Features

English cricket on a high

Author: John Harris
Date: 27/05/2010
Cricket betting

Following England's exceptional World Twenty20 success in the Caribbean, many people have been calling for their limited-overs stars to be filtered into the Test team.

England found exceptional form with bat and ball in the showpiece event and after a clean sweep of wins over Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand in their Super Eights group, they then hammered Sri Lanka in the last four before thrashing fierce foes Australia in a one-sided final.

Johannesburg-born newcomers Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter impressed significantly throughout the competition at the top of the batting order while the latter was in command of the gloves behind the stumps.

Kieswetter's stunning knock of 63 from 49 deliveries brought him the man-of-the-match award against Michael Clarke's Baggy Greens and, despite the final being just his seventh outing for his adopted country, he has certainly taken to the international circuit like a duck to water.

Irishman Eoin Morgan's burgeoning reputation was raised a few more notches as he continued his assault on many of the world's finest bowlers in the West Indies and the future bodes well for team director Andy Flower and his skippers Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood.

The aforementioned trio have certainly made themselves known in a matter of months and no doubt England's less-than-secure Test players may be growing a little hot under the collar ahead of this winter's Ashes series.

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Although they specialise in the shortened version of the game, the juices will be flowing through the coaching team as they look to further improve the side and the trio are in the right place domestically to make the step up.

Kieswetter (Somerset), Lumb (Hampshire) and Morgan (Middlesex) are all savouring life on the County Championship scene and, although it may come too soon for them to be considered for the upcoming Tests against Bangladesh at Lord's and Old Trafford, it will be interesting to see if they will be earmarked for the first Test against Pakistan at the end of July in Nottingham.

Although the Bangladesh and Pakistan series are of great importance, it is the Ashes, that starts in Brisbane at the end of November, that everything is geared towards and, with Strauss, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott and Collingwood likely to be prominent in the top order, England would be some proposition if their new boys start knocking on the door.

However, Australia are currently the online favourites to regain the Ashes.

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