Ben Gardner picks out Wisden’s England fringe Test XI.
None of this XI played a Test last summer. None have a red-ball central contract. But all of them have been in recent(ish) squads or reserve groups, and are, to varying degrees, still in contention.
Wisden’s England fringe Test XI
James Bracey
The only man on this list to never technically be in a Test squad, James Bracey still spent virtually all summer in the bubble, with his bib-wearing days set to continue after he was picked as a reserve in Sri Lanka. Esteemed observers rate his defensive technique, his temperament, and his time to play the quicks.
Keaton Jennings
Insipid at home, excellent in Asia, that Keaton Jennings was in a Test squad in 2020 is the kind of thing that makes you second guess everything you know. After not being picked to tour Sri Lanka in 2021, even his days on the fringe might be numbered.
Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow’s time on the fringes looks set to end in Sri Lanka, and in a way it beggars belief he’s been out of the frame for so long. In another, when considering his struggles against the straight ball, it’s tough to reconcile how easily he’s re-entered the picture.
Dawid Malan
Arguably the most tenuous inclusion in this XI, given he last featured in a squad in the summer of 2018, Dawid Malan’s T20I exploits and domestic red-ball runs have nonetheless surely kept him in Test selection thoughts. Is a recall for this winter’s Ashes, the scene of his sole Test century, really so unfathomable?
Dan Lawrence
Another who looks set to earn a promotion from fringe status in Sri Lanka, a remodelled technique has reaped dramatic rewards for one of the most prolific young batsmen in the country. Watch out for his wrists of elastic steel and ‘right-arm Essex’ slow bowling.
Moeen Ali (C)
A year and a half ago, Moeen Ali was flying high, a World Cup winner and the man with more Test wickets than anyone else in the past year. Then his bubbling struggle for form came to a head dramatically in the first Test against Australia, and Moeen hasn’t featured in England whites since. Back in the squad to face Sri Lanka, he faces a net-off against Dom Bess and Jack Leach to earn a recall.
Ben Foakes (WK)
Because it wouldn’t be an England team without at least three wicketkeepers, Ben Foakes gets in as well. For some, his continued exclusion when the incumbent glovemen, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow, have struggled for form, is hard to stomach. He’ll almost certainly get a chance this winter to prove his supporters right or wrong.
Craig Overton
Consistent with the ball and handy with the bat, Craig Overton had been a small positive in two big Ashes defeats, bowling Steve Smith for his maiden Test wicket in 2017 and almost earning a draw at Old Trafford to keep the urn alive in 2019. Now he’s apparently added the fabled extra yard needed to make him a proper threat in all conditions, something his Bob Willis Trophy numbers – 30 wickets at 13, 248 runs at 66 – suggest. But even if he’s outgrown county cricket, a spot in the Test side is unlikely to open up any time soon. Overton could be on the fringes for a while yet.
Ollie Robinson
County cricket’s leading seamer across the last four years, in which time he has 185 first-class wickets at 18, Ollie Robinson has shown he can cut it in Australia, with seven wickets in a historic England Lions innings victory. Another some way back a queue of similar bowlers, however.
Jack Leach
A year ago, Jack Leach looked well on his way to becoming an integral member of England’s Test side. A crowd favourite who had never bowled badly for England, an average of 29 represented an excellent start to his Test career. Since then, however, illness and the muted emergence of Dom Bess, an inferior bowler but superior batsman, have seen him slip out of the reckoning. Back in for Sri Lanka, he’ll get his chance to show he should be first-choice.
Olly Stone
On England’s last tour of Sri Lanka, Olly Stone’s star was on the rise. Having sent the speed gun racing in the limited-overs series, he seemed, for the briefest of moments, the most likely Englishman to take up the mantle of adding the extra dimension to the attack that had been missing in Australia. Then Mark Wood came again, the ECB fudged the rules to allow Jofra Archer to qualify for the World Cup and the Ashes, and Stone, after impressing on debut against Ireland, got injured. But now he’s back in the frame and don’t be surprised if he gets game time this winter, with England likely needing to rest and rotate their fast men.
Wisden’s England fringe Test XI
1. James Bracey
2. Keaton Jennings
3. Jonny Bairstow
4. Dawid Malan
5. Dan Lawrence
6. Moeen Ali (c)
7. Ben Foakes (wk)
8. Craig Overton
9. Ollie Robinson
10. Jack Leach
11. Olly Stone
