Stoneman and Crane given call for Ashes audition
England made one change out of near desperation and another out of inspiration when they named two new faces yesterday to take on West Indies in next week’s day-night Test.
Mark Stoneman will, at 30, become alastair Cook’s 12th Test opening partner at Edgbaston on Thursday, with the selectors running out of options after reluctantly deciding they could not retain Keaton Jennings.
But England were far bolder in bringing 20-year-old leg-spinner Mason Crane into the squad while quietly discarding their failed experiment to make liam dawson the no 1 slow bowler.
The left-handed Stoneman may have been a consistent scorer for his native durham, and since venturing south to Surrey this season, but his selection feels like a last resort. England are no nearer solving the top- order problems that have haunted them since the retirements of andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott, and have now jettisoned both openers they held in such high regard in the winter in Jennings and Haseeb Hameed.
That gives Stoneman, who will be given all three Tests against West Indies, the chance to book a place in this winter’s ashes if he can score runs against a depleted but still potent Caribbean side.
The word all season has been that various coaches, particularly at lions level, have reservations about Stoneman’s ability to thrive on the big stage, but clearly England had little choice other than to turn to him now.
‘It was my turn for the coffee run and I felt my phone vibrate,’ said Stoneman yesterday at Taunton where he top- scored with 67 for Surrey against Somerset. ‘I put the tray down and then saw Mr Whitaker’s name (national selector James Whitaker) on my phone, but I still didn’t know if it would be good or bad news.
‘I made a few quick calls to my wife, parents and sister and everyone was a bit emotional because it has been a long road with a few ups and downs. My dad Ian is a typical northern bloke who kept his emotions in check during my call, but I bet he shed a tear when he put the phone down.’
England hope Jennings can come again, despite averaging only 15.87 in four Tests against South africa, and he could still end up on the ashes tour if he has a strong end to the season with division Two durham.
and they decided it would be foolish to rush back Hameed after the problems he has had with his technique all season, even though he returned to something like his best with an unbeaten 77 for lancashire this week.
If Hameed, who took to Test cricket so well before breaking a thumb in India, had returned now and struggled it would have made it hard for England to take him to australia. But if he can continue making progress in lancashire’s Championship bid, then a place on the plane leaving for Perth on October 29 is virtually assured.
The fact a pink ball which is expected to aid seam and swing will be used in next week’s Edgbaston experiment makes it less likely Crane will join Stoneman in making his debut, but England might still throw him in.
They are very keen to give him experience and he is more likely to get turn at Edgbaston than at Headingley or lord’s.
Crane, who was selected for new South Wales during a stint in Sydney last winter, has the potential to be a huge star and it is to the selectors’ credit that they have got him into the squad so soon. The only question now is whether they go the whole hog and throw him the pink ball on Thursday.