Winter will be key to Root’s bid to rise from the Ashes
ENGLAND’S Ashes failure this winter will be a chance for rebirth and growth for the Joe Root era, and he will take the players he wants with him.
I wouldn’t suggest ditching a load of players just for the sake of it, but there will be some who know they might struggle to last the course and might not be a part of it.
That’s the nature of sport and there will be a whole raft of young players who will know there is a Test career out there for them if they can prove their worth.
And if there is one thing I’m convinced of, it is that there is plenty of ability in the English game and all it needs is nurturing.
This has been a series where Australia’s quick men have had things their own way, but it has taken them years to get this combination together.
Getting fast bowlers on the park is a difficult thing to do at the best of times, but it is especially difficult when they are pulled out of matches for ‘hotspots’ or ‘niggles’ because their bodies are not robust enough to cope.
Fast bowling is hard work and, to get ready for what is required, you need to bowl. Rather than concerns over workloads, I do wonder whether bowlers are actually failing to bowl enough overs to get their bodies used to the demands.
The pace and the talent is there in the English game but it requires a bit of creativity and nous to make sure it comes through at the right times to keep the senior England teams strong.
As captain, Joe needs to have a big say in the future direction of the Test team.
At the moment, it is difficult to see what this England team stands for, what style of cricket they are trying to play. They look a little lost and that is where Joe has a great chance to mould and create the team he wants.
Joe can start his plans in New Zealand and then, in the summer, when hopefully he will have Ben Stokes back, because his absence has hurt.