It’s been a Test summer like no other. Not necessarily because of what happened out on the field, but because of the work that went into putting the matches on.
Essentially two international cricket teams were locked up in a hotel that had a cricket ground in the backyard. That’s actually a good way of describing it – a grand form of backyard cricket, just with cameras, journalists and commentators.
Thanks must go to Cricket West Indies and the Pakistan Cricket Board for agreeing to travel to England. The ECB owes a great debt to both cricket boards, and I hope to see England touring the West Indies and Pakistan in the near future.
As for the cricket itself, England have done pretty well this summer. Sure, it’s a continuation of strong form in home conditions, but that shouldn’t take away from some top-class performances.
From Ben Stokes’s mastery with the bat and ball and in the field in the second Test against the West Indies to James Anderson surpassing 600 wickets and Zak Crawley’s maiden double century in the third Test against Pakistan, there’s been a fair bit for England supporters to smile about.
It hasn’t been completely smooth sailing though, and England shouldn’t use the high points to paper over the cracks of the low points.
The current England XI is like a cake that has all the ingredients but doesn’t rise properly. The recipe just needs to be tweaked so that it does.
(Julian Finney/Getty Images)
In my preview of the series against the West Indies I wrote that, “Burns and Sibley look like the opening partnership England have been crying out for”.
While this is a comment I still stand by, I’m not immune to the fact that the opening partnership is wobbling more than it should.
In the West Indies series Burns averaged 46.8, scoring two fifties, while Sibley averaged 45.2, scoring a century and two fifties.
Compare this to the Pakistan series in which Burns only averaged five and a high score of ten and Sibley averaged 24.5 with a high score of 36.
Both will need to work on how to get through the new ball when conditions are challenging. Pakistan’s bowlers were stronger than the West Indies, but India’s bowlers will be stronger still, and this is a weakness that will be exploited.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
England have found themselves a great No. 3 batsman in Zak Crawley. His 267 in the third Test against Pakistan was wonderful to watch, going up and down through the gears as and when the situation changed.
Crawley had worked hard on his game, travelling to India and Australia to improve his skills. Ironically, it was Joe Denly, the man Crawley replaced, who got in touch with Sydney Cricket Club two years ago to suggest Crawley would benefit from some time there.
As captain, Joe Root will obviously be pleased with Crawley’s good form, but as a batsman he will be pleased because Root can now bat at No. 4 now that England have found a decent No. 3 batsman.
Root has felt more comfortable batting at No. 4 for ages, and hopefully this will lead to an improvement in his batting performances, which have left a lot to be desired recently.
Ben Stokes didn’t play in the final two Tests of the summer due to family reasons, but he will be back.
While Chris Woakes, Dominic Bess and Stuart Broad have made good contributions down the order, England will be glad to not need to be a batsman light once Stokes returns.
Having Ben Stokes in the side means there’s less of a blow when the top order wobbles. By no means does this mean that Stokes should be relied upon like this, but should there be drama, he has a proven track record of steadying the ship.
It’s always good to have a backup plan should things not go as they should.
England could also do with Stokes back in the slip cordon after dropped catches from Burns and Crawley in the third Test against Pakistan.
(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Ollie Pope should stay in the side at No. 6 depending on the results of the scan on his left shoulder, which he hurt when fielding on the boundary on Monday.
If Pope has injured his shoulder and needs to be rested from the side, could that open the door for Jonny Bairstow’s re-inclusion into the side?
This is dependent on when the next Test match actually is. England are scheduled to tour Sri Lanka and India early next year, but no fixtures have been set in stone as yet.
But if Pope is unable to play on those tours, I think it would be good to see Bairstow back behind the stumps considering Jos Buttler hasn’t been the greatest of keepers recently.
The Yorkshireman is back playing for his county, scoring 75 in a recent game against Nottinghamshire. Depending on whether there is a requirement to keep the Test and one-day teams in separate bubbles, Bairstow seems like a good choice to replace Pope if need be.
That thought could be entirely hypothetical, but it’s something to consider.
Jos Buttler’s batting is what saves him from being dropped. His partnership with Chris Woakes in the first Test against Pakistan helped England over the line and a score of 152 in the third Test contributed to England’s first 500-plus score in three years.
It’s not the worst thing in the world if Buttler is still England’s wicketkeeper, but he does need to sharpen up his wicketkeeping.
Onto the bowlers now and, with Stokes back in the side there are four bowling spots up for grabs. Two of those are guaranteed for England’s two leading wicket-takers, James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
Yes, in a recent article, I said that Anderson should be dropped for the second Test against Pakistan, but I was proven wrong, wasn’t I? Anderson picked up his 29th
five-wicket haul in Pakistan’s first innings of the third Test before he took his 600th wicket in the second innings.
There’s a lot more still to come from the Burnley Express.
Broad was dropped for the first Test of the summer against the West Indies before going onto prove why that was a mistake, taking 16 wickets at an average of 10.93 in the remaining two matches of that series.
With Stokes, Broad, Anderson in and a spinner as well, that leaves one space remaining to complete the bowling attack. It looks like it’s between Jofra Archer, Tom Curran, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood for that spot.
However, as a tour to Sri Lanka is on the cards, England may look to add another spinner to the XI, in which case we would see Jack Leach join Dominic Bess in the side.
Leach was unfortunate to have been left out of the side on the tour of South Africa through no fault of his own, having fallen ill.
If all the tours that have been pencilled in do take place, it’s going to be a testing 2021 for England, as they play India and Australia away from home.
