Back to the Future

Fred's back - not that you wouldn't have noticed. The return of Andrew Flintoff to England's Test side is a momentous occasion and could have significant bearings on the little matter of the Ashes next summer. England's golden boy is back and his fans are now praying he delivers.

Makes no mistake about it: England need Flintoff in the side. The stalemate with South Africa last week identified two things about this series. One, that South Africa have a batting line-up that will take some doing over, very similar to a certain Australian batting line-up. And two, that England cannot be doing with just four bowlers. I have made this point before - it is all well and good England succeeding against teams like the West Indies and New Zealand with just the four man attack. When the decent teams come calling, it gets a bit harder. Observe England's defeats to India and Sri Lanka last year as evidence of that.

England need a bowler of hostility and quality that can provide a breakthrough or two against strong teams on flat, batting pitches. When South Africa got their heads down at Lords, they made a mammoth score and England simply didn't have the firepower to bowl them out on such a good batting pitch. Admittedly, the Headingley pitch for the second test is more bowler condusive and has a great chance of showing a result but England are right to bring Flintoff back in. Especially so if the bowlers are still suffering from their exploits in the field last week. James Anderson is a doubt with a stiff back and Ryan Sidebottom is also a worry for the match. If you believe the pessimists then Stuart Broad is also doubtful with an ankle problem. It's unlikely all three will miss the game but could you imagine going into a test match with three struggling bowlers and Monty Panesar? It would be carnage.

Hampshire's Chris Tremlett has been brought into the squad as a precaution and, interestingly, England named Nottinghamshire's Darren Pattinson as extra cover, should Anderson and Sidebottom be unavailable. It's a bold move from the selectors who ignored the obvious choices of Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison or even Simon Jones to go with someone who is having a great season but is ultimately unproven. Pattinson, raised in Australia, has been a revelation this season for Notts and has likely been chosen for his ability to swing the ball. Mind you, Hoggard swings the ball better than most and this is his home ground. But what do I know about selecting?

Another interesting issue about the Flintoff recall is his posistion in the batting line-up. Flintoff is down to come in at seven and I think this is a good move. I know I have previously championed Flintoff as a number six but I think playing him one place down is a wise move. Stuart Broad's rapid rise with the bat provides a slight safety net should Flintoff fail straight away and Tim Ambrose is more than capable to bat at six, despite the harsh and pointless criticism of him recently. Flintoff will hopefully now be more comfortable at a lower place and not feel under as much pressure as he would at six. Mind you if he makes hundred then you'll be hearing calls for him to open at Edgbaston.

England had a good-ish test at Lords. They surprised people with their batting and they did manage to bowl out the South Africans once for a low score. But They were toothless on the last two days and England will be desperate for Flintoff to provide them with a spark. Certainly, it is hoped that the batsman continue their success. Or that Michael Vaughan has any success altogether. Ian Bell must surely kick on now and be a more solid batsman. I'm not demanding another 199 but a solid, helpful score will push him higher in many people's estimates.

Predictions? I'm finding it hard to call on this one. I think it obviously depends on which England turn up and if they bat first and make a big socre, I can see them winning. Should the coin fall on the other side and Graeme Smith choose to bat then I can see South Africa batting England out of the match and then ramming home their advantage with the ball. I hate to say but I think it depends on the toss. Either way, all eyes will be on a certain Andrew Flintoff and he will hopefully herald a return to those glory days of 2005.

Gentlemen, Choose Your Weapons

It seems hard to think that it is now three years since England famous Ashes triumph in 2005. Those hazy days of England’s fantastic bowling unit tearing the Aussies to shreds and runs flowing from English bats do seem a long way away now. Since that amazing summer, England have won just four out of the ten series they have played in, including a 5-0 whitewash to Australia themselves.

The team has been torn apart by injuries, built back up, torn apart again by bad form and now re-shaped in a new mould. Is the success still there? Hardly, but back to back series wins against New Zealand have raised an inkling of hope. Prior to that famous Australia series, England passed a real test of their credentials by defeating South Africa. Now, with exactly 12 months until Australia arrive on these shores, England face another crucial and challenging series with the South African’s. But this time, the Saffers look like favourites.

Spearheaded by the world’s number one fast bowler Dale Steyn and runs machines such as Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, South Africa go into Thursday’s First Test at Lord’s looking like an immensely strong team. And, England’s performances of late have been unconvincing. Yet, they are still winning, which is possibly the sign of a champion team. Who knows. What we do know is that if England can win this exceptionally hard series, then they will be a great deal more confident about the prospect of taking those Ashes back from Ricky Ponting next summer.

