THE FIVE THINGS ENGLAND MUST DO IN LAST TEST BEFORE ASHES ENGLAND MUST DO IN LAST TEST BEFORE ASHES
ENGLAND begin their final Test today before the Ashes starts in Cardiff on July 8. Here’s what they need to improve before taking on Australia...
1 SORT OUT THE NEW-BALL LENGTHS
There’s no doubting the brilliance of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad. But there have been a few occasions recently when they’ve got their lengths wrong, especially in the first innings. There was Lord’s last year against India, a few instances in the Caribbean, and the first innings against New Zealand. Anderson and Broad have just been a fraction short. Yes, they’ve shown they can turn things round, and Broad in particular has a knack for sorting out the problem: look at the way he trapped Tom Latham and
Ross Taylor at the start of New Zealand’s second innings at Lord’s. But if I were their captain, I’d be asking them to nail those full lengths from the start. Against Australia, they’ll need to give the ball the chance to swing for as long as possible to keep David Warner quiet.
2 LESS SLOPPINESS
We saw quite a bit of clumsiness in the field at Lord’s. England got away with it because they batted so well in the second innings, but Australia will punish them — as they did in 2013-14, when Brad Haddin kept rescuing them from 150 for five. There was the Mark Wood no-ball, some drops by Ian Bell, a slip chance put down by Joe Root and inaccurate shies at the stumps. England have to be more ruthless.
3 FINDING THE RIGHT BALLANCE
The way Ben Stokes played against the second new ball at Lord’s was a reminder of how effectively a counter-attack can disturb the bowlers’ rhythm. When I look at England’s left-handed top three of Alastair Cook, Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance, I have a slight concern about them sitting in rather than showing intent — although it may be too early to judge Lyth. All the best sides have a No 3 capable of counter-attacking and while we know Ballance can go through the gears, another option is to have Ian Bell at No 3 — if he’s in form — with Root at four and Ballance (left) down at five. This isn’t something England need to do just yet but they should stay open to the idea as the summer progresses.
4 WHAT NEXT FOR MO?
Cook still needs to work out what Moeen Ali’s role is. If he were batting at No 6, it wouldn’t matter that Cook sometimes treats him as a part-time off-spinner. But he’s at No 8, which means he needs to be bowling regularly and taking wickets. At Lord’s he was underbowled, which could be because Cook lost faith in him in Barbados. But the captain needs to park that and treat him as a full-time member of the attack. Only then will Moeen’s off-breaks improve again.
5 BROAD’S BATTING
If Moeen’s going to be at No 8, don’t waste him by having three No 10s in next — which is what is happening now Broad has stopped scoring runs. Every attack for the rest of his career will deprive him of good-length balls, and set him up with the bouncer-yorker combination. It’s up to Broad to sort it out. He’s going to have to get in line behind the short stuff, and wear a few on the body. It’s not easy, because he’s changing his stance in preparation for the bouncer, making him vulnerable to the full-length ball. But Broad’s good enough to rectify the problem. And I wouldn’t humiliate him by dropping him down the order. Cook needs this guy on his side when England are chasing wickets.