STANDING THE TEST OF TIME
Is Trevor Bayliss in it for the long haul?
While it would be somewhat premature of me to say England are right back in the series, it would also be pretty foolish considering there will have been another day’s Test cricket almost completed between writing this and you reading it. What I can comment on, regardless of what has happened overnight, was the superb innings of Dawid Malan. It was an outstanding knock from a player who has his game in good order.
I am a big fan of giving players a chance and sticking with them. I wrote several weeks ago that I was disappointed with Australia dropping Matthew Renshaw and I stand by that. When you show a player loyalty and you stand by them, it gives them belief that they belong at that level. I would like to see more selectors and coaches do this. If a player has completely hit the wall then so be it, but too many players lose their place because selectors panic.
This England team, despite some of the off-field issues reported on this tour, appears to be a very tight-knit group. The inner sanctuary of the changing room can bring out the best in individuals and that is why you cannot compare this England side to the one dismantled 5-0 four years ago. They are in it together.
But you still have to go out and deliver, so credit to Malan; he stood up to an early barrage from the Aussie quicks and there have been signs that a gutsy knock like that was in the locker. Credit also Trevor Bayliss, the coach who wanted Malan in his side.
There is a lot of nonsense written about Bayliss’ selection policy but I only read the negatives. I doubt very much anyone will flag up the fact the coach had seen something in Malan that suggested he could be a Test cricketer. So let’s give credit where it is deserved.
Having played under Trevor and knowing him as a person, I wasn’t surprised at all when the ECB wanted him as England’s coach back in 2015. He is a superb man-manager with a fine track record in Sheffield Shield and white-ball cricket.
There was obviously an emphasis of improving England’s fortunes in the limited-overs game, and despite losing out in the Champions Trophy this summer, when they looked nailed on to win it, I don’t think anybody could argue about the way England have grown as a one-day and T20 side in the last two years. He has brought a completely different mind-set to the players.
There is a criticism that, with regards to the longer format of Test cricket, he could have both eyes more focused on knowing the ins and outs of the County Championship. But, seriously, Darren Lehmann doesn’t trek across Australia watching the domestic game and anyway, there are other people working under Trevor in the England coaching set-up who can act as counsel in this case.
Coaching across all three formats is seriously tough, and with a World Cup looming in 18 months on home shores, the ECB have to ask themselves what is the best way to get the maximum from their coach. The format of splitting the role up into white-ball and red seems more than logical to me and I wouldn’t be surprised if this is something that comes into effect next year.
There are options open to England and with Paul Collingwood they have a man ready-made to slip into a senior coaching role. He knows the players and he knows the county system inside out. I am not suggesting it is a move that has to be made because Bayliss still has a lot more to give to Test cricket, but it is an option for the ECB if they want to maximise their potential across all three formats.
Having played under Trevor and knowing him as a person, I wasn’t surprised when the ECB wanted him. He’s a superb man manager