When England left India with their tail between their legs, many of us hoped for a new start this summer. With Alastair Cook stepping down from the captaincy, and an effervescent Joe Root leading the side, I hoped we’d see a new and aggressive England side take on South Africa – a team that might, just might, out-gun Australia this winter.
Unfortunately however, I’d forgotten one essential piece of information: the risk-averse Cook might no longer be in charge, but our uber-conservative selectors very much remain in situ. If only Andrew Strauss had sacked them last year (which he was reportedly considering). Where’s Lord Brocket’s ruthless steak when you need it, eh?
As a result it looks like England’s new captain will have to work within old confines – as demonstrated the disappointing selections of Gary Ballance, Liam Dawson and Toby Roland Jones this weekend. England are still 4/5 favourites to beat South Africa at Lord’s – perhaps because South Africa’s batting looks a bit green with Francois du Plessis missing and AB de Villiers retired – but our selectors’ continued lack of imagination is something to watch moving forward.
Whitaker and Co basically had four calls to make ahead of this game – who would open with Cook, who would bat somewhere in the middle-order, who the specialist spinner would be, plus who might be a fifth seamer if required – and unfortunately they’ve botched three of the four decisions.
But first let’s start with the positive news. I’m glad England have kept faith with Keaton Jennings.
With Prince Haseeb in dire form, it was either Jennings, Mark Stoneman or Sam Robson. Although you could make a case for all three, we mustn’t forget that Jennings scored a century on debut just a few months ago. It would’ve been harsh to ditch him after such a promising start to his career – even though he hasn’t exactly been pulling up trees this season.
What’s more, let’s not forget that Jennings bowls a bit of medium pace. With England seeming determined to pick a team of eleven all-rounders one day, Jennings surely fits the bill … ok, so I’m kidding about the last bit, but I’m still glad England have backed the younger man.
And now we move inexorably towards the three selections that stink.
Let’s start with Gary Ballance, who has always shown better foot-movement on nightclub dance floors than international cricket grounds.
Although I’m fully aware that Ballance has scored buckets of runs this year, it bothers me that this is now his fourth opportunity. What on earth makes the selectors think that his fourth go will end any differently to the previous three? After all, apparently he’s done nothing to improve his technique since he became unselectable this winter.
Ask yourself this: do you think the Aussies will be losing sleep about Gary Ballance? Of course not. And that’s why his selection is a bad one.
Unless poor Gary can change his method, he’ll always be one of those cricketers who amasses runs against mediocre bowling but becomes unstuck against the very best. Therefore, it would’ve made more sense to give a first opportunity to either Tom Westley, who scored a hundred for the Lions against South Africa at New Road last week, Dawid Malan, who is having a decent season in the championship, or Liam Livingstone. Heck, I would’ve preferred Sam Northeast to the fourth coming of our Gary.
I hope the Yorkshire skipper proves me wrong. I really do. But I just can’t see it. And I’m a little disturbed that Joe Root apparently lobbied for his mate’s inclusion.
The next underwhelming selection is Toby Roland Jones. Look, I’m not doubting that TRJ is a good bowler. Of course he is. I’ve seen him play for Middlesex many times and always been impressed.
What worries me, however, is TRJ’s ceiling. Is a guy who’s often been just a change bowler for his county good enough to play test cricket? Sure he’ll take a few wickets in English conditions, but what happens when England go overseas and the pitches are flat? TRJ isn’t the quickest and he’s not going to worry the Aussies much.
The logic of TRJ’s inclusion also baffles me. If Ballance has been picked because of his strong county form, why has TBR’s poor county form for Middlesex been ignored? This season he’s taken just 22 wickets at an average of 36!
What’s more, TBR is 29 years old – not exactly long-in-the-tooth but neither is he going to improve much at this stage. I would’ve preferred England to invest in a younger bowler who has a chance to be special one day. Names like Tom Curran, Jamie Porter, Jamie Overton, or perhaps even Sussex’s Jofra Archer would’ve been a lot more inspiring.
