Cricket is definitely changing. For the worse, in my opinion. I wonder why the governing bodies of cricket can't see it. Old cricketers would certainly agree with me, but even 10 years ago they might have said cricket used to be better. That's how people are, they think everything was best in their time. Except for opportunities. We always hear how we have it easier. I won't argue against it, because certainly as the world is progressing, more opportunities are being created in careers.

I can see why some old cricketers used to feel that cricket was better even though I don’t agree. They feel it because cricket used to be more of a test, the bowlers challenged the batsmen more than they did 10 years ago. And the scales are only shifting further in the batsmen’s favour. Though England is not a heaven for batsmen like most other nations hosting cricket. Even in this day and age, teams can be all out for less than 100, as the recently concluded One-day series between England and Sri Lanka has proved.

I don’t really agree with them, because cricket certainly improved as far as I see it. Both the batting and the bowling improved. And the fielding has evolved the most. The catches that are being taken today were unimaginable a decade ago.

Cricket has been going the same way, agony of the bowlers increasing and the struggle of the batsmen decreasing. Sixes and phenomenal catching are the thing of the day. Why am I unhappy then? If I believed a decade ago that cricket is getting better, why don’t I feel so now?

I’m just unhappy because this new form of cricket, Twenty20 is spoiling the other two formats. At first, I had mixed views about it. My first reaction, “What, 20 over games? Might be good for domestic cricket.” I found it a bit interesting as the first time I heard of it, I saw Stuart Broad bowling for Leicestershire and boy wasn’t he impressive. It was the first time I saw him so naturally my interest was heightened. It was the summer of 2006.

8 years later, I feel Twenty20 is the worst thing to happen to cricket. Even earlier, I didn’t like the idea of a Twenty20 series, 3 of them being played on a tour. I heard the cricketers too first thought of it as a joke. Why wouldn’t they? Children play 5-10 overs games. I -thought grown-ups were made for sturdier stuff than that. The audience has turned a joke into the most popular form of cricket.

What’s sad is that one-day cricket is losing out the most. There are old fellas and also people like me who prefer both Tests and One-day to Twenty20, but at times I’ve found Twenty20 to be more interesting than one-day and that’s because of the interests of cricketers themselves losing interest in one-day.

Who would like one-day now? Some prefer the fast paced 20 over action which only requires you to give as much time as you would to a football game and there are others, who have been fans of Test cricket and the legacy that comes with it for many years. This tells us there are two types of people only. Either those who like history and tough tests or those who like to see sixes and are happy to have the time to watch a full cricket game in 3 hours.

England are in real danger of suffering an embarrassing whitewash in the Ashes series in Australia after a thoroughly dismal three matches so far for Alastair Cook's side.

The 3-0 scoreline, which means the Baggy Greens reclaimed the urn for the first time since 2007, is no more than the home side deserved after totally dominating in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. England, who came into the series as slight favourites in the Ashes betting remember, have failed in pretty much every aspect of the game down under and there are now many questions to answer.

The recriminations - which are totally justified - have well and truly started with plenty of pundits suggesting changes are needed now to try and shake up a team that has underperformed so badly it is barely believable.

The fact newcomer Ben Stokes is the only man to hit a century in three Tests shows you just how poor England's supposed leading batsmen have been. Time and again, skipper Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior have given their wickets away too easily and only Ian Bell can truly say he has played anywhere near his best level on a consistent basis.

The tail have, sadly, been unable to offer much support either with Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Swann struggling to make much impact when it mattered most.

Equally, the bowling and fielding has not been up to the required standard with Anderson and co being nowhere near as dangerours as in the previous three Ashes series' - admittedly on three good batting pitches so far.

So what now? There are two important Tests to come in which England must approach with the positive mindset of at least recovering some pride. Plenty will say, 'what's the point in coming to the party now when the damage has been done and the Ashes lost' but some of the squad could well be playing for their futures.

No matter how the remaining Melbourne and Sydney Tests go, England have been so far behind that serious questions need to be asked and senior players - with the finger being pointed firmly at Cook, Pietersen, Prior and even Broad here - now need to stand up and be counted, if only to save some face.

England all-rounder Stuart Broad has revealed that he has no concerns over what was said between England and Australia players on the field during the first test but he was critical of some of the off-the field talk from the Australians.

England suffered a humiliating defeat by 381 runs in the first Ashes test at Brisbane with their batsmen failing miserably to cope with the short bowling of Mitchell Johnson in particular.

As well as the aggressive short pitched bowling there was also a torrent of sledging which clearly unsettled some of the England players but, for Broad, the on the field verbals are all part of the game.

