Freddie’s on fire but he’s getting no support
Whether it be with bat, ball, or in the field, England have almost been a one-man team in the opening two days of this third Test.
From one to 11 the only man to have played with any kind of confidence at all is Andrew Flintoff and if England are to steal anything from this match then the rest of his team-mates will need to take his lead.
Flintoff’s bowling in the final session last night was Freddie of old – fiery and intimidating, and for the sake of English cricket, it was good to watch.
Unfortunately, though, he was pretty much on his own as James Anderson and even Ryan Sidebottom bowled poorly all day despite conditions being very much in their favour.
Both would have been encouraged by the swing on offer and movement off the seam, but all too many deliveries were wide and very few pressured the South African batsmen into playing at them.
Confidence
Conditions also suited England’s batsmen on Wednesday, but once again the top order failed to provide any kind of winning platform.
Michael Vaughan’s first-ball duck riled his critics further, while Paul Collingwood’s failure heaped more pressure on the under-fire selectors. Collingwood now has one chance and one chance only. Nothing short of a big score in the second innings will save him from the axe at The Oval, and maybe even beyond.
Colly looked worryingly out of sorts with bat, ball and in the field. His footwork was all over the place at the crease and his day yesterday consisted of two expensive overs and a dropped catch. In a word, this is a guy playing with very little confidence and that can only be improved upon with a return to regular cricket at Durham.
If this Test ends in a series-settling defeat then all eyes will be on selectors Geoff Miller and Hugh Morris ahead of The Oval Test. The likes of Rob Key, Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara are in form and overdue a call-up, but how far would they be prepared to go?