Last but not least we come to the bizarre selection of Liam Dawson. Why oh why do England insist on picking slow bowlers who can ‘bat a bit’? We already have Moeen Ali in the squad for heaven sake. What’s the point in picking two spinning all-rounders in a home test?
Once again the selectors had an opportunity to pick the best pure attacking spinner available – especially considering the plethora of all-rounders already in the likely XI. Why should batting ability even come into it?
Dawson is a good solid cricketer, and I wish him well, but Mason Crane (who has a better average than Dawson for Hants this summer) or Adil Rashid should’ve got the nod.
One sometimes wonders whether there’s truth in the old adage that English cricket is naturally suspicious of leggies. The selectors ought to bear in mind that leg-spinners usually do better than finger-spinners down under too … and I always prefer it when selectors keep an eye on the Ashes.
Although one might argue that Dawson probably won’t play anyway, and Chris Woakes will take TBR’s place in the squad when fit, the composition of this squad worries me because (a) it reveals the selectors’ jumbled thinking, and (b) it suggests that English cricket still only thinks about the short-term.
Root might be a new face. But the entrenched bad habits of English cricket obviously die hard.
James Morgan
Written in collaboration with Fanbet.
Personally I would have called up Billy Root, James Vince and Martyn McCague.
Jennings: agreed.
I watched Gary Ballance “bat” against Pakistan at Old Trafford last year. Painful. The man shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near an England dressing room.
At international level, I think Dawson’s skills are better suited to the white ball game. He just doesn’t take enough wickets to play tests. Would Crane or Rashid be a better bet for Australia? Yes (Rashid has proved he can bowl there, too).
I’d say TRJ’s debut time has passed: get someone younger in.
You keep mentioning the Ashes: at the present rate of progress you have to wonder whether there will be an Australian team to play against.
Ruthless steak????
Have to disagree with you in a few points here. Firstly I don’t see Roland jones playing as what is the point in 5 seamers. Dawson will play which is a reflection of our spinners. I think the selectors rate crane highly, though are mindful that they want him to fully know his craft.( I was at Worcester Friday when the saffas played him very easily). There is no rush with him and Dawson’s inclusion means he will at least get a game for hants. Crane should play at some point this summer.
Next Ballance. He’s played twice. First time he was dropped when averaging 50 and a game after a key 60 in tough first innings at Cardiff. He was out of form but that innings and clearly the ones over the previous 12 months showed he could play at test level. He should not have been picked last summer which really was a shocking summer on the selectors front, picking Compton and Vince was crazy and they picked ballance as they didn’t see/have anyone else that they could. Ballance has been a cut above in CC this year and if you don’t pick a player who has a record like his and is in form then you’re crazy. I’m backing him to have a big summer.
The key for this selection for me is that they don’t see Ali as a spinner anymore in test cricket. Rightly he is in the shade for batting after a very good year last year. Where he will bat I’m not sure as he actually did well at 4. I reckon root will bat 3. I don’t want Bairstow at 5, either 6/7. It could go a number of ways but I’d go cook Jennings root ballance Ali stokes Bairstow.
Then when woakes is fit he will play and they would probably go with crane over Dawson. I hope Dawson’s batting at 8 isn’t why they picked him over crane but a tail of broad wood crane anderson is very long with bowlers like rabada morkel and maybe shamsi.
Hi Dom. I’ve read that England are seriously considering 5 seamers. Yep. Daft as it sounds.
What we don’t know is how fit Stokes is, maybe he is playing as a batsmen
I’ve read the same things, sincerely hope they aren’t true. Listened to Vaughan and Tufnell last night and they reckon Dawson will play. I have the same concerns re trj, he’s a good bowler but would he add to the England attack, I’m not sure archer is qualified yet, you’d at least expect him in the lions by now if he was!?!?
I think the selection shows that whilst there are a lot of good players below the test team there aren’t many that you could say would be a good fit as yet.
