'Bunch of Plunkers' - The Scrambled Minds of English Cricket

Liam Plunkett's recall for the England Lions is a perfect example of unclear thinking - © Nazly Ahmed 

English cricket may be at an all time low, and it’ll take more than a banning order to stop me saying so.

There was some good, and progressive news from the ECB this week as they announced the women’s team are to turn professional, but they are the one shining light in this dark-chasm of a winter.

The Ashes were lost in embarrassing fashion, but the off-field chaos has almost overshadowed this.

With the star-player axed, the coach gone, the captain under constant scrutiny and the team’s management structure all over the place, the hope is that rock bottom has now been reached.

Looking at the playing staff, there was more than a fair share of scrambled minds in Australia, with Joe Root looking a shadow of the confident and clear-thinking young man that burst onto the scene last year.

Matt Prior was also horribly out of sorts, and clear thinking seemed beyond the whole batting line-up at one point or another.

The fielding, a huge part of England becoming a world-beating side, was also slack and inept, another sign that concentration, focus and clear thought processes were all lacking.

James Anderson suggested that the harder England worked, the worse they got. Frankly I believe him, there was no lack of effort, but that is pretty much all you can say with any degree of positivity.

Unfortunately, this scrambled and confused thinking doesn’t seem to be restricted to the players.

The selection of Steven Finn alongside Chris Tremlett and Boyd Rankin for the Ashes tour proved to be as wrong as it was bizarre.

For different reasons, those selecting England’s side didn’t trust any of them, and because of this the touring party may as well have contained three sizeable paperweights.

There was more confused selecting and tactics on display in the one-day series Down Under, with Joe Root, Gary Ballance and Ian Bell all producing useful contributions, without scoring quickly, or batting right through the innings.

There was a similar story in the field, with Cook’s field set for one plan and the bowling following something entirely different on numerous occasions. It felt about as well planned as Danny Dyer showing up at Downton Abbey.

England’s team chopped, and changed, and there was a clear indication that individual players did not know their roles.

Death bowling was not properly co-ordinated, and there was not a plan in place to score big runs. (Other than the traditional English plan of batting slowly for 40 overs and hoping Morgan and Buttler can rescue things at the end.)

Now the fall-out from the winter is taking hold and changes are occurring, there remains much confusion regarding the path forwards.

This is not designed to be a personal attack, but I think England’s bizarre decision-making can be summed up by the selection of Graham Onions and Liam Plunkett in the Lions side touring Sri Lanka.

Onions is now 31, and despite a brilliant country season, was overlooked for the tour of Australia. So why is he in a development side?

We know how good he is, we know the conditions he excels in, he should not be in that team.

Even stranger is the selection of Plunkett.

Plunkett is 28, and therefore also not the stereotypical man to play in a development side in which you are looking to produce and look-at international cricketers.

However, being 28 should not rule out selection, but the fact his international career took place seven years ago probably should.

His career has taken a more cheerful direction since his move to Yorkshire, but 36 First Class wickets at an average of 28 this year doesn’t stand out, so why are we going back to him?

He was given a chance in the winter of 2005, and the following two English summers, and despite not excelling then, and his career freefalling since, England have taken him to the subcontinent.

I don’t think Plunkett should get in the England Test team again, and more importantly I don’t think he will get in it again, so for the life of me I can’t understand him being in Sri Lanka.

Whoever becomes England’s next coach needs to oversee some top-down, clear planning and stop providing me with such obvious things to question.

It might do me out of a blogging topic, but at least I might benefit as an England fan.