With The Cricket World Cup Done And The Ashes On The Horizon, Here Is The XI That England Should Pick

The dust has somewhat settled on England’s dramatic, nerve-jangling, euphoric, torturous, epic, unlikely, thesaurus-shredding World Cup victory on Sunday. The Prime Minister has been visited. The emotional montage video has been released. A cut of the last ball with the Titanic music has gone viral. Liam Plunkett has just about got shot of his hangover. 

In the aftermath of such a generational moment for English cricket, it has occasionally been forgotten - an oversight that we can definitely allow - that this is only the halfway point of the international summer. Before the Final to end all Finals, social media was abuzz with the question of just how important the World Cup was to England fans, especially with the Ashes looming in just a few weeks. Whisper it quietly, some were even saying that, in the grand scheme of things, the World Cup didn’t matter that much and the tough stuff was yet to come. This is nonsense, but that doesn’t stop people from saying it.

The said nonsense came from two camps. Australia having just been knocked out brought one party to the table, the disgruntled Aussies who didn’t want to accept that at least one of their biggest rivals was about to claim the trophy on which they have had one hand since the 1990s. Close behind them came the traditionalists, who have never really been on board with the idea of one-day cricket in the first place, which is also the best defence to have when the team that you support has been historically dreadful at it. If you’d like to know what these people look like, helpfully they often wear ludicrous, garish ties and carry copies of the Daily Telegraph, making it easy to spot (and thus avoid) them. 

Happily, everyone else was on board with the idea of parking the Ashes until the World Cup was over. Now that the international jamboree is done, however, the grudge match can begin - and that means that there’s a team to be picked. England Test selector-in-chief Ed Smith has never been afraid of drafting players into the longer form of the game based on their one-day form - see Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid - and he will doubtless have been taking plenty of notes throughout the tournament. The one-off Test against Ireland will likely be used as a testing ground, with a few players sitting out after World Cup exertions and others using it to make their case for the big dance in August.

England have plenty of spots to fill, especially given that their last Test outings raised more questions than they answered. Defeat away in the West Indies showed how far off the mark England can be, and while a series win in Sri Lanka was welcome, performances in turning dustbowls in Galle and Colombo eight months ago perhaps aren’t the most effective way of discerning how players will fare in swinging, late summer conditions in England. 

Bearing that in mind, let’s take a swirl through the questions facing Ed Smith et al as England prepare for their second big battle of the summer. 

Anyone who has watched England in the last five years knows just how big an issue this is. Even when Alistair Cook was still playing, he went through a raft of partners without any of them really making a convincing case to stay. Now that Cook has departed, the situation is even worse. Keaton Jennings was his last partner and therefore became the senior man for the winter - even England wouldn’t try to replace both openers at once - and, despite a hundred in Sri Lanka, he surely cannot retain his place based on form.Rory Burnswas drafted in for Sri Lanka and, while not setting the heather alight, has probably done enough to retain his place for the start of the Ashes. World Cup starJason Royhas been called up for Test debut against Ireland and, even if he makes two golden ducks, will likely start at Edgbaston on August 1st. Should either fail, expect to see Dom Sibley, currently tearing up trees in the County Championship, given a chance by the end of the series. 

Most of the names here are well-known, but the order in which they come out is far from secure.Joe Root, captain in Tests, is immovable at 4, but beyond him, it is anyone’s guess. Joe Denly came in at first drop in the West Indies, but that was in a world whereJonny Bairstowkept wicket and batted at 7. Bairstow opens in ODIs and his relationship with Jason Roy in that role could be replicated by him coming in at 3. As the Yorkshireman is arguably now third in line for the keeper’s gloves - and one of the best outfielders at the World Cup - he must be convinced by the team management that his future lies as a specialist batter. 

There is an argument that the maturity and stoicism shown by Ben Stokes - “the only adult in the room”, as Guerilla Cricket commentator Nakul M Pande referred to him during some of England’s riskier World Cup batting performances - might see him jumped to 3, should Bairstow take the gloves. That then opens a spot at 5, which could be Bairstow’s.Jos Buttleris the obvious choice at 6, but could go up to 5 should the selectors feel that his destructive batting is better served when he has better partners with him, and that Bairstow needs to bat lower in order to keep. Are you keeping up?

As mentioned above, Bairstow’s grip on the wicket-keeping duties severely limits his ability to bat up the order. In Sri Lanka and the West Indies,Ben Foakeskept wicket, and by rights he should in the Ashes as well. He is comfortably the best behind the stumps, and in the longest form of the game, that means plenty. England have often attempted to simply pick the best eleven individuals and hope that that makes a great team, but if they are serious about putting square pegs in square holes, then Foakes has to play. Whether he does or not is a totally different question, though, in the selectors’ defence, having three keepers who are proven operators - and two good enough with the bat to be picked as specialists - is a good position to be in.

England’s World Cup team were stacked with all-rounders: even Adil Rashid, coming in at 9 as a specialist bowler, has 16 first-class centuries, while Jofra Archer at 10 has made 50 eight times in 28 first-class appearances and averages 31 with the bat.Ben Stokesis picked in this Test side as an all-rounder, but realistically might appear as high as 5 in the batting lineup, depending on how the wicket-keeping merry-go-round is arranged above him. 

Should Bairstow bat at 3, Stokes may well find himself at 5 and Foakes at 7, withMoeen Alicoming in at 8. Ali is a good enough bat to have opened in Tests before but is picked in this side for his prowess with the ball. If England pick a second spinner for any of the Tests, they have Adil Rashid waiting in the wings, or Jack Leach, who hasn’t really done anything wrong but finds himself third in the pecking order. 

James Anderson &Stuart Broad, obviously. Those two have combined for England for over a decade, and while their powers are waning, nobody knows English conditions better than them. Anderson has been bowling at a frankly ludicrous rate in the County Championship for Lancashire, picking up 30 wickets at just 9 apiece, though he pulled up with a tight calf in a recent match. He has been picked for the Ireland test and, it must be assumed, will play. Broad has been less stellar domestically, but with 400+ test wickets in the bank, he’ll be there too.

The final spot must go toJofra Archer, the speed sensation of the World Cup. He’s not so much been banging on the door as battering it down with a succession of bouncers to the bonce. Anyone who has seen him play red ball cricket insists that Archer is even better there than he is in shorter formats, too, so expectations are sky high. Based on his World Cup performances, Jofra isn’t the sort to disappoint.

Factoring in the likelihood that one or both of Anderson and Broad will not play all five games, England will almost certainly turn to Chris Woakes as the next cab off the rank. Mark Wood is nursing an injury, but will also be hopefully of seeing game time at some point, while Sam Curran, the revelation of last summer, should also get a chance. Lewis Gregory has been picked for the Ireland tests, too, but may be just too far away to make an impact. Then there is Olly Stone, also in the provisional squad, who must also be hopeful. Suffice to say, England will be well stocked in the seam department.

You can follow Mike Meehall Wood's writing on cricket and other sports via his Twitter accounts, .

Source: Forbes.com

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