Leader is facing more scrutiny
108
theashes2019(^) The Mail on Sunday September 1, 2019
T
HE emotion, the excite-
ment and breathtaking
drama of this summer’s
cricket is something we
will remember for the rest
of our lives. How could
anyone who saw that innings from
Ben Stokes against Australia a
week ago ever forget it?
It was simply incredible, although
we genuinely never lost belief. One
thing I would say about this team
under Joe Root’s leadership is that
we have a solution-based mindset
— when we encounter problems
we look for solutions. Put simply,
we needed to find a way to win.
Back in Ian Botham’s Ashes of
1981, England were 500-1 to win
the equivalent match at Heading-
ley. We arrived at Headingley on
what would be the final morning
with the odds at 5-1. The former
England batsman Neil Fairbrother
mentioned to a few of us on text
that we were not out of the game.
Also, the reason we bowled first
after winning the toss was because
we felt pitches in Leeds get flatter.
We all played in a Test match
against West Indies there two
years ago in which they not only
chased 322 to win, they cruised it.
Nevertheless, taking my pads
off, I felt so deflated. I’d wanted to
make an impact on the game and
was back in the pavilion within two
minutes. Nine down with 73
needed, the belief was hanging by
a thread. Or so you would think.
But I sat down next to Jos Buttler
and Joe Root, who had gone
through a similar experience in
the World Cup final, and collective
belief in Ben never wavered.
Whenever his name was men-
tioned, it was like ‘this bloke can do
anything’.
As the minutes ticked by, there
were the usual dressing-room dis-
cussions about what shots were on
for Ben, where his boundary
options might be, although this
quickly proved academic as he
was in the kind of mood to hit the
ball anywhere he wanted.
‘Anywhere he wanted’ was hard
for us as team-mates to pick out
because of our vantage point.
Headingley’s home dressing room
offers a rectangular glass window
to look out of but it’s rather like
being in a World War Two tank.
Your peripheral vision is very
restricted (not that I’ve been in
many tanks!). So every time the
ball was struck in the air, we
thought: ‘Oh God, where’s that
gone?’ Recall your own emotions
of watching this passage of play
and then think about only knowing
half the story all the time.
Everyone was adopting their own
little habits. Joe would sit down for
the ball, stand up when it was
bowled, walk around in a little cir-
cle, check the field and then sit
back down when the bowler started
up for his next delivery. Every sin-
gle ball.
theashes2019
By Lawrence
Booth
WISDEN EDITOR
theashes2019
Captain Root
still an issue
for England
Starc warning from Aussie selector
By Garry Fitzgerald
AT DERBY
ASKED after the miracle at Head-
ingley whether there was anything
Ben Stokes couldn’t do, Joe Root
thought for a moment. ‘His
handwriting’s terrible,’ he said. ‘His
language isn’t great, either.’
If Root was in the mood for a joke,
who could blame him? By scoring
135 not out to square the Ashes,
Stokes had done many things,
which included sparing the captain
an inquest into his leadership. For
the time being, at least.
There is still magic in the air but
reality must kick in quickly or the
question of Root’s captaincy could
crop up again as early as this week.
Lose the Fourth Test in Manchester
and he can kiss goodbye to regain-
ing the urn. He would then face the
task of winning at The Oval to avoid
becoming the first England captain
to lose at home to Australia since
Nasser Hussain in 2001.
Time was when Ashes defeats
were considered a rite of passage
for England captains. But Hussain
was the last to lead them to two in
a row. After the second, in 2002-03,
his reign lasted only three more
Tests, two at home against
Zimbabwe, before he handed
over to Michael Vaughan.
Root has one advantage Hus-
sain lacked — the absence of an
obvious successor. Stokes cannot
shoulder a bigger burden than he
already bears, while Jos Buttler
— the man he recently replaced as
vice-captain — is once more trying
to work out how to translate white-
ball talent into red-ball success.
Jonny Bairstow has enough on his
plate, while Rory Burns is just
starting out. Fast bowlers are prone
to injury and the role of frontline
spinner keeps changing hands.
There really is no one else.
That doesn’t mean Root’s leader-
ship should not deserve scrutiny,
with Hussain himself recently call-
ing for a more aggressive approach
in the field. The subject is clearly a
sensitive one in the England camp,
who recently steered the media
towards Root’s win percentage as
Test captain.
After Headingley, it rose to an
impressive 51 per cent, the most of
anyone bar Mike Brearley (58) to
have led England in at least 30 Tests
and better than the likes of Clive
Lloyd, MS Dhoni, Graeme Smith
and Michael Clarke.
