The first Test of the Wisden Trophy has just concluded with West Indies chasing down 200 quite comfortably in the end by four wickets.
Here are my takeaways from the first Test at Southampton.
Stuart Broad’s omission
Now, this was a real surprise to me. Broad has played 77 consecutive Test matches on English soil, dating back to May 2008 until September 2019. In this time, the English seamer has taken 305 wickets at an average of 26.7.
Despite the Southampton pitch not offering much pace, England chose both speedsters in Mark Wood and Jofra Archer over Broad. Archer and Wood didn’t offer much this Test, often bowling too short and their lines being out of control at most times. Considering the West Indies bowlers succeeded by pitching the ball up, England made the massive mistake of dropping Broad.
In an interview with Sky Sports during the Test, Broad showed his dismay and disappointment at being dropped, and it’s understandable as to why he was disappointed. This pitch suited his style of bowling. Had this Test been at the Gabba, you could understand why England went ahead with the two speedsters.
Keeping an eye on the future is fine, but you need to play your best XI based on conditions. The English team management need to rethink their plans come the second Test in Manchester, which is another dry surface.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Denly wastes his starts… again
Having made his Test debut around 18 months ago, Joe Denly hasn’t necessarily looked out of place in Test cricket. But once again, he has failed to cash in and capitalise on starts after grinding out for two hours or so.
Take his dismissal in the second innings for example. Denly somehow chipped a harmless ball from Roston Chase to the hands of short midwicket. With an average of below 30 and no Test century to date, Joe Denly seems to be on the out as Joe Root is available from the second Test.
Sibley’s technical flaw is being found out
In the era that is technology, international cricketers are being exposed to video footage by the opposition and having all parts of their game watched by video analysts. Less than a year into his international career, Dom Sibley seems to have been found out.
Quite a few times, Sibley has shuffled across his stumps and ended up finding himself caught down the leg side. In the second innings, Shannon Gabriel had Sibley walking across and gloving one down the leg side to the keeper.
He’s had a good start to his career, but opposition teams will be stationing fielders between leg slip and leg gully to Sibley every time he comes out to bat in the future
Holder sets the tone from the first innings
Jason Holder is a freak of a bowler and deserves a lot more plaudits than he gets. Bowling in high 120s to low 130s, all Holder did was test the English batsmen’s technique relentlessly. The reward of his relentless accuracy was a six-wicket haul in the first innings.
Although Holder only picked up one wicket in conditions that didn’t necessarily suit him during the second innings, his economy rate was only 2.15. Plus, he took the wicket of Ben Stokes that began the English collapse in their second innings.
Batting wise, Holder should be batting at seven, but he has played some quality knocks down at number eight. He did a great job at the end to take his team home.
(Photo credit RANDY BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images)
West Indies batsmen show England how to bat in England
The big question before this series was whether the West Indian batsmen could step up. And they did. The West Indian batsmen showed tremendous patience, especially in the first innings.
The key to batting in England is playing late, and the likes of Kraigg Brathwaite, Jermaine Blackwood and Shane Dowrich were rewarded for their patience with half-centuries. England’s top five displayed better temperament in the second innings, but they still collapsed and gave away the ascendancy to the West Indies late on Day 4.
Keep Buttler out of the Test team for the sake of English cricket
Before England were set to tour Sri Lanka this year (a series that was cancelled due to COVID-19), there was pressure on Jos Buttler to deliver with bat and gloves. Out of nowhere, Buttler was named vice-captain for the first Test in this series.
It almost seemed like Buttler’s appointment was a reward of mediocrity considering he hasn’t hit a century since August 2018. Buttler was recalled into the English Test team in May 2018 following his performances in the 2018 IPL. That itself was surprising to me. Since his recall into the Test team, Buttler has scored 1343 runs in 45 innings at an average of 30.52 (not all as keeper).
He is England’s best white-ball player, but Buttler is far from being in England’s top ten batsmen in Test cricket. There’s a far better gloveman by the name of Ben Foakes, and he has this knack of rescuing his teams out of trouble at seven. Time to hand over the gloves to Ben Foakes and call curtains on your Test career, Jos Buttler.
Paul
Roar Guru
I take comments like Hussein's with a grain of salt. He's fast become an absolute master of hindsight. I also think you're being a tad unfair on Stokes. What would you have done if you'd been in his shoes? It takes a very brave man to bowl first when your leading your country for the first time. In hindsight England underachieved in their first innings but surely Stokes had every right to expect his guys to bat better?
