England’s defeat in Barbados, and their failure to win the series in the West Indies, is another black mark on Peter Moores’ report card as coach. However, the team is moving in the right direction
George Dobell in Barbados04-May-20155:27
Butcher: England’s big wake-up call
It is only just over 12 months since Peter Moores was appointed England coach, but already it seems his time may be running out.Defeat in Barbados and a drawn series against West Indies might provide just the ammunition required to sack a man who was appointed by a regime that has now passed and seems never to have won the support of its replacement.While there is precious little time to make changes ahead of the next instalment in England’s endless schedule – Moores flies to Ireland overnight on Wednesday in order to take charge of the ODI on Friday and New Zealand arrive for their tour on Monday – the ECB showed a ruthlessness in dealing with ex-managing director Paul Downton that will not have instilled security elsewhere.News that the ECB has been talking to former captain Michael Vaughan – a man who has gone on record as saying Moores should be “removed” as England coach – is hardly a ringing endorsement, while news that Jason Gillespie has turned down the offer of coaching South Australia to remain in Yorkshire will only increase speculation that the ECB is grooming him as Moores’ replacement.Such speculation is, for now, premature. The ECB will leave a decision about the coaching role to Downton’s successor as director of the team. It may be relevant, however, that two of the front-runners for that role – Vaughan and former captain Andrew Strauss – were far from effusive in praise for Moores during his first period in the England job.It is not hard to make a case against Moores. His year in office has been dominated by England’s poor ODI form and their wretched performance in the World Cup. A Test series loss against Sri Lanka was followed by victory against India, but their notorious reputation as poor travellers mitigated – at least in some eyes – against the value of such a success. If you are looking for evidence to damn Moores – and it seems some are – it can be found without too much of a search.Moores did not enjoy a golden inheritance. Not only did he take over the team at a low ebb – England had just been whitewashed in the Ashes and defeated by Netherlands in a lame World T20 campaign – but it was also a side in the process of losing several senior players.More than that, he was tainted by association with the management that appointed him. While Moores had nothing to do with the carve-up of the ICC – which occurred every bit of six months before his appointment – nothing to do with the “outside cricket” press release – ten weeks before his appointment – and nothing to do with the unnecessarily harsh treatment – scapegoating, even – of Kevin Pietersen, the fall out of each has stuck to him.A combination of those factors – and the fact that he had been sacked in the job once before – meant he was never likely to enjoy a honeymoon period. Many people had no patience or belief in him before he began.But equally, a case can easily be mounted for his retention. The emergence of several young players – the likes of Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Chris Jordan and Gary Ballance – could be used as evidence that Moores is on the right track, in Test cricket, at least. The progress of Joe Root, a batsman who had been dropped by the end of Andy Flower’s period in charge, might also be used as an example of a new-look England side in a developmental phase.The failure of England’s batsmen to post a large total when conditions were at their best in the first innings proved damaging•AFPThe problem with young players is that they often lack consistency. So it should have been no huge surprise that Buttler – a hugely talented but raw cricketer whose glovework standing back is good but standing up requires work – missed a stumping chance that might have turned this Test. With Jermaine Blackwood on just 4, Buttler was unable to gather cleanly and the batsman went on to feature in a match-clinching century partnership with Darren Bravo.Much the same could be said of Moeen. He bowled poorly in Barbados, dropping short frequently, and was understandably not trusted to deliver more than a dozen overs in the fourth innings in circumstances in which his side required him to provide an attacking edge. It does not mean he – or Buttler or Stokes – are poor players or that it is time to drop them. It means they are works in progress.England lost this match primarily due to their poor batting. In scoring only 257 in the first innings, they squandered the opportunity to register a match-defining total with the pitch at its best. Then, in registering only 123 in their second innings, they displayed a lack of composure in conditions that were testing, certainly, but far from impossible. Had they salvaged victory on the final day, it should not have obscured the frailties in their batting.Peter Moores has laid the groundwork for England’s future Test players, but will he be around to see them grow?•Getty ImagesBut nor should their failure condemn them all to the axe. With the exception of Jonathan Trott, whose international career is surely over, the batting line-up that represented England here is – a late break from Pietersen apart – probably the best line-up for the Ashes. When Alastair Cook said, after the match, that Root and Ballance would “break all kind of records” it was no idle talk.Perhaps selection errors were made here. The inclusion of a second spinner would have helped on a surface on which Stokes delivered just seven overs in the game, while Adam Lyth might also consider himself unfortunate.But there was logic in those decisions. The team management felt that Jordan and Stokes, in particular, required prolonged selection to help them gain more comfort at this level and feared that dropping either of them might result in them playing fearful cricket upon their return. Meanwhile Adil Rashid – who provides a reminder of the old adage that reputations often improve disproportionately when out of the spotlight – continues to work on improvements that are designed to make him a more effective bowler in the long-term.And there’s the rub. For while Moores continues to take a long-term view, his future may only be measured in the short term.Certainly the pre-series words of Colin Graves did him few favours. Not only did ‘mediocregate’ – as it may become known – motivate West Indies, it also provided a completely unnecessary slogan with which to beat England whenever they faltered. West Indies were never as bad as Graves implied and, at times, played some excellent cricket. Graves might also reflect that, the last time England played a Test series in the Caribbean, at the start of 2009, they lost.On that occasion, they went on to win the Ashes a few months later. While that seems unlikely right now, to see England at close quarters on this tour was to see a fragile recovery in its early stages. The results do not show it, but there is something good developing here. There is a unity of purpose, a spirit of enjoyment and determination, a level of raw talent that bodes well. It felt as if they were on the right track.What these players – and their coach – requires is time. But with the ECB in impatient mood, there is no guarantee they will be given it.
