3rd Test Preview

And so to St Lucia – the most beautiful island in the Caribbean. As Blighty freezes in artic temperatures, St Lucians will be perambulating across pure shores with only the sound of gentle breezes rustling through native palms to distract them. Envious? You bet. And to make matters worse the locals can bask in the glory of a series win again England whatever happens in the third test.

The good news for England however, is that the home side’s captain Jason Holder – a man who has bowled like a demon and batted like a dream in this series – won’t be playing this week. The ICC have banned him for the Windies’ slow overrate in Antigua. Harsh? Perhaps. It’s not like the slow overrate made the second test any less captivating. But then again slow overrates are indisputably a problem in cricket. The authorities do need to crack down occasionally.

Holder’s absence actually gives England a fighting chance. Perhaps this is why, pretty surprisingly in my opinion, the tourists are slight favourites. Check out www.signupbonuses.co.uk if you fancy a flutter. Although the first two tests suggest that we could be on the receiving end of yet another humiliation in St Lucia, it seems that the bookies disagree. Maybe they think the hosts will relax now the series is in the bag?

Much will depend on the pitch, of course. If it’s anything like the ones in Barbados and Antigua then England could have a problem. Thus far our batsmen have been exposed like a politician photographed in a compromising position with his secretary. If the pitch suits tall fast bowlers again then the home team will have a mighty advantage.

England will surely need to consider team changes yet again. Woakes or Wood for Curran could make the most sense; or possibly Leach for Curran if it looks like it might turn later in the game. Unfortunately, however, there aren’t many options when it comes to the batting line-up.

Recalling Keaton Jennings is the only alternative from within the squad. And that will be about as popular as ‘gammon’ in the Gina Miller household. So it looks like Bayliss and Co will have to put their faith in the same top 6 that’s struggled so badly in recent times. Oh how the team needs Joe Root to put a century on the board. I doubt anyone else is going to manage it.

One senses this is quite an important test match for England. A 0-3 blackwash would be a real setback. After this test there is only one more match (a one-off test against Ireland) before the Ashes begins in August. And one imagines that Australia will put out quite strong team if Smith and Warner and back in the side and fully rehabilitated. For the first time in a long time I actually quite fancy the Aussies to win over here if our recent struggles against pace are anything to go by.

However, if England can dominate this final test in the Caribbean and register a morale boosting consolation victory then the spin-doctors can pretend it wasn’t such as disastrous tour after all. They’ll claim we were slow starters due to a lack of preparation rather than a lack of skill and application. The fact England have organised identical preparation (two pathetic two-day practices) for our next tour to New Zealand will probably get ignored #ecbclowns.

So what do you think will happen in St Lucia? I’m going to stick my next out and say that England will win. I can offer nothing based in fact to support this assertion so I’ll just call it wishful thinking. After all, if we were to lose 0-3 against the 8th ranked nation in the world – a team that has only beaten a major nation at home once since 2010 – we might as well just pack in test cricket completely and be honest about it.

In my opinion a 0-3 defeat would be England’s worst series result this decade. Yes the whitewashes down under were pretty bad, but at least we lost to relatively powerful team. There really is no excuse for losing so heavily to Jason Holder’s team no matter how admirably they’ve performed.

Much as I’d like to imagine that the West Indies are a team on the up – they’ve certainly got the best pace attack they’ve had in a while – those islands are so beset by political problems that one suspects this triumph will be an aberration. I sincerely hope I’m wrong, as it would be great for world cricket if the Windies re-established themselves as a dominant team, but sadly I won’t believe it until I see it.

James Morgan

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56 comments

    • You mean their winter? So really there’s all to play for in the aggregate stakes in St Lucia. Hang on a sec. Even if we lost the 3rd test and finish the winter 3-3, then sure we win on away goals?

  • One of the perennial issues with West Indies is that the notion only really exists for cricket purposes (normally they are a collection of independent islands), so it requires a captain and coach of considerable ability to bring the players together. I think WI have found that captain in Holder (arguably the best WI captain since Lloyd). The other big difference this tour is a change in policy on pitches. The Board has gone back to trying to produce quick bouncy pitches, rather than the puddings of recent years, and it’s paid off (they produce better cricket too).

