David Lloyd: Sibley needs to ‘expand options’ for England to push for a win
David Lloyd hailed Dom Sibley for his resolute batting on day one of the Manchester Test against West Indies, but asked the opener to “expand” his scoring options to ensure England can push for a win, rather than settle for a draw.
Sibley finished the day unbeaten on 86, helping England recover from the early loss of Rory Burns and Zak Crawley, which, at one point, left England at 29-2. Sibley’s calm knock helped England get back on track, adding 52 with captain Joe Root for the third wicket, before an unbeaten 126-run partnership with Ben Stokes.
He’s still there.
Dom Sibley reaches the close on 86* having batted unbeaten all day. Well played.#ENGvWI pic.twitter.com/FQeuvDrIUz
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) July 16, 2020
The one point of concern, however, according to Lloyd, is the England opener’s rate of scoring. Sibley scored his 86 runs in 253 deliveries and Lloyd believes that might result in the team drawing more matches than winning.
“Dominic Sibley is emerging as the resolute opener England have been looking for,” Lloyd wrote in his column for the Daily Mail. “Now he needs to expand his options, because if the team go along at 2.3 runs an over, you’re going to draw more than you win. One for him to think about is bopping the spinner back over his head. Then they push the fielder back and you’ve got an easy single.”
“Dom Sibley doesn’t care that you find him boring.”@Yas_Wisden explains why the England opener is right to ignore criticism of his strike-rate and continue to trust his method.https://t.co/rCOzjRDX4M
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) July 16, 2020
Lloyd also had his say on the Jofra Archer episode as the pacer was excluded from England’s squad for the second Test after breaking brio-secure protocols.
“Jofra Archer has been extremely foolish,” he wrote. “There is legislation in place to get this series on and even if some of the protocol feels a bit extreme, you have to stick to it. There is too much at stake for players to do what they want. Yes, he only popped home, but the effect could have been terrifying.”
