Flower’s blossoming of England puts them on the brink of top spot

With the conclusion of the Lord’s Test on Tuesday, England ensured an eighth Test series in a row without defeat. Since coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss took over their long-term roles after defeat in the West Indies two years ago, England have not only remained unbeaten but have never failed to win a series at home - a record likely to extend should they avoid a loss at Southampton next week. Adding this record to the historic Ashes wins both home and away, and this is not only a successful team - it is England’s best team for decades. It comes as a rather frank conclusion given that it is hard to see what has really changed. Many of the names on the team sheet began their careers as perennial under-achievers. Ian Bell, Matt Prior, James Anderson and even Strauss have all been dropped from the side at least once, while Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad have had numerous questions asked of them in the past. Of the key players in this line-up, only the steadfast Jonathan Trott has been the new face amongst the dressing room. While the Cape Town born batsman has delivered some astonishing returns, including six centuries in his 31 innings, he has not needed to be the star - rather, he has been just one name in an increasingly tough-looking batting order. Rather than finding the new talent, Flower has worked with the talent he had - having been an assistant coach under previous incumbent Peter Moores - and matured his players into the unit they were always capable of becoming. Bell and Alastair Cook may have endured endless criticism during their haphazard first few years, but since the 2009 Ashes their returns have been astronomical. It used to be that averaging 40 was the mark of a good batsman, but these two have been averaging 74 and 67 respectively, with 14 centuries between them. The improvement has come with work and discipline, with Bell removing the concentration errors that so frustrated his fans, and Cook learning to rely on his impeccable temperament rather than his imperfect technique. Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Matt Prior, meanwhile, has undergone a similar renaissance. Having been dropped from the side for his poor standard of glovework, his return under Flower has featured a marked improvement behind the stumps, while still living up to the batting credentials that initially got him into the side. But it is England’s bowling attack that has set them apart in recent months. The key turnaround is their new-found ability to hunt as a pack, keeping the opposition under wraps with tight lines and subtle movement, waiting for one to rise up and take to the attack. Bowlers like Stuart Broad and Anderson, who always had the talent to get through a batting line-up, have learned to not lose their line and length when the ball isn’t moving as much or things aren’t quite in their favour. Anderson is the finest example of this. In the 2010 English summer he could almost do what he wanted. Faced with Pakistan and Bangladesh’s misfiring batting line-ups and armed with a swinging Duke ball he wreaked havoc. Next, when conditions didn’t suit as well in Australia, and being up against much more seasoned opposition, he knew enough to bowl the right line, keep his length full, and frustrate the Australians into poor shots against a ball that moved just a touch further than they thought. The wickets piled up. Graeme Swann would not have been anyone’s favourite for the world’s leading spinner on his debut three years ago, but here he is. Having been called up as a teenager, Swann was dropped back into county cricket and left to do the hard yards. An unusually attacking off-spinner, Swann has forged his game over the years in the Championship and has emerged as a key figure in the balance of the side. His off-breaks being a wicket taking threat has allowed the use of a four-man attack, giving depth and therefore confidence to an emerging batting order. Another name back from the county cricket wilderness is the towering Chris Tremlett, a man plagued by injuries but has matured just at the right time, again being years after his 2007 Test debut. Recalled for the Ashes squad in 2010-11, Tremlett was an immediate success and his imposing pace and bounce looks to make him the final link in the attack. The reserves have also come to the fore in recent months with Steven Finn and the Yorkshire duo Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad all enjoying successful starts to their Test careers, a luxury England has not enjoyed for some time, Perhaps the only worry for this side has been the performances of former star man Kevin Pietersen. Having lost the captaincy and struggled with injuries in 2009, he has since struggled to match the output of his team-mates - and appeared to pick up an inexplicable weakness to left-arm spin. It is not the case that KP has been a failure in this time, having hit a tremendous double-century in Adelaide to put England towards their first win of the 2010-11 Ashes. He has simply gone from the headline name to an also-ran within his own team, and being a cricketer with a reputation as ego-centric and introspective, perhaps that is where his issue lies. The new and improved professionalism of this side is perhaps best reflected in the number of results that have gone their way when perhaps they shouldn’t. Nail-biting draws at Cardiff, Centurion and Cape Town in 2009-10 came at the end of Tests where England were certainly outplayed, yet still clung on to deny their opponents victory. It was a similar story in Brisbane last November. England conceded a huge first-innings lead, but fought back to 517-1, leaving the Australians wondering how to take their wickets. England have been beaten in Tests over the last two years, against Australia, South Africa and Pakistan and beaten heavily, and it’s looking like that’s what is necessary - England don’t just subside anymore. If you want to beat them, you’ve got to really beat them. So we come to the important question. Is this the world’s No 1 team? Not yet they aren’t, neither statistically nor theoretically, until they beat India this summer. India have enjoyed a similar blooming under captain MS Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten, but their unbeaten run extends back into 2008. Not only that but so many results have gone to the Indians that they have shot to the No 1 ranking. In order for England to be taken seriously as the world’s best, they will have to claim the title from this summer’s tourists. It will provide an interesting challenge for England’s new and improved batting, as with the exception of Dale Steyn in South Africa in 2009-10, they are yet to take on a fast bowler with the class and guile of Indian spearhead Zaheer Khan. The Indian back-up seamers have less impressive records, having produced several poor spells recently, but the likes of Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma have been known to bring forth pace and aggression to take the wickets required. Nonetheless, they will be confident of overcoming an attack very reliant on its one world-class paceman. The key to the battle will doubtlessly be to break through India’s stellar batting. The touring side will feature several of the best batsmen of this generation, including Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and of course the matchless Sachin Tendulkar. Not only that but it is further bolstered by the likes of Gautam Gambhir and Dhoni himself, both of whom have proven their class at international level. England, however, have as good a chance as anyone to do it for a long time coming. Their bowling attack is statistically the best in the world by some distance over the last year, features enviable depth and has just made fools of the quality Australian and Sri Lankan top orders. Time and again the word from the England camp has been their push to become the world’s finest Test team, and this summer could not be a more crucial part of it. Now is their time - they are to finally able to step onto the field and prove it.