Whilst England continue to step up their preparations for
the Ashes with their final warm-up game, Graham Onions is currently slugging it
out for the Dolphins franchise in South African domestic cricket. Onions was
not an unexpected omission from the Ashes squad, but he is certainly the most
unfortunate of those who got left behind.
It has been a long and frustrating battle back to the top
after a debilitating and career-threatening back injury. It came at the worst
possible time in early 2010; Onions was beginning to establish himself in the
international set-up after making his Test debut in 2009 against the West
Indies. He went on to play a major role in England’s Ashes success later in the
summer.
He then went on to secure a place in English cricket
folklore, by saving not one but two Tests against South Africa. By batting out
the final deliveries of the two respective matches from No.11, he delivered a
calmness and steely determination that was lacking in some of his more senior
colleagues.
His reward for these efforts was to be dropped for the final
Test of the series, which England promptly lost. Then came the back injury, it
would be nearly two and a half years before he played Test cricket again,
although this was only a solitary game against the West Indies when the series
had already been won.
He was in and around the squad all this summer, yet never
got a game for England. Instead Onions had to settle on simply being on the
outside looking in. All the while the accurate fast bowler was busy combining
his drinks carrying duties with another extraordinary season for Durham.
He took 70 wickets in the County Championship at an average comfortably
below 20. It is a magnificent record; the form of Onions undoubtedly one of the
key reasons why Durham clinched the title.
Yet when it came to the announcement for the squad Down
Under, the England selectors ignored this impressive form and went for a
predictable if somewhat risky decision. James Anderson aside, they selected a
group of giant fast bowlers in Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, Boyd Rankin and Chris
Tremlett. This left the English seam attack looking increasingly like the
Monstars from Space Jam, as England look to fully exploit the much livelier and
bouncier pitches that they will likely encounter in Australia.
There is clearly a feeling that Australia’s flaky top-order
aren’t the biggest fans of hostile fast bowlers (mind you who is?), especially Captain
Michael Clarke. England repeatedly went after Clarke with the short ball all
summer, and often had success giving credence to this particular tactic.
However this sledgehammer strategy does lack a lot of finesse.
If the pitches aren’t as quick and bouncy as they’re expected
to be, then what? England’s attack is in danger of looking very samey with the
enforced absence of Tim Bresnan through injury and the non-selection of Onions.
In these days of DRS, the value of an accurate
wicket-to-wicket bowler increases. Add into the fact that Shane Watson’s front
leg is more deeply rooted than most of Sherwood Forest, then there is no doubt
that Onions would be a major asset for this side. I’m not arguing that he
should be in the side for every Test, but there are few who deserve a place in
the squad more than Onions.
Andy Flower and the England selectors seem to have a real
disdain for County cricket, to the extent where this blind-spot could become a
weakness. Onions is the biggest victim of this and must be left wondering if he’s
destined to never add to the nine Test caps that he already has.
I for one hope that his spell at Dolphins is interrupted by
a delayed call-up, after all it’s the very least he deserves.
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