England win in New Zealand... Your view
After many nervous nights, after countless twists and turns, England have done it. They've won their first Test series away from home since South Africa in 2005.
But the victory, reviewed here, has produced as many negative as positives. How on earth did England allow such a mediocre Test nation - shorn of the talented Shane Bond for the whole series and Jacob Oram and Kyle Mills in the final match - to come so close to causing a huge upset?
What does the future hold for Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard - and Michael Vaughan, if his current lack of form continues? What can be done about England's frail batting line-up which too often fails to deliver big centuries?
Perhaps it's best to focus on the fabulously consistent performances of Ryan Sidebottom - England's man of the series by a country mile - and the promising start made by Stuart Broad. Even Monty Panesar is back taking wickets!
Send in your thoughts on the above and anything other cricket-related matters using the boxes below.
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Posted by: Alexa Ereanora | 26 October 2008 at 03:42
A patchy series overall which doesn't tell us much about our chances this summer against S Africa or indeed next year's Ashes. So disappointed with Anderson - he's so inconsistent. How can selectors pick him when they've no idea whether he'll spray it all over or look utterly lethal? Well played to 'Sexual Chocolate'. All that hard work in Tiger Tiger in Leeds is paying off!
Posted by: Daniel Beddoes, Warminster | 26 March 2008 at 15:07
Why are they trying to 'tinker' with Monty Panesar, getting him to vary his pace more etc, he is what he is. There is no point in trying to make him more like Vettori because Panesar is a better bowler than Vettori, as the stats show!!!
Posted by: rob h | 26 March 2008 at 13:35
So, England were supposed to win this series; after all, the UK has a population of 60m compared with NZ's 4m. But no-one should forget that NZ's win in the first Test was by the most crushing margin of the three and that NZ managed more than 400 in the fourth innings of the last game -- an extraordinary feat in itself. As for Sidebottom, he's a good bowler under English (and NZ -- very similar) conditions. Get him in Australia or South Africa, though, where the wickets are much harder and the atmosphere drier and much less conducive to swing, and he's just an up and down trundler. England still have a very long way to go.
Posted by: flogger33 | 26 March 2008 at 10:35