Another swing of the pendulum...An England perspective

After 3 tests few comparisons can be made to the astonishing series of 10 years ago, when almost every test went down to the wire.  This series has so far been entertaining, though it's been a tale of 2 teams taking it in turns to win convincingly.

England took a much deserved 2-1 series lead yesterday.  It was a dominant display, much needed after the mediocre performance at Lords.  It was great to see a few England players really step up to the mark to silence critics.

Finn, with a decent performance in the first innings with the ball and 2 key wickets, produced a performance in the second that has surely cemented his place in the team for the remainder of the series.  He bowled both quickly and accurately, picking up career best figures in the process (6-79) and rightly receiving the man of the match award.  From unselectable to undroppable.

Bell showed signs of being back to his fluent best, scoring decent half centuries in each of his innings.  He played aggressively throughout and despite 1 or 2 scares looked comfortable and struck the ball well.

Anderson, wicketless at Lords and with figures of 0-137 (only the 6th time he’s ended a test wicketless) left a few people with short memories wondering whether he still had what it takes.  He responded in typical fashion with figures of 6-47 in the first innings.  Unfortunately, after bowling economically in the second innings and gaining a wicket, he picked up a side strain which is likely to rule him out not just for the next game but for the remainder of the series.

Out of the England team there is only one player who will be truly worried when selections are made for the next test.  Adam Lyth only managed scores of 10 and 12 in his two innings at Edgbaston.  That means that excluding the 107 he scored against New Zealand, in the other 9 innings he’s batted in he has only scored 115 runs, at an average of 12.8.  I personally believe that he should still be given the rest of the series.  Other than maybe Alex Hales, there is no obvious replacement waiting in the wings.  England have been guilty in the past of not giving players enough time to bed themselves into the team before looking elsewhere.

Finally, a word on Joe Root.  Another half century followed by a score of 38 not out, continuing his excellent vein of form.  It doesn’t seem to matter what position he plays at the moment or in what circumstances he enters the fray.  He is the brightest star for England now and will be for years to come.