Back Stoneman, pick Plunkett and Joe Root MUST bat at No 3
ENGLAND’S selectors meet today to pick their squad for the biggest series of them all — the Ashes. Here
Sportsmail’s panel of former England captain Nasser Hussain, former England coach David Lloyd and Cricket Correspondent Paul Newman give their views.
Who should open the batting with Alastair Cook?
Nasser Hussain: Not only has Mark Stoneman done enough to start in Brisbane but at times he has looked pretty good. The only shot he will have to be careful with is that back-foot punch as there will be extra bounce in Australia. But I like the tempo of his batting and he looks a more natural player than Keaton Jennings. Alex Hales would be my spare batsman because he looks in good touch and could cover as both an opener and in the middle order.
David Lloyd: Mark Stoneman has done enough. I’ve seen him over the years and he has always looked a fluent and brave player. I don’t think he’ll get fazed. Not sure I’d have another opener in the squad but Jennings should go to Australia with the Lions and called up if needed.
Paul Newman: Funny thing is, England seemed to turn to Mark Stoneman reluctantly this summer because there were reservations about him at the highest level, but he has done the job decently while the chosen ones in Haseeb Hameed and Jennings have fallen away. Stoneman has earned the right to open with Cook but there is no guarantee he will succeed in Australia. There just aren’t any better options at the moment.
Who fills the problem positions at No 3 and No 5?
Hussain: I would have Joe Root at three every time. In every great side the best batsman has been at three and look at how good Root is there for the one-day team. I can’t think of any reason why the captain wouldn’t be a fabulous Test No 3. I know his stats at four are brilliant but his stats at three would be just as good if he returned there. Dawid Malan has done enough to stay at five without completely convincing. His character is good. He’s a tough nut.
Lloyd: No 3 is very much open to debate but I just think James Vince has a touch of class. He’s a tall batsman and he’ll be better for his Test experience even though he didn’t crack it last time. Malan is a good player off the back foot and I think he’ll find Australian pitches more straightforward than in England. He looks to have a strong character, too, so he stays at five.
Newman: It has to be the captain at three. It’s a no-brainer. Joe Root has to do what coach Trevor Bayliss wants and what is clearly best for the side. I just shudder to think what will happen if Tom Westley or Gary Ballance walk out at the Gabba at the fall of an early wicket. Ben Stokes should be at five. England have to move their world-class all-rounders in Stokes, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali up a place because the middle-order options are not good enough.
Who should be back-up for Anderson and Broad?
Hussain: You’ve got to feel for the injured Toby Roland- Jones because he was the perfect back-up to those two and Chris Woakes, who would have started in Brisbane for me even without injuries. Woakes had a fantastic time before a bad injury and people shouldn’t question him on the back of one rusty Test at Headingley. But England do look a bit one-paced, which is why I’d include Mark Wood for that bit of extra pace and bounce — if he is fit. If he’s not ready I’d go for Liam Plunkett (below), while Jake Ball is a good bowler too.
Lloyd: Well, Anderson and Broad did commentary for Sky last week and they both mentioned Ball so I’m listening to them. People say he’s the same pace as Broad. He isn’t. He’s much quicker. Plunkett is fit, strong, willing and quicker still. I hear the talk about Mark Wood but Plunkett is taller and you need height in Australia.
Newman: I pretty much concur with Nasser. Desperate blow for Roland-Jones but Woakes would have started ahead of him anyway. Wood is a certainty if England can only convince him that he is fit enough and Ball is decent back-up. Steven Finn and Craig Overton are options but I’d also take Plunkett in Roland-Jones’s place. He has been outstanding in the one-day side, has pace and, for an old bowling dog, has learned new tricks.
Should a second spinner like Mason Crane go?
Hussain: There should be a second spinner but I’m not sure it should be Crane. I’d rather he played for the Lions than carry drinks around Australia because he doesn’t bowl enough in first-class cricket for me. I’d take Adil Rashid over Jack Leach because he did OK in Tests last winter. Tricky one.
Lloyd: I like the idea of a wrist spinner in Australia but I wouldn’t look any further than Rashid. He’s got plenty of international experience and, at 29, he should now know what leg-spin is all about.
Newman: Not only should they take two spinners but I would have Crane in my XI in Brisbane as an extra bowling option with X-factor. He seems to be cut from the right cloth and it’s just a shame Hampshire haven’t played him all season. England seemed to draw a Test line under Rashid after India because of his temperament but he’s still the next best option after Crane.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Australians?
Hussain: They’ve got two great players in their top three or four in David Warner and Steve Smith and if all their bowlers are fit they have an excellent attack. Their other great strength is playing at home with the Kookaburra ball in their conditions. Not many sides go to Australia and win. Weaknesses? The rest of their batting is incredibly fragile and wicketkeeper Matthew Wade is flaky with bat and gloves.
Lloyd: Australia will talk a great game but the bottom line is that they have got the same problems as England. Their batting is so dependent on about three players while their bowlers will need to stay fit. And they don’t usually. Even though England are underdogs I’m optimistic about their chances.
Newman: If their four fast bowlers — Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson — are fully fit and firing, along with the much-improved off-spinner Nathan Lyon, then watch the Ashes from behind your sofa and hope for the best. But there’s hope for England in the Aussie batting if they can keep Warner and Smith quiet. Peter Handscomb is their Gary Ballance and I’m not sure their other ‘Pom’ in Matt Renshaw is good enough.
Can England retain the Ashes?
Hussain: History tells you that it is very difficult in Australia — that is why Andrew Strauss’s effort in 2010-11 was so special. But England can win because this is a different Australia side who are vulnerable with the bat. England have to get first-innings runs, then the seamers can find a way. And they simply have to hold their catches because they won’t get too many chances.
Lloyd: Yes they can and yes they will. England will win the series 3-2. I don’t think either team are good enough to draw any Tests. England have to go toe-to-toe with Australia. They can’t shrink at all and Joe Root will have to seize the moment. Away from home they will have to be a strong, tight-knit group and will need big leaders. Enter Stokes and Cook.
Newman: Yes, England could retain the Ashes but I don’t think they will. They cannot win in Australia with two or three batting ‘passengers’ in the top five. Hope comes from Anderson’s form and fitness this summer and that formidable lower middle order. It will be closer than last time but Australia have
a clear advantage.
Who we would take to the Ashes . . .
Hussain: Cook, Stoneman, Root, Westley, Malan, Stokes, Bairstow, Moeen, Broad, Wood (or Plunkett), Anderson, Ball, Hales, Foakes, Rashid, Woakes. Lloyd: Cook, Stoneman, Vince, Root, Malan, Stokes, Bairstow, Moeen, Woakes, Broad, Anderson, Hales, Buttler, Plunkett, Ball, Rashid. Newman: Cook, Stoneman, Root, Hales, Stokes, Bairstow, Moeen, Woakes, Broad, Anderson, Crane, Buttler, Malan, Wood, Ball, Plunkett.