    I’m not suggesting a return to the 1980’s is on the cards (the pace attack isn’t THAT good, and the batting needs work), but i think this series win will give the players a lot of confidence going forward. So I think WI may well be a team on the up.

    For England, the problem is slightly different: a return to the 1990’s beckons, especially away from home.

    Turning to St Lucia, WI will of course miss Holder on the field (Keemo Paul, who plays in the ODI team will replace him), but he’ll be in the dressing room. I suspect England are now so shot that another WI win is the most likely result.

    • I gather Paul may not play. West Indies are considering giving Oshane Thomas (who is quicker than Gabriel) a debut. Pace like fire.

  • George Dobell reckons St Lucia is the quickest pitch in the Caribbean. Not good news for England.

    • Just found out that Shannon Gabriel took 13 wickets in the St Lucia test last year. Suggests the wicket is quick.

  • Not nice to say, but I hope England get thrashed yet again. Maybe then the ECB might realise that their plan of a team of one day hitters, sort of all rounders, in Tests just doesn’t work.

    Very harsh to ban holder. Surely a fine would have been preferable. Slow over rate, well ok, but they beat us in 3 days so it’s all a bit petty to my mind and rather nasty to a guy that is actuallyl making something again of the Windies. Great to see.

    • This is sadly what I want to see happen but I can see these hitters coming off and then the ECB supporters will crow

      Sadly the only way to save our red ball formats is for England to keep losing

  • “The ICC have banned him for the Windies’ slow overrate in Antigua. Harsh? Perhaps”.

    Holder denied spectators a few overs a day and gets banned; those who cut 180+ overs out of the last game by ensuring it ended in 3 days get nothing.

    “Much will depend on the pitch”.

    Much will depend on the toss. The toss is leading 5-0 this winter.

    “the 8th ranked nation in the world – a team that has only beaten a major nation at home once since 2010”

    They’re an “emerging team”. They must be, I heard the phrase so many times from Wardy, Knighty and the rest. It’s a clever-but-dumb way of trying to explain away defeat to a team with such a bad recent record.

    By the way, if a scapegoat is needed, how about the bowling coach? I gather someone has just become available….

  • Spotted this at the end of a Newman/Cook love-in:

    “Let’s say he scores a mountain of runs while England’s top order continue to flounder without him. The clamour for his return for England in an Ashes summer would be intense. He can see the question coming a mile off and smiles. ‘You can never say never on anything, but I can pretty much say never on this,’ he said. ‘Like anything, you don’t quite know, but at the moment being out of the side has made me a far better player than I ever was! Let’s leave it like that.'”

    That could have been closed down more emphatically if both sides had wanted.

    • He’s right, though, it has. At least than he was for the last 3 1/2 years, while I’ve been watching.

    • Sounds like he’d consider a comeback to me. I expect Cook to score a lot of runs in county cricket so if things start going badly in the Ashes there will be an enormous clamour in the media to bring back Alastair – despite his relatively poor Ashes record.

      Cook has never scored an Ashes hundred at home. Ever. That’s in about 15 tests (30ish innings) and in that time he’s averaging in the low 30s. Australia have good fast bowlers you see. So Cook is ineffective.

      Having said that Sir Alastair is indisputably the best batsman our country has ever produced. Or so everyone once told me.

  • We went to Sri Lanka with so much doubt against our ability to play spin than Jennings was included as a ‘specialist’ against it. Now we find ourselves unable to play pace and the old chestnut of Root batting at 3 rears its head again, in the dulcet tones of oracle Bumble, who says as captain it must be his decision. This would allow Butler to revert to 4, Stokes 5 and Bairstow 6, ‘job done’. Oh t’wer as easy as that. However, in the old codger’s favour there’s not a great deal of alternative there, as you point out James.
    Hopefully this match will see the end of Curran as ‘the great white hope’ and Woakes or Leech get a game.
    I know as a Warwick man I’m biased, but how is Curran better in any department than Woakes. I also know that it’s an old chestnut, but if Woakes played for Surrey and the Currans Warwickshire would this have happened atall.

