Cricket Corner: England have time to tinker as Tests make way for T20s
In a nod to the longest form of the game - Test cricket - the article is broken into three sections to mirror the main intervals in a day’s play: Lunch - the main course; Tea - something extra; and Stumps (the end of play) - something to ponder over a few drinks at the bar.
Lunch: Where to next for Bazball?
The momentum generated at the beginning of coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes’ reign over England’s Test team was undeniably massive and it all led nicely up to last year’s Ashes series. It felt like the project was building towards that point and that a potential win over Australia would represent a real zenith for the so-called ‘Bazball’ revolution. Unfortunately for England, they drew that series (2-2) and the disappointment somewhat slowed the hype train.
Adding to that, Stuart Broad’s surprise retirement at the end of the Ashes and a few forced absences during the recently completed tour of India meant that England were ushered into a semi-reinvention of their side just as their toughest challenge emerged. For these reasons, we can conceive of England in India as a sort of ‘Bazball 1.5’.
Project Bazball 1.5 did pretty well initially. They won the opening Test in Hyderabad in heroic and improbable fashion but things fell apart quickly in the subcontinent as they lost the next four matches and ended the series with a whimper in Dharamsala. It wasn’t all doom and gloom through the losing, however.
Both rookie spinners Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir showed encouraging signs and the opening partnership of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett continued to impress. It’s safe to say, though, that the tour left more questions than answers for Stokes and co. going forward. With a decent-sized break until their next red-ball engagement, the main concern is: What will Bazball 2.0 look like? Or, more pertinently, when will that iteration of the project begin?
England’s next Tests are the three-match home series against the West Indies and then Sri Lanka this summer (starting in July). But what fans will really be looking towards is the home series a year later against India and the next Ashes series down under, which follows in late 2025. With one wide eye on those clashes, both in the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, the issue for England is how to treat the approaching summer.
Do they stick with their current crop or do they blood more talent to sow the seeds of Bazball 2.0?
Whether elder statesman Jonny Bairstow and James Anderson will or indeed want to continue until 2025 is one thing to tackle. What’s more, injury-prone bowlers Jack Leach and Ollie Robinson have question marks hanging over their durability as does batter Ollie Pope in regards to his suitability at three. Even Mark Wood, England’s key strike bowler, is already on the wrong side of 34 and cannot be relied upon to play every Test in a series.
The coming summer provides a chance for England to sample yet more players just as much as it provides a chance to move on the few who haven’t been able to kick on from the heady heights of Bazball’s halcyon embryonic moments. Unlike many of the selection decisions made in India, however, these calls might have to be made less by circumstantial forces and more by long-term strategic thinking.
Tea: An even longer time between drinks
If you thought England had a nice big break between Tests, Australia have close to an eternity between drinks by contrast. After completing their series in New Zealand, Australia's next Test is not until November, incredibly. And what’s more, that just happens to be the start of the biggest series of their year - a five-match epic against the mighty India at home. For context aside from the WTC points at stake, India won both the last two series between the sides (home and away), meaning the Aussies have a point to prove... and a lot of time to think about how they will do so.
India won't be going into the series quite as cold as their hosts as they have two home series (both of two matches) against Bangladesh and then New Zealand before they head down under. That gives them a chance to resolve the selection headaches that have arisen from the largely outstanding performances of the cabal of debutants that featured against England in place of their injured or otherwise unavailable stars.
Australia’s massive pause between Tests, on the other hand, gives them no chance to try out new faces or combinations before that blockbuster encounter - not that they want to, though. Their 2-0 series win over the Black Caps saw timely contributions from under-pressure batters Cameron Green and Marnus Labuschagne as well as the previously struggling wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who played a superb match-winning knock on the fourth day of the second Test in Christchurch.
The one batter who remains under audible scrutiny, however, is newly appointed opener (but very old presence) Steven Smith.
Smith's output opening (averaging just 28.5 after eight innings) has been neither completely calamitous nor entirely convincing. However, just as the long break in Tests offers him no matches to find form, it also affords him no further opportunities to fail and plenty of time to work on technical adjustments. What's more, with the Australian domestic season wrapping up soon, there is little to no chance for a competitor to push their case until the Sheffield Shield returns in October, which could be far too late to tinker with things ahead of the India series.
Scheduling is a big reason why Australia are unlikely to change their Test lineup but there’s an even more compelling argument aside: They keep on winning. When India go down there, however, they will pose a much stiffer challenge than Australia have faced in their previous three series - in fact, the biggest challenge of all. Will it be another summer of success for Smith and his ageing mates or one last, possibly desperate, dance under the blazing southern sun?
Stumps: It's T20 time, baby!
As Test cricket mostly fades off into the background but not completely (Bangladesh host Sri Lanka in two Tests following their ongoing white-ball series), Twenty20 (T20) steps boldly into the forefront of the sport’s focus for the next while. The T20 World Cup is fast approaching in June but before that, the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season will draw the world’s attention. The IPL begins on March 22nd, with the final scheduled for May 29th. As ever, the competition will bring together a silly array of talent, glitz and glamour. Before then, there are a few other bits and bobs to wrap up.
We touched on the Pakistan Super League (PSL) last week and that tournament is a good way to whet your T20 appetite before the IPL kicks off. What's more, it's getting serious now with the playoffs starting this week and the final next Monday. Thursday's qualifier sees the top two teams in the competition - Multan Sultan and Peshawar Zalmi - face off for a berth in the decider. The loser of that match then plays the winner of Friday’s first eliminator - Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators - on Saturday. All four playoff matches are being held in Karachi.
The PSL isn’t the only league ending over the weekend, either. The IPL’s female offshoot - the Women’s Premier League (WPL) - is rushing towards the conclusion of its second season. As it stands, Delhi Capitals are in pole position to secure the automatic final berth, they just need to beat last-place Gujarat Giants today or lose but better Mumbai Indians net run rate. Assuming that happens, Mumbai will then play Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday for the chance to face Delhi in the decider. It’s a great weekend of T20 action ahead, that’s for sure. There are also three 50-over matches to come from the Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka series with the first also on Wednesday.
As international cricket largely screeches to a halt over the IPL window until the end of May, Cricket Corner will be taking a break, too. But don't worry, there will be plenty of IPL drama to entertain you and when we return for the T20 World Cup in June, there will be endless talking points to untangle throughout the tournament and beyond. In the meantime, long live cricket!
