Test team 2017/18 analysis

Following on from the previous blog some thoughts on the test team.

Cook(33), Chopra(30), Trott(36), Root(27), Thakor(24), Bairstow(28), Stokes(26), Broad(31), Roland-Jones(30), Topley(23), Kerrigan(28)

In county cricket at present there is a lack of quality openers both young and experienced. Root, Chopra and Hales are the obvious three. Root has made his way into the England team already and doesn’t look out of place starting against spin in the middle order. We’re yet to see him against quality pace and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is troubled – I just feel he may be better suited to the middle order. Hales has done well in county cricket and is a clean hitter who surely will be involved in ODI and T20 cricket. I’m not sure he quite has the attitude and technique to make it in test cricket. Chopra was an u19 starlit with England before falling back for a few years. Since he has moved to Warwickshire he has had a resurgence and with Nick Compton was the only other player to make 1000 runs in the last two seasons. Chopra is technically correct with a compact style and aggressive puller off the back foot. If he continues on his current path I feel he could well make his way into the England team in the next couple of years and be a successful test opener.

Root will find himself at 4 between the solid top 3 and protecting the more aggressive next three. Shiv Thakor has easily made the transition from u19 cricket to first team cricket at Leicestershire and has earned rave reviews from his teammates and journalists alike. He also provides a decent medium paced alternative. Picking Thakor in this team is a bit of a punt and it’s likelier that someone who has been involved in the lions like James Taylor will be there. But history says that it’s more than likely that there will be at least one youngster in there and Thakor is currently the strongest of the u20 batsmen so he gets this spot.

 I’ve placed Bairstow at 6 and as wicketkeeper. There are a number of decent potential options of wicketkeepers that are likely to be around in 5 years time (Buttler, Kieswetter, Foakes, S Davies, A Davies, R Burns) but Bairstow is in pole position having already made his test debut as a batsman and now being the frontline ODI keeper. Players like Buttler, Foakes and Burns will struggle to make it as international wicketkeepers if they are stuck behind colleagues at county level.

Ben Stokes bats at 7. Finding balance to any team is tough and I’m hoping that Stokes and Thakor develop their bowling in such a way that they combine to be a good fourth seamers option and third seamers option in Asia if England want to play two spinners. Stokes has possibly more natural batting talent for demolishing attacks than anyone in county cricket at present. He has struggled with injury in the last couple of years but at 21 and currently with 6 first class centuries in the first division to his name it is likely a matter of time before he gets a chance. There are some small attitude and fitness concerns that have been raised and it will be a shame if his huge talent is wasted. Stokes would be good enough to bat anywhere between 5 and 7 but finds himself at 7 to give himself free reign to play aggressively; Bairstow is the better batsman and with Stokes having to fulfil bowling duties 7 looks the best spot. Someone like Chris Woakes may turn into a good enough batsman to bat at 7 in test cricket but you can’t help but think that his bowling isn’t quite good enough for international cricket. Other options could be Craig Overton who at 19 has already made his way into the Lions team. It is not clear yet which is his stronger discipline but he is tall and has a good bowling action whilst being a conventional batsman.

In terms of spin bowling allrounders there isn’t much in county cricket but I would like to pinpoint two names. Liam Dawson, a left arm bowler is slowly developing his bowling game; has plenty of experience of batting high up the Hampshire order; and is an expert slip fielder. He is only 22 currently but with vast experience of county cricket(173 matches). Whilst his batting currently is his strong suit he isn’t overly talented in this regard. It is his spin bowling that impresses me and I feel there is a lot there to work with. Zafar Ansari is the other name who I am intrigued about. Also a slow left armer he would compliment a right arm offspinner in the team. Batting is Zafar’s strong discipline at present and it is in OD and T20 cricket that he has really shone. He has looked completely at ease in television games with a wide range of strokes and an ability to score quickly without hitting the cover off the ball. Both Dawson and Ansari at present are long shots but I wouldn’t be surprised at some point in the future if one of these players makes it to test cricket.

Broad if fit should be going strong with his batting keeping him in the team even if his pace falls further. 

Topley is the likeliest of the youngsters in county cricket to make it in my opinion. Currently 18 he bowls at around 85mph from 6’7’’, left arm over and swings the ball. The current England team lacks variation and Topley being a left armer could easily answer that problem. He has already proved a vital member of the Essex 4 and 1 day teams and if he continues on his current path I can see him making the ODI or T20 teams in the next couple of years with test cricket coming soon after. Keith Barker and David Willey are both good prospects who offer another left arm option. Both swing the ball and both are capable batsmen who could bat at 8. Unfortunately both at present are a bit short of pace. If they could find some more pace they could keep out Topley due to their allround package and greater experience. 

Batting at 8 I placed Toby Roland-Jones. This was a tough one. TRJ is hardly express pace and at 25 he is some way behind his younger rivals who have played a lot more cricket at their counties or for the Lions. TRJ is your typical English type bowler bowling a good line and length and relying on seam rather than vast swing or pace to take wickets. Due to his relative lack of pace he bowls a fuller length than most tall bowlers and this is where his success comes from.  He builds pressure and is a leaner version of his mentor at Middlesex at Gus Fraser. Averaging 20,22,23 in the 3 formats is some achievement and if he continues it will be hard for the selectors to overlook. It is possible you could see Middlesex bowlers TRJ and Steven Finn bowling in tandem for England one day(although not in this team). What could push TRJ over the line is his ever improving batting which he works hard on. Another new colleague at Middlesex James Harris is a similar bowler relying on accuracy and seam movement rather than raw pace to vex batsmen. TRJ to me has the edge due to his height but Harris has a chance.

In truth I’m slightly worried about England’s spin bowling options once Swann and Panesar go. Simon Kerrigan is the furthest developed of those in county cricket at present. He bowls with good flight and variation but loses marks for his poor batting and fielding. Really a modern day spinner in England should be learning to bat from an early age because there are occasion when you aren’t going to be needed to bowl and you may have to contribute with the bat – unless you’re a world class spinner such as Murali in which case you can do what you want. Other options may be Azeem Rafiq and Sam Wood but Rafiq to me looks nothing but a good county cricketer and Sam Wood is yet to play regularly. Both are good fielders and could bat 8 though which are positives- they would also offer a better option if paired with a SLA allrounder than Kerrigan. Danny Briggs doesn’t turn the ball enough and is no longer a regular at first class level and Scott Borthwick will never bowl enough to be a frontline bowler. It’s a big worry and the main problem on the horizon.

Jamie Overton was another possibility but at present is too raw to provide a judgement on. He has shown exceptional pace and an ability to swing the ball. There is raw talent and many within the England setup will be excited about him. You feel he could be playing international cricket by 21 or he could be struggling in the seconds. Stuart Meaker is pushing hard at present but I worry that apart from his pace I’m not sure he offers enough skills. He has also slightly disappointed me in that he seems to be a high 80’s mph bowler rather than the early 90’s that some were predicting.