The Edge

[Cleveleys_claret]

Just watched this for the first time. What an amazing look at England team that got to number 1.

Just shows how much strain it puts on the players mental strength. I remember Monty getting crucified by ex pros like Nasser for being unprofessional because he was a fan of fizzy pop, crisps and chocolate. Trott being questioned in the media as being soft, and the abuse he got on the field from the aussies. Even hardman Flowers admits at the end that he may have done things a little different. Also for all his bravado I felt that KP was probably one of the first England cricketers to question the powers that be that just said play, tour, train, play, tour, train relenrlessly. Maybe in hindsight if Flowers and Strauss would have put an arm round his shoulder it would have helped

It was clear that KP was friends with the more emotional players of the tour like Finn and Trott and maybe without saying it took on their fight as his own.

I dont think we will ever have teams like the England one or the great aussie ones ever again. By that I mean 11/12 players that tour endlessly in their pursuit for being number one and staying as number one. Much like football the countries need squads of players 16/17 that can be rotated as such. At the moment England probably have only 3 players that would get anywhere near that side.