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Opinion

Underdone England undermined at the selection table

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Roar Guru
3rd January, 2022
30

England’s performance in the first three Ashes Tests against Australia has been nothing short of disappointing.

The wayward shot selection and a lack of full bowling that Joe Root made no apologies about in his post-match comments after the Adelaide Test have been nothing short of embarrassing for fans abroad.

England’s first hit-out on Australian soil against the Lions and Australia A before the Gabba Test was washed out and the rolling show of COVID wiping out several state games has left the English looking very underdone.

Take nothing away from a rampant Australian line-up with the personnel of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and debutant Scott Boland, who took 6-7 on debut at the MCG.

Pat Cummins of Australia celebrates after dismissing Zak Crawley of England during day one of the Third Test match in the Ashes series between Australia and England at Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

The current climate of Test match schedules doesn’t allow tour matches in between Tests with a short turnaround.

The visitors swung the axe coming into the last Test at the MCG with the likes of Rory Burns and Ollie Pope dropped for Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow.

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Crawley was injected into the side after the opening combination of Burns and Haseeb Hameed struggled to make in roads. Burns was infamously bowled on the first bowl of the series in Brisbane.

Did England make the right decision in dropping Burns? Probably not. If anything, the wrong opener was dropped. Burns scored 34 in the second innings in Adelaide, which was possibly enough for him to hold his position.

Bairstow was injected into the side in the middle order in place of Ollie Pope after Pope failed to make an impact in his first four innings over two Tests.

Bairstow came into the match from the proverbial wilderness and was out in the first innings to extra pace from Starc and was trapped on his crease by Boland during his onslaught.

Scott Boland of Australia (L) celebrates after dismissing Jonathan Bairstow of England (R) during day three of the Third Test match in the Ashes series between Australia and England at Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 28, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett - CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

(Photo by Daniel Pockett – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

England’s decisions on the selection table have no doubt contributed to the lack of success and the subsequent loss of the Ashes.

England’s bowling line-up with the personnel of Mark Wood, Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson have all been impacted throughout the series.

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Dropping Broad and the 39-year-old Anderson for the Gabba Test and then dropping Wood for the seaming day-night Test in Adelaide and then going 2-0 down, England certainly couldn’t take a trick.

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