WORK IN PROGRESS
Dom Sibley tinkered with his technique mid-Test at Old Trafford because he admits he’s still a...
Only ten Tests into his career, England opener Dom Sibley already knows that in the age of the video analyst, you have to stay ahead to get ahead.
Sibley scored eight and 36 in last week’s stunning three-wicket win against Pakistan in Manchester, and admitted his decision to stand out of his crease in the second innings was all part of his evolution at this level.
He made the move after being trapped leg-before in the first innings by Mohammad Abbas, the Pakistan seamer who rarely wastes a delivery with the new ball, and makes up for what he lacks in pace with accuracy.
That dismissal had the experts fretting over Sibley’s open-chested technique, leaving him vulnerable to an lbw. He responded immediately, and helped Joe Root put on 64 for the second wicket as England chased down 277, before edging leg-spinner yasir Shah to slip.
‘I made a big effort to try to get further out of my crease to Abbas and negate his main weapon of nipping the ball back into my pads,’ said Sibley. ‘I’ve played against him a few times in county cricket and batted normally. But in the second innings, on that wicket, I needed to get further out of my crease.
‘The thing I am learning about Test cricket is you’ve got to keep moving forward, try to adapt and stay one step ahead. That comes from chatting to other people and gleaning as much knowledge as possible.’
Some good judges believe Sibley’s heavy leg-side bias will catch up with him against the best bowlers. But those ten Tests have produced 632 runs at just under 40, with two innings that helped forge England wins: an unbeaten 133 from 311 balls at Cape Town in January and an even more patient 120 from 372 in the second Test against West Indies last month.
Reassuringly for England, he regards his embryonic record with mixed feelings.
‘If you said to me after ten Tests you’d be averaging 40 with two hundreds, I’d be pleased,’ he said. ‘But I’ve got a lot more to give and I’ve let opportunities slip to score maybe four or five hundreds. That may sound greedy and unrealistic but it’s the way I think.’
no one can accuse Sibley of lacking drive. He spoke earlier in the summer about how he had shed two stone during lockdown after watching fitter team-mates train in the heat and humidity of Sri lanka. now, with winter series looming against India and the Sri lankans, he wants to improve his game against spin after observing his captain at work.
‘When you’re batting with Rooty (Joe Root), who makes playing spin look pretty easy, it makes me think I need to take my game against spin to the next level.
‘What I need to do better is rotate the strike and be more proactive. I’ve been working hard on that.
‘It’s a fine balance because I want to be out there and put such a high price on my wicket. It’s a case of having the bravery and confidence to do that in the Test arena, when the scrutiny is higher and you might get judged in how you get out.’
That concern, though, does not preclude a long-term vision, which involves opening the batting for years to come with his former team-mate at Surrey, Rory Burns.
Tomorrow’s second Test in Southampton will be their eighth together, and their average opening stand has been worth 38 — hardly riches, but an improvement on the years when Alastair Cook couldn’t find a partner worthy of the name.
‘Burnsy will say the same as me,’ said Sibley. ‘He’d be greedy and say he’d like a few more hundreds. Hopefully, that competition drives us forward.’