Which England players are fighting for their place? All of them!
Q Was 4-1 to India a fair reflection of this series? Mark Hutchinson, Chigwell, Essex
The scoreline reflects how teams play. I’m not one for saying how unlucky a side was. But I did feel England looked competitive in this series, at least until the last Test, whereas when they lost 3-1 in India in 2021 they didn’t. They will look back at the third and fourth Tests and know they were in positions to take control. They didn’t hammer home their advantages and they have to be ruthless when they are ahead of the game or level.
Q Only one batter has been dropped in two years of Bazball — Alex Lees. Is it all too cosy? Do they need a shake-up?
Chris Heard, Leicester
No and yes. It’s not all too cosy but they do need a shake-up in as much as they are probably halfway through Brendon McCullum’s time as coach. They have four months before they play West Indies at home so it’s a good time for self-analysis. I do believe it’s better to give any player one game too many rather than one too few. Let’s not go back to the days when we chopped and changed all the time. That does no one any good.
Q Which players are now fighting for their places after this?
Kerry Riley, Swindon
All of them! They all have to look at it like that. As Jack Russell used to say, ‘Play every Test as if it’s your last’. They all should be thinking, ‘Right, I’m fighting for my place and the team. I want to contribute runs or wickets to get us back winning Test matches’. As a management team, you want to back your players so they can perform but appreciate that if they don’t others can come in and replace them. It’s not a job for life. You have to earn every England cap.
Q Matthew Mott won a World Cup and after a bad run people were calling for him to go. Brendon McCullum has not won a Test series for 15 months — why is there no pressure on him?
Paul Hooker, Glasgow
It’s because England are still in a better place in Test cricket than when McCullum took over. Remember, they’d only won one in 17 when he started with Ben Stokes. It’s also down to their style and brand of cricket. Go back to that day at Lord’s in 2021 when England refused to chase 273 in 75 overs against New Zealand on a belting pitch. You cannot tell me England are not in a better place now. McCullum will be thinking long and hard about how England need to improve, believe me.
Q This was England’s worst winter since the 2013-14 Ashes when Andy Flower, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Downton lost their jobs. Should Rob Key be under pressure?
Brian Saffoy, London
It has been a very poor winter. For me, the World Cup was more disappointing because England as holders should have had a great chance, whereas India were strong favourites to win this Test series. It does feel like the end of the white-ball golden era Eoin Morgan created so the Twenty20 World Cup in June will be very important for Key and English cricket. Key, McCullum and Stokes will all be feeling the heat right now but, one thing’s for sure, Key won’t make excuses.
Q First Test of the summer. Is your keeper Ben Foakes, Jonny Bairstow… or somebody else?
Dean Spicer, Worcester
It will certainly be one of those
two, not a newcomer. But, without sitting on the fence, I wouldn’t be making that decision too early. It’s four months away. Both need to look at their game and improve. Foakes has been brilliant with the gloves but needs to expand his game with the bat whereas Jonny must know that, as a batter or keeper-batter, scoring 20s and 30s is no good. Harry Brook has to comeme back so Jonny is definitely nitely under pressure.
Q One of your mantras is pick the best side every game. But will they have to have one eye on the Ashes at the start of Bazballl 2.0 and start lookingng at new fast bowlers like Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts?
Rory Charlesworth, North Yorks.
When I was captain, I would turn up to every Test trying to win it and I’d ask Duncan Fletcher as coach to have a long-term plan. Sometimes we would clash. For instance, I wanted Ed Giddins at Lord’s against Zimbabwe in 2000 because I knew it would swing for him and he took five wickets. But Duncan was pushing for
Steve Harmison with one eye on the bigger battles ahead, like the 2005 Ashes. Stokes has to be thinking of which players he needs for the game in front of him while McCullum and Key are looking after the long-term. I certainly wouldn’t write off Jimmy Anderson now even if he isn’t around for the next Ashes. As we’ve said, England need to
start winning Tests again.
Q Is Shoaib Bashir already England’s En No 1 spinner? sp
Annie Gunn, Taunton
Not yet. Bashir has shown potential and wwho knows wwhere Jack LeLeach will be with his injury by the sumsummer but let’s not write himh off. Leach is one of Stokes’sSto favourites bbuttBBashirhi hash been so impressive he could well push for the No 1 spot. He just needs to keep playing and improving at the start of the season.
Q This England side seem a convivial bunch. Do they need to get nastier? Is it time for less carrot, more stick from Stokes and McCullum?
Donna Hart, Devon
Don’t believe it’s all buddy buddy behind the scenes. You
don’t end up having careers like McCullum and Stokes by being matey with everyone. I can guarantee there will have been some harsh words said during this series. Players have to look at their own games and how they can improve rather than worrying if the captain and coach have a stick or carrot.
Q England should beat West Indies and Sri Lanka this summer. What will you look for beyond the results? Ben Wilkins, Sydney
I will be looking for them to be ruthless and have a killer instinct. I like the way this England team want to put pressure back on bowlers, not just sit in, but when they have the upper hand, as they did at times in this series and in the Ashes last summer, they can’t just say: ‘This is the way we play.’ They have to seize the moments.
Q Will anyone ever beat India in their own conditions again?
Robin Campbell, Bath
They will eventually! But it is one of the two biggest challenges in Test cricket along with winning in Australia. I don’t think the England team of Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss and then Alastair Cook get enough credit for what they did actually. They won in Australia in 2010-11 and then India in 2012. They really were special achievements.