After England’s 1-0 Test series defeat in New Zealand, Wisden’s writers have their say on who should be included in the 16-man squad for the upcoming tour to South Africa.
There are set to be some changes, with England having chosen an experimental squad for their tour of New Zealand. Several experienced faces missed out, including Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali, while fast bowlers Mark Wood, James Anderson, and Olly Stone have all been working back to fitness at a training camp in South Africa, and are expected to be available for selection.
Of those new faces tried, Dom Sibley, opening the batting, could muster just 38 runs in three innings, while Zak Crawley scored 1 in his only visit to the crease. Ollie Pope at least staked a claim with a gritty 75 at Hamilton after two poor shots in the first Test at Mount Maunganui. In the spin department, Jack Leach toiled through 47 overs for two wickets at the cost of 153 runs in the first game, before missing out for the second and coming down with a bout of gastroenteritis to boot.
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Plenty, then, for national selector Ed Smith to consider. Thankfully Wisden’s writers are on hand to give him some help, with each having picked out their squads of 16 for the upcoming tour of South Africa.
Jo Harman – Magazine editor, Wisden Cricket Monthly
1. Rory Burns
2. Dom Sibley
3. Joe Denly
4. Joe Root (c)
5. Ben Stokes
6. Ollie Pope
7. Jos Buttler (wk)
8. Moeen Ali
9. Jofra Archer
10. Stuart Broad
11. James Anderson
12. Jonny Bairstow
13. Ben Foakes
14. Sam Curran
15. Chris Woakes
16. Jack Leach
I know, four keepers in a 16-man squad… almost as silly as your best young batsman who’s not kept wicket for his county for a couple of years getting the gig for a Test match. But hear me out. This is about having clearly designated roles. In this squad, Pope and Bairstow are not keepers. Pope is down to bat six and Bairstow the reserve batsman covering Nos.3-6 – no faffing about with the gloves. Denly can step in as emergency opener if required. Foakes, with one eye on him keeping in Sri Lanka, where his skills standing up to the stumps could be crucial, is the reserve gloveman.
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Should Ben Foakes or Jonny Bairstow be England’s backup wicketkeeper?[/caption]
As for the bowlers, I’d like to take both Anderson and Wood but, given their fitness concerns, that’s asking for trouble, so the Durham quick is on standby. Moeen, hopefully well rested after his break, and with a good record against South Africa behind him, slots back in. Tough on Crawley, Mahmood and Parkinson, but their time will come.
Phil Walker – Editor-in-chief, Wisden Cricket Monthly
1. Rory Burns
2. Dom Sibley
3. Joe Denly
4. Joe Root (c)
5. Ben Stokes
6. Ollie Pope
7. Jos Buttler (wk)
8. Moeen Ali
9. Jofra Archer
10. Stuart Broad
11. James Anderson
12. Jonny Bairstow
13. Jack Leach
14. Chris Woakes
15. Sam Curran
16. Saqib Mahmood
Bairstow’s back in. He has to be. Lose a keeper? He steps in. Batsman snaps a digit? He’s your man. And the sabbatical will have done him some good. He’ll be desperate. There should be enough flexibility in the batting, with Denly capable of moving up to open and Pope (or Bairstow) slotting in at No.3, should things fall apart for Dom Sibley. It’s a seam-heavy squad, as befits a tightly-bound four-Test series in SA.
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Is there space for Mark Wood and Chris Woakes in the same England Test squad?[/caption]
It’s pointless professing to know if either of Mark Wood or Olly Stone are in sufficiently fine fettle to be considered, so in the absence of any hard evidence, I’m sticking with the definitely-fit pairing of Chris Woakes and Sam Curran. James Anderson, however, is the exception: he’s been talking a good game, and training hard at the quicks camp in South Africa, so he’s back in.
