After just over five sessions of cricket, England sunk to a dissapointing loss against India. Ravichandran Ashwin reaching his 400th test wicket in this match is rather fitting, as England's woes with everything spin-related continue.
Now, a lot has been said about the pitch. Whilst the sub-continent always brings spinning wickets that are more fitted toward the home side, this one took that to another level. India prepared a pitch that even they should be somewhat embarrassed about; it turned the match more into a lottery than one shaped toward the home side. The pink ball needing more grass on the pitch to protect it became irrelevant, as no more than 54 overs were ever bowled with the same ball.
With just 140 overs in the books over the two days of test cricket, this contest was the shortest completed test match since 1935. This surely is not good for test cricket; at a time when the game is already struggling to gain the viewership garnered by T20 competitions, losing out on three days of tickets, advertisements and brooadcasting money is only likely to make this downward spiral swifter. Yes, the match was entertaining, but do you feel fulfilled after it?
Current Sri Lankan coach Mickey Arthur presents an interesting point; did this match allow for a relatively even contest between bat and ball? I think the fact it was over less than halfway through its allotted time should answer that question for you. Preparing pitches so unwaveringly suited toward spin sets a bad precedent, one that shows international teams around the world that it is acceptable to play two day matches that ensure the away side are always chasing their tails. Whilst clearly in jest, the below tweet shows you the kind of retaliation that might happen in the reverse tour; expect overly green seamer-friendly wickets in England come August.
But all of these excuses should not retract from England's failings with spin. The simple fact is that this England side are not strong enough defending the spinning ball, and not experienced nor focused enough on bowling it. Lasith Embuldeniya's figures in the Sri Lanka test should have been fair warning.
I think it begins with the attitude of the County Championship. Somerset will go into this year's season with a 12 point disadvantage, having produced 'poor' test match pitches in the 2020 campaign. These pitches were dry and favourable to spin bowling, often resulting in shortened contests. Now, I'll give you one guess as to where England's only real spin bowling options going forward, Jack Leach and Dom Bess, learnt their trade? Yep, Somerset.
Somerset were docked 12 point for the pitch they presented in the County Championship final against Essex. Source: The Cricketer.
If the pitches produced in the last two tests in India are considered acceptable by the ICC, then how the ECB think they can produce quality spinners for those conditions without having some practice on spinning wickets in England, is beyond me. England are putting themselves at an international disadvantage before a ball is bowled. Without those dry pitches in Somerset, England would perhaps be without even Leach and Bess, who were still outclassed by R Ashwin and Axar Patel.
Not only do the restrictions on County Championship wickets not allow for the growth of spin bowling, but it also means that England's batsmen have no practice against the spinning ball. If the ECB continue in this direction, England's diabolical showings on the sub-continent's sub-par wickets will become commonplace.
The second issue is around selection. I am aware that England's current rest protocols England make this assertion tricky, but the ECB almost need two completely different sides for tests in Asia and the rest of the world. Ollie Pope, as good as he has looked so far for England, is always going to struggle in Asia with his trademark cover drive. The best team for the conditions should be picked for each tour, and thus Keaton Jennings' average of over 40 in Asia should undoubtedly be considered.
Keaton Jennings scored a century on debut against India. Credit: AFP.
England's coach Chris Silverwood, and perhaps Joe Root too, felt so insecure in their spinning options that only Jack Leach was selected for the pink ball pitch that was always destined to turn. Yes, they have admitted they got this wrong, but this is clearly a worrying prospect going forward. How else is Dom Bess going to improve in Asian conditions if he is not given the green light when the side are there? Or even the practice on spinning wickets in England? If Joe Root can take 5-8, surely England have to put some faith in the youngster. I'd be willing to put my savings on Bess playing the fourth test, and knowing England's luck, it won't spin.
I also feel that England have been a little rigid in their approach. We have heard a lot about their want to bat big in the first innings, and take time out of the game. Yet, this approach will clearly not work on pitches like that in Ahmedabad. If the sub-continent are going to continue to serve up these hyper dustbowls, then a ball will almost certainly have your name on it sooner rather than later. Thus, scoring big might mean scoring quickly in an ODI-style, rather than attempting to take time out of the game. 40 runs from 30 balls certainly sounds a lot better than 20 from 50. And I know thats not the traditional way to bat in a test match, but England have got to find a way to tip the scales in their favour if they are going to compete on these wickets.
I think these points all turn to one conclusion: England need to focus more on the spinning ball in creating a way to win in all conditions. This strategy needs to result in varied team selections in response to the conditions, and undoubtedly starts at County level. No one wants to see test matches be over within two days, but if they are to, England need to present more of a calculated challenge when playing away from home.
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