With the England-Sri Lanka series slowly meandering to an end, it feels like the time is right to see where the England team is currently at, and what personnel changes are set to be made. In this blog I’m taking a look at the openers, the Stokes v Woakes ‘situation’ and the all-important number 3 position. I’m going to reserve a separate blog (which I will post this week) about the spinner, whether it be Ali or Rashid and how England should look to fill the position going forward.
The Openers
While Cook’s spot was never under threat, as it never should be, Hales was under the spotlight coming into the series. After a number of shaky showings against South Africa, Hales’ temperament as an opener as well as his ability to take the shine off the ball was seriously questioned. Three matches later, with scores of 86, 83, 11, 18 and 94, Hales has at minimum bought himself another series or two. Hales still has a clear weakness against spin, whereby he looks to take it on as if he’s still in T20 mode. This will be something which Pakistan will undoubtedly be aware of and look to target – particularly Yasir Shah should be find his place back in the starting line-up.
Woakes for Stokes, Stokes for Woakes?
Ben Stokes is currently ruled out with a knee injury and faces a battle to be fit for the first Pakistan Test on July 14th. This could actually pose some problems for the selectors. Chris Woakes has come into the team in place of the injured Stokes and has been a more than adequate replacement. Firstly, he has a number of good showings in the Championship this year, including a century against Notts and a 9-fer against Durham. Since coming into the team, Woakes has proved to be a very useful foil for Anderson and Broad. When they struggled to make the grade in the second Test, it was Woakes who stepped up and found the all-important spell to unsettle the Sri Lankan line-up. Woakes has also proved that he knows how to handle the bat, better than most number 8s out there. Strength in depth, in both bowling and batting is one of the things which has set England apart from Sri Lanka over the last number of weeks. Even if Ben Stokes does regain fitness in time, it would be unlikely that we would see Woakes dropped straight out of the team. Quite simply, he has earned an extended run in the squad. While he is in form, it would be foolish to change things up.
The Number 3 Spot
After a difficult series, and a difficult 2016 overall, it looks like Nick Compton has worn the England jersey for the last time. While it is never nice to see any player struggle so much, across five international games and four domestic games Compton has a top score of 45, including 8 single-digit scores.
Who will fill up the number 3 spot now? A number of options exist – James Vince may be given a chance at number 3, however his showings at number 5 have been poor, with a top score of 35 across 6 innings simply don’t cut it at international level. Bayliss has openly admitted his desire to have Joe Root bat at number 3. In theory this might be a viable solution, with those above him dropping down the order. This would also free up a spot for Jos Buttler to re-join the side and take over the gloves, with Jonny Bairstow batting at number 5 as a specialist batsmen.
The more likely option seems to be a recall for Scott Borthwick, the legspinner turned batsmen. A number of media outlets have reported that Borthwick is the hand-picked replacement for Compton. Borthwick has notched up 574 runs this season at an average of 82, with a top score of 188*. It doesn’t hurt that Borthwick has picked up 10 wickets, and would provide a possible back up for England’s frontline spinner. Pakistan would undoubtedly prove a very difficult test for any new player, but if Borthwick is thrown into the firing-line and manages to prove his worth, he may be one to fill the number 3 spot for the foreseeable future.
What do I think the solution is? A lot will depend on the pitches. Root at 3 might not be the best idea considering his value at number 4, but it is really up to the selectors to decide whether any other players make the grade. In theory, the groundsmen will and should look to produce pitches which negate spin somewhat (Pakistan’s fast bowling stocks aren’t too bad either though).
Two scenarios make sense to me:
XI: Cook, Hales, Borthwick, Root, Bairstow, Ali, Buttler, Woakes, Finn, Broad, Anderson
XI: Cook, Hales, Borthwick, Root, Bairstow, Stokes, Ali, Buttler, Woakes, Broad, Anderson
Please drop me a comment or even a tweet (and follow me) at @craigjirwin if you have any comment or just simply disagree with me!
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