So, what have we actually learnt after the first day of pink ball Test cricket in the UK? These are the main talking points that occurred to me during it:
- The media are far, far too quick to be negative about newcomers to the team. During the first session I heard certain commentators refer to the performances of Stoneman and Westley as 'failures'. I disagree with this on so many levels - Westley has not been around for long and has shown some real promise in his short career so far, and Stoneman was playing his very first international innings. Any good player gets a low score, we don't go around branding Cook or Root or Stokes a failure after a low score or two, so why the different treatment for new boys? Throw in the fact that the pink ball adds an extra level of challenge and mystery, and I found myself quite irritated at this appraisal. A less negative assessment from the media would probably aid the development of the players too, helping them bed into the team without fear of imminent witch-hunt.
- The West Indies really have become poor - their standards in all regards that we've seen so far have been sub-standard. The bowling lacks pace, which is fine if you have consistency, but dangerous if not. They haven't selected a specialist spinner, and Roston Chase's spin is very, very 'part-time' indeed. Perhaps one of the most indicative signs of one of the areas in which the problems lie is the fact that the Windies' two best performers in their previous pink ball Test, Darren Bravo and Devendra Bishoo, aren't playing in this match - board disputes and selection woes have hurt the side badly, particularly in the longest form.
- We haven't actually learnt anything about the pink ball yet. It needs to be put in the hands of a Jimmy Anderson or Stuart Broad to really see its properties. I expect it to be very useful in the hands of Moeen Ali later on in the Test.
- Woakes should have been selected. He had been playing that well for England for a sustained period before his injury that he deserves his place back immediately upon recovery. His selection doesn't exactly weaken the batting - Woakes at 8 is the perfect balance for me. However, I do see the logic in giving Malan an extended run to prove himself, but I just have the nagging feeling that unless he does something extraordinary very soon, he is just keeping the place warm for the return of Woakes. My XI for this Test would have been as follows: Cook, Stoneman, Westley, Root, Stokes, Bairstow, Ali, Woakes, Roland-Jones, Broad, Anderson.
I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on these issues.
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Topic: Thoughts after England vs WI first day (Read 2943 times)