    • Trouble is Butler 4, Stokes 5 & Bairstow 6 is just the same old thing: 3 number 7’s all batting too high. I’d drop two of ’em anyway. I actually think Woakes should bat at 5 or 6 because he’s wasted at number 8. Sam Curran is one for the future he’s just 20 and certainly his batting virtually won us two recent tests. If he plays though number 9 is a waste because he’s batting with the tail. His bowling is far more suited to English wickets. Until recently Surrey was well out of favour with England selectors and I don’t go with this “only pick players from Surrey and Middx stuff. Wish they’d pick Bell though!

      • Woakes batting has more important down the order for England than Currans brief exploits last summer. He’s been totally anonymous all winter something that Woakes never was when a regular. He may be one for the future, with a great temperament, but at present he’s no test player with bat or ball. A couple of determined 50’s down the order, chancing his arm and playing and missing a fair bit does not make a test player. Woakes has the technique and temperament to graft consistently with the bat and an ability to nip in with useful wickets consistently. Curran has neither of these. Outside of Anderson Woakes is probably the most intelligent bowler we have. Difficult not to go for the metropolis bias under these circumstances. Where do the ECB big wigs hail from apart from Giles.

        • I tend to agree Mark., I think Curran is a very promising cricketer but unfortunately he’s been overhyped. Woakes hasn’t always bowled well for England (albiet his poorer performances have tended to come with the Kookaburra ball) but he’s a more mature and complete cricketer than Curran in every department atm. Having said that, Curran’s left arm angle does help his case somewhat.

          • The problem I have with Curran is his pedestrian pace and the fact that he swings it from the arm, so it starts straight away. Once he learns to put body into his action he will be twice the bowler as this will potentially increase his pace and delay the swing. One wonders why this has not already happened as you can coach this from the off.
            He needs to look at old film of bowlers like John Lever to see the potential of this, better still get Lever in as a coach if he’s still about.

  • There is some doubt on Foakes and Woakes fitness to play so they could revert to the six bowlers line up with Stokes at 6, Moeen at 7, Curran at 8, and Broad, Wood and Anderson in the tail.

    • Doesn’t look like Woakes will play, again. Shame but he seems to have joined the list of players always getting injured. Wood is fit but if he can’t bowl at 90mph he doesn’t really offer much else. You wonder if some of these guys could get through a 5 match series.

  • I am surprised at your comment on Ms Miller. Whatever one’s politics, she is someone who, together with her family and associates, has been most unpleasantly abused, much of it being nakedly antisemitic.

    I didn’t expect to see this rather casually echoed in a cricket blog and by you, James, of all people. You normally write thoughtfully and in a balanced but committed way.

    I don’t expect others to agree but it was poorly done in the eyes of one of your readers.

    • I wonder if you have misunderstood the analogy from James. Gammon in this case does not refer to bacon but is political slang for the so-called ‘swivel eyed loonies’ of brexit. The slang derives from their tendency to go bright red when their views are questioned (and when Gina Miller is mentioned).

    • Hi Mark. I was in no way intending to have a go at Gina Miller. To be honest I didn’t know she was Jewish (is she?). Andy is right in that I was simply making a Brexit reference i.e. ‘gammon’ being a commonly used pejorative slang for an angry Brexiteer. She was the first arch-remainer that sprung to mind, and I also remember reading somewhere that she’s a vegetarian – which kind of underlined the joke.

      I might amend this reference now in case other people get the wrong end of the stick. I usually try to stay out of politics on this blog! I only ever make harmless references that in no way show a political bias.

      *just added a link to the term ‘gammon’ to make it clear that’s what I meant. If anyone else complains I’ll take it down completely.

      • I think the word gammon to describe right-wing white people is a bit racist, but it is up for debate.

        Can we still use the phrase “blackwash”, which is what this series will be?

    • I don’t think Gina Miller is Jewish. Her family name is Singh which suggests Sikh is more likely. I agree some of the abuse she got was racist but I can’t see any evidence to suggest it was anti-Semitic.

  • I am looking forward to Giles asserting some authority after this tour. I recall that he once said that if he could clone an entire team from one player, that player would be Woakes. Now he has the chance to back his words with action and make sure Woakes is not pushed out of the team by inferior media darlings.

