England's bowlers need to develop the killer instinct
Cricket World Cup: Hussain's men starting to enjoy their work at last but need to maintain momentum against Namibia
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Your support makes all the difference.It has taken them longer than any other team in the tournament but England are at last looking like a side that is enjoying being part of the 2003 World Cup. Winning a game obviously helps the state of mind and following their comprehensive six-wicket victory over the Netherlands on Sunday, the players chose yesterday to relax and have some fun after a four-hour coach journey from East London.
Now here for tomorrow's match against Namibia, Nasser Hussain took the batsmen for a hack at a local golf course, Ronnie Irani went jet-skiing and the fast bowlers, under the guidance of Andrew Caddick, went shooting at a range.
"Getting back out on the pitch was like a breath of fresh air," was Michael Vaughan's assessment of the match against the Dutch. "We had been out in South Africa for two and a half weeks and only played two warm-up games. That is a long time for little cricket when you have been away since October. It was great to start thinking about batting, bowling and fielding for a change."
Playing will be the best way for England's players to overcome the scars left by the Zimbabwe affair. Focusing on the next match stops the mind wandering and the games come thick and fast from now on.
"The only thing I know about Namibia is that Dougie Brown [the Warwickshire all-rounder] is their coach," was all Vaughan could say about England's next opponents. The weakest of the four African sides here, Namibia have already been thumped by Zimbabwe and Pakistan. England will be aiming to do the same.
Like most of the lesser sides it is the inability to cope with fast bowling that causes Namibia problems. Playing against the quick men is something their batsmen seldom experience but it is the difference between ordinary cricketers and the big guns. Anyone can bat against gentle medium pace but when it is whizzing past your nose at 95mph you need a bit more than a pretty technique. This was highlighted on Sunday when Namibia were skittled for 84 by Pakistan. Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar took nine wickets between them.
Finishing sides off when they have them on the back foot has been a problem for England and it is something they need to rectify if they wish to reach the Super Six. In the two warm-up games and the match against the Netherlands, England's opponents have progressed from 88 for 7 to 173 for 9, 90 for 6 to 202 and 31 for 5 to 142 for 9. While this has not proved disastrous against weak sides, such profligacy cannot be afforded in England's last three group matches against Pakistan, India and Australia.
It was with the view of taking wickets in the middle part of an innings that Stephen Harmison was selected in the squad but his inability to bowl straight has led to him taking a back seat. Part of the problem may be the attitude of the bowlers. After a good start they may feel that they do not want to throw away what has been gained by being too attacking. However, as well as bowling tight they also need to be aggressive.
Such an outlook should also come from the spinners and this is why it was disappointing to see Ian Blackwell bowl over the wicket against the Netherlands. Coming round the wicket is the more attacking option and he should be encouraged to do this tomorrow.
It is more important however that England keep enjoying their cricket and the thrill of being at the World Cup. Vaughan is aware of this, too.
"The World Cup is the ultimate stage," he said. "If we can't enjoy playing against the best players in the world in such a fantastic country, we have got something wrong with us. We have always said we will come out here and enjoy the cricket and we usually play our best when we are enjoying it. That has been one of our mottos."
Vaughan remained circumspect about rumours linking him with the England captaincy should Hussain carry out his threat to step down after the World Cup.
"The job is not available and I'm concentrating on my batting," Vaughan said. "If at the end of the World Cup or in a year's time the job does become available, I would like my name to be mentioned, I've not heard of many people turning the job down.
"But Nasser is doing a great job and we are all behind him, hopefully he will continue."
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