Trevor Bayliss suggests bare cupboard means few England batting changes
Most of the senior figures in the England setup keep casting an eye towards 2019, the summer of the World Cup and the Ashes. Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad might like to bid farewell together clutching the urn; so might Alastair Cook. Joe Root, meanwhile, would also like a finger on the World Cup alongside Trevor Bayliss. That summer is a mouthwatering prospect on all fronts, a final salvo for many, after which our so-called Test grounds, bolstered by their handouts from the England and Wales Cricket Board, will be saturated by domestic Twenty20 cricket in the brave new world.
But 2019 seems a dangerously distant target just at the moment, especially for an England Test team that find themselves in a chastening, ever-deepening hole. We know Bayliss’s plans. His contract ends in 2019 and he has indicated he will be departing then. At the end of a gruelling winter for him and those in his charge he acknowledged there is a gulf between the progress of his red- and white-ball sides, both of whom have 2019 as their major goal.
England lost both Test series this winter, playing seven matches, losing five and drawing two. By contrast, they won both their 50-over series.
“Clearly there is a difference between the ODI and Test side,” said Bayliss. “In the ODIs we’re trying to squeeze 15 or 16 players into the XI. But we’ve probably got three or four positions in the Test team still trying to make their way and prove to everyone that they are good enough to play at that level.”
The problems of the Test team are simple to identify. The batting is inconsistent and uneven. Moreover, there has to be a concern about the lack of quality – beyond Root, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes – not only among those in the team but also among those trying to get into it. The bowling lacks penetration and remains dependent on Anderson and Broad.
Through the winter this pair took 47 of the 81 Test wickets captured by England at an average of around 30; the others took 34 at an average of 72. These figures are telling, even after acknowledging the veterans tend to bowl at the best times. The spin-bowling department is threadbare, despite Jack Leach making a commendable start to his Test career in Christchurch. Even the catching is suspect. At least the wicketkeeping is in good hands.
Bayliss is instinctively conservative in selectorial matters. He likes to be loyal to his players and in the past has said: “I’d rather they had one Test too many than one too few.” So when pressed as darkness descended upon Hagley Oval he did not hint at huge changes to his Test lineup after such a disappointing winter. Responding to questions about his batsmen, he said: “More than likely there will be the same men involved. They are good players; they have all scored runs but they need to do it more often.”
Bayliss would never dismiss a batsman of Cook’s standing lightly. “It would be dangerous to write off someone who’s scored 12,000 Test runs. He’s desperately disappointed he hasn’t contributed more but speaking to him in the sheds he’s still got a hunger for the game; he still wants to do well and thinks he’s got a role to play. We need someone of his experience and hopefully it won’t be long before he’s back in the groove. We have some very good players in the team. I’m not sure there are any better ones not in the team. There are one or two on the cusp and they must score plenty of runs in the County Championship and force themselves in.”
Naturally Bayliss supported his captain as well. “The circumstances have been trying for Joe. It’s not easy for the captain when you’re not winning. He would have liked more runs. It would help if some of those around him scored some more runs to take the pressure off him. He sets high standards for himself.”
So the England management remain uncertain about the identity of the best batsmen and the order in which they should appear. “We’ve spoken about the order in the past,” said Bayliss. “We have tried Jonny Bairstow up the order. I think he’s quite comfortable at 7 but this may have to be revisited, especially if the others can’t cement a spot. The batsmen should be averaging 45 plus. We are constantly thinking about it.”
After all the talk of home advantage in Test cricket Bayliss warned it will not be easy for England in the summer of 2018, let alone 2019. “Pakistan and India will be a challenge. The last time Pakistan were here the series was drawn and India are the form team in the world. Both have got a band of good pace bowlers. They will be difficult assignments.”
