Hack Ashes 2006/07 vs 2013/14 Part Deux: The Position.

People seem to forget what a state English cricket was in six years ago. Not two years after this was the Pietersen-Moores stand-off, and the 51 all out vs the West Indies. So maybe, things aren't as bad as they appear. Obviously the 2006/07 Ashes team was one of the best ever put onto a cricket field, and so the 5-0 smashing was more justified than the one just handed out by Darren Lehman's boys. But eerily the problems faced by England are much the same as those presented back then. I'll go through the First XI, then hopefully formulate an answer as to which position is worse - 2007 vs Present day.

1. The Experienced Opener: Strauss vs Cook - Strauss had a terrible tour. Granted he had a few atrocious decisions go against him, but even so he looked vulnerable outside off stump, and demotivated after losing the captaincy. If it wasn't for his magnificent career saving hundred against New Zealand in 2008 the following year, he may have been discarded. Cook too has had problems, both outside off-stump and inside he head. Pietersen-gate may well be the start of the end for his captaincy career, but you would be mad to right him off as a batsman. 0-1

2. The New Opener: Cook vs Carberry - Cook largely struggled in 2006/07, with McGrath and Clark's consistent probing highlighting many technical flaws. His hundred at Melbourne however proved his talent, and marked him as one for the future. If Cook was a question mark, then Carberry is a hole-punch. He looked well equipped but didn't kick on after many starts. His age will also be against him in this 'new era' of English cricket being brought in by Paul Downton. There are names in County cricket, but at the moment that's all they are. 1-1

3. The Young Number 3: Bell vs Root - Ian Bell bulked up mentally and physically for the 2006/07 series, even seeing a psychologist to help combat Shane Warne's sledging. He scored 3 accomplished fifties, and although only averaging 33, he shed his previous 'easy cricket' image after some tough hundreds against Pakistan the previous summer. Joe Root on the other hand is still a 'prospect'. His 87 at Adelaide was possibly England's best knock of the series, but his technique looks all but decimated, with his range of shots so prevalent in India,  becoming worrying lacking. Back to County cricket for some runs I feel.  2-1

4. The Star: Collingwood vs Pietersen - Easy choice, as Pietersen has been dispensed with. Collingwood's grit was the backbone of England's rise to prominence must as Jonathan Trott's has been recently. He piled on match-winning runs in the ODI's and looked (and was) a staple of the national side for years to come. Pietersen has left a big hole, which is frantically trying to be plugged by Eoin Morgan. His First-class average of 32 for Middlesex last summer may suggest the vacancy has yet to be filled. Can you find a replacement for a genius? 3-1

5. The Talent: Pietersen vs Bell - An interesting one in that both reached peaks at these similar junctions. 2006/07 Pietersen smashed an imperious 158 at Adelaide and averaged 54. Bell's finest hour was in the summer's previous Ashes series, and looked mentally weary in this series, but still has his best years ahead of him. Both players faced the question of whether they should move up the order, with Bell actually being forced up to number 3 due to lack of other options. I feel Bell however is the air apparent for the number 4 slot, similar to Pietersen, as a naturally aggressive player who is equally good against both spin and pace. For me however, 2007 takes this one - KP is a genius after all. 4-1

6. The All-Rounder: Flintoff vs Stokes - Flintoff's captaincy was fairly poor in the 2006/07 series, and probably wasn't the right man for the job. He was a talisman, a game-changers, and a great player. But with his injuries, I feel most people knew he wouldn't be around for long. Arguably his best spells came after this series (2008 vs Kallis, and in the 2009 Ashes), but he was never again a permanent fixture of the side. Stokes was a ray of light in an otherwise dark ashes series, and seems to have it all - he's 22 and athletic, with a good batting technique and 90mph bowling. How England manage him will be the real determinant of his future, but at the moment it looks bright. 4-2

