Last chance to roll away dark clouds
ENGLAND may have failed again in foreign conditions but the final Test still has much relevance for the players and the team.
The Sydney Cricket Ground offers a shot at restorative pride on what has been a very tough tour for Joe Root’s men. If they play well, score runs and take wickets, that flight back to a cold grey England will not seem so daunting or depressing.
Lose badly again and suddenly they will be wondering whether they will be given another crack. It will play on their minds.
A 3-1 series defeat sounds much better than the 5-0 whitewash that looked a probability at one stage.
A lot has been written about England’s positive performance in Melbourne and while I agree it was great to see Alastair Cook go big and Stuart Broad play well, I am not sure about the balance of power.
Yes, England stopped the rot but having got into a strong position their bowlers could not dislodge David Warner and Steve Smith.
That was always going to be the challenge this series and the tactic to dry up the runs hasn’t worked. Good players don’t just get out. They get in and keep going. Only Cook has done this – and only once so far – among England’s top four batsmen.
Sydney is a big test for James Vince. He needs 100 or at least two scores above 50 otherwise he has flattered to deceive.
There is no doubting his eye-catching extra cover drives, which reveal some elegance to his play, but does he possess enough substance to become a Test No 3?
If he doesn’t deliver then it is time for Root to go to three, with Dawid Malan at four, Jonny Bairstow five and Ben Stokes, when legal proceedings allow, at six.
Moeen Ali at seven should be the second spinner, with Chris Woakes at eight, then Broad and Jimmy Anderson plus Mason Crane as the ‘luxury’ bowler learning his trade.
If Crane doesn’t play, he will have been a ridiculous pick for the tour – a passenger.
One thing is for sure, if England can win this Test, those grey days back in the UK will not seem quite so forbidding.