Meanwhile Saqib Mahmood – pace, intelligence, vast potential – is retained. Even if he doesn’t play, it’s got to be preferable that he stays on with the big boys, learning on the job, working closely with Silverwood. The noises coming out of New Zealand are that top brass like him very much. And finally, welcome back, Moeen Ali. You’ve been gone too long. Still the most likely slow bowler in England.
Ben Gardner – Wisden staff writer
1. Rory Burns
2. Dom Sibley
3. Joe Denly
4. Joe Root (c)
5. Ben Stokes
6. Ollie Pope
7. Jos Buttler (wk)
8. Moeen Ali
9. Jofra Archer
10. Stuart Broad
11. James Anderson
12. Jack Leach
13. Jonny Bairstow
14. Sam Curran
15. Mark Wood
16. Dawid Malan
Touring Test squads are tricky beasts, as much about covering the bases as making bold statements, as Ed Smith and England have learned in New Zealand. I’m not totally happy with Joe Denly being the back-up opener, but on balance, he’s the best option to replace Dom Sibley should he fail to stake a claim.
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Does Moeen Ali deserve a Test recall for South Africa?[/caption]
In that circumstance, Dawid Malan – in form in the short stuff, having scored gallons for Middlesex last summer, and pissed off enough to make it count – is the prime horse for this particular course, with Jonny Bairstow not allowed higher than No.5 and Ollie Pope deserving of a little more time in the cushy No.6 slot before his inevitable ascension. Moeen Ali, hopefully rejuvenated from a spell away, bolsters the lower order, while Chris Woakes misses out if James Anderson and Mark Wood are both fully fit.
Yas Rana – Wisden staff writer
1. Rory Burns
2. Dom Sibley
3. Joe Denly
4. Joe Root (c)
5. Ben Stokes
6. Ollie Pope
7. Jos Buttler (wk)
8. Moeen Ali
9. Jofra Archer
10. Mark Wood
11. James Anderson
12. Ben Foakes
13. Jack Leach
14. Stuart Broad
15. Chris Woakes
16. Sam Curran
If all the seam bowlers are fit, and that’s a big if, a first choice trio of a fully fit Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and James Anderson is a tantalising prospect. With two sets of back-to-back Tests and two of the attack on their way back to full fitness, England will need plenty of cover in the pace bowling department, so none of the big names drop out. Moeen Ali returns and goes straight back into the XI – he’s always had that intangible match-winning quality that often defies logic, a quality that Leach hasn’t yet shown at Test level.
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All but one of Wisden’s writers excluded Zak Crawley from their South Africa Test squads[/caption]
Ben Foakes is the sole reserve wicketkeeper and batsman. He’s never let England down and has a sound enough defence to be an emergency number three should any of Burns, Sibley or Denly pick up an injury or suffer an alarming drop off in form. Not that it seems to matter to many, but Foakes is by some distance England’s premier gloveman too.
There is no room for Jonny Bairstow – deemed too out of form for selection for the New Zealand tour, there is nothing to indicate he’s returned to his best. Zak Crawley, Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson miss out but their experience in New Zealand would have put them in good stead for the future.
Harry Josephs – Wisden staff writer
1. Rory Burns
2. Dom Sibley
3. Joe Denly
4. Joe Root (c)
5. Ben Stokes
6. Ollie Pope
7. Jos Buttler (wk)
8. Sam Curran
9. Chris Woakes
10. Jofra Archer
11. James Anderson
12. Stuart Broad
13. Ben Foakes
14. Jack Leach
15. Moeen Ali
16. Zak Crawley
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Zak Crawley drops out of the XI but keeps his spot in the squad with Jonny Bairstow having had no chance to earn a recall and Ben Foakes the standout backup gloveman. Deciding who drops out for Jimmy Anderson’s return is the tricky one.
Sam Curran and Jofra Archer need to play every Test match they’re available for, and, in a shootout between Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad, the former edges it for me, as the most likely to take over Anderson’s mantle and having shown signs of overseas improvement in Hamilton. I’m going with no spinner in the XI; on friendly tracks against a weak South Africa side, England’s quicks should wreak havoc.
