08-23-2011, 07:21 PM
The rise and rise of English cricket
Fantastic performances throughout the side have humbled an India who have looked unconfident since the first ball of the first test at Lord's.
Many people thought this series would hang in the balance and be decided by an individual performance or a decision here and there. Not at all.
England won by 196 runs at Lord's, 319 runs at Trent Bridge, an innings and 242 runs at Edgbaston and an innings and 8 runs at the Oval.
But in simple terms you cannot sum it up better than former England captain Nasser Hussain, "They've batted better, bowled better and fielded better. They've been by far the better team".
India have now dropped to third in the rankings but actually they did not even look like they warranted such a lofty place.
There have been some incredible performances in England's batting line-up; Alastair Cook's 294 at Edgbaston and Ian Bell's 235 in the final test, but it has been their bowling that has really been the difference between the two sides.
And Indian batting line-up full of world class batsmen who average around 50 has been torn apart by a bowling attack which is arguably the best England have ever produced. India only posted 300 in an innings on one occasion, which just sums up the quality of the English bowling attack.
It is such a difficult job to decide who has been the most influential player of the series but one player has regularly performed with both bat and ball is Stuart Broad. The rangy seamer took 25 wickets at a fantastic rate of 13.84 and was a constant threat with his formidable combination of pace and bounce. But, perhaps, what will please him even more was his performance with the bat, scoring a total of 182 runs at an average of 66.66. These figures really demonstrate that he can be seen as a genuine allrounder. And, of course, how can you forget that hat-trick at Trent Bridge.
The way the England team seems to play for each other is fundamental to their success, but what is interesting is their individual statistics. Four of the England batsmen are in the top 10; Ian Bell and Alastair Cook are equal third, Jonathan Trott is sixth and Pietersen is eighth. And in the bowling department they have five in the top 11; Jimmy Anderson is second, Graeme Swann third, Stuart Broad fifth, CHris Tremlett tenth and Tim Bresnan has shot up to eleventh.
Now all eyes look to the series with second-placed South Africa, who will try and replace England when they play them.
Fantastic performances throughout the side have humbled an India who have looked unconfident since the first ball of the first test at Lord's.
Many people thought this series would hang in the balance and be decided by an individual performance or a decision here and there. Not at all.
England won by 196 runs at Lord's, 319 runs at Trent Bridge, an innings and 242 runs at Edgbaston and an innings and 8 runs at the Oval.
But in simple terms you cannot sum it up better than former England captain Nasser Hussain, "They've batted better, bowled better and fielded better. They've been by far the better team".
India have now dropped to third in the rankings but actually they did not even look like they warranted such a lofty place.
There have been some incredible performances in England's batting line-up; Alastair Cook's 294 at Edgbaston and Ian Bell's 235 in the final test, but it has been their bowling that has really been the difference between the two sides.
And Indian batting line-up full of world class batsmen who average around 50 has been torn apart by a bowling attack which is arguably the best England have ever produced. India only posted 300 in an innings on one occasion, which just sums up the quality of the English bowling attack.
It is such a difficult job to decide who has been the most influential player of the series but one player has regularly performed with both bat and ball is Stuart Broad. The rangy seamer took 25 wickets at a fantastic rate of 13.84 and was a constant threat with his formidable combination of pace and bounce. But, perhaps, what will please him even more was his performance with the bat, scoring a total of 182 runs at an average of 66.66. These figures really demonstrate that he can be seen as a genuine allrounder. And, of course, how can you forget that hat-trick at Trent Bridge.
The way the England team seems to play for each other is fundamental to their success, but what is interesting is their individual statistics. Four of the England batsmen are in the top 10; Ian Bell and Alastair Cook are equal third, Jonathan Trott is sixth and Pietersen is eighth. And in the bowling department they have five in the top 11; Jimmy Anderson is second, Graeme Swann third, Stuart Broad fifth, CHris Tremlett tenth and Tim Bresnan has shot up to eleventh.
Now all eyes look to the series with second-placed South Africa, who will try and replace England when they play them.