STAY POSITIVE TO TURN TIDE
England need Stokes and Buttler … and to dismiss the selectors
The cricketing summer was ignited by Pakistan’s brilliant first-Test victory at Lord’s and now it is england who are left needing answers if they are going to hit back in the season’s showpiece Test series. here we look at the major issues facing england ahead of the second Test...
SELECTION PUZZLE
The shemozzle of Lord’s, where the selectors picked a squad against the wishes of coach and captain, highlights the clash of philosophies between James Whitaker’s panel and Trevor Bayliss that has to be addressed.
The warning signs were there when the selectors retained Nick Compton against all of Bayliss’s positive instincts for the Sri Lanka series and they did it again by picking Gary Ballance for the first Test against Pakistan after the Australian had advocated Ben Stokes or Jos Buttler.
Not to mention the ridiculous situation where a fit Jimmy Anderson was left out. Now that clash has been underlined by a 14-man second-Test squad which betrays uncertainty over the best options.
When Andrew Strauss took over as director of cricket he was widely expected to disband the selection panel but england won the Ashes against the odds last summer so the status quo was retained. Now is the time for Strauss to follow his instincts and leave selection to Bayliss and Alastair Cook with input from scouts.
There is footage of every county game available for the coach to look at now, so there is no reason why Bayliss cannot learn all he needs to know about players he is unfamiliar with without setting foot in a county ground.
There has been a revolution in the way england play over the last year or so, inspired mainly by Bayliss and his assistant Paul Farbrace, and that should not be allowed to be checked by the more cautious approach of the panel.
GO ON THE ATTACK
MUCH has been made of Bayliss’s belief in positive cricket but it does not mean giving wickets away recklessly as england did at Lord’s on Sunday when they had close to two full days to score 283 to win. It means being positive in decision- making and looking to take the attacking option whenever possible.
That means picking players like Stokes as a specialist batsman, as they had the chance to do at Lord’s, and getting Jos Buttler back into Test cricket as soon as his broken thumb is healed, with gloves or without. What they don’t need are brainless shots epitomised by Moeen Ali’s irresponsible approach to Yasir Shah.
ALI SHUFFLE?
The frustrating thing about Moeen’s embarrassing demise to Yasir is that brainless is the last thing he is. he is an intelligent man and a gifted all-round cricketer but he is in danger of falling short of fulfilling his immense potential.
It is only his 150 at Durham against Sri Lanka earlier this season that is keeping Moeen in the team and the inclusion of Adil Rashid in that squad for Old Trafford means the pressure is increasing.
Bayliss has said england will not return to No 1 in the Test rankings until they have a world- class spinner but in truth they rarely have had one throughout their history and Moeen is no nearer replacing Graeme Swann — who really was world-class — than when he was introduced in 2014.
The time will come soon to see whether Rashid can become england’s Yasir.
WONDER OF WOAKES
IT should be said that there is one selection england have very much got right this season.
hats off to whoever was behind the recall of Chris Woakes when Stokes was injured because there were plenty who considered his selection ahead of Jake Ball for the second Test in Durham a wasted opportunity.
how Woakes has justified his return, epitomised by his outstanding performance at Lord’s where he not only took 11 wickets but showed the top order how to bat against Yasir and company and never looked like getting out until he was joined by Steven Finn in the second innings and started to take risks.
The blossoming of Woakes, who now appears to be the long-term swinging successor to Anderson, is the story of england’s summer and has proved that the art of selection is sticking with a player — if you are sure they have what it takes to eventually flourish.
MIDDLE-ORDER MUDDLE
WHICH brings us on to James Vince. The england management and Lions coaches are convinced Vince has what it takes but he is testing their patience by flattering to deceive at the highest level.
his problems are indicative of the middle-order malaise that remain england’s biggest issue but the move of Joe Root to three is a good one — as long as he cuts out the soft dismissals of his own — while Vince probably has the rest of this series to prove the opinion of the likes of Bayliss, Farbrace and Andy Flower right.
he is a gifted strokemaker and I believe he will come through in this series if england retain their faith in him.
Other than that, england simply have to get their best and most gifted batsmen in the Test team — and that means Stokes and Buttler, with the latter sharing the keeping with Jonny Bairstow.
Why not? There is no reason why one of them has to be the designated keeper in every Test. Treat every situation on its merits.
THE VERDICT
I STILL believe england are on their way to becoming a special Test team again but they have some way to go. And to get back to No 1 they have to keep faith in the ‘Trevolution’ and be bold.