The middle and lower order are nearly always fighting an uphill battle by the time they come in. The opposition fast bowlers are on top and high on confidence. England need to try something different because Stuart Broad’s comment is dead right. It doesn’t matter which bowlers England select if the team keep getting bowled out for low scores. The match is already almost over as a contest.
I’m sorry Jos Buttler has been injured and will have to go home – but his wicketkeeping has been poor and his batting worse. When Jonny Bairstow was keeping wicket and lost his batting form, he lost his place in the team to Jos.
Buttler should now go. He isn’t as good a wicketkeeper as Bairstow and Bairstow is a better batsman against quality bowlers – that’s the important thing. Buttler can and does smack bowlers all around in one-day cricket when there are no slips and everyone has an excuse if they get out. There are no excuses in Test cricket. For some time now he hasn’t delivered in Test cricket when the pressure is on.
It’s time to move on from Buttler. England can’t be sentimental or be seduced by his brilliant performances in one-day cricket. The fact is he isn’t doing enough to keep his Test place. He only has two centuries in 57 Test matches. In the Ashes, he’s played 14 Test matches and averaged 19. That isn’t good enough.
Bairstow looks as if he has turned the corner with his batting – about time, too. It shouldn’t have taken that long to solve his problems. It’s not as if he’s never done it at Test level because this is his seventh century, to go with 22 half-centuries. He might not be able to play the next Test match because of his thumb injury and if he does play, keeping wicket with a damaged thumb would be stupid. So he probably won’t be able to keep.
Ben Stokes’s effort was fantastic. I just like everything about him. He’ll defend properly when he first gets to the wicket. But then, once he gets in there’s a belligerence about him – you know this guy is going to fight and scrap and not let you get on top of him. When he is batting the crowd are on the edge of their seats as he grabs their attention and his attitude helps other players in the team move up a gear. Whatever it is – he’s got it. Ben is the next England captain for me.
If Jack Leach is thought to be England’s best spin bowler then England should stop messing him around. They should pick him in every Test match. Jack needs to keep playing and bowling to the world’s top batsmen to gain rhythm and confidence in Test cricket. Jack wasn’t picked at all in the six Test matches last summer – yet was then exposed to the pressure cooker of Test cricket in Australia. Being sat on your bottom bringing out drinks and practising in the nets has never made anyone a better batsman or bowler.
