Johnny Bairstow took advantage of three moments in the last session on Monday. Photo: AFP/Jeff Caddick
In English cricket, it's a debate that won't die: choose the best goalkeeper or the player who contributes the most runs?
Before the Ashes' English tour of 1928-29 the choice was between Les Ames and George Duckworth: Ames was the best batsman, Duckworth the best goaltender. Names change — whether it's Jim Parks or John Murray, Alec Stewart or Jack Russell — but English cricket spent most of the next 95 years debating goalkeeper versus batsman.
When, starting with the fifth ball in chasing Australia's run, Johnny Bairstow didn't dive for the ball between the keeper and the first miss, sparking this simmering debate. Not that, of course, he was ever truly inactive.
Who should keep the wicket in the second test?
The selection of Barstow over Ben Fawkes was one of the most heatedly debated decisions England have made in recent years. Had it been a public vote, Fawkes would have remained as custodian, while a seat elsewhere was found for Bairstow, who, after six centuries of ordeal, was due to return in 2022. However, for England, the heart of the matter was simple: the belief that Bairstow, with his number seven counter-attacks and good track record as a goalkeeper, was more likely to help beat the world's number one Test team.
The first two possibilities of the test match determined the terms of the debate. First, Bairstow scored a brilliant 78 on Opening Day, scoring shots and changing the atmosphere of the game after England fell to 176-5. Although he is not as experienced a batsman as Bairstow, Fawkes may have made the same runs, but he most certainly did not do them in the same way. Bairstow was the heart of Baseball last summer, and his daring shot catalyzed the transformation of England.
When Bairstow caught the ball with one hand to fire Marnus Labouchagne on the second morning, the talk of Fawkes receded like a middle-aged hairline. But because Barstow first missed Cameron Green and then missed two chances with Alex Carey, the complaints about Fawkes could be heard again. jpg» /> Catch Barstow fired Marnus Labouchagne with one hand on the second day. Photo: PA/David Davies
To neatly recap the debate, Burstow's first pitching misses—Green on a zero, then Carey on 26 and 52—added up to 78 runs: just like his batting contribution. So far, in the pursuit of a run in Australia, Khawaja has added 29 since the postponement, more than Bairstow's second innings of 20.
Ostensibly this can be used to suggest that Bairstow did not justify his recall. But that would be very simplistic. If Bairstow had lost easily in the first inning, England would have struggled to score 250 and the match would have gone on a very different trajectory.
Bairstow is also an overall better goalkeeper than his miss count suggests in this test. Indeed, according to CricViz, in his Testing career, Barstow had an 88 percent chance of catching the ball, while Fawkes only had an 82 percent chance. In England, Barstow got 90% and Fawkes got 87%.
These numbers can't capture everything — the impact of, say, Fawkes being able to resist stumps, which Brendon McCallum says helped Stuart Broad take a wicket in New Zealand in February; that Fawkes concedes few goodbyes per inning; or else Fawkes would run after the ball rather than leave it alone, as Bairstow did at Khawaja. But they suggest that although Fawkes is the best goalkeeper, the differences between them are exaggerated. Holding the wicket in England, Bairstow tended to be very reliable – and he averaged 38 at bat to boot. This is a compelling package.
None of this, however, obscured the fact that Bairstow had chosen a bad test to squander—or leave alone—four chances. England is not too concerned about any extenuating circumstances. Two out of four chances were against the spin. Although Bairstow held up well against Ireland, it was his first stump test in two years; Ash testing at this Edgbaston is a problem of a completely different order. When odds were presented by David Warner and Steve Smith on the fourth evening, Bairstow seized on them with calm efficiency, displaying a tenacity that defined his career.
It's tempting to assume that the clumsy Stump Test would be the signal for Bairstow to was promoted as a batsman, with Fawkes recalled. However, this notion misunderstands England's entire mindset: a focus on the best that can happen rather than fear of the worst, a willingness to accept occasional bad moments in exchange for new opportunities. So, while the debate over the identity of their Ashes keeper may drag on, England has already made up its mind.
Ashes promo book
Свежие комментарии