Adil’s the Ramprakash (or worse) of this generation. Hoped England were over this reckless mistreatment of talent.
In the face of absolute selectorial contempt across all three forms, and an entirely patronising attitude (Finally, Rash put it on the spot, why can’t he do it all the time? they say whenever he bowls well) he has managed to put in regular extremely good performances – yes there would be tests where it doesn’t go for him, but he’s not going at 6 an over, it’s still under 4, and he’s only so far played against batsmen expert in spin. In 10 tests, he has contributed very well with either bat or ball in more than half of them. That’s a pretty good start, would be enough for any batsman or pace bowler.
You can imagine it, “Rash, your target this winter was clearly to outperform Ashwin and Jadeja in all 5 tests, the fact you only did it in 3 just isn’t good enough, we’re going to have to bring in a better batsman with a lower batting average than you who we can guarantee will only go at 3.6 not 3.8 per over …”
Don’t bowl leg-spin, kids…
couldn’t agree more.
I am still smiling having seen Hales at the weekend. Vaughan said he batted as if he had a cigar in his mouth. Watching the last ten overs from the smoking area below the old pros’ dressing room I could smell the fine Havana from there.And he was as good as ‘blocking’ in those last 10. So disciplined was he for the win. But the previous 35 overs – shear pleasure.
It was an extraordinary display from ball one. The driving was consummate. Every muscle engaged in the stroke. Seeing someone bat from ground level can be most revealing.
This is not some random digression. First the Currans looked very ordinary in his company. So they are surely some way from living at Test level. And second, I realise he has had a chance or two at Test cricket, but surely the Aussies would have by now made Hales a Test cricketer. He can’t stop driving, nor should he … so where do you put him in Test cricket? Not 1,2,3 perhaps not 4 … but every Big Cricket match that he is not in is surely the poorer for his omission. A modern Dexter if ever there was one.
Last year in the Warner I was sitting in front of two delightful women from Sussex who really knew their cricket. In walks Balance. “Oh no, not that chocolate teapot.” Told you they knew their cricket. We got on very well after that. Much in common.
I agree Hales has been disregarded more quickly than a few others as a test player. A couple of times last summer he looked as though he was almost there … how long will England be able to talk about playing an exciting risky type of cricket?
I have never thought that Hales was a test opener. But then again, why did we try to make a player who started batting at 4 for Notts into an opener in the first place? If Hales wants to re-re-invent himself as a middle-order player I wouldn’t mind giving him another shot in test cricket.
James, sorry to come back but you do not have to reinvent Hales. And certainly not ask him to reinvent himself. (Look what happened when they tried that last time.)Just put him in at 4 or five and say “you’re in for at least 10 tests. Don’t think, just puff on this cigar.”
And light it for him.
Perhaps re-invent is the wrong word. I don’t mean get him the change the way he plays; I just mean settle in somewhere in the middle order (he’s always looked like a 5 to me) rather than taking on the new ball.
exactly
Problem for Hales is that its almost impossible to be a regular in all 3 formats. Its just too much cricket, and the variability of skills required between test and T20 are very large. Only the very, very best can do it, and even then they need to play the “anchor” role in T20s and the “strokeplayer” role in tests in order to maintain a semblance of similarity between the roles.
You can adjust between scoring at 5 an over (aggressive test player) to 7 an over (solid T20 player). You can’t easily adjust between 4 and over and 8 an over – which is what we seemed to try to get Hales to do.
AB – he’s a professional cricketer . If you don’t make demands of them they know how to play each game. Ok give him a short cigar for T20 and a bloody big one for Test cricket. Fixed.
It does feel safe and a bit boring, but there isn’t much room for manoeuvre.
Ballance deserves his selection through sheer weight of runs, he didn’t deserve to be picked last time, that wasn’t his fault he was and I’m glad it hasn’t counted against him.
I feel a bit for Hales, I watched that innings in Saturday and felt that surely he has a chance to succeed at tests, he wasn’t exactly a failure when tried. Perhaps he isn’t a test opener more a number 5.
