Greetings everyone. Sorry about my lack of output over the last week or so. I’ve been sunning myself in The Loire – not that there was actually much sun! Thankfully a spot of degustation in Sancerre made up for the crap weather. Thanks to Garry, Daniel and Dave for holding the fort.
The big news I missed was our women’s fantastic victory in the World Cup Final at Lord’s. Who’d have thought that good old cricket could produce such an electric atmosphere and captivating spectacle? And we didn’t even need the fireworks and disco dancers that will inevitably appear in the new shitty-based T20 thingy. ECB take note.
The other big news, of course, was the call ups for Tom Westley and Dawid Malan. Initially I didn’t know about Gary Ballance’s injury – the 3G at my resort in France was poor – so I assumed he’d been dropped. However, I guess this injury means he’ll be back for a fourth / fifth (I’ve lost count) go at test cricket some time in the future. Or maybe the selectors might eventually reach the same conclusion as the majority of fans: test cricket and Gary Ballance just ain’t meant to be. Something always seems to go wrong.
Although it’s hard to get particularly excited about either Westley or Malan, they’re probably the best picks available from a cupboard that’s looking a bit threadbare. We have some very good younger players coming through the ranks – guys like Joe Clarke are obviously very exciting – but they’re probably not quite ready for the big time. Therefore going to mature cricketers like Westley and Malan probably makes sense at this point.
Westley deserves his chance, even though his first-class record is somewhat underwhelming, because he scored a ton batting at 3 for the Lions against South Africa at New Road a few weeks ago. I’ve seen him play a few times now and I always think he looks quite elegant and orthodox. Let’s see if his technique can stand up to test cricket.
While Westley seems guaranteed to make his debut – he’s the only guy in the squad (except Joe Root) capable of batting at first drop – it’s unknown whether Malan will play. Personally I hope he does, even if it’s at number seven or eight, simply because I can’t see Liam Dawson contributing much.
Dawson is a strange cricketer really. As far as I can tell he’s playing because, in the words of George Dobell, he’s “a good bloke”. England also seems enamoured with the concept of picking the same XI whatever the conditions … so when they do eventually encounter a bunsen at home they won’t have to change the side.
This strategy seems completely barmy to me. Surely you want to pick the best XI for whatever surface you’re playing on at the time? I mean, who needs six bowlers at the Riverside in May? But then again, I’m not a cricketing genius like, erm, James Whitaker.
If common sense does prevail, and Malan does indeed makes his debut – possibly at number 5 with Jonny, Stokes and Mo all moving down a slot – then England will finally see whether one of the better left-handers in county cricket over the last four or five years can hack test cricket. Malan has been on the cusp of selection for some time, so it’s about time we tried him or moved on.
Personally I think Malan is a decent player. He’s never struck me as anything special but he’s at an age (29) when a batsman can suddenly mature and flourish. Let’s not forget that Mike Hussey made his test debut at the age of 30, and it’s not uncommon for English batsmen to blossom later in their careers than players from the subcontinent.
Obviously it’s hard to predict how a batsman will handle the leap to test cricket but Malan has as good a chance as anyone available. He might well crash and burn like Ballance, Hales, Vince and Duckett, but we need to keep trying people until one sticks. There are far too many holes in the batting order to simply keep picking the same flawed players.
Although some might point out that Malan and Westley only average 38 in first class cricket, it’s important to remember that domestic records aren’t everything. Did you know that Michael Vaughan only averaged 38 for Yorkshire? Marcus Trescothick also averaged more for England than he does for Somerset. Mike Atherton and Alec Stewart also only averaged 40 in first class cricket.
The other cricketer who’s set to make his debut is Toby Roland Jones (or TBR for the sake of brevity). It’s a shame that Mark Wood isn’t fit as The Oval might have suited him a little better than Trent Bridge, and I still think he’ll have a key role to play this winter. Never mind.
I’m afraid (as I’ve said before) that I’m not a fan of TBR’s selection. His first class performances this year have been poor and I’ve always seen him as a very good county bowler rather than someone with international potential – mainly because he’s not particularly quick and he doesn’t have the same skills as a Vernon Philander or even a Matthew Hoggard.
Although TBR has a strong and repeatable action, and he won’t let anyone down, it’s hard to see him improving too much as he approaches his thirtieth birthday. Whereas batsmen can mature and play well into their thirties, it’s unusual for seam bowlers to do the same.
One thing’s for certain, TBR certainly isn’t going to put on that vital extra yard of pace at this stage of his career. The selectors have obviously forgotten their experience with Chris Woakes, who only became a good international performer once he could bowl over 85mph.
Having said that, although TBR was a typically conservative selection, he’s accurate and might do a good supporting job – after all, he’s been a supporting bowler for Middlesex (rather than a strike bowler) for much of his career. He might also be effective in English conditions – although The Oval isn’t exactly Headlingley.
My big fear, however, is that TBR’s selection is short-sighted. He might do well in England and then make it impossible to drop him for overseas tests – even though he’s unlikely to be effective in places like Australia. Personally, I’d much rather England blood a bowler who might develop into an effective paceman in all conditions rather than back someone with a lowish ceiling.
But hey. That’s just me. And as we all know, our selectors know all.
James Morgan
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