Interesting times for Ben, Baz and Bob – the test squad for the Ireland game is the closest they have come to a public backlash.
They have made some tough calls already such as dropping Matty Potts for Ollie Robinson or retaining Pope to keep in the second test in Pakistan. Those decisions have been vindicated by the result, and the latter also had an element of the 80/20 rule. Meaning it was an exception brought about on an overseas tour and normality was resumed for the remaining winter tour games.
Stuart Broad missed the Pakistan tour, but the reality is that he was not going to play and was expecting his first child.
This, I think, is their first really big call on selection (you could argue Pope to no3 was a big call). Let’s start with Jonny Bairstow, I am really pleased for him. Too often in the past he has been the one shuffled around to accommodate others or to make up for weakness in other parts of the text XI.
Many of us have suggested he could/should open the batting. I think this argument would have been more valid had he not picked up the injury, he could have opened in Pakistan in easier conditions and he would have been making the move at a time when his self confidence was at an all time high. The truth is he has played a couple of innings for Yorkshire and asking him to open against Cummins and co is a big ask.
Jonny is a decent keeper, he is not as good as Foakes but few are. In my view he is a better keeper than Jos Buttler and was very unlucky to lose the gloves to the latter. He also has a very good record. Until last summer his test average was better as a keeper than as a specialist batsman. Keeping in England can be tough due to the late movement, but he has done that job his whole career.
There is also no doubt that if he can replicate anything like the form of last year with the bat we will have a very scary middle order. Brook, Stokes, Bairstow (expect the latter two to alternate at 6 and 7).
All in all the selection of Bairstow is a positive one for a player who has often been miss treated and was an integral part of the success of the team last year. The outcry is because the victim is Ben Foakes, he has lost his place in the team and squad to facilitate the selection of Bairstow.
This is not Bairstow’s fault, I sincerely hope that everyone gets behind Jonny. It is also complicated, firstly because Harry Brook replaced Bairstow at no5 and has been a revelation. He is too good to drop and is not an option to bat higher up the order. Let’s remember he has only played one test in England so far.
The additional complication is the openers and in particular Zak Crawley. Neither opener entirely convinces and no one will admit this, but that is part of the reason having a deep and powerful middle order is so important. Crawley in particular has had a long run and shows flashes of sheer class at times, but more often flashes outside off stump. He seems like a sensible and decent guy, the rhetoric around him is a little unfair. Specifically the idea that Rob Key just picks him as they are mates and his schooling/background, none the less his stats are not compelling.
Despite this, none of Bairstow, Foakes, Brook or reserve batman Lawrence are opening batsmen so the form/selection of Crawley is largely irrelevant to them.
No question Ben Foakes is a very good cricketer, he is a reliable and streetwise batsman and an exceptional keeper. He is incredibly unlucky not to be selected in the first test squad. I don’t think his race is run, there are a handful of ways in which he could find himself back in the starting XI.
1. Bairstow is coming back from a very serious leg injury, keeping wicket in test matches is demanding and it may well be that playing 6 tests this summer is not feasible (at least not as a keeper).
2. Harry Brook has played almost no test cricket in England, my instinct says he will be more than fine but if his from is not good then we could see Bairstow restored to no5.
3. The openers – if/when they fail we could see an experiment with someone moving up to open and therefore creating a gap for Foakes to come back in.
Final thought, Foakes is only 30 and the next winter tour is to India. I’d be surprised if he was not on that tour and most likely as the first choice keeper. However, that will be of little consolation to him right now.
Trying to take a positive and balanced view, England have at times tried to fit square pegs into round holes. On this occasion they have not, the result is a very tough selection call but one that demonstrates the strength of our test team at this time.
Good luck lads!