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The dramatic loss to Sri Lanka at Headingley means England have now gone winless for eight Test matches.
The last time this happened was between June 1996 and February 1997.
Under Michael Atherton’s captaincy the English drew twice with India, albeit in a 1-0 series victory; lost a three-match home series against Pakistan 2-0; drew a two-match away series against Zimbabwe 0-0; and drew the first Test in an away series against New Zealand.
By the time they won against New Zealand in Wellington, the English had fallen to eighth in the Wisden World Championship Table.
Derek Pringle, writing in The Independent on 11 March 1997, stated, “There appears to be no sense of adventure left in English cricket, either on or off the field.”
Matthew Engel, then editor of Wisden, eloquently likened their World Cup squad to a “bad-tempered grandmother attending a teenage rave”.
Only four players remained throughout this winless streak: the captain Michael Atherton, Alec Stewart, Graham Thorpe and, perhaps surprisingly, Adam Mullally.
Though many similarities undoubtedly exist between the current squad and that of the mid-90s – including uninventive cricket, out-of-form captains and a poor limited overs record – the current squad are far more talented and should not be struggling as much as they are.
The current team can lay claim to five players – Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson – who on their day would push selection for a World XI team, and a smattering of talented youngsters in Joe Root, Gary Ballance and Sam Robson.
With this in mind, what should England change for the Indian tour starting next month?
Broad, Anderson, Bell and Prior are automatic selections from the old guard. Both Broad and Anderson, with the exception of the second innings at Headingley, enjoyed a good series with the ball. Bell, though not at his best, still managed two fifties and remains England’s form batsman, while Prior scored a fluid 86 at Lord’s and showed improvement behind the stumps.
Root, though scoring a classy double century at Lord’s which ensures his position in the upcoming India series, still has question marks over his consistency. From the batting new guard, Robson, Ballance and Moeen Ali all scored centuries which should ensure their selection for the first Test in Nottingham.
This leaves three positions where changes could be made.
The first is the opening position filled by Alastair Cook, who on recent form both with the bat and as captain deserves to be dropped. Despite increasing calls for his head from both the English press and Australians hungry for another scalp from the recent Ashes campaign, this seems unlikely.
Firstly, there is no standout replacement captain in the squad. Secondly, and most importantly, no opening batsman in the county ranks deserves a place in the English team, with likely replacement, Nick Compton, failing to impress this season. Other options include Worcestershire opener Daryl Mitchell and Yorkshireman Adam Lyth – though both are unlikely.
The final pace bowling position will likely be filled by either Chris Jordan or Liam Plunkett, though Steven Finn must always be in consideration. Though Jordan bowled with great enthusiasm against Sri Lanka, he only claimed five wickets at over 50. Plunkett, by contrast, claimed eleven wickets at 30. Finn has claimed 32 county wickets at 28 for Middlesex this season.
Of these three, the likely starter is Plunkett. Jordan’s position should therefore be replaced by a full-time spinner. Ali, though capable, is nothing more than a part-time bowler. He bowled well in the Sri Lankan second innings at Headingley, despite little faith shown from Cook, but clearly doesn’t have the penetration to be an international spinner.
In lieu of a stand-out replacement, and considering the recent failings of Monty Panesar and Simon Kerrigan, I suggest a left-field selection in 22 year-old Kent off-spinner Adam Riley, who has claimed 40 wickets this season at 25, including three 5-wicket hauls.
The English team has endured a year which rivals the darkest times of the mid 1990s and early 2000s. However, this team has the talent to challenge India in July.
Wholesale, sweeping changes are not the solution. This team just needs to rediscover its self-believe.
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