Influence of canny head coach Trevor Bayliss becoming more apparent as England close in on one-day series win
Should England avoid defeat in the final 50-over clash against Pakistan in Dubai tomorrow, it will be their first victory in a one-day series on foreign shores since Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace took the coaching reins in the summer.
The influence of those two and head coach Bayliss, in particular, is becoming increasingly apparent. Bayliss has worked with some of the best one-day teams in the world and understands different pitches, whether that’s in Australia, Sri Lanka or South Africa.
He appreciates the way teams have to adjust to alien conditions in order to be effective. The slowness of the wickets in the United Arab Emirates has meant England have had to adopt a different approach than if on home soil and they deserve a huge amount of credit for turning around the one-day series to lead 2-1.
Building a new side takes time and patience, but winning in the conditions they have faced in the UAE so soon in their development would be promising.
Two players who stole the limelight in England’s six-wicket win in Sharjah on Tuesday were batsman James Taylor for his composed knock of 67 not out, and all-rounder Chris Woakes, who took four wickets for the second match running.
Taylor is an excellent player of spin and has certainly done himself justice on this tour. He’s not going to smack the ball miles over the ropes, he works it around and has his own repertoire of shots.
He has made some solid contributions during his ODI career – he averages just over 43 – but he has also been dismissed early in some innings. A lot of people appear sceptical about him and I am too on quicker pitches when the ball is flying about his nose.
The 25-year-old certainly deserves his chance and has done well but, for me, the big test will be the South Africa tour this winter.
Before the last two matches, Woakes had not taken a wicket in his previous six ODIs and his ability was questioned when he went for a few runs in matches before and during the World Cup earlier this year.
But in one-day cricket it is not always fair to look at the wickets column and sometimes more important to look at the whole package. He has bowled a lot in the power plays and at the death – the two hardest times to bowl.
Conceding a few runs happens to every bowler in world cricket, regardless of stature. I believe, Woakes, who has had his injury problems this year, will be a big asset to England.
Talking of bowlers of stature, Australia’s Mitchell Johnson this week retired from all forms of international cricket. He wasn’t always the most consistent but his overall record is outstanding.
Johnson has had some tough times but showed how good he was by destroying England during that 2013-14 Ashes. As a tail-ender, I can tell you that facing him was bloody horrible.