Worrying form for England ahead of the world cup (and the Ashes beforehand for some individuals). Pretty dreadful collapse once the openers were gone.
England feel heat after failing to keep Cooley
[i]From Richard Hobson One-Day Cricket Correspondent in Jaipur
JAIPUR (Australia won toss): Australia (2pts) beat England by six wickets[/i]
WATCHING Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson turn an unpromising position towards a comfortable success for Australia it was easy to think that one of the quiet men behind the Ashes triumph last summer is about to deliver a mortal blow against his former employers.
Duncan Fletcher could not hide his frustration when Troy Cooley was poached as bowling coach from under the noses of the ECB and if the reason was not already obvious, then it became clearer on Saturday as two of the next generation of Australia bowlers all but eliminated England from the ICC Champions Trophy.
Cooley would have stayed with England had he been given the contract he wanted, when he wanted. But he left without bitterness and will have taken no pleasure from another worrying performance by Stephen Harmison, Englands main strike bowler come the first Test in Brisbane on November 23.
Six days earlier Harmisons first over against India cost 20 runs and his first two this time went for 24, releasing all of the pressure that James Anderson and Sajid Mahmood built up after a 13-minute break because of floodlight failure. He may now be dropped for the final game, against West Indies on Saturday.
Harmison is reconsidering his plan to retire from one-day cricket after the World Cup but the immediate concern is that poor form and low confidence will be carried into the bigger event next month. Kevin Shine, Cooleys successor, has his first critical task on his hands.
We have to make sure he is ready and firing for Brisbane, Fletcher said. He has to realise that he must work harder and harder and not take his game for granted. There are two warm-up games in Australia to make sure he is ready for the Test. He has to get the technique right to give him confidence.
Fletcher can take comfort from the fact that Harmison bowled badly in the one-day series against Sri Lanka in the summer but followed that with some effective performances against Pakistan.
It is the mental thing which creates the technical problem, Fletcher said. All players have some sort of technical flaw but it comes down to the mind, to knowing that you have worked at your game, done everything to prepare and can be strong mentally to counteract those technical deficiencies.
The coach believes that Harmison displayed a certain strength in producing better second spells against both India and Australia, but by the time he exposed Damien Martyns weakness against steepling bounce on Saturday, England had lost any chance of opening their account in the tournament.
Their run-rate is now so inferior that they must not only beat West Indies heavily in Ahmedabad, but hope that the other two matches fall in their favour if they are to reach the semi-finals. Even that slim chance will be lost on Thursday if West Indies beat India, who will be playing for the first time in 11 days.
The latest defeat their fourteenth in 18 one-day games this year was all the more galling after Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell provided a positive start.
From then on a rejigged batting order made little headway against an attack bowling straight, aggressively and consistently on a low, slow pitch.
For the tenth time in 12 innings on the sub-continent, England failed even to see out the full 50 overs. Andrew Flintoff fell hooking, Kevin Pietersen succumbed after a very good bouncer by Johnson and Ricky Ponting predicted more of the same in the weeks ahead. We can have some success with the short ball, the Australia captain said.
England at least showed purpose in the field. The improving Mahmood nipped one back through the defence of Adam Gilchrist and Andersons length tempted Ponting into the walking drive that makes him vulnerable early on. However, for all of Michael Yardys economy, the back-up lacked penetration.
ENGLAND
A J Strauss c Gilchrist b Symonds 56
I R Bell c Hussey b Watson 43
K P Pietersen c Gilchrist b Johnson 1
*A Flintoff c Hussey b Watson 4
M H Yardy c Gilchrist b Watson 4
P D Collingwood not out 22
J W M Dalrymple c Ponting b Johnson 3
C M W Read c Gilchrist b McGrath 0
S I Mahmood c and b Bracken 8
S J Harmison c Gilchrist b Johnson 1
J M Anderson b McGrath 15
Extras (lb 3, w 3, nb 6) 12
Total (45 overs) 169
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-83, 2-84, 3-110, 4-115, 5-125, 6-135, 7-136, 8-150, 9-151.
BOWLING: Lee 9-3-25-0; Bracken 8-0-38-1; McGrath 9-1-36-2; Johnson 10-0-40-3; Watson 7-0-16-3; Symonds 2-0-11-1.
AUSTRALIA
A C Gilchrist b Mahmood 10
S R Watson b Anderson 21
*R T Ponting c Strauss b Mahmood 1
D R Martyn c Read b Harmison 78
M E K Hussey not out 32
A Symonds not out 8
Extras (b 4, lb 5, w 6, nb 5) 20
Total (4 wkts, 36.5 overs) 170
M J Clarke, M G Johnson, B Lee, N W Bracken and G D McGrath did not bat.
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-30, 2-34, 3-34, 4-152.
BOWLING: Anderson 9-2-31-1; Mahmood 10-0-57-2; Harmison 4.5-0-45-1; Yardy 10-1-18-0; Dalrymple 3-0-10-0.
Umpires: B F Bowden (New Zealand) and S A Bucknor (West Indies).