Easy win proof of England’s strength in depth
AS A pointer towards England’s chances of success in this summer’s Champions Trophy, a three-match series against the West Indies was always going to be of limited value.
England whitewashed the side ranked ninth in the world with a 186-run win in the final match in Barbados yesterday, predictably making light work of opponents who face a battle to qualify for the 2019 World Cup.
Alex Hales hit 110 and Joe Root 101 as England scored 328 from their 50 overs, equalling their highest total against the West Indies.
Chris Woakes then took 3-16 and Liam Plunkett 3-27 as the hosts were routed for 142, Jonathan Carter top-scoring with 46.
Perhaps a more illuminating gauge as to England’s prospects in the global tournament that they stage in June can be derived from who is not currently in their starting XI. There was no place this time for Sam Billings, who made way for Hales at the top of the order after his recovery from a broken hand, while England resisted any temptation to give Yorkshire batsman/wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow a run out in the proverbial “dead” fixture.
If Bairstow – an outstanding talent in all three formats – cannot get into the first-choice oneday side, it would suggest that England are in pretty good shape ahead of the tournament that starts on June 1.
That is not to say, of course, that there is no work to be done or that England are somehow guaranteed success because of home advantage.
They have collapsed against spin too often in recent times, particularly when pitches grip and are somewhat on the slow side, while they need to improve their bowling at the death.
To that effect, it would be a significant boost if they could get Mark Wood fit and firing for the Champions Trophy, for he provides 90mph pace and all-important X-factor.
But England are presently doing much more right than they are doing wrong, and they have a good chance of going all the way when the serious stuff starts. England’s preparations for the Champions Trophy continue and conclude with five more one-day internationals in May.
They play Ireland at Bristol and Lord’s and then face South Africa at Headingley, Southampton and Lord’s again.
England do not return to Test action until July 6, when they play South Africa at Lord’s in what will be Root’s first match as Test captain.
For now, however, the focus is very much on one-day cricket, with England continuing the impressive strides they have taken since the 2015 World Cup.
Yesterday belonged principally to Hales and Root.
On a day when the England players wore black armbands in memory of John Hampshire, the former Yorkshire and England batsman who died recently, they delivered a fitting tribute to him against the team he famously made a hundred against on his Test debut at Lord’s in 1969.
After Jason Roy fell early in the piece, one of four victims for the West Indies’ most successful bowler on the day, Alzarri Joseph, England easily took control.
The second-wicket pair of Hales and Root added 192 in 31 overs, West Indies paying a heavy price for twice dropping Root before he had settled.
Hales’s innings was particularly significant.
Having chosen to sit out the tour to Bangladesh due to security concerns and given others a chance to stake a claim, he repaid England’s faith with his fifth ODI hundred, reached from 99 balls.
His emotional reaction to that achievement betrayed what it meant to him and that this was certainly no “dead” game from his point of view.
Hales’s name is not so much inked in for the Champions Trophy as set in stone.
Root celebrated his ninth ODI hundred with similar gusto after much talk recently about his conversion rate.
He has struggled to translate fifties into three-figure scores but this was another reminder of his quality, not least as he had to fight hard at the start of his innings on a challenging pitch.
Ben Stokes (34) was the only other significant contributor as England, in truth, fell short of the type of total they had earlier threatened.
A steady stream of wickets saw to that, but perhaps some batsmen may not have been quite as expansive had the series still been on the line.
West Indies’ reply was best viewed from behind the sofa.
They were three-down inside four overs and never threatened a consolation win, their cricket a shadow of its former glory.