After comprehensively beating Australia in the Ashes, England had a torrid ODI series Down Under where they lost 6-1
After comprehensively beating Australia in the Ashes, England had a torrid ODI series Down Under where they lost 6-1. However, the highlight of the series was the batting of Jonathan Trott, who scored two centuries.
Trott's game is almost Rahul Dravid-like. He's got great technique and anchors the ODI innings and scores at a pretty good pace. However, he is not English.
Kevin Pietersen has been England's biggest star. He is flamboyant and entertaining and he gives the crowd what they want to see. This World Cup, he is opening the innings. However, he isn't English.
Trott and Pietersen are South Africans, who never played for South Africa, but have been England's best players for a while. Unlike players like Monty Panesar, Nasser Hussain, Mark Ramprakash, Usman Afzal and Ravi Bopara, who were born and brought up in England, chose to play for England because it was their adopted nation, these players came to England a few years ago. Trott played for the South African U-19 team, while Pietersen for KwaZulu-Natal and Natal.
In the ODI squad, you have Eoin Morgan, an Irishman playing for England. Unfortunately for England, he was injured before the World Cup, but he's an integral part of the England side. This is while Ireland, a country that he has previously represented and helped beat Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup. England captain Andrew Strauss and wicketkeeper Matt Prior are South African by birth. While Strauss' family migrated to England when he was six, Prior'S parents moved when he was 12. To add to the Plato-like theory of being a citizen of the world, Strauss also has an Australian wife.
If a critic were to defend Morgan's move, he'd say that he's going to a side that will allow him to do well as a batsman. But then, going by that excuse, Gavin Hamilton, who played a few ODIs for England forsake everything and represented Scotland in the 1999 World Cup and was his side's most prized wicket.
England has produced great sides over the last century: Len Hutton's side, Peter May's side, Ray Illingworth's side and Mike Brearley's side are some of the ones that come to mind immediately. However, the side was full of Englishmen, who won the Ashes.
Super Poms
No intention to take anything away from this English side though. They have played beautiful cricket. They have been aggressive and almost Australian-like in their approach and this has been the way they've been playing in the last 24 months.
However, while the Barmy Army might celebrate England's wonderful run, would the purists consider it
an England victory if they end up lifting the World Cup? We can argue that a free society has a responsibility to provide all its citizens, no matter where they came from or when they got there. But if you look at this theory, if the BCCI decides to give Indian passports to two Pakistani fast bowlers to strengthen the Indian pace attack, would the India's janta welcome such victories?
