I watched every ball of England’s opening one-day international in Melbourne on Sunday; my work as a BT Sport pundit seeing me share a sofa with the lively Graeme Swann and our excellent host, Matt Smith, and I have to say it was an outstanding performance from the tourists.
Following a winter of discontent Down Under, where England have looked half-decent in patches and pretty ordinary in others, this month of white-ball cricket is a crucial period for the national team, because while the Ashes were the main dish on the menu, there is an added emphasis now on how they fare in the white-ball world. This really is the business that Trevor Bayliss was brought in for back in 2015.
Since the World Cup three years ago, no side has enjoyed such a dramatic change in fortunes – in any format of the game – as England have in one-day cricket. During that tournament, that side, coached and led by Peter Moores and under the direction at the top of the table from Paul Downton, were simply toothless.
That’s not really a slight intended for Moores or Downton, but their objectives just weren’t clear. When Andrew Strauss came in as Director of Cricket there was a clear remit placed on improving the make-up of the white-ball set-up and since then England have looked imperious: making big totals; chasing big totals.
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