When Joe Root weighs up the timing of his declaration this morning (and we certainly hope it’s this morning!) he must ask himself this one fundamental and all-important question. Is drawing at home against the West Indies an acceptable result? Because if England don’t win this Test match then a draw is the very best we can hope for in this series.
If I was answering this question then the answer would be “no”. In fact, it would be a firm “hell no”. The Windies are, after all, ranked 8th in the ICC Test rankings with only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe below them. If England want to say they’re making progress with a straight face then we should be beating financially weaker teams at home without breaking sweat. Indeed, we haven’t failed to beat the Windies at home since 1995.
Consequently, Joe Root’s declaration simply has to be brave. It has to be a statement of intent and ambition not just for this game but for the future too. There should be no messing around. He needs to give his bowlers every opportunity to win the game without contemplating defeat. After all, failing to win this game (and drawing the series at best) would be a form of defeat anyway.
So what equation would you like to see? Personally I would bat for about 45 minutes this morning and set the Windies at total of around 275. That should be plenty on a pitch that’s beginning to assist the bowlers.
Waiting for a lead of 300 would be far too cautious. If England want to bat the Windies out of the Test match altogether (with a lead of 320 odd) then it’s going to take at least an hour and a half. And that’s time we don’t have.
When working out these equations it’s important to remember that this isn’t an ODI. The fielding captain can slow down the run rate and put his fielders anywhere. What’s more, this pitch isn’t the usual belter we see in limited overs affairs. Batting won’t be easy (for either team).
Scoring 275 to win in 80 overs would seem like a simple equation in an ODI but the fifth day of a Test match is a very different affair. Lose a couple of wickets and the Windies will soon abandon all thoughts of chasing the runs. A draw is a good result for them.
What’s more, waisting this precious opportunity to win the game would be such a shame after our bowlers’ superb performance yesterday afternoon and evening. The catalyst, of course, was Stuart Broad who finally found his rhythm in his first competitive game for months. His legs were pumping, his intent was clear, and every delivery seemed to say “have that, Ed Smith”.
The other bowlers also found some form after looking pretty innocuous earlier in proceedings. Sam Curran persisted admirably – he possesses little pace but no little skill – and Chris Woakes also found his groove in his last spell.
Ben Stokes also looked dangerous in limited action. Why didn’t he bowl earlier? I assume it’s because England want to use him as a safety value or plan C if the others seamers can’t get quite get the job done. Considering Stokes’s immense workload I don’t think this is a bad strategy.
Dom Bess also toiled away determinedly. He wasn’t quite landing it as well as he did in South Africa but I still think he’s a cricketer who offers a great deal. He’s learning and he’ll get there.
It’s a shame, however, that there was no room in the XI for Jack Leach. England’s management mustn’t forget that Leach is the best pure spinner available in the country. We could’ve used Leach yesterday for sure. I wouldn’t go back to Moeen Ali because, although his record at home is good, he doesn’t offer much control and I doubt he’s going to suddenly start developing as a bowler at this stage of his career. It would be a regressive move.
I sense that today could be a really interesting day if, and it’s a big IF, England time the declaration correctly. Get it right and we could be in for a treat. Leave it too late and today could be about as interesting as day three.
Don’t let us down, Joe. Show some character. And show some ambition.
James Morgan
Well, sending out Buttler and Stokes to open was definitely a good move. Let’s hope he backs that up with further positive actions!
Setting a run chase, hoping the other side will tie; it is almost like the old 3 day Championship or Middlesex v Yorkshire on last day of 2016 season. Have become rare and can be most dramatic form of red ball Cricket. Really looking forward to the day.
There’s another Yorksire vs Middlesex match that Root might have in the back of his mind…
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8052/scorecard/692743/middlesex-vs-yorkshire-lv=-county-championship-division-one-2014
For me the longest England can bat for today is 11 overs, which adding in two for the change of innnings and taking into account the scheduled minimum of 98 for the day gives 85 overs at the West Indies, allowing five with the second new ball if needed. Obviously if they really explode out of the blocks and get that lead increased at breakneck pace they could declare sooner, but the least outlandish looking route to a win is bash 80 off 11 overs with the bat, declare setting WI 300 off 85 overs, a target that is not large enough for them to absolutely turn their noses up at and look to bowl them out a second time. Sam Curran often gets sent in early in T20s, and I would have him padded up to go in next.
I was going to say something similar. Any decision about when to declare needs to give us a bit if time with the second new ball at the end of the day. That new ball will suck all of the resilience out of the Windies.
But also, if we want another 55 runs (James’ 275 to win) from a maximum of 11 overs (Thomas) and ideally less as more than 5 overs of second new ball would be good (me) then let’s get Broad and Woakes padded up as the next two batsmen and get that run rate up.
Or Curran, like you say.
I’m looking forward to a great day’s cricket today. I agree that England should go for the win but realistically a draw seems the most likely result.
It depends entirely on who’s in to score the runs. If Stokes stays in we could top the 300 lead in no time and have the best of both worlds anyway. About time Pope did something this series too, even if it’s only a quickfire whiteball 20.
A mystery on yesterday’s highlights commentary is where Curran has got the reputation of making something happen. When was the last time he made anything significant happen with bat or ball. Still looks like a kid in a man’s world to me. He’s the 21st century Pringle.
A good win for England and one in which all the bowlers contributed on the final day. I’d be reluctant to change anyone for the final match of the series, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it and all that. Lots of positives from this victory, which was not handed to England on a plate, WI showed plenty of resistance at times. Sibley’s patient innings showed that he can be the solid opener England have been searching for for so long. Stokes is in the form of his life and is arguably a better batsman than Root at the moment. Woakes and Curran contributed important wickets and Broad was back at his best after his omission at Southampton. Bess chipped in with a few wickets too, lovely ball to dismiss Holder today. Longer term I feel Foakes should replace Buttler, who cannot reproduce his one day form in the test match arena. In over 40 matches he still has just the one 100 and averages around 31. He’s so much more talented than those figures suggest, but he has had so many chances.