STOKES ON FIRE AS ENGLAND BEGIN CARIBBEAN TOUR –
COOK AND TROTT TAKE CONTROL
England’s new opening partnership may never set pulses racing but alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott could prove a mightily effective combination in a Test series against West Indies they just cannot afford to lose.
The pair came together at Warner Park at the top of the order yesterday for the first time since a brief experiment in Bangladesh five years ago. It was a low-key return to work after the embarrassment of England’s first-round World Cup exit.
neither Cook nor Trott could be blamed for that, nor for the careful way they went about their batting in this two- day practice match against a st Kitts Invitational XI that would struggle to beat a decent English club side.
such was England’s World Cup embarrassment that they find themselves very much on trial again now even though they ended last year’s Test summer with three successive wins against India.
That means coach Peter Moores and a captain in Cook, who has not scored an international hundred in almost two years, need victory in this three-Test series to be certain of being in charge against australia this summer.
The failure of sam Robson to convince alongside Cook has opened the door for the return of Trott, a batsman making his first England appearance since the trauma of leaving australia during the last ill-fated ashes tour.
It was a clear indication that England plan to pick Trott (below) ahead of adam lyth when the serious business begins next week in antigua and he was immediately back into the routine of steady and unspectacular run-scoring.
England had barely broken sweat in bowling out st Kitts for 59, with Ben stokes — another returnee — taking three wickets in five balls, before Cook and Trott took on a local side who had, strangely, warmed up wearing Inter Milan shirts.
Perhaps they are better at football than cricket because there was little to concern two players with much to prove, for different reasons.
Cook, back after his demotion from one-day office, looked the more fluent, scoring his 50 off 95 balls to follow the three halfcenturies he managed in his past four Test innings.
If Trott was more circumspect in the pair’s century stand, he can be excused. This is a huge tour for him after almost 18 months’ absence caused by his departure from australia with ‘situational anxiety’. He reached 50 off 113 balls. How much the England attack got out of their morning’s workout was questionable. This was a shockingly sloppy batting display from a st Kitts side who included just seven players with first-class experience.
Jimmy anderson and stuart Broad eased their way back after their humbling World Cup but the most penetrative bowling came from stokes.
England plan to use stokes, who was left out of the World Cup after a dreadful run, as their all-rounder, batting at six at least until the return of Moeen ali which they hope will be before the second Test.
stokes and Chris Jordan are clearly ahead of liam Plunkett and the newcomer Mark Wood in the pecking order while adil Rashid and James Tredwell appear to be competing for the solitary spinner’s place. There was little opportunity for either spinner but both chipped in with a wicket apiece.