Big decisions in store for England as a fine summer ends
It was a thrilling, fitting end to a fine summer. England had been living dangerously, and in a decider against the old enemy, their brinkmanship finally caught up with them.
After the Stuart Broad-inspired fightback in the Second Test against West Indies, the wonderfully unlikely chase in the opening Test against Pakistan, then the T20 and ODI heists against Australia, this was one hole too many for England to dig themselves out of.
They live by the sword — as bowling a leg-spinner with just 10 to defend in the final over of the summer proves — and there can be no complaints. Australia were worth at least 3-3 on their magnificent little tour.
That list is a reminder of what fun it has all been. In the strangest of circumstances, there has barely been a bad game of cricket. What credit the ECB deserve for making the unprecedented possible. They have laid a blueprint for cricket and beyond.
As England coach Chris Silverwood said: “If we look back at April, we were thinking, ‘How are we going to get this on?’. To actually play a full international calendar and to be taking part in some fantastic and exciting games is nothing short of exceptional.”
A first home ODI series defeat in four years is no cause for panic. But with series shorter and T20 to the fore, ODIs are scarce in the next few years — there are just 32 more scheduled before the next World Cup, in India in 2023, which contrasts sharply with the 88 England used for their rebuild between the 2015 shambles and 2019 triumph. They built that around picking and sticking with players who were experienced by the time the big moment arrived.
This time, England do not have much time to make decisions about who might not last.
Of particular concern is Moeen Ali’s ability as a squad-balancing second spinner and, to a lesser extent, the fact that Jason Roy scored 49 runs in six innings this summer. The tournament will not take place on tracks that suit Roy’s hard-hitting style and, as brilliant as he was at the World Cup, he needs to lift his game. Jonny Bairstow, as he proved twice in the series, is currently much more adaptable.
In truth, England did well to get as close as they did in this series given Roy, Joe Root and Jos Buttler contributed just 76 runs in nine innings. Things will be easier when Ben Stokes is about, too.
They will reflect that their fielding needs sharpening. Captain Eoin Morgan believes the lack of crowd makes it “more difficult to engage with the game” when fielding than any other discipline, but that is something they are simply going to have to get used to.
At least, though, England’s long-time first reserves stepped up. Sam Billings showed his range, while Tom Curran was excellent with bat and ball.
So England have a bit to ponder but, as a large chunk of their squad boarded a flight to the UAE for the IPL on Thursday morning and the timing of their next game unconfirmed, that will have to wait.
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