Yet that tells only half the tale. So
up and down are Root’s side that his
loss percentage of 38.71 is the third-
worst among England’s 30-Test
leaders, behind Mike Atherton
(38.89) and David Gower (56.25).
The rain-affected draw at Lord’s
was only the third during Root’s
tenure. And while there was plenty
to celebrate about Stokes’ heroics,
it’s not unfair to point out that
Root’s first win over Australia in
eight attempts required a once-in-
a-lifetime performance. Old
Trafford and The Oval may feel
like referenda on his leadership.
The absence of Jimmy Anderson,
who has surely bowled his last ball
against Australia, and the news that
opener Jason Roy and No 4 Joe
Denly will swap places in the order,
leaves the selectors with only one
decision ahead of the fourth Test
— does Sam Curran or Craig Over-
ton replace Chris Woakes?
This is no slight on Woakes, who
began the summer fending off con-
cerns about his troublesome knee,
and has done better than expected
to play a full part in the World Cup
and four Tests against Ireland and
Australia, taking 15 wickets at 20.
But Root has turned to him less
and less in the Ashes and Austral-
ia’s fast bowlers have targeted a
vulnerability against the short ball.
It’s time for a breather.
Curran has rarely failed to make
an impression during his 10 Tests
and his left-armers would provide
Root with variety. But Curran is
also more dependent on swing than
any of his would-be team-mates,
while Overton offers height, bounce
and — often a feature of Manches-
ter Tests — reverse swing.
It may also be worth bearing in
mind, as England prepare for the
return from concussion of Steve
Smith, that Overton’s first Test
wicket was Smith himself, in the
day-nighter at Adelaide in Decem-
ber 2017. Curran, though, is a genu-
ine all-rounder and England will
feel uneasy about a lower order
headed by Overton at No 8.
With Old Trafford expected to
offer encouragement to the faster
bowlers, Australian left-armer
Mitchell Starc could make his first
appearance of the series after lim-
bering up in the tourists’ innings-
and-54-run win over Derbyshire.
The fact Australia would have to
rest one of Pat Cummins, Josh
Hazlewood or James Pattinson is a
frightening reminder of their fast-
bowling resources. If England
leave themselves needing another
miracle in Manchester, the Ashes
will be gone with a game to spare.
First ashes win but
joe under pressure
England’s stunning Ashes win at
Headingley was their first in eight Tests
against the Aussies under Joe Root,
whose captaincy will be under the
microscope yet again at Old Trafford
this week.
root’s record as captain
Batting average with and
without captaincy
100s
48.20
11
52.80
5
41.07
Overall
average
Draws 3
Played
31
Lost
12
Won
16
AUSTRALIA are set to release
‘The Aggressor’ on Joe Root and
his men in an attempt to wrestle
back Ashes supremacy.
Chairman of selectors Trevor
Hohns gave the clearest indication
so far that fast bowler Mitchell
Starc will finally get his chance to
lead the attack after impressing in
the warm-up match at Derby.
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh
could also be brought into the side
after making runs and taking
wickets in the crushing innings
victory at the County Ground. He
would probably play instead of
opener Marcus Harris, with
Usman Khawaja and Marnus
Labuschagne, the big success at
Headingley, moving up the order.
Steve Smith is fit to return to the
Ashes battlefront having
recovered from the concussion
sustained at Lord’s which forced
him out of the dramatic Third Test
defeat. But the biggest selection
question concerns Starc, who has
been kicking his heels since
arriving in England.
The Aussies have been rocked by
the punishment dished out to them
by the power and pace of
England’s new speedster Jofra
Archer and they hope Starc’s
presence may help balance things.
Starc, who has bowled close to
100mph in the past, warmed up
with a seven-wicket haul against
Derbyshire but Hohns says it is
vital the bowler balances his usual
explosive, feisty self with
consistency and accuracy if
picked for Old Trafford.
He said: ‘Mitchell has done well
in this game and has given us a
good option for Manchester.
‘The pitch there is renowned for
being the quickest in England and
that will be taken into account
when we choose our bowling
attack. We made it clear at the
start of the tour what was
expected from our bowlers and
where we wanted them to bowl.
‘We all know Mitchell is an
aggressor, and we can’t expect
him to change. He has taken it all
on aboard and worked very hard
to improve his game in terms of
bowling in the right places and
channels.’
Australia will stick with three
fast bowlers and a spinner as their
attack which leaves them with the
dilemma on which of Josh
Hazlewood, Pat Cummings and
James Pattinson makes way.
4th test england v australia: old trafford, wednesday
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