Root left in a spin for Sri Lanka as key duo shun tour
THE ENGLAND Test side are desperate for spin options. So Adil Rashid ruling himself out of next month’s Sri Lanka tour — having bowled as well yesterday in Johannesburg as he has since a right shoulder injury last year — will have been a painful blow. Rashid was a key member of England’s three-pronged spin attack when they won 3-0 in Sri Lanka 18 months ago. But his insistence that he needs to play red-ball cricket with Yorkshire before any Test comeback will send the selectors back to square one. The good news is that Jack Leach, who left South Africa through illness ahead of the third Test, should be fully fit for that two-Test tour next month. And his Somerset team-mate Dom Bess is now an automatic pick after excelling in Port Elizabeth. But England still want a third spinner in the squad, even though Sri Lanka are expected to provide better pitches in Galle and Colombo than in 2018, when they were beaten at their own spinning game. Test captain Joe Root and coach Chris Silverwood met Moeen Ali last week to discuss his availability but it seems almost certain he will continue his self-imposed Test exile and fulfil his obligations in the Pakistan Super League. That leaves the cupboard virtually bare, with Hampshire all-rounder Liam Dawson emerging as a prime candidate in the probable absence of Moeen and Rashid. Matt Parkinson has been on England’s last two Test tours but the Lancashire leggie was poor in the warm-up matches in South Africa and may be left to concentrate on white-ball cricket. It seems England will go with either Dawson or a reliance on Joe Root’s off-spin. England’s other issues ahead of naming their squad this week centre on wicketkeeping and the No 3 position, with Jos Buttler and Joe Denly expected to retain their places despite underwhelming displays in the 3-1 Test series victory over South Africa. Buttler, arguably England’s most gifted cricketer, retains the faith of senior figures who feel he is simply too good to be discarded in any format, while Denly is likely to be given the two Tests in March to show he can improve on a Test batting average of 30. Jonny Bairstow worked hard in South Africa with assistant coach Graham Thorpe on his red-ball technique and is a strong candidate to replace Denly. Their decision will impact on Ben Foakes, player of the series in Sri Lanka last time, who will travel as back-up to Buttler if Bairstow is left out entirely but England want him to improve his batting against the short ball if he is to be considered a long-term member of the side. Jofra Archer’s injury increases England’s need for senior fast bowlers, but Sportsmail understands consideration has been given to taking Jimmy Anderson to Sri Lanka as a non-playing squad member. Anderson has recovered from a 6mm crack in his ribs that ended his South Africa series during the second Test but he could now provide expertise to other seamers in the squad while enjoying excellent outdoor conditions to prove his fitness for the summer series against West Indies and Pakistan.
• ENGLAND will have to slash their backroom staff in their quest to become double world champions after an ICC rule change limiting official team personnel at major tournaments to 23. Under the restrictions, set to come in for October’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia, a country can select up to 15 players and eight offfield employees. A team doctor can also be on hand at an individual country’s expense. For last summer’s march to a first 50-over title, England at times had 16 support staff plus Dr Mark Wotherspoon, taking the overall party number to 31.