The Ashes : England Squad Analysis

Less than two months from the return of sport’s greatest rivalry, I take a look at England’s squad to try and bring the urn home…

Squad : Root (C), Anderson, Bairstow, Bess, Broad, Burns, Buttler, Crawley, Hameed, Lawrence, Leach, Malan, Overton, Pope, Robinson, Woakes, Wood

Probable XI :

1. Burns

2. Hameed

3. Malan

4. Root

5. Pope

6. Buttler

7. Woakes

8. Robinson

9. Leach

10. Wood

11. Anderson

It’s a sign of the chaos that has been England in recent times that very few players will be considered a lock for the first test. Only Root, Anderson, Robinson and perhaps Burns emerged from this summer with any credit and remain certainties in the best XI. Wood simply has to be part of that pace attack through virtue of being the sole true quick while Hameed and Malan should make up the top four but the middle-lower order is very much up in the air.

After some speculation that he might not tour, Jos Buttler will be part of the squad, however his recent struggles couple with Jonny Bairstow’s relatively successful return to the side may cause some tough decisions. Assuming that Buttler retains his place, Bairstow will then be in a three-horse race for the number 5 spot, alongside Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence. Each has their own merits : Bairstow with his test century down-under and Lawrence’s ridiculous Lions tour two winters ago but I fancy Pope to shade it based on his 81 in the most recent test and his ability to go big when needed to, a skill honed on flat pitches at the Oval - probably England’s closest comparison to Australia.

Jonny Bairstow scored a century on the last Ashes tour

Credit : skysports.com

Then comes the biggest question - how to balance this side? With Stokes still out and no Moeen to call on, I think that a fourth pacer is essential to give the main three enough rest. While Broad and Overton may be better bowlers in these conditions, I’m backing Woakes’ superior batting and recent improvement overseas to come good at 7. That leaves one spot remaining, with a few different options. England could go batting heavy and pick Lawrence to bat at 7 while he and Root offer spin options to supplement the four man attack. However, in spite of Lawrence’s success with both bat and ball on the aforementioned Lions tour I, again, feel that no spinner would put unnecessary pressure onto the seamers. Likewise, I would say the same about Dom Bess and would go with Jack Leach over him as a spinner who provides control, even on unhelpful surfaces. Leach has also improved with the bat and will bring some much needed fear factor after his heroics at Headingley in 2019.

Notable Omissions

While the absences of Stokes, Archer and Stone will grab most of the headlines, several players missed out despite being available. The most obvious example is Dom Sibley, who scored two hundreds on the Lions tour in 2019, but has missed out on both a place in the squad and a central contract in favour of Zak Crawley. The young Lancashire duo of Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson could also consider themselves unlucky to miss out although they will likely be part of the Lions squad that tours alongside the main side. While neither of them has been in serious test contention before, they each offer something that could add significant value to the side - Mahmood with his pace and reverse swing and Parkinson as a wrist spinner.