ENGLAND SWEATING ON STOKES
Vince faces axe if Ben’s unfit to bowl
England will decide tomorrow if Ben Stokes is fully fit to give them the all- important balance they need in two Tests against new Zealand made more important by their ashes misery.
Captain Joe Root and coach Trevor Bayliss will see how Stokes reacts to a full-on bowling session in the Eden Park nets today before deciding if they can gamble on him as fourth seamer.
Only then can they y finalise the rest of their side de for the day- night first rst Test which starts in the early hours of f Thursday UK time, , with the immediate future of the underpressure James Vince dependent on Stokes’ ability to recover from m a sore back that has as required an injection.
It is likely that England land will be loath to risk Stokes at such an early stage of f hi his comeback after a five-month absence but will still play him as a specialist batsman at no 5.
The knock-on effect would be the need for an extra seamer, almost certainly Craig Overton ahead of Mark Wood with the pink ball under the Eden Park lights, and the dropping of Vince.
England were determined to give Vince one last chance to prove himself after a hugely disappointing ashes but he would be the obvious man to make way for Overton. It did not help that Vince could manage just 50 runs in his three innings in the warm-up matches against a new Zealand XI in Hamilton and again repeated his frustrating habit of finding soft ways to get out when set. Mark Stoneman was also short of runs in Hamilton and is under just as m much pressure as Vince but will definitely play in auckland and Ch Christchurch because of the dearth of opening alternatives in the squad. The next big question England would face would be th their batting order, wit with Root again under pres pressure to move up to no 3, where Bayliss would like him to be, allowing d dawid id Malan M l to come in one place earlier at four. Bayliss has respected Root’s preference for no 4 since he took over the captaincy from alastair Cook 13 months ago but there would never be a better time for him to take on the added responsibility of three while also breaking up England’s left-handers. It would be no surprise if he walked out at three at Eden Park. Root’s other big decision centres on his record-breaking opening-bowling partnership of Jimmy anderson and Stuart Broad and the intriguing possibility of the nottinghamshire man not taking the new ball in auckland.
Both Wood and Chris Woakes were preferred to Broad at the start of the innings in the two warm-up games with Root said to be exploring his options with an eye to the future. But it would be no surprise, either, if Broad, outstanding in Hamilton and one wicket short of 400 in Tests, retained the new ball.
One player who looks certain to play — and earn his 50th Test cap — is Moeen ali despite being without a half-century in 10 innings and taking just five wickets in five ashes Tests that represented a career nadir for him.
Moeen has rehabilitated himself in one- day cricket since the final Test in Sydney and remains a hugely important talent for England, not least because of his allround ability while question marks remain over Stokes bowling.
But he knows he needs to make an impact in this series to stop his place coming into question for the seven Tests this summer against Pakistan and India.
‘ You lose your confidence after such a bad tour as the ashes as a team not just an individual,’ said Moeen, who is expected to shrug off minor injuries to his spinning finger and right shoulder to play at Eden Park.
‘The OdIs came at a good time because we were able to freshen it up, but in terms of Test cricket we have to get back on the horse and forget about the bad days as best we can.’
now he wants to make his landmark Test one to remember. ‘It’s an achievement to play 50 Tests because I never thought I was going to play that many,’ added Moeen. ‘When I got to 25 Tests, 50 seemed a long way away, but I’ve been fortunate.’