He’s no Stokes, but Patel is right man to step up
BEN STOKES is virtually irreplaceable. It’s true that no team is a oneman band — and his absence in Australia does not mean england can’t win the Ashes. But, assuming he doesn’t make the trip, they will miss him badly.
The bottom line is you can’t replace him with one cricketer. Stokes is a two-in-one player, maybe more. He’s the kind of player teams all over the world cry out for, because he balances a side so well. He’s the perfect fourth seamer, and one of england’s three best batsmen, along with Joe Root and Alastair Cook.
More than that, he has the temperament to succeed in the big series. Look at the guys who have done well against Australia — Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad. They all have an attitude that thrives in cauldrons.
Kevin Pietersen said he had never experienced an atmosphere like the one that greeted england at Brisbane four years ago. Yes, Australia had Mitchell Johnson back then, but their fans won’t be any less up for it this time. The Gabba is among the most intimidating venues in the world.
So, yes, england will miss Stokes in more ways than one. And for that reason I’d add a player and take a 17-man squad. My two picks would be Samit Patel and Tom Westley, and I’ll explain why.
I realise that Patel is no Ben Stokes, but then no one is, otherwise they’d have been selected in the squad in the first place. But if england are going to compete, it’s crucial they get off to a good start at Brisbane – and that will mean scoring runs.
Adding another fast bowler to the party won’t help. It lengthens the tail, which england do not want if they lose Stokes. And, if that extra fast bowler doesn’t get a game, he’ll have wasted a winter carrying drinks. We’ve seen in the past with Steven Finn how damaging that can be for a player.
Patel has been scoring runs for fun with nottinghamshire recently, and his left-arm spin provides some balance. Jimmy Anderson and Broad are exceptional bowlers, but being part of a five-man attack in home conditions is very different from being part of a four-man attack in the heat of Australia.
If Patel can fill in even with just 10 overs a day, it allows england’s Anderson, Broad and Chris Woakes to have a breather while the Kookaburra ball goes soft, or if they’re waiting for the second new ball or even for reverse swing.
Yes, Root could bowl a bit of offspin, but ideally you want him as the sixth bowler, not the fifth. If Root is the fifth bowler, the big guns will be exhausted by the time the series moves to Perth or Melbourne.
In terms of the batting, Jonny Bairstow has had a wonderful couple of years — he’s a different sort of all-rounder, don’t forget — and deserves a chance to go in at no 6, leaving Patel to bat at no 7 ahead of Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes. That’s a strong lower order.
Runs at the Gabba will be so important. You only have to think back to Andrew Strauss’s successful tour of Australia in 2010-11, when england made 517 for one in their second innings at Brisbane and set the tone for the rest of the trip.
As for Westley, it’s true that england are not spoiled for choice when it comes to middle- order options, but at least he has the experience of five Tests under his belt this season.
I know Liam Livingstone has been mentioned because he likes to get after the bowling, but I wasn’t overly impressed with him during his two Twenty20 appearances against South Africa, when he looked a bit overawed. I don’t think the Ashes opener at the Gabba is the time to expose him to Test cricket.
Of course, Stokes may yet make the trip. My view is that, if the police quickly decide he doesn’t have a case to answer, then it wouldn’t be right of the eCB to prevent him from going to Australia.
If he’s cleared of any charges, is in the right state mentally and has expressed contrition, then I don’t have a problem with him boarding the flight.
But it’s a big if. Andrew Strauss and the Cricket Discipline Commission must also make a judgment on the image of the game. Are england happy to pick a player so soon after those images we all saw on the video?
If the issue is still hanging over Stokes by the time england are due to fly out at the end of October, then he can’t go. It wouldn’t be fair on him or on the rest of the squad. To win in Australia, everyone has to be fully focused. It’s hard enough as it is.
This is a mess — but it’s one england must believe they can dig themselves out of.