England Cricket: What Have They Learnt So Far This Summer?

With the first half of England's summer of cricket now complete, it's time to reflect on exactly what England have learnt in the games against New Zealand:

1. Ian Bell Can't Win Games

There are some players who have all the talent in the world, but no matter how many chances they are given they just don't deliver on the international stage.

Take, for example, Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash. They have bundles of runs at county level, but averages of 31 and 27 respectively in over 50 test matches apiece.

Ian Bell has talent, but he just doesn't score the runs. 30-40 is not a good enough score for a top order batsman.

For whatever reason he cannot make big scores under pressure and win games, and England cannot continue to carry him in either form of the game.

2. Owais Shah Can Bat

Owais Shah was the only England batsman to come away with an enhanced reputation following England's 3-1 ODI series defeat to New Zealand.

His series highlighted why he deserves to bat higher up the order in ODIs and replace Ian Bell in the test arena.

At Chester-le-street he proved he could hit a ball cleanly, score quickly, and completely take the game away from the opposition. His 49 from 25 balls put the game completely beyond New Zealand.

At the Oval and Lords, with the wickets tumbling all around him, he kept his head and scored a sensible yet brisk 63 and 69 respectively.

To me, Shah looks more mature and more composed with a bat in his hand than any of the current test players, and has more than warranted his inclusion in the squad for the test series against South Africa.

Doubtless, Ian Bell will still keep his place.

3. Tim Ambrose Is the Most Limited Batsman in History

Matthew Hoggard is no longer part of the England set up, but he must be happy England have found a batsman with even less shots than he possesses.

Tim Ambrose has one shot in his arsenal: the cut away to the off side. I don't think I'd be too far off the mark if I said ALL of his 274 test runs have come off this one stroke.

I didn't expect him to perform in the one-day games, and he didn't. He averaged a terribly bad 2.5. Ambrose just isn't a one-day international player.

Furthermore, he's dropped a couple of chances he should have taken in this series.

The facts are these: Chris Read is a better keeper, and Matt Prior and Phil Mustard are better batsmen.

So why is Ambrose in the squad ahead of these players? I hate to be cynical, but it's because he's mates with the coach.

4. Paul Collingwood Is a Scoundrel

Did you see that arrogant smile on his face when Mark Benson asked him if he'd like to call Grant Elliott back?

It was clear the run out was not sporting. He claims it was a split second decision, but it wasn't at all. He could have taken as long as he wanted. And regardless, it was obvious what the correct decision was from the second it happened.

He's not an international cricketer. He's far from being a good captain and he's patently not a sportsman either. I cannot stomach the man.

5. Graeme Swann Can Play

Graeme Swann has proved in the one-day series that he's a threat with the ball, he's a good fielder, and he's handy with the bat.

He took a decent haul of seven wickets in the series, and showed he was capable of turning the ball and posing a genuine threat to the batsmen.

At Bristol on a low-scoring track, he embarrassed the top order batsmen by producing the second highest score of the innings (29). It doesn't sound like much, but it showed he had decent temperament for batting—something the other England batsmen didn't show that day.

Furthermore his fielding was largely excellent. A series of assured catches and a superb (and fair) run out highlighted this.

He was the biggest positive down the order for me. Hopefully this has secured his one-day place ahead of the turban of turn, Monty Panesar, whose inept fielding and batting mean he should stick to test cricket alone.