England must complete switch to winning team

13 April 2012

Kevin Pietersen will be the centre of attention at Edgbaston today. But, with or without his now MCC-approved switch-hitting, England want to keep making headlines because of the quality of their limited-overs cricket.

Pietersen's amazing skill in smashing two left-handed sixes inevitably stole the show at Chester-le-Street on Sunday and more unorthodox magic from KP would help to send the crowd home happy tonight after the second NatWest Series one-day international against New Zealand.

While the 114-run win was set up by Pietersen's dazzling century, England's whole performance deserved high praise and merited near perfect marks for batting, bowling and catching. The question now is, having set a standard, can Paul Collingwood's men keep to it?

"We are playing some good cricket," said spinner Graeme Swann, who has forced his way back into the line-up this summer after a poor tour of New Zealand earlier in the year.

"Since Monty Panesar turned the tide in the Old Trafford Test a few weeks ago everything seems to have been on an upward curve. But we are aware that oneday cricket can change on the spin of a coin so we are not going to get complacent. We just want to keep playing as we have done in the last two matches."

Collingwood's team walloped the Kiwis by nine wickets in last Friday's Twenty20 international, then really stuck the boot in on Sunday by scoring 307 for five before dismissing the dispirited looking visitors for 193.

But England have often promised plenty in one-day cricket, only to then fail to deliver. This is the country, remember, that has never won a global limited-overs tournament, so talk of an all-conquering team in the making is way premature.

Since Peter Moores took over as coach 13 months ago, following another dismal World Cup campaign, there have been plenty of ups and downs.

On the plus side, England beat India last summer and then following that success with an even better 3-2 triumph in Sri Lanka. But, in New Zealand, they lost the 50-over series 3-1 after a couple of Twenty20 victories and looked to be almost back to square one.

Now, though, there is an obvious chance to make the Kiwis suffer with four games, including today's, to go before South Africa arrive and offer a fresh challenge.

"I think momentum plays a big part in cricket," said Swann. "It's hard when you're on tour and you have a couple of heavy losses because you can't get away from the cricket, no matter how hard you try.

"So hopefully we'll be trying to make the Kiwis stay as uncomfortable as possible for the next two or three weeks because we know from the experience of last winter there's no better place to be than on tour when you're winning - and no worse place to be when you're losing."

It was barely four months ago that England suffered one of their most humiliating one-day beatings, losing by 10 wickets to New Zealand in Hamilton.

But nine members of that side enjoyed sweet revenge on Sunday with only the injured Alastair Cook (shoulder) and the axed Phil Mustard missing. Just like the Test team, then, consistency has become the name of the game in selection - and maybe most of these players are here for the long haul.

Certainly, Owais Shah seems to be getting the hang of No6, as he showed in Chester-le-Street by blasting 49 off 35 balls to put the finishing touches to Pietersen's demolition work. And young fast bowler Stuart Broad is progressing in leaps and bounds.

Pietersen was man of the match on Sunday, but England appear to have plenty of men for the future right now.

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England must complete switch to winning team

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