England lost the series to West Indies for the umpteenth time. It was a foregone conclusion. I for one fully expected England to lose the series. Not because they dared to drop Anderson and Broad but because of their inherent fear of West Indies. Mind you, West Indies are no way near the great sides of their past and yet, England somehow find it tough to defeat them. It even extends to England where they have consistently lost tests to the West Indies. Perhaps, the scar left by Clive Lloyd and Vivian Richards are still fresh in the memory. So, what did we learn about England against West Indies?
England is a team that is hard to fathom
England is an enigma. They certainly are. It is so difficult to understand why are they losing consistently and that too against teams like West Indies who are nowhere near the sides of 70s through early 90s. England still remains one of the 3 teams to have won a series in Australia. I am not even going back to the previous century. I meant in this century. They are among the 2 teams to have won a series in India and they are amongst the 3 teams to have won in South Africa. In between, they have also dominated Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.
Yet, they are ridiculed throughout the world for their insipid display. I for one do not have an answer for this shoddy performance. Anderson and Broad or not, England must have won the series. They paid the price with the slow batting. They failed to take the initiative and dictate terms to the West Indies. Once the first and second tests were drawn, it will just a question of when will England lose the 3rd. West Indies were quite content to save the games whereas England were the one who had lot of things to prove.
Players weren’t motivated enough
The bold decision to drop Anderson and Broad, their most successful pairing, should have been enough for the players to be highly charged and prove that this is indeed a new and bold England and that they will not leave any stone unturned in an effort to silence their critics. However, what transpired on the field was completely different. If I as a batsman see Chris Woakes running in to bowl the first ball of the first test, I will be thrilled and extremely pleased to be facing some friendly bowling.
Is Chris Woakes even an international player?
Chris Woakes outside of England does not have a future. It is time the English selectors understand this. His record speaks for itself. He averages more than 50 when the ball stops to move. In England, it is the exact opposite. When Woakes is paired with Robinson and Overton, the other similar type of bowlers, any opposition will be very happy to be facing them. Ofcourse, outside of England.
England surely missed the services of Wood but it must not mean the end of the world for them. Their county system is robust enough to throw quite a few quick bowlers. Pitches in the Caribbean needs bowlers with the ability to bowl quick and spinners with guile. England had neither. It really is a wonder how Jack Leach is playing at the international level. If Leach is the best spinner England have got, they are in serious trouble. It is hard to believe that Graeme Swann hasn’t inspired too many to take up spin.
Last wicket stand
It is hard to imagine that a score of 297 could well have resulted in innings victory if not for the last wicket pair of Leach & Mahmood. Such is the sorry state of England in this test.
Root’s comments about captaincy
A failure like this must definitely end the captaincy tenure of Joe Root. Especially, after the annihilation in Australia. However, Root is defiant. He is not prepared to resign.
“I am very passionate about taking this team forward,” Root said. “I made that clear ahead of the game and that is not going to waver.
“The most promising thing is the good things that appeared and how close we are. I know this is a results based business, but it does not feel like we are far away from turning results.
“I think, yes, absolutely, I have the support of the coaches. As always, you use the people around you that you trust [to ensure he is doing the right thing]. That’s been the case since I took the role on. I’ve a great group of players that have got a brilliant attitude.
“I think I’ve spoken quite enough on the subject if I’m being honest.”
If Root is this adamant, it is time for ECB to take things under their control. Root must be removed from captaincy forthwith. He has been given enough chances already. Honestly, it is a miracle that Root has survived despite not winning a single Ashes series in multiple attempts. Two resulted in 0-4 humiliation on successive occasions in Australia. Yes, Root fails to see the writing on the way. He maybe passionate to take the team forward but he does not have the credentials to do so. Let us also remember the fact that Root lost the last series in West Indies 0-2.
Atherton wants Root out
Michael Atherton was spot on when he said, “Root’s captaincy is untenable, and he must surely know it deep down. His team have gone five series without victory and have won only one Test in the past 17, a shocking run for a side so well resourced.”
Changing Root the captain may not change the fortunes of England whose problems are basic but it is the bare minimum that is required.
Who after Root?
It absolutely beggars belief that England is not able to find a replacement for Root. It looks like Ben Stokes is overworked. I just cannot understand that. Stokes did not play long enough in Australia or in the West Indies to be tired. He is back from an injury and mental illness which is all fine but if the ECB thinks that he must not be overburdened with captaincy, they are living in fools land. On the otherhand, if the ECB thinks that Stokes is not captaincy material, that is well and good. They can very well come out and say that and look for alternate candidate.
It probably is time to handover the captaincy to Broad. After all these years, it will not hurt if Broad takes over captaincy for 2-3 years. Someone, it could be Crawley or Bairstow who will come along and perhaps be the ideal captain.
Conclusion to what did we learn about England against West Indies?
That England is still afraid of the West Indies and they do not think that they can overcome them.