Johnny Bairstow's numerous mistakes in the first three tests landed him in the hot seat. Photo: Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Well done England. It was a great theater at Headingley and great entertainment, but note you don't have to entertain us with lots of fours and sixes. The fans are enjoying the fact that you beat Australia. Simple.
Some people say never change the winning team. I disagree. My experience of playing at the highest level for so long and common sense tell me that Johnny Bairstow is not the right fit. He suffered a horrific injury last year with a broken leg in two places and damaged ligaments.
He doesn't move 100 percent right and lacks competitive batting and wicket-keeping. He was selected last summer in a superb win, but at this point in time he is a shadow of his best.
England went on a calculated adventure, and it did not work. In three Tests he conceded, missed and failed to score a single run. It's very sad and outwardly he can show that he's upbeat and enthusiastic, but when you fail on a big stage in full glare from the audience, you have nowhere to hide, and deep down it affects your confidence. Someone has to be brave for him and take him out of the spotlight.
When Johnny is at his best, he is a bigger plus for England than Ben Fawkes. But at the moment he is dropping things and not moving properly. Excuse me, take it out of the pressure cooker. He may come back later, but he must clean himself up. When he is picked ahead of Fawkes, his dribbling must be safe and he must score points. He doesn't work either. I don't get any pleasure from it. I like Johnny. I would choose him every time before Fawkes when he plays well.
All this talk about choosing the best goalkeeper is nonsense, but at the moment Johnny is not safe with his dribble and is rusty. This is problem. I predict it. I wouldn't pick him until the third test and force him to play for Yorkshire to get some competitive cricket at my own expense. You can't get hurt that bad and think you can come right back against a good team like Australia.Storage was not Bairstow's only problem with the Ashes series. Photo: Getty Images/Stu Forster
It now takes a bit of guts from Stokes to leave Johnny out. England should win at Old Trafford and not focus on the Oval and maybe make history. They need to clean up first, which means focusing on the present and not getting ahead of themselves.
Moin Ali was another big gamble with few upsides. He has been away from the heat of Test cricket for far too long. His spinning finger is a mess because he's not used to a lot of overs, so it splits too easily and gets raw. Then he will not be able to show his best result. His batting has always been unreliable and looks no better. To me, he is a batsman with a white ball and plays ball. Joe Root could overs as well as he could and make room for another batsman.
England need a new number 3 and if none comes to mind, pick another rookie in case you lose an early wicket to a new ball. Leave Root at four. Don't mess with your best batsman. Harry Brook is not No. 3, and neither is Ben Stokes. This is the engine room. If they get into play against an old ball, their inclination and ability is to get ahead of the bowlers and take the game away from the opponent.
Jimmy Anderson is back for Ollie Robinson to freshen up the attack on his home field. Mark Wood, Chris Wookes and Stuart Broad have been great at Headingley and they have nine days off to rest and prepare for their next bowling alley. They should be queuing to try the Aussies one more time.
A proper batting got England over the line on Sunday. No one has tried the outrageous one day beats, only the positive orthodox batting. Yes, there were amazing shots on wide balls that were out of reach with a sweeping brush, and difficult attempts to move on the rise. It must be hard for batsmen to completely get T20 batting and baseball out of their system when they've been playing this way for over a year now. But England had the decent look of a Test match batting team.
🚨 GATE 🚨
Starc clean bowls Moin Ali! ❌ pic.twitter.com/OxIPKl6eER
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 9, 2023
It was more like a Boycs game than a Bazball game and it worked. Continue playing in the same way. Stay positive but use your brains and talent and you can win at Old Trafford again. There is still nothing to choose between the two teams and it all comes down to who plays better in difficult moments and who makes fewer mistakes.
I said at the beginning of the series that it would be close and that Ashes would be decided by who is better under pressure. Brian Close told me, «A thinking cricketer is a better cricketer.» He didn't tell people to change. He said to think about situations, think all the time and use your brain. If you can think smart in the most difficult moments and have a composure, it is priceless. That is what I ask England. Think and play smart. That's all.
We don't want to see shovels and ramps over the goalkeeper's head. We want real cricket. Baseball got them into trouble and lost them two tests they should have won because they were trying to be too smart. You can't afford to be too smart against Australia. Make them unsettle you. Don't give up your wickets. Cut smart dick shots. Save them for cricket for a day, not for this Ash.
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