I find the Dawson selection baffling, and surely he won’t play, 2 mediocre spinners at Lords is 2 too many.
Woakes is a massive miss, he can’t come back soon enough.
With Du Plessis missing and AB gone, and their ridiculous quota rule, south Africa are also in transition.
It’s going to be a very intriguing series. Whoever gets more wickets out of Rabada and Broad will tell us a great deal of who’s going to win it.
On a side note , the 1st test of the summer starting on July , what is this hell, it’s been missing too long and will be over in a flash ?
Crane got smacked all over Worcester for the Lions and has a first class average of 40 – he’s nowhere near ready, even if I’m beginning to think England are going to have to take a risk in the spin department sooner or later. Doesn’t mean I agree with the Dawson decision but it is difficult to justify picking anyone else. The good thing is that with the likes of Bess, Crane, Qadri and Virdi all getting game time now for their counties, the answer should be apparent before too long (and it’s also confirmation that the toss rules, that were partly designed to encourage the development of spinners, seem to be working). I think the Ballance call makes sense in some ways: South Africa are the perfect bowling attack to judge him against. If he scores runs against Rabada, Morkel and Philander he’s cracked it, if he doesn’t then you know it’s time to move on. He was wrongly picked last year and I think the selectors know it; he deserves a proper second chance when he’s in good form. I think the whole ‘will Australia be losing any sleep?’ argument is bollocks, pardon my French, seeing as I don’t think there’s anyone out there in county cricket who’d worry them all that much: are they really going to be quaking in their boots at the sight of Tom Westley or Joe Clarke? Doubt it.
Where I do agree is on the selection of TRJ. Not that I don’t think he’s a very good bowler, but I just feel he’s one of those unfortunate ones who was always unlucky to be pushing for a place at a time when there was decent bowling depth around and now there’s a younger generation emerging. I do think his height could make him an awkward customer in Australia, but I’d have preferred to see Tom Curran or one of the Overton twins make a debut. With seven Tests in eight weeks coming up however, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we saw a few new faces in the seam attack before the end of the home summer.
I’m not in the Crane must play category at all but it’s a bit misleading to quite a first class average of 40. He averages 27 this year, which is right up there compared to other available spinners, and he made huge progress this winter. You don’t play for NSW as an overseas player if you can’t bowl. I agree Crane probably isn’t ready yet but with the 2nd spinner unlikely to play it would’ve been a good chance to get him experience of the squad / atmosphere.
I remember seeing Graeme Hick smack Shane Warne around New Road on his first Ashes tour by the way! Not that Crane is anywhere near Warne’s class.
Re: Ballance, my point is that the Aussies already know how to get him out & already have the wood over him and the psychological advantage. At least they’d have to work out how to bowl at the other candidates.
Also, Archer is a fine young player but he doesn’t qualify for England for another 18 months or so yet!
Apologies if so. I’d read he’s available because he has an English father and left Barbados as a teenager. He’s now 22.
I think he may have had to qualify anyway – unlike rugby I’m not sure a parent from there alone gives you the right to represent that country – but the kicker is the fact that he’s played for the Windies U19s, so he has to serve the qualification period. I read in the Cricket Paper at the end of the last year that he still had two years to serve, so he’s not going to be available until Dec 2018/Jan 2019 sort of time – coincidentally just before England head off for a tour of the West Indies! He has firmly pledged his allegiance to England though according to Jon Lewis at Sussex.
Problem with spinners is we haven’t had an England spinner since Swan. Reason? Well take a look at the schedule, hardly any County cricket in July and August because of the hit and giggle. Spinners need to develop their art but the ECB have put paid to that.
So Crane and Dawson? Well Crane maybe although he is more likely to get hit around the park I think. Dawson is a batsman and no more than an occasional bowler. Rashids ommission? Well he got hit all around Headingley by Surrey last week: 16-0-106-0. Picked probably 5 years too late by England. Never rated him.