    • I don’t expect Giles will assert anything. Nice chap, but he won’t rock the boat and the ECB know that, hence his appointment. What we need badly is a wallop merchant to shake things up, rather than a probable yes man.

  • Manohar’s just declared Test cricket to be “dying” and poured lots of can’t-do reasons on cricket in the Olympics.

    And he’s the ‘good’ administrator….

    Forget LBW, it’s all about TRP.

    • Apologies – I accidentally hit report instead of reply!

      I intended to say that it is unfortunate that the ICC is effectively an extension of the BCCI (or whatever is controlling Indian cricket whilst the legal cases continue). It is shameful that Manohar would use his position to push Indian commercial interests rather than following his responsibilities for world cricket.

  • As the Lions’ Test series begins (completely ignored by the UK media), here’s Andy Flower recently:

    “”It looks to me that since Dravid’s introduction to the development area, investment in terms of money and in terms of commitment has increased… That is mirrored in their Under-19s as well. I think that sort of increased investment is a very positive thing. In England, we’ve moved the other way. We’ve decreased investment in this area. So it’s quite an interesting contrast. There are always budgetary pressures. I guess the decision makers always have to decide based on priority.”

    The UK media completely ignored this as well (it’s tucked away at the bottom of a cricinfo report).

    • Good work Simon. The ECB also put an absolute pittance into grass roots cricket. Maxie once did a TFT report on this.

      The other interesting thing Flower said is that he believes T20 is helping our young cricketers even in the test arena. His argument is that it teaches them how ‘to hit the ball’. Hmmm. I think my tweet below sums up how I felt about this comment.

  • Breaking news – the solution to England’s batting problems is………..Keaton Jennings!

    • Oh great. Jennings facing Gabriel on the quickest pitch in the Caribbean. Obvious solution to England’s batting problem.

  • Looking at the selection they presumably want to lose 3-0? Why would you recall the world’s worst batsman who can’t play pace?They just won’t admit that they have got it hopelessly wrong.

    • The selection of the squad was obviously wrong. There is only one reserve “batsman”. If they decide (for whatever reason – possibly not wanting to have three wicketkeepers?) to drop Foakes, there isn’t anyone else to pick.

      Is this the worst England top three ever?

  • So, the batting has failed, the bowling has been ordinary, therefore the solution is to drop the wicketkeeper and bring back Jennings. Uh huh. Right. How in seven hells does this make any sense? A top 3 consisting of Burns, Jennings & Denly? England are going to be 50-3 by the end of the 1st session again.

    • Indeed. Being old fashioned, I believe it is a jolly good idea to take wickets and having the best keeper improves your chances. In a similar vein, Buttler at slip doesn’t

    • It’s easy to criticise this selection, especially the recall of a dropped player with no form to back it up, but if England play Burns, Jennings and Denley at the top it will be the first time we have a top 3 in their regular county positions. We knew the itinerary beforehand, knew there was no cricket between the tests, so chopping and changing would always be a lottery. As nobody is making any consistent runs it make sense to revert to players favoured positions. I believe this should have been the preferred line from the outset as they are as likely to do a job as anyone else in a side totally devoid of any Test match batting, where occupation of the crease is as important as scoring runs. Cook may prove to be the last of the line here.
      This line up is by far the strongest of the series, though Foakes and Leech are unlucky to miss out. Personally I would have included them both in the 12 with Curran and an unfit Stokes making way.

      • Unfortunately having them batting in their county roles is unlikely to help when you have a bat (Jennings) whose main technical flaw is against pace and, especially, swing at speed, on a fast wicket. Why he is an opener rather than 4 or 5 when he plays spin better than pace I simply do not understand.

        • I am not a believer in messing with batting orders at any level. For the purpose of his England selection Jennings, like it or not, is an opening bat. Look what happened to Amiss when they messed him about down the order. The psychology of batting is an underestimated aspect, with the different roles expected of different positions. I believe this is a primary cause of our inconsistency having an older top heavy with lower order batsmen playing out of position. Smith’s assertion that you should be able to bat anywhere shows how little he understands of this and why bits and pieces cricketers never cut the mustard at top level. Of course players say it’s an honour to be selected and they’ll play any role they’re asked. That doesn’t mean they agree with it, just that they don’t want to sabotage their careers.

