
D Briggs
R Topley
J Harris
S Finn

NZ:
B Watling
D Brownlie
R Taylor
J Ryder
D De Boorder
K Williamson
D Bracewell
N Wagner
W McSkimming
M Henry
D Vettori

Toss: NZ win the toss and bat.

Match Report:
Steven Finn produced his second best T20I figures, as we pushed it close against the Kiwis. Brownlie and De Boorder were the top scorers, as we bowled NZ out for 166, with 6 wickets for Finn, and 3 for Briggs. An impressive bowling display against them team that is currently 2nd in the T20 World Rankings.
We didn’t bat as well as we have done, and we had to rely on Varun Chopra to see us through. Kieswetter and Patel also got some handy runs, but Davies couldn’t get started, as could Morgan. James Harris stayed in at the end though, to help out, and see us over the line.



Batting Award: Varun Chopra, measured performance which won us the game.
Bowling Award: Steven Finn: His second best figures, after his 6 fer in the World Cup. Still an impressive achievement.

[DaveK93]

Fifth ODI:

Teams: Varun Chopra comes in for Dennis. NZ unchanged.

Toss: England lose the toss and bowl first.

Match Report:
Again, this is brief, but mainly because I’ve not much to say! We bowled extremely well, reducing NZ to 149, 3 wickets a piece for Topley and Finn. It was our best bowling performance of the tour, and I’m happy. We batted nice and steadily, Steve Davies doing well at the top of the order. He has definitely pushed himself into my ODI plans for next year. Either way, the series is won, and with just two T20I’s to go, the season is nearly over.



Batting Award: S Davies, led from the front.
Bowling Award: R Topley, marginally more economical than Finn.

NB: The ODI squad stays on for the T20s.

[DaveK93]

Fourth ODI

Teams: Briggs and Woakes in for Patel and Tredwell. NZ remain unchanged.

Toss: We won the toss and batted first.

Match Report:
Keeping it brief again, so I can finish the series, but only Davies and Kieswetter turned up. They put on a record partnership to see us through to 265-7, but I am disappointed that no other batsmen realy turned up. This was evident as the Kiwis knocked the runs off with ease. Ryder and Taylor were once again the architects of our downfall once again. I’m going to have to think carefully about the last match of the series.



Batting Award: Kieswetter, an ODI century is an achievement, no matter the result.
Bowling Award: No-one, they were either too expensive, or didn’t get wickets.

[DaveK93]

Third ODI

Teams: I’m sticking with my team for this one, I’ve found a winning formula. NZ bring in Brownlie for De Boorder.

Toss: NZ win the toss and bat.

Match Report:
Remind me not to talk about a winning formula. Neither team was good, but we batted worse. That’s about as much as I can stomach writing, we were in a comfortable position. Onwards to game 4!



Batting Award: G Dennis, finally showing signs of the reason I picked him.
Bowling Award: J Harris, Finn got his wickets in the tail, and Harris was far more economical than anyone else.

[DaveK93]

Second ODI

Teams: England are unchanged, Boult comes in for Gillespie for NZ.

Toss: England win the toss and bat.

Match Report:
We batted a lot better than we did in the previous match. Cook and Morgan kicked us off well, but Morgan had a poor few balls to run out Cook and then get himself out. Kieswetter and Davies both batted well lower down the order though, which I’m happy about. Steve Davies is in and around the ODI squad currently, alongside Bairstow, Kieswetter and a couple of other keepers. So competition is very fierce. We could and should got more, but 298 is one of our higher scores in this format.

We bowled superbly. Finn got McCullum from the off, and Taylor couldn’t quite get into a proper rhythm with a streaky innings. Ryder and Williamson formed a partnership again though, one that lasted until James Harris came onto the scene. He produced his best ODI figures to stop NZ in their tracks, as we completed a comfortable win.



Batting Award: Alastair Cook, seems to be finding his ODI form again.
Bowling Award: James Harris, a fine bowling display to halt the NZ charge in its tracks.

[DaveK93]

England vs New Zealand First ODI

Teams:

England:
G Dennis
A Cook
E Morgan
L Dawson
C Kieswetter
S Davies
S Patel
R Topley
J Harris
J Tredwell
S Finn

New Zealand:
B Watling
B McCullum
R Taylor
J Ryder
D De Boorder
K Williamson
D Bracewell
N Wagner
W McSkimming
M Henry
M Gillespie

Toss: England win the toss and bat.

Match Report:
Considering we lost wickets early, 241/9 is a good total. We have Eoin Morgan to thank, as he stayed in and batted well. Dennis was selected after getting 70 in the warm up, and got 16 on debut. We can defend this total, but it’s going to be hard. Kieswetter and Davies did provide some support, but we lacked support in other areas.