“I think the on-field stuff has been fine,” the 27 year old said. “You’re playing in an Ashes Test match – you expect it to be tough. I grew up hearing all sorts of stories about ‘sledging’, and on the field I don’t think a line’s been crossed.”

In the aftermath of the first test defeat England’s Jonathan Trott has left the tour citing a stress related illness but before his departure was announced, Australia batsman David Warner was critical of his performance.

For Broad, taking criticism of individual opposition players off the field is a step too far and he would certainly not expect that from his England side.

“Off the field, there have been some mistakes made,” Broad said. “As an England side, we pride ourselves on how we conduct ourselves when talking about the opposition, because you never know what’s going on in their changing rooms and lives,” he added.

Australia will certainly go into the second test buoyed by their dominance at Brisbane but fans know that England still have the quality to turn the series round.

If Broad and his teammates can use the Australians’ on and off the field comments as motivation to lift their game ahead of the second test at Adelaide on 5th December then they could upset the Ashes betting odds and breathe life into the series.

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Kevin Pietersen doesn't lead the life of a movie star but he sure lives in a movie. There has been no shortage of drama from him and the ECB over his future international career. Things finally seem to be going Kevin's way as he was welcomed warmly everyday in the TV studio of ESPN if not in the England dressing room. He offered his charm as well as witty remarks. He fitted well among the experienced commentators and showed that he is almost as entertaining off-field as he is on-field. Just like his switch hit, the gangnam style dance he performed won't be forgotten any time soon.

Early this month, he signed a contract with the England board. They say, both sides are at a loss in a war as both lose their men, resources and peace. It's no different in this battle. Both the ECB and Kevin Pietersen must have done a lot of thinking as the changing scenario kept them on their feet. Neither could guess the next move of the enemy. But, to me it seems KP enjoyed it all. One day, his heart spoke of being 100% committed to playing for England. But, the ECB wasn't satisfied, they asked for more apologies and explanation. They are never satisfied with anything if you ask me. Why else do they keep picking new players every month? Anyway, the next day his ego growled that lions don't bow to anyone. So, he didn't explain further and later accused Swann, Broad and Anderson of bitching behind his back. A few of the English players said they can win without KP. But, KP wasn't concerned, he always knew they were jealous of him. Plus, it wasn't going to take along for them to be proved wrong. Actions speak louder than words but England's inaction in the ICC World Twenty20 without KP spoke the loudest.

No wonder, Flower commented KP is on his way back into the English side a day after the tournament. Whether that was meant to distract us from England's dismal performance or to shut those who think England must bring KP back, it was a welcome statement. And no wonder now England Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad wants to have a beer with KP, the English team could worship KP if that's what he demanded to come back to the side. England have learned that you can't throw your top performers because of your so-called values. We don't need to get serious though folks, the ECB, KP and Stuart Broad never do. It's just a game they love to play. They don't want to make cricket boring by winning all the matches and making all the right choices.

More..

• Australia primed for cricketing comeback
• England's ship was meant to sink
• Title defenders must look for a fresh approach ahead of New Zealand tie
• One-man Urgency not Enough for Stuttering England
• Apprentice Bairstow quickly becomes master

The batting
Crazy, crazy stuff from England. We could not guess it was the semi-final of a world cup if we didn't already know. England gave Luke Wright a go at the opening position, which is a laudable decision as Kieswetter wasn't doing his job. But, to send Bairstow at No.3 was a blunder. He is a finisher and a new member of the team. One of the openers can be so, but No.3 is a position where you need solidity. Samit Patel at No.4 wasn't a bad move though, because Bopara is not in form and Buttler is yet to prove his worth. Though in a big tournament like this, you shouldn't be experimenting with the likes of Bopara and Buttler.

The dictator: Stuart Broad brings his electric aura to the side.

The captain who loves to give surprises
The whole team was an experiment. Some were new, others not in form. I wouldn't blame Bairstow or Hales. The easiest way to make new players uncomfortable is to send them at positions they are not suited for and shoving all the responsibility on their shoulders. The ball before Bairstow got out, Hales and him were involved in a terrible mix attempting a run. And on the next ball, Hales got out as well. It takes time for batsmen to gain an understanding of each other and form partnerships. At least someone experienced like Morgan could be sent at No.3 to support Hales. It did work in the previous game when Wright came at 3 and Morgan at 4. There was no need for these crazy experiments. Broad reminded me he is the same man who couldn't hit the stumps from a two feet distance against Netherlands in the ICC World Twenty20 at home.

