Ben on...England not looking so flash either

Immediately after my rather pessimistic look at New Zealand's poor position in the player ratings, Cricinfo ran a pessimistic story about England's recent form. Apparently England, whose fortunes were so high when they won the ashes in 2005, have slumped to a level of mediocrity not seen since the years leading up to 1999. Significantly perhaps, the earlier period of mediocrity culminated in a series defeat to New Zealand. (Predictably, a slump in form isn't considered to have reached its nadir until New Zealand beats you.) Perhaps history will repeat itself.