GO FOR CRANE IN BID FOR TEST REDEMPTION
Young spinner deserves second chance
They have come through the whiteball leg of their New Zealand tour with flying colours and now england must ensure they do not end their long winter with red faces after a two-Test mini-series.
The demolition of New Zealand in the deciding one-day international on Saturday enabled england to earn their sixth successive 50-over series win. Now they turn to the pink ball for the day- night Test in Auckland and then the red one when they go back to hagley Park in Christchurch for two Tests they cannot afford to lose after the Ashes humiliation. To that end the two two- day practice matches in hamilton this week — the first under Seddon Park’s lights on Wednesday and the second with red ball on Friday — will be used to settle a Test line-up england must get right.
James Vince is expected to start in Auckland despite his disappointing Ashes as there would be little point england bringing him here without giving him one last chance. yet the presence of Ben Stokes, whose latest court hearing goes ahead in Bristol without him today, gives england options. Stokes has long been thought of by coach Trevor Bayliss as good enough to bat at five in Tests so why not try that out to give england depth and proven quality in both batting and bowling? That would see Dawid Malan, the success story of the Ashes, moving up the order and Vince left out while giving england the chance to add another bowler. Joe Root, returning to the captaincy, should do what is best for his team and go up to No 3. That would leave Malan at four with Jonny Bairstow, now taking back the gloves after his outstanding fielding display in Christchurch, at six and Moeen Ali at seven. Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, one short of 400 Test wickets, will play while Chris Woakes is almost certain to start despite a disappointing Ashes. That leaves one place which I believe, despite evidence to the contrary, should go to leg-spinner Mason Crane ahead of Mark Wood. Crane ( left) had the harshest of Test debuts in Sydney, with horrific figures of one for 193, and was then outbowled by Jack Leach during a Lions tour of West Indies that went almost as badly as the Ashes. yet england still rate Crane as a leg spinner of promise and there remain doubts over Leach’s ability at the highest level.
So, Crane, at 21, has to become a regular member of the team as a sixth bowling option in all conditions so that england will know by the next Ashes whether he is good enough.
It all makes for a fascinating conclusion to this tour. ‘The change in format is always a test but I’m looking forward to it,’ said Woakes. ‘Now we want to put right what went wrong in the Ashes. New Zealand will be tough to beat but I’m excited. It’s only a two-Test series so do we go all-out attack to try to win the first one and make sure we can’t lose the series? We will see.’