As I said yesterday, there is very little about this that makes sense. The line that has been given is that it is a waste having a specialist keeper batting at eight, but the team is weaker with Jennings in for Foakes, so why not look at any of a number of other solutions such as, well, swapping Foakes and Ali in the order?
It makes no sense to me. If there really was a desire to move Bairstow - odd given that he has done better than any other number 3 and the series has gone - then I'm sure Foakes would have happily agreed to give keeping and batting three a go, and if not then surely Buttler should have been the one in the frame.
Then again, none of this series has made sense - it seems that Ed Smith's run of crazy ideas has hit a bit of an impasse. We need really to look forward to the Ashes and ask how many players we have pencilled in for our strongest XI. I reckon there are seven names pretty much pencilled in, plus one more who probably should be - they being Burns (has to be given a run, looks like he might be good enough) Root (captain) Bairstow (most dangerous bat, should be given a long run at five), Stokes (legend) Anderson (legend) Broad (the Aussies hate him, and he tries harder now he isn't nailed on) and Archer, plus Foakes as the should be. That leaves us three slots:
Burns
X
X
Root
Bairstow
Stokes
Foakes
X
Archer
Broad
Anderson