A lot happened in a couple of months in Australia and since
with Kevin Pietersen’s forced retirement
the England team lining up for the first test with Sri Lanka will look vastly
different from the team at the start of the first test of the ashes.
I feel there are 5 certainties from the team that played the
last test in Australia. Whatever the batsmen’s culpabilities Alastair Cook and Ian
Bell are now the two established quality batsmen in the team. Ben Stokes showed
enough in the ashes to warrant continued selection. At the time of his
selection it was debateable whether he should have even being in the squad but
to not select him now would be a massive mistake. You find a space for him in
the team. You build a team around a player of his potential ability. Anderson
and Broad achievements speak for themselves and whilst Anderson may not have
quite the spark he once had, the lack of decent alternatives means that there
is no pressure on him selection wise. This is a worry going forward but for now it's something England will have to deal with.
The most pressing and likely problematic position will be
the spin bowler. Monty Panesar’s increasingly ragged action, mediocre
performance and off- field problems means he is become increasingly hard to
pick. England I feel may wish to start again in this regard. Scott Borthwick
played the last test in Australia but he is still miles away from being a
frontline bowler. He didn’t show in the test but he is currently a better
batsman than bowler. His bowling is really on the level of an occasional bowler
at international level and it says something that I think Steve Smith is the
better bowler – and there were two or three better leg spinners competing at
the u19 World cup. He offers no control and although he is quite useful at
picking up a wicket or two and occasionally running through a tail his legbreak
isn’t consistent enough and doesn’t turn enough and his variations aren’t good
enough. Borthwick’s best bet of international success is going down the Steve
Smith route of a top order batsman and occasional bowler. Simon Kerrigan has
been the best regular wicket-taker in county cricket over the last few years
but I can’t see how England can select him after his disastrous debut. I just
can’t see Cook having any faith in his ability. Ollie Rayner is a good county
cricketer but he needs to put together more consistent performances; not just
half a season. He has still been in and out of his county team over the last
few years and his batting has fallen away to a degree. I’m not sure he has the
quality of someone like Swann who was plucked from relative obscurity and put
into international cricket. James Tredwell at 32 is simply not going to cause
enough problems and would be a backwards thinking move.
There are no outstanding options. England are left with a
paltry group of spinners following Swann’s retirement and Panesars fall in
form. There is no strong candidate. Fortunately this summer England are playing
Sri Lanka and India at home so I don’t imagine the wickets will be particularly
helpful for spinners and regardless of the spinner we put out the Sri Lankan
and Indian batsmen would likely feel comfortable against any of the spinners. Moeen
Ali would be the enterprising and correct decision for me. Ali at Worcester is
the frontline spinner. He is an attacking offspiner who gives the ball plenty
of flight and looks to challenge the batsman and along with Kerrigan and Rayner
has been one of the top wicketaking spinner bowlers in county cricket over the
last two years. Of course the added benefit of Ali is his batting. At Worcester
he is a number 3 and has scored prolifically the last couple of seasons and also
performed well with the lions this winter. He seems to have tightened up his
game quite a bit in the last year or two and is more disciplined outside the
off stump to go with his wide range of pleasant strokeplay. I don’t think he is
ready solely as a batsman or bowler for international level at present and for
that reason I’d bat him at 6 or 7 (with Stokes at 6/7 and a keeper at 8) but he
has the potential to be a top 6 batsman although I doubt he is a long term sole
spinner option. England’s batting order is going to be weaker than it was last
year and having Ali as the spinner will do something to add a bit of depth to
it and hopefully make it harder to beat. Stokes means that Ali is part of a 5
man attack not 4. The only spinner you could consider as part of 4 man attack
is Panesar but it is debateable that his form is good enough as of now; Stokes
allows you to play Ali as the spinner which also strengthens the batting which
is slightly weakened by having Stokes at 6.
If I assume Ali bats 6 and Stokes 7 this means there are 3
top order batting spots up for grabs. This is probably up for some debate and
you could settle on any number of players and combinations. I haven’t been one
of James Taylor’s fan boys but I think it is time to give him a solid run at
international cricket. He has continued to perform well for the lions and work
hard training around the world. To not select him now when so many positions in
the batting order are up in the air would be unjust and suggest scoring runs
has little effect on who is selected.
Joe Root for me has shown enough character and ability to be
continued with but he needs to have a settled role either in the middle order
or as an opener. For the other slot I’d be inclined to continue with Ballance.
