Ben Gardner marks England’s players out of 10 following their 3-2 T20I series defeat to India.
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After three games, the India-England T20I series was following a reliable pattern, with each captain winning the toss, choosing to bat second, and winning the game. However, India rewrote the script in the final two games, with a pair of bat-first wins giving Virat Kohli’s side a well-deserved series win.
Jofra Archer: 8.5/10
7 wickets @ 22.14, economy: 7.75, BBI: 4-33
Even while managing an elbow injury, Jofra Archer is England’s best T20 bowler, and once again showed his unmatched ability to top and tail a bowling innings. There was a handy cameo with the bat too.
Mark Wood: 8/10
5 wickets @ 25.80, economy: 8.06, BBI: 3-31
Electric in his first three appearances of the series, Mark Wood looks like he could well be a reliable answer to England’s powerplay bowling woes. However, he loses a couple of marks for his expensive spell in the decider.
Adil Rashid: 7/10
4 wickets @ 37.00, economy: 7.78, BBI: 1-14
Adil Rashid has added an unexpected but welcome string to his bow, taking the new ball through the series and acquitting himself well with it too.
Jos Buttler: 6.5/10
172 runs @ 43.00, strike-rate: 147.00, 2 50s, HS: 83*
In five games he played one exceptional knock and one good one. A minor kerfuffle with Virat Kohli was an interesting side plot as England lost their way in the decider.
Jason Roy: 5.5/10
144 runs @ 28.80, strike-rate: 132.11, HS: 49
England will be quietly encouraged by Jason Roy’s series. Three fast-ish 40-odds showed that a player whose approach is pivotal to their success in the format can still provide, even if he doesn’t look completely back to his best form.
Jonny Bairstow: 5.5/10
118 runs @ 39.33, strike-rate: 137.20, HS: 40*
Bairstow made two unbeaten scores in England’s two wins, though the tourists were already well ahead in both games when he came in. Still, he looks like he has the skills to make the No.4 spot his own.
Dawid Malan: 4/10
148 runs @ 37.00, strike-rate: 137.20, 1 50, HS: 68
A half-century in a losing run-fest won’t answer all the questions over his role and approach in England’s side, especially when slow knocks in England’s two other defeats proved damaging to his side’s hopes.
Ben Stokes: 4/10
84 runs @ 28.00, strike-rate: 150.00, HS: 46; 3 wickets @ 35.33, economy: 8.83, BBI: 1-25
Despite a forlorn cameo in the fourth game, Stokes still looks out of place in the finisher role England have him fulfilling. Considering he’s not bowling much too, and it feels like one of England’s finest is being sorely under-used.
Sam Curran: 3.5/10
23 runs @ 23.00, strike-rate: 176.92, HS: 14*; 2 wickets @ 39.00, economy: 7.80
14 off three balls with the series lost summed up Sam Curran’s series, in a way. When he’s been called upon, he’s done OK. But he’s only bowled 10 overs and faced 13 balls across five games. It’s hard to feel England would have learned more by rotating him and Moeen Ali.
Chris Jordan: 3/10
4 wickets @ 49.50, economy: 10.51, BBI: 2-35
Chris Jordan has been a virtual ever-present for England in T20I cricket in recent times, but this series has seen his spot come under scrutiny. Despite his reputation as a death-overs specialist, Jordan has been unable to keep a lid on the run rate, with his famed yorkers largely absent. An exceptional fielding effort gets him half a point.
Eoin Morgan: 2/10
33 runs @ 11.00, strike-rate: 110.00, HS: 28
A rare poor series with the bat for Eoin Morgan, who has sparkled in T20Is recently. His coin-flipping was on point however, with four out of five going England’s way.
Tom Curran: 1/10
0 wickets, economy: 13.00
England’s back-up quick had a chance to stake a claim when Wood’s bruised heel kept him out of the second T20I. Instead, he conceded 26 off two overs, and finds himself in danger of slipping further down the pecking order.