Can England win it? A lot has been made about the South African attack and its potential to destroy the fragile England batting line-up. Dale Steyn is a formidable bowler, a great deal different from the young speedster who debuted against England in that previously mentioned series. Fast, skiddy and with the ability to swing it late, Steyn is a lethal weapon at the moment and cannot be underestimated. He is complemented by the pace and experience of Makhaya Ntini. He has over 300 Test wickets to his name and has had plenty of success against England in the past. Morne Morkel, at over 6ft, will generate huge bounce and add into the bargain the spin of Paul Harris and you have a great looking attack.

The South African’s also have a potentially powerhouse batting order. The last time Graeme Smith toured England he scored double hundreds in his first two tests - he has the ability to make huge runs. Jacques Kallis is the key to the order. If England can shut him down, then they can potentially shut down the South Africans. Once Kallis gets going, there is often little stopping him, as shown by his three centuries the last time these two teams met. Hashim Amla is also is fantastic form with hundreds in both warm up games. There is the class and exuberance of AB DeVilliers and the experience and guile of Ashwell Prince and Marc Boucher. South Africa could post some huge totals if they get their heads down .

So what is going to stop them? England’s attack is good but inexperienced. The leader of the attack, Ryan Sidebottom, has only been playing Test cricket for a year. However, when he gets it right he is close to perfect. He swings it late, he comes from an awkward angle and, best of all, all underneath a blanket of suffocating accuracy. He wasn’t always at his best against New Zealand and England will need him to fire. Especially if James Anderson isn’t. When the conditions suit him, Anderson is absolutely world class. At Trent Bridge against New Zealand, he was unplayable, taking career best figures. However, when things aren’t with him he tends to go around the park.

England will also hope that exciting pace prodigy Stuart Broad can continue his progress in the international arena. Broad’s ability with the bat appears to have overshadowed his bowling slightly of late but do not underestimate him. He is very accurate and bowls at a lively pace too. He is still learning but he gets better with every series and he could be the surprise package if the South African’s underestimate him. And there’s always Monty Panesar to make thing interesting. Panesar will be expected to out bowl his counterpart, Paul Harris and he will look to out-fox the tourists, some of whom do not have experience playing spin.

England’s batting is worrying. Andrew Strauss aside, they do not appear in the best form and are prone to a collapse or five. However, the talent is there and the SA attack will provide a stern test of their skills. Michael Vaughan (right)generally performs when it matters and Alastair Cook simply needs to convert one fifty into a hundred to get back on his feet. Kevin Pietersen has a brilliance to succeed and Tim Ambrose looks to be competent to judge the situation well and perform. The big question marks are over Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell. Bell has fantastic technique and looks a more gifted batsman than Collingwood, who has plenty of mental toughness and character. However, the abuse he has received since the recent one day series with New Zealand may trouble his head and if he gets out cheaply a few times, his confidence could suffer and England may see him as a liability.

Lining the two sides up against each other makes this series look fascinating. They look so evenly matched it is difficult to firmly predict a winner. However, the fragility of England’s batting makes me think the South African’s will pinch this four match series. The return of Andrew Flintoff would greatly help England’s cause and here are hopes he could return for the second Test.

SA look more capable of winning this one but I’m not backing against England entirely. It seems that, in the noblest of English traditions, when their backs are against the wall, they come out fighting. They are at their best when under the most pressure and I can only hope they will prove me and a lot of people wrong.

Anyone for a Cook double hundred at Lords? Anyone? Please?

All Eyes On Africa

Now that this Euro 2008 business has been sorted out, attention on the international football stage must now turn to the World Cup in 2010. The tournament is to be hosted by South Africa or whoever FIFA chooses to host it should they decide the African’s aren’t up to the job. Spain’s deserved victory in Vienna last week means that they can finally shake off their tag of perennial underachievers - England, however, will have to hold on to that mantle for a while yet possibly.

Two years is a long time in football and a lot could change between now and the weeks in which we make our predictions for the winners of the trophy. Will England qualify this time? Will Spain build on their success? Will Brazil or Argentina be able to offer a sustained threat? Will Croatia and Russia continue to establish themselves as footballing powers? And what the hell will the French bring to the party this time around?

