A month ago, I wrote the following paragraphs about the forthcoming 2019 Ashes series following England’s dramatic ‘super-over’ win in the ICC Cricket World Cup Final at Lord’s. I was attempting to highlight the key reasons that capture the attention of the sporting community:
“Well, the next seven weeks will tell us – and what’s more, it will (more than likely) remind us why we love Test cricket, and more importantly, why the Ashes is such a cherished sporting contest. It has context, it has heritage, and it captures the sporting public’s imagination like no other cricketing event. I can’t wait for it to begin!
My only hope is that Jimmy Anderson is fully fit, England find a top 3, and that Jofra Archer bowls like the wind and stays 100% fit, Moeen Ali bowls as well, if not better, than the excellent Nathan Lyon, and that Joe Root proves himself to be one of the world’s best batsmen. If not, England may be in big trouble!!”
Well, the Ashes Test at Headingley 2019, surpassed the drama of Headingley 1981, and Ben Stokes surpassed his heroics in the World Cup Final only a few weeks ago, by playing one of the all-time great Test innings. It is arguably, the greatest Test match innings ever.
The context of the performance meant that a long-awaited opportunity to win back the Ashes (since the 4-0 painful thrashing in Australia) would have been lost with two Test matches still to be played if Stokes hadn’t played the most remarkable of innings. Jack Leach’s important cameo as number 11 scoring 1 not out in the 73 run partnership must not be forgotten, but without Stokes, England’s hopes of regaining the Ashes would be a pipedream for many years. Winning in Australia is very rare, and without winning this series, England could have gone on a run of Ashes defeats that may have repeated previous cycles of decades of defeat in this historic contest.
However, despite Ben Stokes’ heroics, England still has it all to do after their Headingley victory, now they are alive in the 5 match series. England can’t afford a defeat at Old Trafford, and on what promises to be a quick, bouncy pitch that may offer ‘big spin’ too, Australia remain favourites to win the series if their much-vaunted bowling attack deliver against expectation. Fundamentally, I think the quality of Australia’s bowlers will be the difference in the series against a fragile England top-order batting line up that relies too heavily on Joe Root.
England’s middle-order has exceptional shot-making talent, but lacks the skill and defiance to repel top quality bowling on a consistent basis. Stokes apart, England’s batting remains a headache for the Selectors, and when the opening batsmen are selected to bat in a position they rarely occupy for their county, it reveals the cupboard is bare in terms of options form county cricket.
Such poverty of choice is a poor return on investment in a domestic cricket system that is becoming increasingly focused on t20. The effects of the schedule, where little (if any) meaningful first-class cricket is played in the middle of the season is a hindrance to the development of highly-promising young players and also to senior players looking to find form (in between Test matches) during a home summer’s Test match series. It is unlikely to change so there is little point complaining – but the game’s administrators must not be surprised by the poor quality of ‘old-fashioned’ Test match batting we are witnessing too often from modern England teams.
To have been bowled out for less than 100 four times in recent months in Test cricket is a terrible indictment on the standard of batsmanship in England. The Test team should be the pinnacle of the standard throughout the game – so what does this statistic reveal about the level of technical skill, let alone the powers of concentration and self-discipline in county cricket. Some highly-respected cricket people have been exasperated by the demise of standards but sadly, they get ‘dismissed’ as being ‘too old-school’ in their thinking. It seems that there is a march towards ‘cricketainment’ in the form of t20 and bringing ‘dynamic cricket’ into the Test arena to please a new audience that administrators believe is out there waiting to be seduced by cricket. In the process, the existing customer-base of people who value ‘old-school cricket‘ is being dis-regarded.
The reason I am making such a strong case for ‘mastery of the basics’ in the developmental years of a player’s career is that it works! A long-term sustainable career in international cricket cannot be built upon sand. Solid foundations need to be in place. Batsmen cannot succeed (regularly) against the moving ball if their technique is flawed.
