NASSER HUSSAIN’S
PLAYER RATINGS FOR AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND TEST SERIES
ALASTAIR COOK 4 399 runs at 33 One big score on a flat pitch at Melbourne but 155 runs at an average of 12 apart from that. He’ll be looking forward to playing for Essex again and finding his rhythm, but he knows he can’t continue with more famine than feast. MARK STONEMAN 5 393 runs at 30 Four half-centuries but couldn’t go beyond 60. As an opener you’ve got to convert, because there will be plenty of low scores against the new ball. I’d stick with him going into the summer. JAMES VINCE 5 336 runs at 30 Like Stoneman, he just couldn’t get that big score under his belt. I can see why they’re sticking with him, he’s certainly elegant to watch, but I’d have him lower down the order. JOE ROOT 7.5 520 runs at 43, 4 wkts at 32 Seven fifties in seven games tells you how consistent he is, but he’s too good not to have converted at least a couple into centuries. It’s got nothing to do with being captain, he had the same problem before he got the job. Did OK with the captaincy but guilty of waiting until the final Test of the winter to change his bowling attack. DAWID MALAN 7 461 runs at 35 He did very well considering this was his first tour of both Australia and New Zealand. Relished Australian conditions as he looks more comfortable off the back foot. When he was in New Zealand, Trent Boult and Tim Southee were pitching it up and he’ll have to be careful about that in England. BEN STOKES 5 103 runs at 25 England missed him against Australia, and they missed his bowling in New Zealand, where his injury really affected the balance of the team. Made a good 60 in Auckland, then played a bad shot just before the final session. MOEEN ALI 2 207 runs at 18, 5 wkts at 126 If any player encapsulated the difference between England at home and England away, it’s Moeen Ali. His batting became frenetic — I wasn’t convinced he was watching the ball properly — and his off-spin was innocuous. Still an option at home, but he probably has to regain his place from Leach. JONNY BAIRSTOW 8 469 runs at 36, 19 catches, 1 stumping Scored two of England’s four hundreds, which just goes to show how wasted he is at No 7. His wicketkeeping hardly got a mention in seven Tests all winter, which shows how good it is now. I love his energy and the way he plays the game. CHRIS WOAKES 4 171 runs at 19, 10 wkts at 60 Another who looks worryingly less effective away from home. Kookaburra refused to budge from the straight and narrow. Dropped for final Test, I expect he will return in England. STUART BROAD 6.5 22 wkts at 33, 154 runs at 12 He clearly benefited from the work he put in between the tours of Australia and New Zealand. By the time he got to Auckland and especially Christchurch, his pace was up and his knees were kicking — a real bonus for England. JAMES ANDERSON 8 25 wkts at 26, 10 runs at 2 To achieve those figures with the Kookaburra against good players on flat pitches was exceptional. There was no lack of pace and he went for only 2.2 runs an over. England must look after him and Broad. CRAIG OVERTON 5 7 wkts at 42, 98 runs at 24 I enjoyed his emergence — he was gutsy with the bat and in the field, but he added to onedimensional nature of attack. Could use extra yard of pace. JACK LEACH 6 2 wkts at 56, 30 runs at 30 He’s got a bit about him. Twice batted well with Bairstow and was decent with the ball on an unhelpful pitch. His challenge will be carving out a role for himself in English conditions. MARK WOOD 5 2 wkts at 57, 61 runs at 30 He has to bowl quicker than 80mph. And he should be one of four seamers, not three. TOM CURRAN 4 2 wkts at 100, 66 runs at 33 Pitches he bowled on at the MCG and Sydney were flat, but added to predictability of England’s bowling. MASON CRANE 6 1 wkt at 193, 6 runs at 3 Figures look bad but for a young leg-spinner on debut against the Australians it wasn’t a bad effort. JAKE BALL 3 1 wkt at 115, 15 runs at 7 See Overton and Curran. Didn’t add much to the attack.