Lets start off with a major issue that is already clouding the tournament before it has even began. South Africa 2010 will be the first World Cup to be held on African soil. But FIFA remain concerned about the African’s ability to host such a prestigious and well attended tournament and there are major worries about the infrastructure and stadiums. All the right words are being said and everybody is trying to put on a positive face on the situation. However, the bare facts are that Sepp Blatter, FIFA President, is genuinely worried. His statement last week that contingency plans have been made in the reality that South Africa are not up to hosting the tournament should be taken seriously. Blatter says that ‘only a disaster would prevent South Africa hosting the finals’ - I wonder how long before this scenario becomes more and more likely.

Back to matters on the pitch. Spain did ever so well to triumph in Austria. Their talented bunch of players finally delivered and gave their long suffering fans something to cheer. Will they kick on from here and remain a major threat? Well, when the Italian’s won the last World Cup, the same was said of them. And they went into steady decline resulting in a disappointing Euro 2008 and the re-appointment of World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi. Spain remains a fantastic side - but with Aragones, the coach, now gone, there is a chance they may rest on their laurels.

Certain players are approaching the wrong end of thirty. Marcos Senna, Xavi Hernandez, Iker Casillas, Carlos Puyol - all key players and all getting on a tiny bit. Still, with the sheer awesome power of the front two Fernando Torres and David Villa, the pace and athleticism of David Silva and midfield class of Cesc Fabregas, it is likely they could still challenge for the biggie in two years time.

The same will most definitely apply to Holland. At times, their football in Euro 2008 was mesmeric. The skill or players like Robben, Van Persie, Sneijder and Van Der Vaart was a joy to behold and they appear to be only getting better. Don’t be surprised on them reaching the final in South Africa and possibly winning it. The Germans also look to have a strong team that will grow in class and ability. They have made good progress since hosting the World Cup and have a fantastic, thinking manager in Joachim Low. They may have seen the best of Michael Ballack but with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Lukas Podolski and Phillipe Lahm, they look to have a strong base on which to build on.

Then we reach the teams who you never know what they will produce. France, World Cup finalists in 2006 to finishing last in the group stage in 2008, remain an enigma. They clearly have not adapted to the loss of Zinedine Zidane and are also an ageing team. However, with players coming through the ranks such as Samir Nasri and Karim Benzema, they look to have a little still left in the tank. Would you ever write them off in a major tournament? The same applies to the Italians, who looked out of ideas at the Euro’s but were still a penalty or two from making the semi’s. Marcello Lippi back as coach can only be a good thing and given the right attitude of some of the players, they could prosper. However, I would not be backing them at this stage.

Brazil will always be a threat at the World Cup. Is it really possible for them to go two tournaments without winning it? Ronaldinho and Ronaldo are most likely past it however, and the team appears to be in a bit of a state. A poor start to the qualifiers and an apparent lack of faith from the fans in the team has raised problems. The Brazilians, though, have class running through their whole team. Kaka, Robinho, Anderson, Dani Alves. It is shockingly hard to imagine them not getting to at least the quarter finals. The same can be said of Argentina, who have retained the core of their team that was expected to win the World Cup in Germany and introduced new blood in Athletico Madrid’s goal machine Sergio Aguero and Real Madrid’s Fernando Gago. They too are in patchy form but you can assume they will clean up their act by 2010 and provide a decent challenge.

And with all this having been said, what now for England? Will they dare not qualify again? One thinks not, especially under the wise eyes of Fabio Capello. England fans will demand at least more fight this time after surrendering meekly when attempting to qualify for Austria and Switzerland. Capello has class to work with - Gerrard, Rooney, Ferdinand, the types of players you should be able to count on. He also has an interesting little pool of young talent with which to consider. The likes of Ashley Young, Joe Hart, David Bentley, Theo Walcott and Tom Huddlestone will all be desperate to impress over the next two years. England, once again, have the basis of a fantastic team but lack the winning mentality and belief. I can see them qualifying and doing well enough to maybe reach the semi’s but winning it may be out of their grasp for now.

And, of course, you can throw into the mix the like of Croatia, Russia, Mexico and Australia, who despite not having the star quality are always likely to perform and believe that they can cause an upset. And what of the home nations? Scotland look to be in fine shape in order to qualify after narrowly missing out for Euro 2008. Northern Ireland have a chance in their group, with every team looking a beatable on their day, the same can be said for the Republic of Ireland.

In the spirit of outlandish predictions that are bound to change in a years time (and then again several months later), here are a few to consider: Holland to win it, beating Brazil in the final. England to lose in the semi’s. Mexico to be the surprise team. Scotland to qualify and then get knocked out in the groups. As usual.

Here’s to two years time.