Following the humiliation at Lord’s in the second Test, for many England cricket fans just changing one player from the Ashes squad might seem an inadequate response.
After a performance which prompted the headline “Pathetic” in the Daily Mirror, there had been cries for sweeping changes as the team prepares for the Third Test which starts at Edgbaston on Wednesday.
But Jonny Bairstow in for Gary Ballance, although a decision few would argue with, is hardly a sweeping change. It must also be noted that although Bairstow has an impressive 108 average in county cricket this season, his career average in Tests is a modest 26.
The sad fact for England is that the present squad is probably the best available. They simply haven’t got anyone lined up to step in the shoes of the current XI.
As the Times put it: “Lots of questions. Very few answers.”
The Lord’s Test was one of the most humiliating defeats experienced by England against Australia — and that’s saying something, as there have been a few disasters over the years. It prompted memories of the days when Aussie fans brought posters to the ground which read: “If the Poms bat first, tell the taxi driver to wait.”
The 405-run defeat was the biggest since the days of Don Bradman back in 1948. But it was not just the loss, but the manner in which England folded against an admittedly on-fire Australian attack, led commendably by Mitchell Johnson who appeared to strike fear into the hearts of the England batsmen.
Even all-rounder Moeen Ali admitted: “The sad thing is that we didn’t show any fight.”
By the time Ben Stokes ran himself out in ridiculous fashion by committing the schoolboy error of not grounding his bat, the England innings was already a shambles. That the top scorer was bowler Stuart Broad, with 25, says it all.
In the Daily Telegraph, Geoffrey Boycott called it “an embarrassment” and “shameful” for England to be bowled out so cheaply on a very flat Lord’s wicket, offering little help to the bowlers.
It’s probably just as well England’s players avoid looking at newspapers during times of defeat. It would not make happy reading. “Gutless, dim-witted, brainless and shocking,” wrote John Etheridge in The Sun.
The Daily Mail termed it as a “Spineless surrender. It was frankly pathetic — England were staggeringly weak.” One of the milder comments came from Stephen Brenkley in The Independent who observed that it was “not so much a defeat as a mauling.”
The Australian press was of course ecstatic, especially after the humbling first Test.”“Mitchell Jackson ripped England’s mental scars wide open again,’’ was the view of Australia’s Daily Telegraph.
The same paper came up with its shortest editorial in its history:
“England groundskeepers prepared a second Test pitch specifically designed to blunt Australia’s pace bowling advantage. The result was England’s fourth-largest Test defeat in history.
“The Daily Telegraph encourages England to continue with this strategy.” Now, that is what you call rubbing it in.
With Bairstow coming in at five, Joe Root moves up to four and Ian Bell to the crucial third spot. Many believe Root, far and away the best England batsmen, should go in at three.
The selectors must be hoping that on his home ground at Edgbaston, Bell, a veteran of 112 Tests, will finally discover some form. He’s played well in the past, but there’s a strong feeling this is the last chance saloon after a series of poor scores.
Many fans thought opener Adam Lyth would be sacked after innings of 6, 37, 0 and 7 in the series so far. But who do you replace him with? Lyth’s supporters will also point to his recent century against New Zealand.
For the last couple of years, since the retirement of Andrew Strauss, England have been looking for a reliable opener to join captain Alastair Cook, but no one has seized the opportunity. Middlesex opener Nick Compton is a competent batsman, but he’s not a patch on grandfather Denis.
Nottingham’s Alex Hales is another possibility for the opening spot, although the selectors seem to believe his attacking style is better suited to one-dayers.
The batting collapse at Lord’s tended to obscure the fact that England’s bowling at Lord’s, with the exception of Broad, looked very ordinary. While Australia took 20 wickets, England could only muster 10 in two innings.
But once again, potential replacements are not exactly queuing up. England need a really fast bowler and can’t continue to rely on the relatively moderate pace of Broad and Jimmy Anderson. Mark Wood has looked promising in his few matches, but doesn’t exactly terrify the Aussies.
While England fans can accept taking a hammering from Australia, they had perhaps prematurely thought that England’s victory in the first Test in Cardiff was a sign that things were about to change. They conveniently forgot that if centurion Root had not been dropped by ’keeper Brad Haddin when facing his second ball, it could have been a totally different story.
The Aussies will be brimful of confidence at Edgbaston. It will probably be an unchanged team unless Chris Rogers has not fully recovered from his worrying dizzy spells. The selectors will also have been delighted with the performances of Mitchell Marsh and Peter Nevill, who may well have booked their spots for the remainder of the series.
With the considerable success of Australia’s three Mitchells — Johnson, Starc and Marsh — perhaps England should try looking through the phone book and dig up a few Mitchells of their own.