Can’t see Balance doing much. I’d put Hales in down the order any day. Otherwise batting is as expected.
I’d add to the above that England will soon have to look who is going to replace Anderson in the short term and Broad in the slightly more longer term. Both are not getting any younger and are getting injured more often. Can’t see Roland Jones filling the gap. Pity Wood is so injury prone. There’s always Plunket as well.
To be honest, who else is a viable option ?? Unless we are going to hand out test caps now and audition ?
Roll up roll up, who wants to pay £10 and get an England test cap
Personally in this age of so many formats, with most players being expected to adapt their games, I don’t like to see players limited to a format. If a player is consistently successful in one format he should be given a chance in the others. Root is not a natural white ball cricketer but has adapted well. I would like to see caps earned by consistent success, not promising talent. Why can’t Alex Hales or even Jason Roy play test cricket? They do ok at the 3 day game. Look at the Aussies, picking the likes of Warner and Head in all forms. The Indians pick almost the same side for their test and I day teams.
People keep criticising Ballance for lack of foot movement. What about Marcus Trescothic and David Gower? If the county game is going to count for anything as a breeding ground for test cricket Ballance’s sheer weight of runs has to put him in the frame. He’s not stupid and must be aware of his technical shortcomings. He is now an experienced professional and has forced his way back into the reckoning for the right reasons.
What worries me more is the continued selection of players with fitness doubts. Broad and Anderson need more spells to prove they can deliver over 5 days, a long time for a bowler especially, where they may need to come back for a 3rd or 4th spell in a day. It is unfair to the team to risk breakdowns for the sake of reputation. We have Plunkett and Wood available. I am not suggesting ignore past achievements, but they need to be kept in context. It is also disappointing to see Dawson, a solid but rather undistinguished player, get the nod over a wicket taker like Rashid.
We are always told these days that squads are the new way forward, so why not pick a test squad of say 15 players at the start of each series, just like the limited over squad and stick with it, with a couple of specialist reserves on standby in case of injuries. At least this way counties know how long they can continue to have their best players available for. I know from painful experience with Warwickshire with the likes of Trott and Bell, how test cricket can affect a county batting line up.
I am a great believer in the specialist player at test level. All rounders come along occasionally, but good ones are rare. Stokes and Ali may become effective, but their bowling is still short of the mark. I would rather selectors showed confidence by picking 5 specialist batsmen, the best wicket keeper, 4 specialist bowlers and an all rounder type. These days most bowlers and wicket keepers can bat reasonably, a legacy of the 1 day game. The bits and pieces cricketer, so beloved of county cricket, has no virtue at test level. I see Dawson in this category, and his selection is a purely negative one.
Suggest that these days it is not so much’foot work’ as weight transfer. Isn’t Ballance back, static and pinned?
The county championship is not fit for purpose. It is not porducing the quality of player to succeed at test level. Sure the odd player comes though in spite of it but given the resources available we are producing so few players.
It all needs shaking up and someone needs to decide if cricket wants to keep red ball or just white ball. Both are very different mind and skill sets they can not co-exist sadly. They mess up with players mindsets and techniques.. let alone the complete drivel bowling that white ball produces
That’s tired old tosh. The Championship is struggling because the ECB don’t give a toss. The standard and commitment of players is excellent but the old age attitudes of play-safe defensive cricket is strangling the product. It does need a massive shake up to encourage match results not petering out into bore draws.
Yes Ballance is in cos of old pals act and TRJ is a decent trundler. Hameed and LL out of sorts for Lancs and need time in the middle although that will now consist of crash, bang wallop.
The draw is a result !
The draw is there if you score way to many runs and can’t take 20 wickets ! Cricket is a game where you should have to be able to bat and bowl.. not just win/lose where you merely have battting sides now who just blast away the oppos and then bowl to merely defend and shock.. batters have to get out.
The standard is lower than ever in county cricket and there is no denying that
Who the hell is TRB?
Another Gary Ballance comeback and I guess we all know what to expect