7. The Discarded Keeper: Jones/Read vs Prior/Bairstow - Post-2007 onwards saw a constant wicketkeeping battle, with the question of what was better, a 'proper keeper' or a keeper-batsman. With the likes of Chris Read and James Foster queuing up, it was a fair argument. Batting won however, and Prior was given a chance. Now I feel we have the same question, but with none of the choices. Not to say this is a bad thing, merely that the game has changed - players like Steven Davies and Jos Butler are proper batsman with an added string in their bow. Butler needs time but he looks a mighty fine prospect, and I believe we have not yet seen the last of Matt Prior. 4-3

8. The Retired Spinner: Giles/Panesar vs Swann/Panesar/Borthwick - An obvious one, but not closer than people may think. Panesar was obviously a rising star back in 2007 compared to now, but quickly found himself out in the cold due to lack of mystery. You only need to look at selected names like Alex Loudon and Jaime Dalrymple to know that England didn't have a clue which spinner to pick. Even Graeme Swann's selection was initially bemoaned as old-hat, at a time where the Murali hype was still massive and mystery spin was being called for. However, new county regulations have made the experienced spinner a thing of the past, with players like Simon Kerrigan, Danny Briggs and Scott Borthwick all possessing raw talent, but lacking the years necessitating an experienced bowler. Part-timers such as Joe Root and Moen Ali could become more in vogue for a few years, complimenting a reliance of green seaming wickets during English summers. All in all England's spin department is currently looking bare. Time will hopefully bloom a new flower, or this may not be the last series they lose overseas. 5-3

9. The First Change Seamer - Anderson/Plunkett/Mahmood vs Bresnan - In 2007 England didn't have a clue. Any guy that could spell 'reverse-swing' was being asked to fill Simon Jones' massive boots, leading to the selections of James Anderson, Liam Plunkett and Sajid Mahmood, then subsequently Ajmal Shahzad, Darren Pattinson and Amjad Khan. All failed and left with a handful of test caps, different actions and damaged careers, with only Anderson really recovering (because he went back to his non-Kevin Shine given action). Tim Bresnan is reliable. He came into this series under-prepared and shrugging off a recent surgery to put in the hours for the team. All criticism has been incredibly harsh in my eyes. He does the job England ask of him time and again, and given a bit of time off to get fit he will be his usual miserly self again, grabbing key wickets at the right time. 5-4

10. The Leader: Hoggard vs Anderson - Both were/are over-relied upon, and both have bowling averages that indicate this. Anderson is perhaps England's greatest ever test bowler, and for this reason will be harder to replace than Hoggard. In 2007 there was Ryan Sidebottom who put in a few incredible years, while Hoggard was forced out by Anderson himself. This time around though, there isn't an immediate succesor in County Cricket to the swing bowling crown. When Anderson's impressive injury-free run comes to an end, there will be some serious head-scratching from selectors, and his retirement is a dauntingly close prospect. 6-4

11. The Height & Pace - Harmison/ vs Broad/Tremlett/Finn/Rankin - Clearly, England didn't have a replacement for Broad in the recent series, and so gambled, put all their eggs in one giant basket, and selected all three bowlers in the county over 6'6. Compared with the lack of options in England during the 2006/07 series, this may not be a negative - Harmison was so pivotal to England's success that the whole nation gasped when he lost it. Similar shock-waves were not felt when the same felt befell Steven Finn. However, I still feel it was an absolute crime that Graham Onions wasn't brought on the 2013/14 tour. Stuart Broad, the main occupier of the spot with 238 test wickets, is still young at 27 and will be around for years to come. With emerging players like Mark Wood and Toby Roland-Jones on the horizon, England look a lot healthier than in 2007 at what was for a few years a baron pace-wasteland. 6-5

2006/07 - 6
2013/14 - 5
In summary, there isn't too much to choose between the two lows of recent English cricket. Back then no one foresaw the development of Stuart Broad and James Anderson into world-class bowlers, the maturity of Ian Bell, the prolificness of Alastair Cook or the emergence of Graeme Swann and Jonathan Trott. This summer will be big for the young batters around the country, with the likes of James Taylor, Sam Robson and Jos Butler all likely to get their chance. Hard years may again follow, but given the right management and a bit of inspiration, there's no reason why England can't again rise to the top of world cricket.