  • Sp apparently it’s between Vince and Clarke for No.3 for the Ashes…. can anyone explain why neither of them is on the Lions’ tour?

    The Lions’ bowlers just leaked 540/6d so the cupboard there looks peachy too. Obviously this is not down to selection or wrecking the CC but because Andy Flower doesn’t have enough money.

    • To be fair to the Lions, that looks like one of the weakest bowling attacks the Lions have had apart from Porter (who is another Curran – needs English swing conditions). They are missing the two obvious bowlers who will come into test reckoning over the next two years – Jofra Archer and Henry Brookes.

      As for Vince and Clarke; Clarke seems to be a disciplinary matter and Vince has been found wanting. Better to ask why neither Bell or Hildreth were taken.

      • Totally agree with Hildreth. He seems to me to have a nuisance factor second to none in the county game. Seems to genuinely enjoy occupation of the crease for its own sake. Not a bad test epitaph.

    • I think your plea will only be answered if the selectors have some common sense. Little evidence of that so far.

  • Some interesting new details on how The Hundred draft will work from Richard Gibson (after the ECB conducted a rehearsal during this last week).

    Meanwhile Oliver Holt has been flown out to St Lucia so he can write stuff like:

    “In an era that values the spectacular above all else, when younger fans prize fleeting, explosive moments above stubbornly-earned glories, Buttler is English cricket’s first new-age superstar, a player whose breathtakingly audacious ramp shots go viral on social media, a batsman whose aggression at the crease is so daring it crosses over into the wider public consciousness and extends cricket’s audience…. He is Neymar bamboozling a defender with a rainbow flick. He is Nick Kyrgios hitting a winner with a tweener. He is Antonin Panenka with a dinked penalty, Odell Beckham Jnr with a one-handed catch, Sugar Ray Leonard with a bolo punch as a feint, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with a dunk, Sonny Bill Williams with a back-handed offload”.

    Can we see the ECB’s survey data comparing Buttler’s name recognition with those other figures Holt mentions?

    Does Buttler have to do anything to get this sort of press? Oh, look what he has to say about The Hundred:

    “Cricket has a stigma of old men in white clothes playing cricket but readdressing that image to people who aren’t necessarily cricket lovers may go some way to making it cooler. The Hundred has had a lot of criticism already but why can’t it be cool? When there is change, there are always sceptics who think it won’t work. I am sure someone at some point thought the iPhone wouldn’t take off. It’s going to be exciting and different and it will create talking points.”

    This is not to deny that he probably really believes it and he batted well yesterday – but it’s also foolish to deny that the backing he’s received and is receiving isn’t connected to the agendas he embodies and promulgates. Writing about his batting average or the amount of CC he played or anything like that is just totally irrelevant.

    BTW Buttler praises a certain past player for his inspiration and innovation. Holt goes out of his way to keep stressing Buttler is so modest and so English to construct an image of the anti-HIM. He’s the ECB ideal – marketable and pliable.

    • Didn’t see this article but sounds pretty awful. I’ve written some positive stuff about Buttler today. I didn’t know the powers that be were bigging him up! I haven’t been paid off, honest ;-)

  • Who is Richard Holt? Excuse my apparent ignorance, but I don’ know why he’s trying to make Butler into some sort of 21st super hero.

    On another note, if alternatives were available and Root wasn’t captain, I think only Burns would survive in the current top 4. Root’s batting has gone to pieces. The weight of captaincy that he obviously struggling with plus recent poor team performances are making a great batsman look very ordinary. Tragic.

    • If it’s the Oliver Holt I’m thinking of he’s a football journalist. At least he was when I followed football. Perhaps getting a well known football writer to wax lyrical about The Hundred is an attempt by the ECB to tap into the broader footie audience.

  • I’ve never heard of Oliver Holt (perhaps mercifully) but some readers may be aware of Private Eye’s regular ‘Pseuds Corner’ column, which would appear to be the ideal repository for his hyperbole.

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