Or, Geoffrey gets upset about English spin bowling again…
What has Jack Leach done while carrying drinks that has so impressed? To the point the ECB appears to have hustled him away from playing cricket in favour of hydrating those that do.
In late-2018, Leach appeared to answer the questions left by Graeme Swann’s retirement. The best spinner on show for England this winter, it was certain he was going to play a major role for England this summer. But two days into the second test against India, he’s handling drinks and watching Moeen Ali bowl after his form in The Hundred secured him a recall.
Leach has expressed his frustration at his lack of game time. There is mitigating context. He fell ill in New Zealand in 2019 and again in South Africa. Bess replaced him, taking his opportunity and playing through the next summer. The advent of bio-bubbles meant that Leach, among others, could not return to first-class cricket.
The challenges of COVID haven’t abated. But it remains the case that Leach hasn’t played a home test since 2019. With the current schedule placing these tests alongside a block of white ball cricket, there are few opportunities for a player like Leach to get a game. Whatever you think about The Hundred, it is not to blame – not for the lack of red ball opportunities nor England’s batting woes. If this series wasn’t being played against the backdrop of The Hundred, it would be The Blast. Rather, it enters a system in which the primacy of white ball cricket has been affecting England’s cricketers for years. It is just that this year has shown in sharp focus how this schedule is undermining cricketers. In six tests against India in the past twelve months, for instance, England has crossed 200 only twice.
Red and white ball cricket are rapidly becoming different games. There was a time when test form might earn a place in the ODI side, though those involved admitted it represented a lack of insight into the shorter forms of the game. But as the chasm between formats widens, it appears even more inappropriate to select test match players based on white ball form. Yet, what else can Chris Silverwood do when a major test series aligns with The Hundred? We’ve seen ODI stalwart Jonny Bairstow celebrate his 75th cap in the first test, despite not averaging above 35 in a calendar year since 2016. Now, Moeen Ali returns to the side having not played a first-class game since Chennai in February.
They can, however, claim to have access to some cricket. For Jack Leach, the closest he can get to a first-class game at the moment is stagnating on the sidelines of the test squad. For all of Silverwood’s talk of focussing on tests, windowed cricket in which white ball cricket occupies the height of the summer – and summer holidays – signifies where the ECB’s priorities really lie. It makes it impossible for players to prepare for a marquee series like this and it also leaves Chris Silverwood with few back-up options. The best he can do is pick replacements based on early season form or white ball performance.
On the face of things, bringing Moeen back is an attempt to redress the balance upset by Ben Stokes’ absence. One hopes he can succeed because Moeen at his best is one of the most gratifying sights in cricket. In a set-up that celebrates Jonny Bairstow scoring 30, however, the bar isn’t exactly high. But one can’t help but feel for Leach.
Having made such a point of their focus on The Ashes, it looks like England – should the tour go ahead as planned – will head to Australia with a similar squad to 2017/18. Moeen, Bairstow, even Dawid Malan are all in contention. There are shades of Duncan Fletcher picking Ashley Giles and Geraint Jones in Brisbane during the 2006/7 series.
England might have used Stokes’ absence to look at Liam Dawson or Ryan Higgins, two of the more successful all-rounders in the county game. Instead, selecting Moeen feels like a backward step – an adherence to a formula that hasn’t worked before in the hope it might finally bear fruit. The message to county cricketers is clear: your hard work means nothing. England identifies players and returns to them over and over, no matter how underwhelming their returns.
So, with England claiming to look forward to Australia while demonstrating their gaze is fixed firmly behind, who exactly is going to bowl spin in Australia?
At this rate, not Leach. Bess deserves to be left alone for a while. Moeen can’t, surely, after his showing last time. Rashid hasn’t shown the ability in test cricket nor the willingness to return. Is it Root? He and Silverwood appear to rate him higher than Leach. By that reckoning, erroneous as it may be, Root is the best spinner in the country. If that’s not a sad indictment of England’s player development, what is?
Maybe it’s Parkinson. He of big leg breaks and, apparently, not enough pace. Though, recall many levelled the same allegation at Nathan Lyon and he appears to have done alright for himself. It does not bode well that so many of England’s spin options are so young. What has happened to the county stalwarts that can step up at need. What England wouldn’t do for a Shaun Udal or James Tredwell. Except they have access to an experienced spinner who has performed at test level – they just won’t pick him.
Had they recognised Leach’s potential, they might have been able to help him develop his game to be ready for The Ashes. Now, it feels unfair to pick him for Australia when they’ve kept him from playing cricket for so long. That being said, selecting on white ball form was a pillar of Ed Smith’s tenure as selector, so, too, apathy towards county cricketers. It’s not inconceivable that Joe Denly might come to fore as a spin option come December.
Heading into the lead-up to The Ashes, England has a lot of unanswered questions. Not least whether their best players will be available. But, it doesn’t seem that there are plans in place for what happens if England can’t access their all-rounders. It speaks of a lack of imagination in selection and a lack of trust. It would be easy to look at the damage England is doing to the careers of players like Jack Leach and blame Root and Silverwood. But they have been elected into a system seemingly designed to undermine England’s test ambitions.
