It really is cricket
England should beat the West Indies in the Wisden Trophy starting today, but, asks James Fisher, what will be the impact of lockdown, new faces and closed doors?
James Fisher on England’s chances in the new—and very welcome—three-test series
AFTER spending three months staring at the walls, five days of cricket doesn’t seem so bad now, does it? This morning, for the first time since September 2019, international cricket returns to these shores, as the West Indies and England begin a three-test series for the Wisden Trophy behind closed doors— two at Old Trafford in Manchester and one at the Ageas Bowl in Hampshire. Rejoice. If anyone on furlough would like to swap jobs with me for the next three weeks, email now.
Before we get into the nitty gritty of ‘which team is better’ (England) and who is likely to win (also England), it’s worth remembering the debt of gratitude the England Cricket Board (ECB) owes the West Indies for travelling so far in these strange times. I would hope that those in the higher echelons of English cricket, and the International Cricket Council, don’t forget the lengths to which Caribbean cricket went to make the sport happen here this summer. Would India or Australia have made the same effort?
To the teams. England are in a state of transition. They will be without captain Joe Root, away for the birth of his second child, for the first Test. Ben Stokes will add the burden of captaincy to his usual roles of batting, bowling and winning games all by himself. England’s top order certainly seems in a better position than this time last year, with Rory Burns looking like the real deal and Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley both getting runs in the most recent series against South Africa. The first Test looks a great opportunity to play all three and see who wants to put their hand up the highest for the two opening spots.
Joe Denly was a mainstay last year, but, aged 34, is not one for the future and a Test average of 30 is unlikely to do him many favours. Ollie Pope scored buckets of runs on recent tours at six, but has long been viewed as a future number three or four batsman; could now be his chance?
The middle order will likely see a shake-up, too. Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler are undoubtedly talented batsmen, but all were short on confidence in recent Tests. I would expect Ali to get some games, being able to offer both batting and off-spin bowling, and Dan Lawrence is a young player with a lot of runs under his belt who would be unlucky not to get a look-in.
If anyone on furlough would like to swap jobs with me for three weeks, email now
Bowling wise, England have everyone fit, making for another headache. James Anderson is the greatest fast bowler to play the game, but, despite a clear desire to keep going, his body won’t last forever. Stuart Broad isn’t far behind, but, again, isn’t getting any younger, so now might be the time to have a look at young guns, such as Ollie Robinson, Olly Stone, Saqib Mahmood and spinner Dom Bess. Chris Woakes is a more than tidy bowler and Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will bring electric pace when called upon. Rarely do I type the words ‘the future looks bright’, but here we are.
The future looks bright(ish) for the West Indies, too. Long gone are the days of Fire in Babylon and, since the retirement of Brian
Lara, lack of investment, incompetence by the West Indies Cricket Board and falling interest in the game means that the team is a shadow of what it once was. However, that shadow still put England firmly in their place in the most recent series in the Caribbean. And few England fans will forget Shai Hope’s batting masterclass when he scored a century in each innings at Headingley in 2017 (the first player in history to do so), including an unbeaten fourth innings 118* to win the game.
Kraigg Brathwaite can bat for time and runs, too, and the pair will be the two main threats to England’s bowling attack. Shamarh Brooks is a new face at the age of 31, but scored 111 in his most recent match against Afghanistan and captain Jason Holder is a smart tactician and talented all-rounder with three Test hundreds and six five-wicket innings. On the bowling side, Kemar Roach is always a threat and young pace bowler Chemar Holder has been tipped to do great things by legendary former captain Sir Clive Lloyd. Most eyes will be on new spinner Rahkeem Cornwall, who has an astonishing first-class average of 23.5, as well as 19 five-wicket hauls in only 106 innings.
England will expect to win the series and it certainly would be a surprise if they didn’t. However, the West Indies aren’t to be ignored, as England learned to their peril recently. These are unusual times and it’s difficult to predict the impact lockdown has had. England still have just a bit too much quality for the West Indies, and the home advantage, but an experimental side is open to mistakes—and few sides like making mistakes more than England.