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
Archer looked good but Wood wasn't that great bar two decent overs on day 5. West Indies batsmen may have had good conditions to bat on but they still had to apply themselves. England failed to do that on day 1 and 2. Like Hussain said had this been the home Ashes Broad would've bever been dropped so why now? Stokea decision to bat first under the clouds cost England as well imo
Tom
Crawley is a First class opener and he did ok opening in SA while Burns was injured, he definitely bats at 3 for mine. Root is a much, much better batsmen when he bats at 4 or lower and you want your best bats batting in their most preferred positions.
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
I thought Shannon Gabriel set the tone early, which helped Holder a lot. Creepy Crawley II looks alright.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Archer was only bowling 85 mph, ie about Josh Hazlewood pace, according to press reports and on the couple of times I tuned in. Wood was bowling a lot quicker, but seems to have been even more ineffective by the sound of it. I wonder what happened to Jack Leach, the spinner who supported Stokes in that Headingly partnership. Good to see Holder doing well. His bowling average has come down from almost 40 two years ago to 25. A lot of that was thanks to performances against the likes of Bangladesh and Afghanistan but he’s also done well vs England and India.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
The problem with England is their 2nd rate batting. Half those selected in the top 7 are not Test standard.
Brian
Guest
England have lot of holes. Denly should have played his last Test. Root needs to come in and bat at No 4 with Crawley at No 3. Even then I have serious doubts about both Burns and Sibley but there might not be anyone else. Dropping Broad was strange. I'd rest Anderson for the 2nd, drop Wood and bring in Broad and Woakes. Buttler a hard one he is not performaing with the bat but he has done well with the gloves in the last few years. I'd be inclined to drop him except giving him one test is hardly fair, unlike Denly & Sibley he actually has a chance of coming good. I'd give hime one more but if there are still no runs put in Foakes. Was great to see the West Indies more competetive, would love them to win the series. Bad as England are they are miles ahead of us in terms of producing good wickets that keep both batsman and bowlers in the game. If its the Duke then I'd be happy to shun the boring Kookaburra for some moer exciting cricket.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Yeah, Anderson didn't look that dangerous, Archer, Stokes and Bess looked their most dangerous with Wood on occasion.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I checked the lunch time score last night and I though, oh no, the Windies blew it. So glad they fought out the win. Their batting looks ok but you still get the feeling they are all still only good for starts, no big scores. Blackwood with a great innings when it mattered. The Windies did get lucky with that review off Bess, that looked plumb to me. The Poms fielding was horrible on the last day and their reviews not much better. The Windies will need to get better with the next game to win the series though.
badmanners
Roar Rookie
If Denly is dropped Root might have to bat at his non preferred 3 as Crawley is pretty green and his first class average of 31 shows he is being picked on hope let alone potential.
Paul D
Roar Rookie
All good takeaways. I couldn't believe it when I heard England had dropped Broad, that was baffling by any standards. England seduced by pace like we used to be with Shaun Tait in the test side, and like us it rarely worked out.
Paul
Roar Guru
Interesting points Arnab, though I'm not sure I understand the logic of some of your comments. I thought there was plenty in the pitch, if bowlers were prepared to really bend their backs. The man of the match bowled sustained spells around 90mph, but as you rightly pointed out bowled a very good line and length, which allowed the ball to do plenty off the track. Wood & Archer did manage that in the early stages of the Windies second innings and had them in all sorts of trouble, but couldn't sustain the pressure. Would Broad have made a difference - maybe, but bear in mind he would have been coming into the game cold. I thought Anderson would be perfect in those conditions, but he only took 3 for 100 across the Test, so not sure Broad would have fared any better. I think the jury's still out on Sibley, while Butler will play next Test IMO. I can't see the selectors making him VC for one Test then dropping him out of the squad for the next game. I'm also not sure about your comments re the West Indies batsmen. They had by far the better of the conditions and to their great credit, made the most of that. I thought the batting lineups were pretty evenly matched, with plenty of edgy shots mixed with some very good ones. The guy who really needs to show patience is Jermaine Blackwood. Slapping deliveries straight to mid off, 2 innings in a row is not what I'd be wanting from my Test number 5.