With the urn surrendered, England are left to plot a course to redemption.
A long spell of limited overs cricket awaits, and gives the test team some time to regroup and recover. England don’t play another test until May, but what should we expect from the side that takes the field at the Emirates Durham ICG against Sri Lanka?
Here’s our selection to face Sri Lanka in five months time:
1: Alastair Cook (c)
The first contentious issue arises: the issue of the captaincy. Although quite why this is actually contentious this observer has no idea. Even throwing aside the question of whether there are really any suitable replacements, there is still little argument to oust Cook. The primary reason England lost the Ashes was because the batsmen didn’t perform, something Cook isn’t in control of. Of course, Cook was far from perfect in his captaincy and should attempt to learn from his mistakes, but there shouldn’t be any debate as to whether he continues. One bad series does not a bad captain make – especially when just six months ago he was lifting the urn himself.
2: Joe Root
The aim of this side is to create a base to build on for years to come, and this selection seeks to do just that. Root is still only 23, and has the talent and temperament to really succeed as a test opener. So far in his relatively short England career, he’s batted in six different positions in the order, and it’s time he was instated in a regular position at the top of it.
3: Ian Bell
Bell, along with just about every other batsman, chronically underperformed Down Under. But when everyone underperforms, you don’t drop the proven batsmen – and Bell is certainly one of those. Bell offers both the ability to accelerate an innings and to stick in when the going gets tough, vital for any number three.
4: Kevin Pietersen
The same situation as Bell – when everyone was below par, you stick with the best batsmen. Pietersen is England’s most talented batsman. Accept his baggage. He plays.
5: Gary Ballance
Ballance was thrown in the deep end in the Sydney test, and to judge a debut batsman in a test where his side got comprehensively beaten is a tad harsh. Examine his first class record and the reasons why Balance got the call in the first place become clear – as the Yorkshire batsman averages over 50 in first class cricket. At only 24, Ballance could have a big future for England.
6: James Taylor
Another 24 year old who should have a bright test future ahead of him is Nottinghamshire’s very own James Taylor. The batsman was rather bafflingly not even picked for the development squad that accompanied the test side to Australia this winter – and with the middle order looking very shaky, it is high time the little Notts number four was back in the fold.
7: Matt Prior
England’s wicket keeper has suffered in the past nine months or so, as he has failed to deliver with the bat. A failure to score any meaningful runs in the past nine months or so (He averaged just 17.8 in the 3 Ashes tests he played in) has seen Prior slip out of the side. Make no mistake however, Prior is still England’s number one wicket keeper. He just needs to rediscover his form with the bat.
8: Ben Stokes
Just about the one bright spark to come out of Australia was the emergence of Ben Stokes. Stokes is a threat with both bat and ball, and gives England the opportunity to have three seamers and bat deep. His bowling does need to tighten up a little, as he is a tad more expensive than England would like ideally, but at the age of just 22, Stokes has time on his side – a future Freddie Flintoff?
9: Stuart Broad
Broad was England’s best bowler in Australia, and looks set to be a mainstay of this England team for a while to come. Broad and Anderson are hard to beat as a fast bowling partnership. It was just a shame he got little to no support from the batsmen down under.
10: Scott Borthwick
Handed a baptism of fire alongside Gary Ballance in Sydney, Borthwick struggled under the pressure of an Ashes debut as he went for over six an over for the match. He did however take his wickets, with four in the match from just twelve overs and is a somewhat unique English talent in that he is a leg-spinner, and that variation combined with Joe Root’s off-break bowling provides England with a wealth of bowling options. The 23 year old from Durham can also bat a bit too, as his first class average of 30 shows.
11: Jimmy Anderson
Not at his best in Australia, but as with Broad, he was hindered by the lack of support from the batsmen. Still one of the best bowlers around, particularly on home soil, Anderson will be looking to return to his swinging best come May.
So there you have it: the team set to conquer the world over the next few years. (One is allowed to dream, no?)
Joking aside, there is a lot of potential in this team: it bats very deep, and has good variety in the bowling, with two different spin variations combining with the usual suspects in the pace attack. Most importantly, this side is filled with young talent, mixed in with the experienced campaigners. This team has a fresh look to it, whilst keeping some of the players who’ve brought such success to English Test cricket in recent years. The future, believe it or not, is bright – it just requires the players themselves to make it happen.