'I'm not much of a baseball player' — why England keeps ignoring Ben Fawkes

With two test tons, Ben Fawkes is more than capable of handling the bat. according to Ben Stokes, the best goalkeeper in the world. He has averaged 39 points in Test cricket since early last summer, and the next Ashes Test will be played at Old Trafford, the stage of his fine century against South Africa last year.

So why does England keep ignoring Ben Fawkes? — especially given the angst surrounding Johnny Bairstow, who has missed eight chances on stumps and only averaged 24 at bat this series? adopted in February. Looks like he was right.

Barstow, of course, very much. Regardless of his struggles in this series, England retains memories of his stunning batting blow last year. He had six test centuries in 2023 — first taking England from 36 to four in Sydney, then securing Bazball's start with consecutive innings of 136, 71 without losing and 114 without losing in chases against New Zealand and India.

Fawkes is just not prone to such pirate innings. While England were finalizing their squad on Monday, Fawkes scored 46 of 116 for Surrey against Nottinghamshire: a valuable opportunity to lift his team from 67 to three, but also showed how different his batting methods are from Bairstow.

The retention of Bairstow also fits with the selection sequence that was a hallmark of the baseball era. From the moment England named Barstow in their squad for the Test against Ireland — with Dan Lawrence as a substitute batsman and without Fawkes even as a reserve — England have made their mindset unequivocal. A change in tactics now could affect not only the identity of the wicket-keeper, but the wider setting aside.

The Fawkes case was also hampered by an injury to Ben Stokes. If Stokes had been in full form, then Fawkes could have come to Headingley instead of a bowler, and Bairstow would have been promoted to batsman. But as the Stokes failed to score, England chose five other bowlers, not counting Joe Root.

At Leeds, England continued their remarkable run of results with this team structure. Since the summer of 2018, England have run 10 Tests with five bowling specialists in addition to Stokes. They won every time. The sequence includes two home wins over India in 2018, two wins in Sri Lanka the same year and Pakistan last winter, and a win over Australia at The Oval in 2019.

Although the entry is bizarre, it also points to certain advantages of this setup. The extra bowling depth provides insurance — something England lacked at Edgbaston in 2019 when James Anderson only bowled four overs to leave Stokes in third, but what they had at Headingley when Ollie Robinson only bowled 11.2 overs . It also maximizes the effectiveness of a striking variation like Mark Wood, allowing it to be used in short bursts, and makes it easier to adjust for Chris Wakes, who is now averaging 35.5 at bat and 22.7 with ball in home tests. The relative lack of batsmen in England means that minor batsmen rarely contribute as much.

Keeping five bowlers with Stokes makes it impossible to pick Fawkes along with Bairstow. And if Fawkes is chosen over Bairstow, then England will be out of the running, with Moin Ali and Fawkes in the top seven.

Onward journey: Johnny Bairstow

Fawkes has a very good overall test record at bat, but there is reason to believe his game is less suited to Australia. Fawkes averages 40 against rotation in Tests, but a more modest 28 against pace. He was also troubled by the high pace, twice suffering unsuccessful tours of the West Indies; against deliveries over 87 mph it averages 15.

Although Fawkes has often been an invaluable counterpoint to more energetic players, his own test batting has changed little under the new regime, with his batting going from 48 before Baseball to 52 after. This may be of particular concern given concerns about England's tail. If the other end collapses, #7 will probably only have a few dozen balls to hit. England still believe that Bairstow is likely to score more points during this period.

Whenever Bairstow takes a chance, there is a tendency to proclaim Fawkes the sure-fire alternative. One does not exist. “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master,” Ernest Hemingway observed of writing; and with the gate.

Despite his speed, Fawkes only caught 84%, according to CricViz, the lowest of any keeper to play five Tests since he debuted in 2018. Such a figure cannot reflect everything that concerns the value of a goalkeeper. For example, Fawkes catches balls that other goalkeepers don't notice, and is especially good at countering stumps even against fast bowlers like Stuart Broad. But while there is a quality gap between Fawkes and Barstow, it tends to be exaggerated.

None of this means that Fawkes will no longer play Test cricket; indeed, there is every chance that he will do it next winter in India, in conditions where his dexterity in an upright position for rotation can be crucial. But at the age of 30, there is also an increased risk that the next time a vacancy appears, England will move on to a new generation. Ollie Robinson of Durham turned three centuries old this year; after hitting 221 this week, Somerset's James Rew now has five; Surrey's Jamie Smith showed off his belligerence during this year's England Lions tour of Sri Lanka.

Bairstow vs. Fawkes compared

Two months ago, England bet that, despite Fawkes's qualities, the of the Ashes Tournament Bairstow's series could contribute less behind the stumps, but was more likely to win matches ahead of them. At this point in the Ashes, England decided to go through with their bet to avoid cashing in before the end of the Oval. In fact, there would be nothing else in the nature of this side.