Jennings lucky to be handed tour chance
England select opener despite a poor summer Burns, Denly and Stone also travel to Sri Lanka
Keaton Jennings has been given one more chance to establish a Test career as England backed his previous success in the Indian subcontinent over concerns about his form this summer when they named him yesterday in the squad for the Sri Lanka series.
Jennings is one of three openers picked as England begin life without Alastair Cook. Rory Burns, county cricket’s leading run-scorer, and Kent’s Joe Denly were called up to a Test squad for the first time. Fast bowler Olly Stone is the third uncapped player in a seamer-heavy squad comprising six quick bowlers and three spinners for a tour to be played on the most spin-friendly wickets in the world.
Burns’s sheer weight of runs for Surrey in county cricket this summer, 1,319 at 69, made him impossible to ignore, while at the age of 32, England believe Denly has matured into an international cricketer.
Ed Smith defended the Jennings selection by pointing to the struggles of all openers in Test cricket this summer and the confidence he should take to Sri Lanka from scoring a century on his Test debut in spinning conditions in Mumbai.
“Going into the Oval Test, if you take England, Pakistan and India together, the opening batsmen averaged 20, which is what Keaton was. Cook did not find opening the batting in 2018 easy,” said Smith, the national selector.
“Murali Vijay is a very accomwickets plished opening Test player and he watched the last three games on television. When we look at capabilities and Test record, Keaton has a Test-match record in Mumbai when the ball spun dramatically, so he can take confidence from that. Also, having got through a really tough summer can put you in good stead.”
But Jennings is lucky. He had a poor Test at the Oval, where openers from England (Cook) and India (KL Rahul) scored centuries. He played a lame shot in the first innings to a spinner when set. He was then dismissed padding up for the second time in four innings.
The retirement of Cook was timely. England are reluctant to pick two debutant openers in the first Test in Galle in November and Jennings has benefited.
Burns is ahead of Denly as first choice to partner Jennings, with Moeen Ali destined to stay on at No 3. Smith played with Denly when he was starting out at Kent more than 10 years ago. He played nine one-day internationals before losing his place in 2009 and faded out of the England scene, moving to Middlesex before rejoining Kent.
Denly has rebuilt his career in recent seasons, becoming a regular in Twenty20 leagues around the world. He bowls part-time legbreaks, a valuable resource in Sri Lanka, and Smith has a gut feel about his temperament for international cricket.
“I played with Joe as a very young man and you could see he was a fantastically natural athlete, talented batter, bowled leg-spin, everything came easy to him. What interests me about cricket and selection is how people develop at different stages. I think what has happened with Joe is he has just evolved into this calm, measured performer but that touch of class is still there and is in his DNA. With players getting opportunities later in their careers, you just want to know that touch of class is there.”
This week, Joe Root insisted he wanted Stuart Broad in the squad, despite England considering resting him for the tour, and the England captain was given his wish, but it does leave the squad looking as though it has one seamer too many.
Smith said: “When you have senior players you consider succession planning, you consider what is the best make-up of the squad to win that series. It seemed to me that Broad and [James] Anderson were in the squad for every Test this summer and they seem well placed to be in the squads for the winter. They wanted to play, we wanted access to their experience and skill.”