England's top order is a mess and the Test team is going backwards under Trevor Bayliss.
While the Australian coach deserves credit for turning around his adopted country’s white-ball fortunes he appears to be getting away without much criticism when it comes to the longest form of the game. Arguably the most important for England fans.
England's heavy defeat in the second Test against South Africa is the latest in a horrendous run of form. Test matches being punctuated by the ICC Champions Trophy and the One Day series' that fell around that tournament, has perhaps saved Bayliss from much worse stick given the delayed start to the five-day summer.
A gap of seven months between the heavy series defeat in India - which followed a poor drawn series against also-rans Bangladesh - and this first home series of the summer, means for the occasional observer in particular, the two South Africa Tests are perhaps being treated in isolation. Even the more hardened supporter may think seven months is an awful time in Test cricket.
It also helps Bayliss that most of the spotlight is falling on Joe Root, his new captain, given the batsman replaced Alastair Cook at the helm shortly after England returned from India, many months before having to taste the spotlight as the leading man.
Root, though, as I predicted before the won first Test in an article for The Sportsman, made two alarmingly significant calls, ones which Bayliss allowed him to get away with. And already it is evident he has got them wrong. Many could point to an overreaction having won one and lost just one under Root, but this is Test cricket. England still have 10 Test matches to play by January, by which time the biggest series of them all – the Ashes – will have been retained or relinquished Down Under. There is no time to waste for England to get their team in order, to prepare with good form and victories against South Africa and subsequently West Indies before heading to Australia.
The fact is, in the past 12 months, England have won just four out of 12 Test matches. It’s just two wins in the last 10. For a side desperate to return to the top of the Test rankings and retain the Ashes, it’s a sorry state of affairs. The biggest issue is there remains question marks over far too many key positions.
Root called it wrong immediately when he – as we are led to understand it, Root was given the final say over Bayliss and his selector colleagues – recalled Gary Ballance and Liam Dawson. That was a significant error of judgment from the youngster, and Bayliss you’d have hoped would have stepped in. Ballance and Dawson should be dropped immediately. England are going nowhere fast with them, and there are no signs they will improve the team. Additionally, you can add opener Keaton Jennings to that mix.
Root called upon Ballance, his Yorkshire captain, for a third stab at Test cricket after a miserable end to his first and a shocking return for his second in the winter. He came back due to his relationship with Root, in part, but moreover his weight of runs at county level. In fairness, Ballance can do little wrong for his club, averaging more than 100 this summer. But Tests are a different beast altogether. Show a sign of weakness and the world's best bowlers will eat you alive. Ballance was consistently dismissed in the same way in his first two cracks at Test cricket, allowing the ball to be pitched up away from him, inducing an edge or exposing his off-stump. Root was warned that Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel would be greatly encouraged by his selection. So it has proved with all four of Ballance’s dismissals - for an average of 21 - being taken by South Africa's fearsome quicks.
Dawson was picked and immediately called England’s number one spinner by his captain. A way of breeding confidence, perhaps, but laughable considering all-rounder Moeen Ali has a very credible strike rate to sit alongside his class as a batsman. When Ali stole the show with a man of the match display in the first Test, and Dawson struggled to lay a glove on the South Africans, it looked even more incredulous.
Further, Dawson was selected with his batting in mind, too. A pair of ducks in the first Test was followed by 13 and 5 (not out) in the second. He claimed just a single wicket as the tourists romped home at Trent Bridge by 340 runs.
His selection was rather absurd considering he’s not even Hampshire’s best spinner, sitting behind English youngster Mason Crane, while Adil Rashid proved he could handle the pressure with some fine displays against India and Bangladesh in the winter Tests and a very decent ICC Champions Trophy.
It would be a brave move so early in his captaincy for Root to make amends by axing the duo so swiftly. But what an attacking and credible move it would be if he did, while the series still has all to play for and with plenty of time pre-Ashes. Now would be the moment for Bayliss to prove his own ability to mould a side that should be doing much better with the embarrassment of riches available to the England and Wales Cricket Board.
England are an opener (Jennings has an average of 26 from eight innings, but has only really performed in two), a number four (Root, as the best batsman should always be in at first drop) and a batting number seven (leaving Ali as premier spinner) light. Changes are essential.
