England’s Ashes squad has been picked and is packed with surprises - but not good ones.
The headline news – away from the Ben Stokes affair, and yes the controversial all-rounder makes the plane to Australia, despite his fractured finger following a nightclub incident after which he was arrested – is the return of two batsmen whose last Test outings have ended disappointingly.
James Vince appears to be pencilled in to become the latest incumbent of the poisoned chalice that is England’s number three. It’s a role he’s had – and failed in – once before. And another of the number three flops in Gary Ballance has been given yet another chance, likely as a rival to most recent incumbent Dawid Malan for the number five shirt.
Neither Vince nor Ballance inspire. While change was inevitable given Tom Westley’s difficulties at number three against South Africa and West Indies this summer, turning to Vince is quite the surprise.
The Hampshire man, while an elegant cricketer with obvious technical ability, was found wanting during seven Tests last summer. He achieved a top score of just 42, and moreover kept finding a way of getting out nicking a catch to slips. Bowlers had found him out. His Test average is below 20. Australia will be licking their lips.
The selectors are of the belief he will thrive on the bouncy pitches and against the quick bowling he’ll face in Australia. But a modest summer for his county, which featured just two centuries, hardly points to a man in form. To put it in perspective, the evergreen Paul Collingwood averages more, as does highly rated Rory Burns.
Ballance gets his fourth coming as a Test batsman. While his first was impressive as he averaged close to 50, he found himself dropped when pace bowling became a consistent thorn in his side with the same kind of dismissal repeating on him. He was given a second chance, but flopped with an average below 20. New captain Joe Root, his Yorkshire teammate, brought Ballance back this summer against South Africa but he struggled again, before injury brought a premature end to his return.
That was at three. Can number five bring more out of a player whose Yorkshire form is usually very good? Or will the feared Aussie pace attack equally be licking their lips as they seek out his obvious weaknesses at the highest level?
Unfortunately, in a stat that epitomises the weakness of this England squad, Ballance – with an average of 19 in his last 12 Tests – goes up against Malan, who averages 23 from his five Tests.
There are arguments that alternatives are in short supply. Certainly, Burns may have been considered. However, with three uncapped players already named, would it have made life even tougher to have a fourth new cap going into the biggest series England contest? Particularly in such hostile conditions Down Under.
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Young Hampshire spinner Mason Crane, Somerset seamer Craig Overton and Surrey wicketkeeper Ben Foakes take their places in the squad. Overton is selected ahead of the more experienced Steven Finn, who has recently returned to form and has previous as a wicket-taker in Australia. Many would have picked Liam Plunkett, so impressive for England in the shorter form of the games and a player with the genuine pace to make an impression in Australia.
Overton takes the place of the luckless Mark Wood. The Durham pace king would surely have thrived on such hard and bouncy wickets, but injury has again ruled him out. That is a huge blow for England.
Alex Hales, caught up in the Stokes incident but said to have been judged purely on form, is likely to be disappointed to miss out. Since he was dropped as Test batsman himself, he has changed his position from opener to number five in the longest form of the game and had an outstanding season for Nottinghamshire. His world-class form for England in limited overs cricket – aswell as starring as Notts won both the Royal London One Day Cup and T20 Blast – made him a popular choice among fans and pundits alike to come back and add experience and attacking quality in the middle order.
With Hales and the equally talented Jos Buttler missing, England fans are rightly feeling short-changed and pessimistic about England’s chances of retaining the urn that means so much.
Root will start on the backfoot because of these selections. It will now take a shock as big as the one the selectors have pulled off today for England to secure success Down Under this winter.
England’s Ashes squad:
Joe Root, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.