Finn bowled extremely well at the start, only conceding 5 from his first 5 overs. He also took 2 wickets at the start. Ryder got settled though, and eventually, so did Williamson and they pushed perilously close to the target. However, some tight bowling from Dawson and Patel saw New Zealand falter at the last, and we eventually got to the point where New Zealand needed 4 from 6. Reece Topley was given the task of winning us the game. 2 runs came from the first 5 balls, but 2 wickets fell as well, and the batsman couldn’t get the ball off the square as we stole the win by a run. Good bowling, but poor batting in this match.



Batting Award: Eoin Morgan, shining light of the innings.
Bowling Award: Reece Topley gets it for some fabulous bowling at the death.

[DaveK93]

England vs New Zealand ODI Series

England ODI squad:
Geoffrey Dennis (18 yr old opening regen, Notts)
A Cook
V Chopra
E Morgan
R Hamilton-Brown
L Dawson
C Kieswetter
S Davies
S Patel
C Woakes
D Briggs
R Topley
J Harris
J Tredwell
S Finn

The standout name for this weakened squad has to be Geoffrey Dennis. The 18 year old Notts opener has been in impressive OD form since coming through the academy, including 3 centuries in 7 appearances, so I’m happy to test him. Tredwell makes his first tour under my management, as the rest are fairly standard selections for the weakened squad. Cook is selected in a bid to get him into some sort of form in the shorter formats.

[DaveK93]

Third Test:

Teams: Chopra, Kieswetter, Smith, Onions, Kerrigan, Meaker and Dernbach all come in for this dead rubber. Roy, Bopara, Buttler, Woakes, Harris, Briggs and Topley make way. New Zealand play an unchanged side.

Toss: England win the toss and bowl, hoping to exploit the overcast conditions on the first day.

Match Report:

Day 1:
We bowled New Zealand out for 275, after a lower order collapse. Once again, Watling got a century. If he hadn’t have played, this series would have been so much easier.Onions got 3 wickets, and Kerrigan got a couple as well, as we used the conditions well.

We closed out on 13/0, playing it safe at the end of the day.

Day 2:
We reached 356/8 after some good work from Chopra and Dawson. Hales, Horton and Bell all got starts without pushing on, and for a while we looked in trouble. Dawson went soon after reaching his half century, Smith and Meaker following in quick succession. At the close of play though, Kerrigan and Dernbach had frustrated the bowlers, and given us a useful lead.

Day 3:

We got to 372 before we lost all our wickets, as both Kerrigan and Dernbach fell for 49. Unlucky for them, but very useful runs nonetheless.

By the time New Zealand got rid of the 96 run deficit, they were already 5 wickets down. Stuart Meaker took 3 wickets in a great display of pace bowling. The Kiwis eventually got to 256/6, after some good work from Rhodes and Williamson recovered their position. However, with the new ball available, we need to capitalise.

Day 4:

We finally got the Kiwis out for 386, Kane Williamson getting 156, as we couldn’t get the breakthrough. We have 290 to win, in a day and a half. It’s winnable.

We reached 132/2, in our bid for a whitewash, as Hales reached his half century. We lost Horton early on, and then Bell soon after, but Chopra stayed in, and we have a good platform from which to build on the final day.

Day 5:

Once again, we had to rely on the batting of Jade Dernbach at the end of the innings to see us through. Hales and Chopra both played well, but the rest of the batsmen struggled, and it took some serious concentration from Stuart Meaker and Dernbach to take us home. Dernbach has in fact batted better than he has bowled so far for me, not that I can rely on that it of course.



Batting Award: Varun Chopra, batted well in both innings, and stands out as a potential England opener of the future.
Bowling Award: Stuart Meaker, 6 wickets on debut, and used the new ball well.

[DaveK93]

Second Test:

Teams: England remain unchanged for this one, with a view to wrapping up the series. New Zealand give S Rhodes a debut, replacing Martin Guptill.

Toss: England lose the toss and bat.

Match Report:
Day 1:
The first day was fairly eve, as we finished on 288-5. Hales, Bopara and Bell all reached good half centuries, but each of them fell. The new ball did damage late in the day, getting Bopara and Roy, but Dawson and Buttler closed out the day with no major problems, and we now need to build on this.

Day 2:
We finished on 449 all out, after some great work by Liam Dawson. He batted well down the order to get 86. He’s already displaying the county form that led me to select him in the test team. There were also useful knocks from Woakes, Harris and Topley down the order.