Australia enjoys a long-held reputation for fast bowling (left arm and right arm) plus wrist spin. A strong bowling unit with variety and depth tends to win Test match series.
In this series, Mitchell Starc has yet to feature. I think he is Australia’s most potent bowler. If he is selected to play at Old Trafford, I expect Australia to win the match and with it, the series. The rough he creates in his follow-through will also assist Nathan Lyon when bowling to the right handed England batsmen.
The only strong doubt I have about Australia coming back from the pain of their Headingley defeat is if Steven Smith remains badly affected by his concussion injury. Jofra Archer has emerged as a trump card for England. His pace has transformed the England attack and allied to Stuart Broad’s increasingly good bowling in this series, England has a cutting edge which is not diminished by the absence of the great bowler, James Anderson. If Jofra Archer’s pace and steep bounce has created fear in the sub-conscious mind of every Australian batsman, then other bowlers may also profit from such a state of mind. Facing a new bowler who arrives on the scene with exceptional pace and presents a serious threat of incurring physical danger changes the psyche of every batsman, irrespective of their previous track-record at the crease. Archer is a gem – but he needs to stay injury-free if England is to triumph in this series.
Can England win back the Ashes? Will Ben Stokes’ heroics at Headingley be the catalyst to a phenomenal turnaround, just like Ian Botham in 1981? I HOPE SO.
However, as I wrote in my previous blog – some key factors (in the analysis of England’s strengths) are missing for England to feel (justifiably) confident of their chances in securing victory at Old Trafford and then going on to win the series at The Oval.
Key players in key positions have not delivered against expectation –
Mooen Ali has been discarded due to a woeful performance in the 1st Test match at Edgbaston and a poor record versus Australia’s batsmen. Will Jack Leach out-bowl Nathan Lyon in the next two Test matches?
James Anderson is out for the series with injury – and may never return. Let’s hope he can be fit for the winter series in South Africa but injuries take longer to (properly) heal when the body is older.
Chris Woakes looks to have ben worked over by the short ball and his batting contribution looks worryingly negligible. I rate his cricket highly and think he is clearly a quality individual too, but England will need his runs from the number 8 position to help the tail wag in the next two matches.
Jonny Bairstow has missed chances behind the stumps. And, whilst I believe he has not been given the credit I think he deserves for the quality of his second innings batting performance at Headingley, his batting needs to step up to the level he has shown in previous years. Jonny is one of England’s most competitive, determined and important cricketers, but more errors behind the stumps will open the door to Ben Foakes’s supporters claims that he is the world’s premier gloveman and should be behind the timbers in every format of the game for his country. Such pressure from ‘the outer’ may impact Jonny’s ‘inner man’ and may (or may not?) help Jonny find his peak performance in the coming weeks. England needs Jonny Bairstow – he is a ‘game-changer’ when he is at his best.
Joe Root played well in the second innings at Headingley despite coming to the crease on a hat-trick of zeros. He played with great determination and impressive skill, but his dismissal on the final day was disappointing. Is captaincy inspiring his batting performance? Or, is it hindering his form and becoming one of the best batsmen England has ever produced? The next four innings in his England Test career could be pivotal to his legacy as an England cricketer. He needs to play brilliantly if England is to win the Ashes is my judgment call. The team has come to rely on his excellence and too often he has been short of the high-level of performance that he is capable of.
As the days count down to Old Trafford, and then as the match unfolds one thing is for sure – the media will help the sport of cricket remain ‘front and centre’ of the public’s consciousness, especially if England plays well.
A brilliant follow-up display from an aggressive, dominant England team will ensure that the nation is captured by the game for many summers to follow.
Old Trafford has witnessed some great Test matches and none more remarkable than Jim Laker’s match in 1956. Could 2019 offer us another stage to crown a new hero in the rich history of English cricket?
Old Trafford awaits – and not the football version for once!
Bring it on…
Neil Burns