Cricket: England's test resolve crumbles into one-day panic

By HENRY BLOFELD

When it comes to Test cricket, England have the mix just about right. A clean sweep against New Zealand looks like being repeated in the four-match series against the West Indies. England have outplayed them both. There is a shape, a purpose, consistency and continuity to the side that has been lacking for far too long. The self-belief is evident and they are beginning to win as a matter of habit. The confidence factor is as huge as it is important.

The New Zealand series was a triumph for tenacity. After the two teams had kept in step for the first three-and-a-half days, England's perseverance and sheer professionalism paid dividends over the last day-and-a-half in all three matches. It was a great disappointment that the subsequent triangular one-day tournament should have been such an anti-climax, with England failing to qualify for the finals.

With the World Cup coming up in 2007, England's chances seem about as great as Sven Goran Eriksson's of being held up as an icon of celibacy. While England and their managers and captain steer a steadfast path in their approach to the longer form of the game, their reaction to the one-day problems would have Corporal Jones from Dad's Army uttering his well-known battle cry: "Don't panic!"

With time beginning to run out on them, they do not even seem to know which course they want to steer. The selectors have lurched this summer away from the bits-and-pieces cricketers that were shown conclusively not to be the answer seven or eight years ago. Their latest offering for the Champions Trophy that goes on from the end of the summer almost until the clocks go back still shows the signs of too much indecisive head-scratching, not to say panic, with more than a dash of obstinacy thrown in.

Let's deal with the latter first. On the evidence of this season's merry-go-round, Paul Collingwood's inclusion can only have come about because of some important personage's strongly held views, judging by his form so far this international season. Just as prejudicial and confoundedly obtuse, given Graham Thorpe's self-imposed exile, is the refusal to bring Mark Butcher into the one-day side. It is an established fact that those who do it best in Test cricket are the most likely to succeed in the shorter game too.

Besides, Butcher's ability to turn his arm over is not quite negligible and as a fielder he is by no means in the donkey class. England badly need a result in this final jamboree of an extended summer and surely Matthew Hoggard, on the evidence of the last two Tests, is more likely to do the business than Kabir Ali. And why not give Mark Ramprakash, who is in the form of his life for Surrey, a go in this competition? There is such a talent there and maybe he has more of a settled mind and attitude than when he last padded up for England.

It is great news that the Twenty20 Cup has again given the game a buzz this year, in spite of weather that was much worse than in 2003. A short, sharp dose in the middle of the summer is the perfect scenario for it. How much more sensible now to think of ways of attracting even bigger crowds to the games we have. The more baseball-style gimmickry the better - the competition is more gimmick than gravitas anyway and so what does it matter? It's designed for early evening, family fun and a few of Max Clifford's clients et al would do wonders for the gate.

There has been one breath of fresh air this past week. Neil Davidson, who has recently taken over as chairman of Leicestershire, is one of the new breed of county chairman and has come into the game with great business experience, allied to a shrewd commercial sense. He wants to try to turn county cricket into the successful breeding ground for Test cricketers that it always used to be. Mind you, it is not doing that badly at the moment. None the less, there is a still a fair way to go before Australia can be taken on with anything approaching confidence.

Davidson is angry at the way county administrators are lectured at by the England and Wales Cricket Board, and roundly regarded as old farts who are die-hard supporters of a bygone age. Of course, there are those in the counties who fit this description, but Davidson and his sort must be good for the first-class game - how important it is that Lord's involves them in a meaningful and far-reaching dialogue about the future.

Davidson makes the important distinction between "bums-on-seats" events, such as the Twenty20 and other one-day matches, and the County Championship. He wants to turn the former into even bigger cash cows. The latter, which he would like to see back in its old three-day format with play starting at 10.30am and finishing at 7.30pm, he sensibly does not regard as a "bums-on-seats" affair. He would also like all one-day games to be played under floodlights to make full use of our summer evenings.

Mr Davidson deplores the way the ECB has handled the various Zimbabwe crises. He describes recent efforts to reform domestic cricket, which were thrown out by the counties, as "crackpot proposals". Mr Davidson, who loves the game and was not a bad player, is a realist and English cricket can only benefit from more of his ilk, provided the ECB is prepared to listen.

One final thought: discuss and compare the ECB with the Football Association (without illustrations).

- INDEPENDENT