After all, is there not something rotten in this set-up? We can support Ben Stokes’ decision to take a break from the game. We can laud the ECB for letting that happen without it being a threat to Stokes’ career. Player wellbeing shouldbe paramount – far more important than what is, and people often forget this, a game. But we need to acknowledge that Stokes – and the many other players who have stepped away of late – shouldn’t need time away. Players shouldn’t need to miss games to have a break; they shouldn’t get to where they are so emotionally and physically weary that they have to pull away from the game. Stokes’ absence, Jofra Archer’s injuries, the diminishing of Moeen Ali, among others – these are failures of management. Root and Silverwood bear some responsibility (the ECB didn’t bowl Archer for 42 overs at Mount Maunganui, after all). But the ECB presides over a system that is pushing players to their breaking point and the brute forcing of a new competition into an already bursting schedule can only exacerbate that.
Next to that, the non-selection of Jack Leach might feel insignificant. After all, there are only eleven spots available and the vagaries of selection are a part of the game. But his inability to play any professional cricket is a symptom of that same rot that may well push a player like Jofra Archer away from test cricket and see Ben Stokes miss The Ashes. Until the schedule compliments the game, rather than sacrificing it; until the ECB prioritises the game and its players over their own vanity, the test team will continue to suffer. Unable to access cricket, forced to watch lesser players leapfrog him, and experiencing first-hand England’s utter contempt for spin bowling, how long before Jack Leach – like so many modern cricketers – has to question whether this is really where he wants to be?
Jack Leach is an unlucky cricketer. He is unlucky that Stokes’ absence leaves this team unbalanced; he is unlucky that he plays in a system that discourages single-format cricketers; he is unlucky that he plays in a team with such disdain for specialist spinners. We are unlucky to be deprived of seeing the best players in their discipline play at the highest level – something exemplified by Ben Foakes’ winter showcase. As the ECB push for a new audience, it is sad to think that we – and those new spectators – deserve so much better.
For all the uncertainties that surround England as they look to Australia and head into the next cycle of the World Test Championship, there is one certainty. With temperatures often in excess of 35 degrees in the Australian summer, there’ll be no shortage of drinks for Jack Leach to serve.
Geoffrey Bunting
“Having made such a point of their focus on The Ashes, it looks like England – should the tour go ahead as planned – will head to Australia with a similar squad to 2017/18”.
With the openers failing again, there couldn’t be the ultimate reversion to 2017/18, could there? Clue: he was born on Christmas Day and some in the media are starting to call for his resurrection.
BTW while focussing on what a mess England are in, don’t ignore that Australia are in something of a mess too. It’s Test cricket that has problems, not an individual country.
I think you are missing the point entirely. The current ECB programme has devalued both the red ball game and the 50 over white ball game.
Our very successful T20 competition was well attended by families and children which the ECB were unaware of or chose to ignore. The 50 over game in which we are World Champions has been sidelined for the 100 vanity project. I doubt if we will be World Champions next time if our best players are not playing the format. Our Test match batting with the exception of Root, is dreadful, as no one is playing the format in the height of summer.
I think the issue with Leach is a management one. He, Bess and Parkinson have been badly handled. Does Silverwood have an idea of which spinner he wants to take to Australia? (given his record I suppose you must add if he does plan to take one). If he does surely he should have a Test this summer.
The wider problem – this chaotic schedule – lies fair and square with the ECB. There are three forms of international game – the long game, the one day game and the short format. It is increasingly difficult to accommodate all three – choices already have to be made – so the ECB decided to add a fourth, knowing – I presume, maybe I give them credit for rather more foresight than they have – the havoc it would bring to the domestic season. The ECB will not back down on The 100 so this will continue.
The solution surely is for the ICC to organise an international schedule for all forms of the game. The short form of course will be T20. Does the ECB seriously think that other countries will pay them a franchise fee when they already have successful T20 competitions? The ECB will then have to decide whether to persist with a purely domestic competition despite it damaging the other three forms of the game in England.
One of the things I dislike most about the franchises is that they do nothing to develop the game other than to enrich the ECB and the stars they import to manage and play. It is still left to the Counties to recruit and develop players only to have them sequestered for the 100.
The one certainty is that things can not continue as they are, as there will be fewer and fewer players capable of playing the red ball game – not just in England
No one will pay the ECB to franchise the Hundred. For example the UAE have replaced their T10 competition with a Ninety–90 Bash – 90 balls a side!
Was impressed with Parkinson early doors this season, but Leach had shown an ability to tie up an end with long spells in a way Moin and Bess have never done. This is ideal for test cricket to give the seamers a break. He also has plenty of recent experience bowling at these Indian batsmen. In all fairness Moin has bowled well this test despite having so little red ball cricket this summer. Still not convinced he can fill an all rounder berth any better than Curran. Also if you’re going to play Bairstow have him as keeper and dump Buttler, he’ll never make a test batsman, he can resist going hard at the ball, even in defence. This opens the way for a.n.other to balance the side better in the absence of Stokes.
Can’t believe Ashwin is sitting on the sidelines this series. I know India have along tail but Ashwin isn’t exactly a negligible batsman. If you’ve got class players you play them every time. I love Jadega as an all round cricketer but Ashwin has to be a better bet to win you games.
Cricket now is a coiled spring, and bloody shambles and the ECB are a disgrace to the great game. Something has to give because 4 domestic competitions will not work. If they are so blind to see what their obsession with hit and giggle is doing to the game then Test , 4 day and even one day cricket will not survive. If I were Joe Root I’d resign and do an Alistair Cook. Awful captaincy today but blimey the guy is the only quality Test batsman in the team. He and Anderson are carrying the rest of them who just can’t do it. But who do you pick? Nobody is playing red ball cricket.
Of course Leach should play. He’s ten times better that Moen and is the best we have. Oh and Silverwood should push of too. Glad I’ve changed my support to NZ.