Four Tests into their Test tour of Bangladesh and India, George Dobell provides a half-term report on the England squad
George Dobell23-Nov-2016Good:Ben Stokes: Averaging 20.84 with the ball and 51.57 with the bat, it is hardly surprising that Stokes is rated England’s “golden player” by captain, Alastair Cook. He has looked England’s most dangerous purveyor of reverse-swing and at times troubled batsmen – he has hit several on the head or body – with his hostility even on slow surfaces. But it is his improvement against spin bowling that has been revelatory. More secure in his defence and more mature in his shot selection, he has a century and two half-centuries on the tour so far. This trip was always likely to offer one of the defining Tests of Stokes’ career: so far he has been deeply impressive. He is England’s best fielder in just about every position, too.Haseeb Hameed: An impressive start. Described as “unflappable” by his captain, Hameed has taken to Test cricket with a sense of calm proficiency that bodes well for his future. Slightly unfortunate to miss out on a century on debut – he fell as England tried to set-up a declaration – he nevertheless demonstrated a sound technique and more scoring options than many had expected in registering the highest Test score made by an England teenager. While the short-ball remains an area of potential weakness, he has looked more secure against spin than several more experienced colleagues and promises to answer half of England’s opening questions for a decade and more.Stuart Broad: Has bowled better than the figures (8 wickets at 26.37 apiece) show. Immaculate in conditions offering him little (he conceded fewer than two runs per over in Chittagong), he delivered 29 overs in the first innings in Rajkot (nine of them maidens) and has offered his side control even at times when the spinners have struggled. He was especially impressive in Vizag, where he demonstrated his mastery of the leg-cutter and gained just enough seam movement from the cracked surface to trouble all the batsmen. The only downside is the foot injury sustained in the opening moments of that Test. The manner in which he shrugged it off to produce by fair his best performance in Asia was though, in Cook’s words, “extraordinary.” He has gone a long way to answering the questions facing him in these conditions. Only judged as a bowler; the all-rounder days are long gone.Chris Woakes: Proving the point that you can’t judge a player simply on statistics (he has taken four wickets in the three Tests he has played), Woakes has contributed heavily without personal reward. Impressively accurate – he conceded 63 runs from 35 overs in Rajkot – he has also impressed with his hostility on slow surfaces and troubled Cheteshwar Pujara, in particular, with his bouncer. Rotated out of the side for the Vizag Test, England missed his batting notably.Jimmy Anderson: A controversial selection in this category, perhaps. But Anderson’s determination to regain fitness and play a part on a tour where conditions offer him little is reflective of his whole-hearted commitment to this side. Despite finding almost no swing, he was England’s best seamer in the first innings in Vizag – to bounce out an opener on that surface must have been especially pleasing for a man whose pace is questioned these days – and produced a peach of a delivery to bowl Pujara (set up by cutters, he was then bowled through the gate by a quicker inswinger) in the second.Adil Rashid: Rashid has shown improvement after an undistinguished start. Slightly flattered by his figures in Bangladesh – he picked up some cheap wickets in Dhaka but conceded more than four-an-over in both innings and wasn’t trusted to bowl in Chittagong as the game built to a conclusion – he has bowled better in India. It is probably no coincidence that his improvement has coincided with Saqlain Mushtaq’s arrival. Encouraged to back himself and forget about previous instructions to bowl faster, Rashid has looked more confident, bowled fewer release deliveries (he conceded only seven boundaries – five fours and two sixes – in 34.4 overs in the first innings in Vizag) and claimed 13 wickets in the two Tests so far. He was referred to as “our best spinner” after the Vizag Test by the coach, Trevor Bayliss, and has contributed a couple of useful innings, too.Jonny Bairstow: Standing up to the stumps used to define a keeper’s ability and Bairstow has generally kept well in demanding conditions. Certainly he has demonstrated that he has improved greatly with the gloves. While he does not have a substantial score to show for his good form with the bat – only once in seven innings on this tour has Bairstow failed to 24, but he has not passed 53 – he made key runs in both innings in Chittagong, rebuilt nicely at Vizag and fell selflessly trying to push on in Rajkot.Gareth Batty: A bit unfortunate to be dropped after a one-match recall in Chittagong. He opened the bowling in both innings and bowled more than respectably – he looked to have the most control of the England spinners, though possibly lacks just a bit of pace for modern international cricket – but has paid the price for being a second off-spinner (Moeen is first choice) in India against a line-up stacked with right-handed batsmen.Could do better:Joe Root: Only because of the high standards Root has set himself does he find himself in this category. He has once fluent century, albeit in fairly benign conditions, but has twice been out just after making a half-century – his dismissal in Vizag, caught at long-off was especially frustrating – and is averaging a relatively modest 38 from the four Tests. From most players, that would be fine. But England need more from Root.Alastair Cook:Averaging 37 over the four Tests, Cook looked some way below until well into the Rajkot Test. Cook scored 89 in four innings in Bangladesh – 59 of them in the second innings in Dhaka – but, after a torturous start to his second innings in Rajkot, found his form with his 30th Test century. He followed that up with a typically defiant 50 in Vizag – his slowest Test half-century – and looked to be back in form. He has generally juggled his bowlers OK – he has a difficult task because of the modesty of the spin attack – but will surely regret the lack of a gully with the second new ball in Vizag and the failure to post one of his best catches at deep backward square when setting up a hook trap.Moeen Ali: Only because of the high-standards that Moeen sets himself with the bat does he find himself in this category. While he made an important half-century in Chittagong and a typically pleasing century in Rajkot, those are the only occasions he has reached 15 in seven innings in the two series. Now batting at No. 5, more is required than a batting average of 30.28 over the four Tests. With 18 wickets at a cost of 27.27, his bowling has been better. He has looked very dangerous for left-handers but has found life against right-handers harder. Still not quite able to offer his captain the control he would like – 3.20 an over is not a disaster, though – his strike-rate of a wicket every 51 balls remains impressive.Steven Finn: Bowled 11 overs in conditions offering him little in Dhaka. Too small a sample-size to make a judgement.Disappointing:Ben Duckett: Dismissed in strikingly similar three times in the four Tests – with foot planted on leg stump he has been undone by off-spinners’ turn – this tour has so far suggested the elevation to Test cricket might have come a little early. One counter-attacking innings in Dhaka apart – his 50, either admirably uninhibited or oddly reckless depending on your point of view (there was probably an element of both) – took 61 balls – he has not passed 15 in his other six innings. Uncharacteristically, he missed a relatively simple chance in the field in Dhaka and is expected to be dropped ahead of the Mohali Test. Young and talented enough to come again it was, in retrospect, asking a great deal of Duckett to cope with a trial by spin at this level at this stage of his career.Zafar Ansari: It’s harsh to put Ansari in this category. He has only played three Tests – all of them in demanding circumstances – and the last one of them saw him suffering from illness and injury. But a batting average of 9.80 and a bowling average of 55 leaves little alternative. He has also conceded more than four-an-over. After a nervous start in Dhaka – he bowled several full-tosses – he performed much better in Rajkot with bat and ball. He is up against fine players of spin, though, and the decision to introduce him before the other spinners in Vizag resulted in a release of pressure.Gary Ballance: Dropped after four single-figure scores in Bangladesh. Conditions were demanding, for sure, but a batting average of six left the England management with little options.