New Zealand crumbled to 145/7 after some good work by the bowlers. Only BJ Watling provided any real batting, as the Kiwis looked in danger of having to follow on.

Day 3:
the Kiwis finished on 295, after some good batting from Watling and Bracewell saw them safely avoid the follow on, then shorten Englands lead to nearly 100. We have enough of a lead to be safe for now though.

We finished the day on 125/6 after some poor shot selection from the batsmen. Only Horton and Bell batted sensibly, but we are ahead by 279, on a pitch that will become more difficult to bat on.

Day 4:
We fell for 176 all out, leaving New Zealand 339 to win.

New Zealand finished on 269/6, after a late flurry of wickets limited the chase. Ryder and Taylor had pushed on throughout the day, but Harris removed them both, and both Browlie and Rhodes fell before the close of play, leaving the match evenly poised.

Day 5:
New Zealand continued to crumble in the early morning, as Briggs and Dawson got the last 4 wickets for 8 runs. The only reason they were bowling is because there was only 8 overs until the new ball, but in the end we didn’t need it. A far closer match than it should have been, but gives us the series win.



Batting Award: Ian Bell, top scored in both innings.
Bowling Award: Danny Briggs, 8 wickets in the match, and helped spark a Kiwi collapse in the second innings.

[DaveK93]

First Test:

Teams:

England:
A Hales
P Horton
I Bell
R Bopara
J Buttler
J Roy
L Dawson
C Woakes
J Harris
R Topley
D Briggs

New Zealand:
B Watling
B McCullum
R Taylor
J Ryder
D Brownlie
K Williamson
M Guptill
N Wagner
D Bracewell
M Henry
M Gillespie

Toss: England win the toss and bowl.

Match Report:

Day 1:
New Zealand were bowled out for 170 on what was a rain affected innings. Danny Briggs was key for us, picking up 4 wickets, and both Topley and Harris picked up a couple. It would have been over soon, had it not been for Wagner, who proved to be difficult. I can see him staying in like Ashwin did for India last series.
England had 6 overs to face, and finished on 9/0, playing it safe at the close of play.

Day 2:
By the end of Day 2, we had been bowled out for 243, only Hales, Dawson and Horton providing major runs. A little disappointing perhaps, but this pitch,and the weather have been very unforgiving so far this test match.
New Zealand finished the day on 18/0.

Day 3:
New Zealand got to 301/8, but the majority of those runs came from a good performance by Watling, but he fell late in the day, which gives us some hope. It’s still a chaseable total at the minute, due to our first innings lead, but we need wickets and fast.

Day 4:
The Kiwis finished on 336 all out, leaving us a target of 263 to chase.
We finished on 232/3, after some good work from Horton, Hales and Bell. Those three are looking to be crucial for us on this tour I think. We should win now, having only 30 odd to win, so this last day should be easy.

Day 5:
The game closed out with no more wickets lost. A comfortable win.



Batting Award: Paul Horton, consistent across both innings, helped to build a good platform.
Bowling Award: Danny Briggs. Finally had some deserved success in the test arena.

[DaveK93]

England vs New Zealand

England Test Squad

V Chopra
A Hales
I Bell
J Roy
R Bopara
P Horton
L Dawson
J Buttler
C Kieswetter
C Woakes
T Smith
J Harris
D Briggs
R Topley
S Kerrigan
G Onions
J Dernbach
S Meaker

It’s an experimental squad and whilst I won’t be able to look at all these players, it won’t do any harm to have them with me in the squad. Hales will play to see if he can reach 1000 Test runs this season, which would be a great debut season for him. Horton is most likely to open with him, but that is subject to change. Briggs and Kerrigan are the spinners, and Liam Dawson takes the spinning all-rounder role. His bowling average is a little lacking, but 900+ runs opening for Hampshire this season gets him into the squad.

Pre-Series Friendly:

[DaveK93]

Fifth ODI:

Teams: Cook and Topley miss out, Buttler and Bresnan start. India bring in Rahane for Mukund.

Toss: England win it and bat.

Match Report:
An easy victory. I’ll keep this brief, but England dominated with both bat and ball. Bopara and Bell shone with the bat. Ravi must have been acutely aware I was considering dropping him, as his form has picked up dramatically. We could have posted a higher total, but as it turns out, we didn’t need to.

India lost wickets regularly, and the only man to offer resistance was Irfan Pathan. He’s been their player of the series. Once Swann removed him, they crumbled, and gave us the 3-1 series win.



Batting Award: Ian Bell, another good performance from the 30yr old.
Bowling Award: Graeme Swann, for removing Pathan before he got too many runs.