After a drab, demoralising defeat selectors often pick the same team, sometimes out of sheer cussedness, sometimes out of calm shrewdness. For the moment we must conclude it was the latter as far as England were concerned in Abu Dhabi.
In their first ODI against Pakistan, with the exception of Eoin Morgan, James Taylor and Reece Topley, England were barely mediocre; in their second the same XI almost delivered a flawless performance. In between the two games none of the participating players had practised. Instead they must have listened, then contemplated before galvanising themselves to play in a manner that now gives them a very good chance of winning the series. There are two matches remaining in the 50-over format, one in Sharjah on Tuesday, the other in Dubai on Friday.
There was much relief after the victory. The man of the match, Alex Hales, was especially relieved. He has been here for six weeks, dutifully ferrying drinks out to the Test players and then batting in the nets, trying to improve his play against spin bowling, which in the short term will not be much use to him if he goes to South Africa as Alastair Cook’s opening partner. After their trials on turning tracks in India the South Africans will surely be grateful to return to some fast-bowler friendly pitches back at home.
After hitting his first ODI century on Friday Hales was asked whether he felt that he was now closer to a Test debut. He gave an honest, interesting answer: “I hope so. It’s something I’m trying hard not to think about.” Which provoked the question of whether it is possible to try hard not to think about something. It seems a self-defeating process.
Even so Hales’s answer betrayed that he is probably thinking about his Test prospects quite a lot, which is a perfectly natural and understandable thing for him to do. No doubt he would like to become the first Englishman to hit an international century in all three formats of the game, which is a possibility since he is the only one who can boast a T20 hundred.
It would be daft to draw too many conclusions after a century on a slow, grey old pitch against a white ball. Technically, the challenge for Hales would be vastly different against a red ball in the hands of Morne Morkel, but at least Hales ticked a few boxes regarding his temperament. He really was due to score some runs; time was ticking by. Yet he remained calm and clear-headed and he delivered. That will have impressed the powers that be.
Hales remains the favourite for that opening slot alongside Cook and if he was campaigning for his inclusion (which is not really his style) he might invite the selectors to take note of a modern pathway to Test success. Who is currently the most devastating Test batsman in the world (never mind the ICC rankings)? It has to be Australia’s David Warner who has been mercilessly demolishing the Kiwi bowlers in the last fortnight. Warner cracked two centuries in Brisbane, to be followed by a monumental 253 in Perth. How did Warner’s international career take off? Via T20. Hales has the chance to take a similar route into Test cricket.
Another relieved man on Friday was Adil Rashid. At last he found a situation any bowler worth his salt relishes: new batsmen under pressure with the asking rate rising. Rashid did not blow this opportunity. He managed to stay more relaxed and exploit the situation. There were fewer loose deliveries as well as evidence that some of the Pakistan batsmen, who have not seen him in the Test series, were unable to pick his googly.
So here was a modest gain for Rashid after a torrid fortnight. Currently he may be able to exploit benign circumstances. If the team has worked its way into a strong position he can be dangerous. He is much less likely to retrieve a situation, where his side is in the mire. Add to that Chris Woakes taking his first ODI wicket in 299 balls to be swiftly followed by three more and the squad headed off to the Emirates Golf Club for a Professional Cricketers’ Association event with smiles on their faces. I must dutifully follow them there.