Add in a World Test Championship that’s up for grabs and we’ve got ourselves some exciting Test cricket to come.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
Congratulations to Jimmy. 600 test wickets is an awesome achievement for a fast bowler. To be able to stay on the paddock long enough to do it is a feat in itself. In that regard Anderson is the Tendulkar of fast bowling imo. Obvious class with the durability to make the most of it. .. Still, as good as he is, I rate Broad a bit more than Jimmy. Anderson rarely bowls poorly and is nearly always a serious threat but Broad has shown at least three times that he can go on a wicket taking rampage when he plays us. He doesn't just hurt us, he annihilates us. 8/15 or whatever it was. You've got to be kidding. That's the test match right there. The whole damn thing is decided in the first 2 hours of a scheduled 30 hour event. I don't know about anyone else but that worries the crap out of me.
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
Yep, no names, no context, the usual guff Dave. And even with them, it would still be a minuscule, insignificant, irrelevant commentary, it's blindingly obvious why you've chosen to jump on it. Just stand up to it buddy.
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
You're just plucking out names and stats that fit to your narrative because you just can't accept the fact that Jimmy Anderson is one of the greatest bowlers of all time.
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
Dave, imagine if you had just achieved a milestone like Jimmy Anderson did this week and somebody came up to you and said ‘well done mate but you’re not as great as x, y and z’. Would you like that? And how nice of you to deny Anderson his final Ashes tour of Australia. So kind.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
How so?
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
No Neil I was referring to a few people I saw quoted, including a couple of contemporary Test cricketers, who actually described him as the GOAT, which I find insulting to the real goats. Nothing disingenuous about it. And given his record in Australia, it’s perfectly reasonable to able to ask whether he’ll be a good selection for the Ashes next year.
JGK
Roar Guru
and Murali 36 in Australia does that remove them from the great spinners list. Actually Murali averaged 100 for Sri Lanka in Australia.
Gonzo99
Roar Rookie
Fair enough. I think there was an article on here after the last Ashes asking why matches in England seemed to be closer and have a bit more excitement in them. I think the general consensus was that it was in the pitches. The pitches in England offer quite a bit to bowlers of various styles, while the Aussie pitches heavily favoured the batsmen. With these short, modern tours where the touring side doesn't much of a chance to get acclimatised, they're at a huge disadvantage. Also, it helps that England have been a pretty inconsistent side for a few years. While I'd love England to do well next year, I can't currently see past a heavy Aussie win.
OffCycling
Guest
Yes I was (24.15 would be better than Warne, Kumble, Walsh and Broad, with only Muralitharan and McGrath having taken over 450 wickets at an average of <24.15).
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
Well, I want England to win 5-0! :laughing:
Dexter The Hamster
Roar Rookie
Personally I want Aust to win 5-0, but if that's not the case, would love to see a close series. Like you say, going into the 4th Test all locked up would be good.
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
I've just had a look through the list of all the bowlers who have taken 300+ Test wickets and a case could be made for every one of them. For the here and now though, let's enjoy the fact that we are watching a man climb up the ladder of most Test wickets taken. The interesting bit is that nobody mentioned that Anderson was the GOAT but the debate has been taken that way. But, oh well, certain people want to use that in their argument (not yourself, BarmyFarmer) to dig themselves out of the hole they're digging.
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
My goodness, you’re clutching at straws.
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
As I alluded to in my comment above. The strength of the England side is nearly at that of the Australian side (not dismissing the strength of the Australian side) and I think the onus will be more on England to make the series close. And Joe Root is well aware that England need to build on their strengths that they have developed this summer, for the tour of India let alone for next year’s Ashes. At least get to the Boxing Day Test with the series still undecided. That’d be progress.
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
Re. Virdi, I'm not so optimistic that he will get into the side. There have been a few young players like him who are left stuck on the periphery in recent years. They get on the plane, they train, but they don't do much else. Perhaps they bring on the drinks or be a sub fielder for a bit, but that's about it. As always, I don't mind being proven wrong.
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
Never write off Jimmy Anderson. He will be on that plane to Australia next year. No ifs, no buts. Where's your spinner? Bess, Leach, perhaps even Rashid are in the mix.
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
Dave, there’s a reason why I didn’t reply directly to you in the first place. It’s simply because I can’t be bothered to get into this argument. Comparisons are silly. It’s like saying Lewis Hamilton isn’t one of the greatest F1 drivers ever because he was in a fast car and raced in more races than Ayrton Senna. It doesn’t work. I have never said that Anderson is a GOAT, simply that he is one of the greats. I’m just going to leave it at that.
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
I think Off Cycling may be referring to 24.15 being a better average than Warne and Kumble (two of the three bowlers ahead of Anderson on the all-time wicket takers list).
BarmyFarmer
Roar Rookie
I don't understand this hang up on averages in different countries, of course home country averages are going to be better. Shane Warne averaged 43 in India and Murali 36 in Australia does that remove them from the great spinners list. In terms of cross generation examples they are in most cases impossible. Trueman played on uncovered pitches in England and batsmen in them days didn't wear helmets. Hardly fair to compare his generation to Andersons, both are undoubtedly greats in their own times. I'm admittedly not saying Anderson is the BEST EVER. I don't think it's possible to say who is, arguments could be made for them all Lillee, Marshall, McGrath, Akram etc. What can't be denied is in recent years Jimmy stands head and shoulders above nearly every seamer on wickets, average and strike rate. In the last 10 years his stats are 462 wickets at 24, better than any other bowler for the last 20 years. So at the very worst you could argue for 2 decades he's been the greatest seam bowler on the planet. Of all time probably not, but that's a completely different and more complex debate.
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
But they play a lot more Tests, including against the likes of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe that the old timers couldn’t feast on. Mate, with less than 3% of his total test overs being bowled at the Bangers and Babs, no one's ever coming over to your place for a promised feast.