So now we know, Key, Stokes and McCullum are those entrusted in taking England’s test cricket froward.
Today, a 13-man squad has been announced, although we were aware that Root would bat at no4, Stokes at no6 and both Anderson and Broad would return before we knew who the coach would be!
I wonder how much of this was dictated to the new bus driver by his captain and director of cricket?
The good news, Harry Brook and Matty Potts are both excellent selections. All too often in the past players have waited a long time to be selected and the call has come when they are out of form. These two young men are in excellent form and should both start this series in the playing XI.
The injury list is significant, Wood, Woakes, Archer, Stone, Mahmood may well have all played had they been fit, sadly all look a good distance away from test cricket. I am pleased that Dan Lawrence and Ollie Robinson have been left out. Robinson would be a huge risk given his fitness issues. Lawrence is unlucky to pick up an injury. I am sure he will return to the squad but there is no need to rush that comeback and risk a long term problem.
It was nice to see Brydon Carse back in action for Durham last week, but quite right to leave him out for now to build up match fitness.
The two players I’d consider most unlucky are Tom Haines and Matty Parkinson. The latter looks by some distance the best spinner we have. He is 25 years old and needs to be playing. I am disappointed that he has not been given an opportunity to play behind a 4-man seam attack as this is vital test experience that he is being deprived of. Tom Haines is deserving of an opportunity. He is in form and has a good range of stroke from a simple technique. As talented as Zak Crawley is, he has no form and no evidence he has learned from his errors thus far.
Alex Lees, Ben Foakes and Craig Overton seem likely to get another chance. Lees will play, and to his credit he has 2 centuries this season. Foakes is in interesting one, he was not at his best either side of the stumps in the winter and I would not be surprised if Bairstow got the gloves and batted at no7. This is a weak batting unit with a long tail, Bairstow scored 2 centuries last winter and bats very well with the tail.
Craig Overton is a curious selection, he has a great first class record but not really done anything at test level. I suspect he is there as he can bat at no8, although that is a negative selection. Overton and Leach do not inspire me as wicket taking bowlers.
I am not sure if Anderson and Broad can play in the same XI, so there are some big decisions to make around the bowling line up. I am of course assuming that we pick a spinner, it may be the conservative 5 man seam attack that gets picked.
No3 – so Ollie Pope is the man who looks most like filling this position. This is fascinating. He is a superb talent but with no experience at no3 and based on recent evidence he was very frenetic at the crease. Of course this could be a master stroke, Ricky Ponting was not a no3 before being placed there in tests, but it is certainly a risk and not one Root or Stokes have been happy about taking themselves in the past.
I did wonder if Sam Hain might feature, a player with a good technique and a calm presence at the crease who can bat long periods of time but has the ability to up the scoring. Admittedly he bats at no4 … but so did Jonathan Trott. (Nick Gubbins and Daniel Bell-Drummond also each have 2 centuries from no3 this season).
Overall, I think that I understand most of the decisions made in this squad, although I think it criminal to omit Matty Parkinson and to include Zak Crawley.
I think they will pick;
Crawley, Lees, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes, Foakes, Overton, Potts, Broad, Anderson (leaving Bairstow out sighting a rest after IPL).
I’d like to have seen;
- Tom Haines for Crawley,
- Sam Hain for Pope,
- Parkinson for Leach
- Bairstow keeping at no7.
I expect both Dan Lawrence and Brydon Carse to be back in the test squad once they have both proved their match fitness.