So there are tricky times ahead when the selectors sit down with Bayliss in May. “I’m not sure who they will be. I’ve not spoken to Straussy about that,” he said. Preferably those selectors will have thick skins and fertile minds since there is not a deep and obvious reservoir of Test talent out there. They have to oversee a phased rebuilding process. Little wonder that the names being mentioned for the vacancies at the moment are of those, like Ashley Giles, who are not interested.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/apr/04/trevor-bayliss-england-test-team-pakistan-india
Most of the senior figures in the England setup keep casting an eye towards 2019, the summer of the World Cup and the Ashes. Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad might like to bid farewell together clutching the urn; so might Alastair Cook. Joe Root, meanwhile, would also like a finger on the World Cup alongside Trevor Bayliss. That summer is a mouthwatering prospect on all fronts, a final salvo for many, after which our so-called Test grounds, bolstered by their handouts from the England and Wales Cricket Board, will be saturated by domestic Twenty20 cricket in the brave new world.
But 2019 seems a dangerously distant target just at the moment, especially for an England Test team that find themselves in a chastening, ever-deepening hole. We know Bayliss’s plans. His contract ends in 2019 and he has indicated he will be departing then. At the end of a gruelling winter for him and those in his charge he acknowledged there is a gulf between the progress of his red- and white-ball sides, both of whom have 2019 as their major goal.
England lost both Test series this winter, playing seven matches, losing five and drawing two. By contrast, they won both their 50-over series.
“Clearly there is a difference between the ODI and Test side,” said Bayliss. “In the ODIs we’re trying to squeeze 15 or 16 players into the XI. But we’ve probably got three or four positions in the Test team still trying to make their way and prove to everyone that they are good enough to play at that level.”
The problems of the Test team are simple to identify. The batting is inconsistent and uneven. Moreover, there has to be a concern about the lack of quality – beyond Root, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes – not only among those in the team but also among those trying to get into it. The bowling lacks penetration and remains dependent on Anderson and Broad.
Through the winter this pair took 47 of the 81 Test wickets captured by England at an average of around 30; the others took 34 at an average of 72. These figures are telling, even after acknowledging the veterans tend to bowl at the best times. The spin-bowling department is threadbare, despite Jack Leach making a commendable start to his Test career in Christchurch. Even the catching is suspect. At least the wicketkeeping is in good hands.
Bayliss is instinctively conservative in selectorial matters. He likes to be loyal to his players and in the past has said: “I’d rather they had one Test too many than one too few.” So when pressed as darkness descended upon Hagley Oval he did not hint at huge changes to his Test lineup after such a disappointing winter. Responding to questions about his batsmen, he said: “More than likely there will be the same men involved. They are good players; they have all scored runs but they need to do it more often.”
Bayliss would never dismiss a batsman of Cook’s standing lightly. “It would be dangerous to write off someone who’s scored 12,000 Test runs. He’s desperately disappointed he hasn’t contributed more but speaking to him in the sheds he’s still got a hunger for the game; he still wants to do well and thinks he’s got a role to play. We need someone of his experience and hopefully it won’t be long before he’s back in the groove. We have some very good players in the team. I’m not sure there are any better ones not in the team. There are one or two on the cusp and they must score plenty of runs in the County Championship and force themselves in.”
Naturally Bayliss supported his captain as well. “The circumstances have been trying for Joe. It’s not easy for the captain when you’re not winning. He would have liked more runs. It would help if some of those around him scored some more runs to take the pressure off him. He sets high standards for himself.”
So the England management remain uncertain about the identity of the best batsmen and the order in which they should appear. “We’ve spoken about the order in the past,” said Bayliss. “We have tried Jonny Bairstow up the order. I think he’s quite comfortable at 7 but this may have to be revisited, especially if the others can’t cement a spot. The batsmen should be averaging 45 plus. We are constantly thinking about it.”
After all the talk of home advantage in Test cricket Bayliss warned it will not be easy for England in the summer of 2018, let alone 2019. “Pakistan and India will be a challenge. The last time Pakistan were here the series was drawn and India are the form team in the world. Both have got a band of good pace bowlers. They will be difficult assignments.”
So there are tricky times ahead when the selectors sit down with Bayliss in May. “I’m not sure who they will be. I’ve not spoken to Straussy about that,” he said. Preferably those selectors will have thick skins and fertile minds since there is not a deep and obvious reservoir of Test talent out there. They have to oversee a phased rebuilding process. Little wonder that the names being mentioned for the vacancies at the moment are of those, like Ashley Giles, who are not interested.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/apr/04/trevor-bayliss-england-test-team-pakistan-india
