by alfie » Mon Mar 28, 2022 7:15 am
Just to put things in perspective , England have only won once in West Indies in the last fifty years - and they've arguably taken stronger squads on the last couple of tours. They've also managed to lose series in other places (like NZ) by collapsing to defeat in one match and dominating others without actually forcing a win. So this is neither new , nor , on its own , proof that all is rotten.
But it follows a disastrous 2021. So I'd have thought one of the main aims for this series should have been to get a result - just to create a bit of confidence going forward. Perhaps Strauss & co thought otherwise ? Because leaving your two senior bowlers out signalled either that the result wasn't deemed of great importance , or that they thought West Indies would be a pushover. Wrong on both counts...
I do think this business of resting/rotating/experimenting with selection has been a huge factor in this awful run of winless games. I accept that covid bubbles , too many matches , etc have probably served to make some "unusual" selections appear necessary ; but I do fear that the message that is sent by not selecting your perceived best XI for games/series has had a detrimental effect - ever since the tour of India : which was , of course , the start of this dreadful run. Remember they went into that tour off the back of four winning series home and away. I don't suggest dodgy selection practices were the sole reason for failures - but it seems to me a bit too much of a coincidence that messing about with the team from match to match led on to 17 games for one win after the previous 12 had yielded 8 wins to 2 each draws and defeats.
I really hope this year sees a return to selecting the best XI to win the next game. Also hope Joe Root sees the light and steps down as skipper to let Ben Stokes see what he can do with the job - though I do not suggest this will be a magic solution in itself. (I don't dislike bfl's suggestion of Stuart Broad as an alternative : I just can't see them doing it ! Stokes may have some question marks ; but no one could doubt his passion ; and he has demonstrated in at least some of his innings that he thinks about the game and adapts to circumstances : I reckon he might be the man for the job - at least for the short term)
Long term there are things that need to be done with structure of the domestic game , etc ; but June is only two months away. And I would hope to see a team put out that will be able to compete with a very handy NZ outfit. Despite all the current gloom , I do not think that is impossible...