bigfluffylemon wrote:Yes, England could have batted on, but they already have more than enough, and is there anything much to be gained by grinding an already substandard attack into the dust?
I dont think I need to really demonstrate that time in the middle is good for batters, or that scoring runs, however easily obtained, will improve their self belief and confidence.
Ben Stokes has faced a handful of balls since his last test in IPL, has recently had fitness issues, and his personal 5 day form is pretty rubbish - no 50 in the last 7 test matches. I'd imagine seeing a few balls and making a score would have been good for him.
Brook's form in the IPL was horrendous, with 3 ducks in his last 4 innings, and no FC in a long time - I'd suggest he needed a few runs under his belt.
Bairstow, like Stokes, finished 2022 on a downturn of form, and has gone 7 FC games without an innings of much length, coming off an injury - Again, time at the middle with opportunities to score would do him some good.
England's batters are now unlikely to face another live ball before the Ashes starts, with the CC next round ovrlapping with day 1 of the Ashes. Regardless of the situation in this match and the lack of necessity from a team perspective, there was unquestionable value for those players in their situation coming out to bat.