England Test side needs a clear strategy or they can forget winning the Ashes back

Will Macpherson9 September 2019

The Ashes is a brilliant, strange and unique sporting contest.

As Australia wheeled around in celebration on the Old Trafford outfield on Sunday, they had not won the series. England could still draw it.

And, against any other nation possessing a batsman as supreme as Steve Smith and a battery of bowlers as good as Australia’s, led by Pat Cummins, England might take a 2-2 draw, even at home, especially after the exertions and achievements of the early part of this summer.

But against Australia, where everything matters that little bit more and the weight of history hangs so heavy - the reason they are disconsolate with a game to spare is because they lost a previous series - a 2-2 draw is not acceptable.

All that is left for them is a shot at taking the gloss off Australia’s triumph. That looks an unlikely outcome right now, but two things you can say for England is that they never give up and they never fail to surprise.

A dejected Craig Overton  leans on his bat after Australia's win at Old Trafford sees the Aussies retain the Ashes Photo: Action Images via Reuters
Action Images via Reuters

Ashes are what defines England’s Test cricketers and captaincies so there will be histrionics, high dudgeon and heads demanded. The World Test Championship, which started with this series, might appear to provide new cycles for the game. But for England, it is battles with Australia that define generational change. And it is inescapable that England’s Test cricket requires change. They are not an awful team, but they are a mess. The focus, at all levels, has been on white-ball cricket since 2015.

The World Cup triumph vindicated that strategy — and was so absorbing that more people and new fans care about the Ashes because of it — but it came at a cost. They can and will have no complaints at the outcome of this series. While there was misfortune over James Anderson’s injury and the subsequent defeat at Edgbaston, they were not as well prepared as Australia.

The Ashes so far

 

First Test Edgbaston
Australia won by 251 runs

Second Test Lord’s
Match drawn

Third Test Headingley
England won by 1 wicket

Fourth Test Old Trafford
Australia won by 185 runs

Fifth Test The Oval
Thursday-Monday

You cannot just switch from ODI cricket at the best of times, let alone when it is as draining as the World Cup, and thus they got themselves in one jam too many. The miracles run out. Meaningful change will wait until after the final Test, which starts on Thursday at the Kia Oval. That allows time for reflection.

There is perfect clarity about everything Eoin Morgan’s white-ball teams do. Joe Root’s Test side are different. There is no obvious plan or powerbase, because Trevor Bayliss has been too hands off as head coach and Ed Smith too hands on as national selector.

Root should stay as captain for the simple reason that there is really no other choice and he has the misfortune - and this is a very modern problem - of learning how to lead on the job.

Root will be the first England captain since 2001 not to win a home Ashes series Photo: Getty Images
Getty Images

A stronger coach will help him. Smith, who has rubbed senior figures up the wrong way, might find his job under threat if Bayliss’s replacement is particularly headstrong. Selection has been scattergun for too long.

The man making all these decisions, Ashley Giles, says there will be a focus on Test cricket now.

At his level, this is true. The next batch of central contracts will remunerate Test specialists better, so the likes of Root should be less tempted to chase T20 cash. Giles always wants Bayliss’s replacement to be Test-centric.

But many of the ECB’s broader decisions will make it even harder for England to produce a Test side. One of the many unintended negative consequences of plonking The Hundred into the summer’s prime spot is that first-class cricket will be played early and late in the summer, with the dismal conditions that produces, further marginalising red-ball specialists like Rory Burns, one of England’s success stories. England need more players like Burns, but they will become ever rarer.

Perhaps Giles will reflect that greater specialisation of his players is required. The Test batting is broken, full of lavishly talented cricketers conditioned for shorter forms, desperately trying to bat lower down the order. A collapse always feels imminent.

The batsmen are learning that mastering both Test and ODI cricket is the reserve of only the very best, most flexible players. Jonny Bairstow (below) particularly seems to be extremely good at just one format at a time, and his role needs clarifying under the new regime.

Jonny Bairstow Photo: Action Images via Reuters
Action Images via Reuters

Jason Roy and Jos Buttler are luxuries that cannot both be indulged in the same team. Joe Denly has suggested he could be a useful stopgap this winter, but Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope are the coming men. Among the many things cricket fans have loved watching this summer is The Edge, Barney Douglas’s film about England’s last great Test team, the Andocracy of 2009-13 under Strauss and Flower. They mapped a clear strategy, identity and path to the top, and achieved that goal. That is what England need now. Winning in Australia has rarely looked tougher than it did 18 months ago and Smith and those bowlers will still be at the peak of their powers in 2021-22.

After those eight long series across 18 years until 2005, England fans have become used to winning the Ashes. Spoilt, even. Now, without a clear plan and prioritisation of the greatest format, they could experience a long spell without the urn.

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