England Ashes Report Card so far

Two tests into their sport’s greatest rivalry, the England team find themselves in familiar territory : 2-0 down. They have not just been beaten but have rarely threatened to compete since Rory Burn lost his leg stump to the very first delivery. After two games, only two players have passed 50 and no bowler has managed 4 wickets in an innings while the batting unit as a whole has failed to reach 300 in 4 attempts. For comparison, Australia have registered 9 50+ scores, 2 five-fers and have amassed 400+ in 2 of their 3 completed innings. Here, I rate each England player’s performances so far, in the vague hope that these numbers will improve before the series comes to an end.

Rory Burns - 51 runs @ 12.75

A first ball duck to begin the series was by no means the last of Burns’ struggles. His unorthodox technique has been ripped apart by the media, with even Alastair Cook, previously the true definition of ugly runs, calling for changes to be made. Despite a fighting 34 at Adelaide, England’s only non-Root centurion this year remains uncertain of his place, particularly with England looking to bring Zak Crawley back in for the Boxing Day test. 1/10

Burns is bowled by the first ball of the series, pre-empting England’s struggles

Source : mirror.co.uk

Haseeb Hameed - 58 runs @ 14.50

Burns’ opening partner will be equally worried going into Boxing Day. Hameed has shown promise at several points so far but a series of soft dismissals, most notably a chip to midwicket gifting Michael Neser a first test wicket, combined with his notorious low-hands leave many concerned about his suitability to Australian conditions, an area where his contemporary Crawley is a far stronger candidate. 2/10

Dawid Malan - 188 runs @ 47; 2 wkts @ 16.50

A rare positive for England so far, his two 80+ scores in partnership with Joe Root being the sole highlights of an otherwise torrid couple of weeks. He now averages 44 in Australia, with 6 50+ scores in 13 innings, including the century at Perth 4 years ago. Malan also chipped in with two wickets bowling some part-time leggies although it is a sign of England’s struggles that he now tops both the batting and bowling averages. 8/10

Joe Root - 175 runs @ 43.75; 4 wkts @ 32

After a duck to start the series, England’s skipper has continued his brilliant 2021. Root has looked easily the most secure of England’s batters, as per usual, with only two lapses against Cameron Green and a brutal blow off Starc halting his dominance. His captaincy, however, is more of a question mark, with the treatment of Jack Leach and criticism of bowlers causing concern. Leach’s omission at Adelaide becomes all the more chastening as Root himself took 3 wickets to become his side’s 2nd highest wicket taker in the series. 8/10

Ben Stokes - 65 runs @ 16.25; 3 wkts @ 67.33

Routinely referred to as England’s talisman, it has nevertheless been a tricky start to Stokes’ return. There have been glimpses of his brilliance but the fitness and consistency hasn’t been there after almost a year out of the Test match arena. Stokes has a strike-rate of just 26 so far, underlining his lion-hearted efforts with both bat and ball but will be hoping for more substantial performances in the coming weeks. 4/10

Ollie Pope - 48 runs @ 12

Coming into this winter, England would have been hoping for Pope to rediscover his form of 2 years ago, away from the dust-bowl of Ahmedabad, now playing on tracks more similar to his beloved Oval, the ground at which he averages almost 100. However, this has not been the case as after reaching 35 on the first day of the series, Pope has appeared frenetic and is likely to miss out on Boxing Day following 13 runs in 3 innings. 1/10

Jos Buttler - 88 runs @ 22

It’s been a strange couple of games for Jos Buttler. After two decent starts in Brisbane he suffered a miserable few days in Adelaide, dropping several sitters - interspersed with screamers - and then recording a first-innings duck, only to follow this up with a defiant 26 off 207, the 3rd lowest strike-rate ever, ended only by stepping on his own stumps. With Jonny Bairstow set for a recall, Buttler may be freed from the gloves and allowed to just bat, a move that England may hope will give him greater clarity to fulfil his promise. 3.5/10

Jos Buttler appeared miserable after another dropped chance

Source : thesun.co.uk

Chris Woakes - 105 runs @ 26.25; 3 wkts @ 76

Picked largely to strengthen England’s lower order, Woakes has done just that - after two games he is England’s third highest run-scorer. However, with the ball Woakes averages 55 in Australia across 6 matches, and would likely not be in the side, were it not for his contributions at number 8. If England are to mount a comeback in this series, they will need to perform at their best with both bat and ball, not rely on handy runs from down the order. 4.5/10

Ollie Robinson - 16 runs @ 4; 7 wkts @ 24.28

Robinson has continued the impressive start to his test career, challenging Australia’s top order with his height and metronomic accuracy, evidenced in an economy rate of just 2.50. After playing both games, there have been some signs of his body struggling and he may well be rested at some point over the next 3 games. England might also hope for some more runs out of Robinson, who averages just 6 since scoring 42 on debut, as it would allow them to pick their four strongest bowlers instead of using Woakes or Bess at number 8. 7.5/10

Ollie Robinson’s off-spin was a sorry sight for many England fans

Source : wisden.com

Mark Wood - 3 wkts @ 29.66

Wood, now England’s sole 90mph bowler after injuries prevented Jofra Archer and Ollie Stone from touring, was quietly impressive in a dismal Gabba defeat, picking up 3 wickets including Steve Smith for just 12. Rested at Adelaide, he will be back charging in on Boxing Day and his pace could cause some issues for Australia, including Marnus Labuschagne, the new world no.1, who was temporarily unnerved by a spell from Ben Stokes. 7.5/10

Jack Leach - 1 wkt @ 102

There is no doubt that Leach struggled at the Gabba, recording the 4th most expensive test spell ever (7.84 rpo), but no left-arm spinner wouldn’t have. Thrown in after 9 months without a test match outing, against a left-hander heavy top-order and with only 147 on the board; all on a spinners-graveyard in Brisbane, he was always going to be targeted. The good news, however, is that Leach is one tough cookie, surviving years of mismanagement, contracting sepsis and a Rishabh Pant assault to establish himself as England’s no.1 spinner. 1/10

Stuart Broad - 2 wkts @ 50

Broad immediately picked up where he left off in 2019, causing trouble for Australia’s left-handers with the new ball and dismissing Harris early. However, the rest of the game didn’t go so smoothly as several drops behind the wicket caused him to end with match figures of 2-100, nice round numbers but figures which do not flatter him. Although Broad bowled better than those numbers suggest, he will be looking to improve them substantially over the remainder of the series. 6/10

James Anderson - 3 wkts @ 22

England’s all-time leading wicket-taker was uncharacteristically ineffective early on at Adelaide, with the pink ball never swinging as extravagantly as we are often led to believe. Despite this lack of movement, Anderson kept constant control - an economy of 1.69 - and beat the bat numerous times throughout the game, falling victim to dropped catches just like his opening partner. Even after criticism of his shorter length, Anderson has proved that given proper batting support he is still a force to be reckoned with in all conditions. 7/10