He is a solid accumulator and Taylor aside is the most prolific of the rest of
the guys on the county circuit.
Of the other options to warrant consideration you have Sam
Robson, Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow and Nick Compton. Robson has an outside
chance as he can have only impressed on the lions tour but I feel he hasn’t
done enough to overtake Taylor and Ballance and Root will be given time to sink
or swim in international cricket. Robson will still have the opportunity in the
future but I don’t think England will be certain enough of Robson’s ability to
bring him instead of Root who looks capable of a long international career.
Morgan has been mentioned by some and he has done his bit by dropping the IPL
but his technique is shoddy and he really has done nothing in first class
cricket to warrant test selection. Bairstow’s technique still needs a lot of
redeveloping and he surely will be given time to go back to Yorkshire and maybe
in the future he will come back as England keeper. Compton may have an outside
chance if England decide they made a mistake in disposing of him too early but
I’d suggest it’s unlikely and in his time in the team England concluded he
simply wasn’t good enough for international cricket and given his middle age in
cricketing terms had little time to improve.
With Root, Ballance and Taylor selected they all slip in
very easily to their spots. Root as the only opener will open with Cook.
Ballance to his detriment has batted at 6 for too long at Yorkshire and so
likely can only bat at 5 for England and Taylor slots in at 3 or 4, and I’d go
at 3 because this allows Bell to stay at 4 and so can hopefully guide the
inexperienced middle order.
The keeper who will bat at 8 in this team is down to Matt
Prior or Jos Buttler. If he was to bat at 7 I’d be against Buttler but I can
see the argument that if you want to really start again he’d be a good bet.
Craig Kieswetter really hasn’t kicked on and Steven Davies has struggled for
form and mental wellbeing the last couple of years which is a shame as both
have masses of ability. Prior I feel is the best choice. He was for a while
overrated by England fans but he is still England’s best keeper batsman and as
long as he can prove that his form against Australia was some kind of
aberration and give some proper consideration to his batting he should slip
back into the team to add some much needed grit and experience. Buttler could
play and would be a forward thinking option and batting at 8 he would be far
less exposed but I’d like for him to have some more keeping at Lancashire
before England risk him in test cricket. Also long term you have to be looking
for the keeper to bat at 6 or 7 and I don’t think Buttler is there at this
point so even though he will be batting at 8 in this team there needs to be
some forward thinking in that regards.
One seamers position remains open to go with Broad, Anderson
and Stokes. Stokes playing as an allrounder gives the team the option of many
different characters for the third seamer. If you had a very fast but slightly
erratic bowler you could consider due to the cover that Stokes provides.
England don’t really have that. Mills is talented but needs more cricket under
his belt before he can risked. Jamie Overton might be a consideration if the
season started well as he is a strike bowler who bowls with good pace and
swings the ball. He definitely has the talent but I feel he still needs time to
develop his game. It won’t be long though before England give him a go as they
won’t want him to waste away in the county game. Boyd Rankin I feel has had his
chance given his poor debut and the lingering doubts over his fitness record.
Steven Finn will come again but he’ll be left to himself in county cricket for
a while. Reece Topley would be another
outside the box choice. He is primarily a swing bowler and seems to have lost
some of his pace since regularly playing county cricket. This is a shame
because at 6’7’’ with the natural inswing he gets from his high action he would
be another good option to the attack but his pace has really fallen away and
has struggled in foreign conditions with the lions.
If you look at a few more reliable options you have Graham
Onions and Tim Bresnan. Onions will probably get the gig as much because he
wasn’t selected for the ashes. He’s has lost a lot of his pace and has had it a
little too easy on some bowling favourable wickets in county cricket – but his
figures will be hard to overlook given the alternatives. He might prove me
wrong but I doubt whether he quite has the class anymore to cause international
class batsmen problems when conditions aren’t exactly in his favour. Bresnan is
only a possibility because of the lack of alternatives. England have carried
the average Bresnan for too long. Stokes bowling is probably already on a par
with that of Bresnan and although they aren’t in direct competition for a spot
in the team I really think he becomes more inconsequential by the day.
Bresnan’s batting isn’t good enough to make up for his lack of threat with the
ball. He isn’t bad at bowling economically but surely he needs to do more than
that? I guess the other option as a third seamer is Chris Woakes. He continues
to impress with the lions and the word is his bowling is still improving. If
they wanted to be conservative I’d be much more inclined to go with Woakes than
Bresnan as Woakes is the better batsman and at least his bowling is going in
the right direction unlike Bresnan who only seems to get worse.