The bowler who doesn't get tired of performing
Steven Finn was once again impressive. His progress and consistency is something I'm very pleased with. England would benefit a great deal if they play him regularly in all 3 formats. Only Watson, Balaji, Starc and Mendis have taken more wickets than him in this tournament. And Yuvraj Singh has taken as many as him. Yuvraj and Finn have the best economy rate among these. Finn has also bowled the most dot balls in this tournament so far.


The bowler who doesn't get tired of being smacked
I was stunned to see Jade Dernbach back in the side. Only Raza Hasan, James Franklin, Shapoor Zadran, Chris Gayle, Zaheer Khan and Shahid Afridi have taken less wickets than him. And all of these, except Afridi have bowled less overs than him. He has the worst economy rate of 9.83 among all 38 bowlers in this tournament. And only 8 have a poorer strike rate. Only Cummins and Afridi have a worse bowling average. I don't think I need to say anything more on this.

The players who are exchanging roles
Also, Patel went for 27 in his two overs and Bopara for 12, England need to take note. As we have seen lately, Bopara no longer performs with the bat but he does perform with the ball. And as Samit Patel impressed with the bat, might we say they should swap their roles?

The all-rounder
If there was any man in the English side who looked like an all-rounder, it was Graeme Swann. He not only took 2-26 in 4 overs but also struck 34 off 20 in a tense situation. This is something he always does. Bats with a good strike rate, never wastes deliveries and stays calm under pressure. His strike rate in Tests is 80, in one-day it's 90 and 117 in Twenty20. His bowling averages in all formats are better than James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan. This man must be given an award.

The end
That's all I have to say about England's ousting in ICC World Twenty20 2012. We can only hope they'll learn their lessons. Until then, we can only make fun of them and enjoy the drama caused by Kevin Pietersen and everyone's comments on him. Thanks for reading. Good day!

More articles in this blog:

• Title defenders must look for a fresh approach ahead of New Zealand tie
• One-man Urgency not Enough for Stuttering England
• Apprentice Bairstow quickly becomes master
• England succumb to old failings
• An innings that changed life

England is no stranger to failures, but there is something different this time. They have the memories of lifting the trophy in the Caribbean a couple years ago. So, what if the captain has changed? So, what if Man of the Tournament Kevin Pietersen is nowhere to be seen, except for the studio of ESPN? So, what if Yardy has succumbed to depression? They still got Stuart Broad, this time as captain. Swann, Morgan & Kieswetter too. Finn, if not Sidebottom.

Johny Bairstow looks like a mythical mystical character, like he could beat anyone for the role of prince charming in the TV series Once Upon a Time. Wait, is there something wrong in talking about the looks of a cricketer? Not in the first year, but definitely in a World Cup. When both strike together, you know there is something wrong.

Standing tall: Captain Broad never hides his face.

It's obvious there are too many new players in the English side. Bairstow is merely 23, 4 Tests, 7 ODIs and 13 Twenty20s old. Jos Buttler is 22, has played only one ODI and 14 Twenty20s. Alex Hales is 23, 10 Twenty20s old. And although Kieswetter and Wright have played far more matches than these, they are not reliable or regular. Am not saying fresh energy is bad, it's just that it needs to be balanced out with consistency. England have dug themselves a hole by not taking any experienced batsman like Trott, Bell, KP or Cook with them. But, all is not lost. Winning both of their warm-ups didn't help, but losing to India and West Indies should be enough to provide a wake-up call. A change in tactics and mindset can still take them to the semi-finals. Lumb, in place of Kieswetter and Morgan at No.3 can definitely give the batting line-up a boost. Throw the gloves to Bairstow, Butler or Hales. They are all wicketkeepers for their counties, the latter only an occasional one though.

Jade Dernbach is proving to be too expensive. And England have kept Briggs out in favour of Samit Patel. It would be better to give all 3 spinners a shot. England is a team who is known for it's lack of spinners. But, times have changed. Like other teams are doing, England could make spin a weapon in Asia.

England are next up against New Zealand on September 29 at 10:00 GMT (15:30 local). This game will be played at Pallekele and not Colombo (where England were bowled out for 80 by India) so they should be able to walk past this. A tougher challenge will be posed by home team Sri Lanka, though still at Pallekele. History tells us home teams have not gone beyond quarters in the Twenty20 World Cup, but Sri Lanka is a stronger contender at home. England's run in this Cup was always going to be unpredictable with promising but inexperienced players, so I'll be disappointed if they don't throw any more surprises our way.