If you were to play Panesar or Kerrigan as the spinner
Woakes again becomes a possible option as the third seamer in a four seam
attack as he would strengthen the low order in the same way Ali is doing in my
proposed team. I have doubts whether Woakes will ever be good enough for
international cricket but England aren’t blessed with a multitude of options
and so have to make all of their resources. Making England hard to beat should
be a first priority on what is likely to be a tough start to a new era. However
bad Sri Lanka and India are in non sub continental conditions this summer they
should prove a worthy contest. This is by recent times a weak and inexperienced
England team coming off a humbling winter. Under normal circumstances this
summer could be poor with a 5 test series against India being very one sided
but personally I feel like it could well be an exciting and close summer
between two teams at the early stages of their current development. I actually
fancy India to win this summer.
It will be a great chance for those in county cricket to
push extra hard this year. With so many positions up for grabs and with so
little experience behind those who will play even if someone doesn’t start the
summer in the England team they could well end the season in the team. It’s an
exciting time to be a young English player. It’s debatable whether there is the
talent there to replace those who have been lost and it will be a struggle for
a few years but it’s time to move on and start again. Let’s hope that it’s an
exciting time and they leave behind a lot of the bad feelings that have arisen
in the last year or so.
Cook, Root, Taylor, Bell, Ballance, Ali,Stokes, Prior, Broad,
Anderson, Onions
The top 5 are accumulators for the most part who are
generally unflashy and generally aren’t the most fluent of run scorers. The
next three are more aggressive attacking players and they should play in such a
manner. The batting is deep to make up for losing the likes of Pietersen and
Trott- and because Stokes and Ali perform dual roles. The four pronged seam
attack looks good with plenty of skills with both the new and old ball. The
slight shame with a four pronged seam attack is the lack of out and out pace.
Although Broad, Anderson, and improving Stokes have good old ball skills when
it is really flat this team could be a little vulnerable without a quality
spinner or strike bowler. Ali is an attacking spinner and without seeing him in
international cricket I’m not sure about how he will adjust to the containing
role against batsmen who will be likely aggressive against him. The keeper bats
at 8 because Prior or Buttler are more experienced at dealing with the tail
than Stokes or Ali who have both batted in the top order for most of their
first class career. Also potentially in the future Stokes and Ali will bat in
the top 6 and England need to be sure they are good enough for that spot.
Batting Ali at 8 won’t tell them much about his batting.
Cook, Root, Taylor, Bell, Balance, Stokes, Prior, Broad,
Anderson, Kerrigan, Onions
If you wanted or needed to go with a specialist spinner I
feel your left with either Panesar or Kerrigan, neither of whom offer anything
with the bat and in the field (although Kerrigan has improved his batting
recently and is capable of holding an end). This would mean that Stokes
remained at 6 and with the top order batting weakened by the loss of KP and
Trott the batting really would be a weakness- and there is no guarantee either
Kerrigan or Panesar are going to have much impact as bowlers against SL and
India at home.
Cook, Robson, Root, Bell, Taylor, Balance, Prior, Stokes,
Broad, Anderson, Panesar
Some people have mentioned using Stokes as the third seamer
and batting him at 8. I am completely against that selection. Put him as the
third seamer and he’ll never reach his potential. Stokes can be a number 6
capable of scoring hundreds and taking 5 wicket hauls but by putting him at 8
you cap his future growth by telling him he’s a bowler. At Durham he has been
well managed and rarely bowls more than 15 overs in a day. Stokes is a rare
commodity and shouldn’t be wasted or knackered before he has had time to
develop both parts of his game. A World class allrounder can elevate an average
team. This kind of team is too weak
bowling wise and would put a massive burden on the three seamers one of which
isn’t used to a heavy workload and another getting on in years and needing to
be managed.
Cook, Root, Taylor, Bell, Ballance, Stokes, Prior, Woakes,
Broad, Anderson, Panesar
The other variation on the previous team would be to have
Stokes remain at 6 but Woakes be the third seamer with a proper spinner
selected. Woakes at 8 lengthens the batting again and the bowling still has
four seamers plus a decent spinner. This is my favoured selection at the Oval and Old Trafford.
