It’s simple really
As the analysts pore over the entrails of England’s defeat in the second test in India they offer all manner of explanation except the most convincing one. If only Alastair Cook had not lost his wicket in the final over, if only we avoided the customary collapse – yet we lost the match before it was played by not selecting Chris Woakes. He may not be the bowling force that is Jimmy Anderson or Stuart Broad but you could rely on him to occupy the crease for an hour or two and knock up 30 odd runs. If he had got fifty the whole dynamics of the game would have changed. India would have to bat for two hours longer to achieve that 400 lead and we would have had a more durable line up, given that Ben Duckett is finding the move from county cricket to Test match level a strain. With Broad injured and Ansari and Duckett likely to be dropped we hear from the likes of Michael Vaughan that another rookie Sam Billings should be called up whilst others advocate that consistent failure Gary Ballance. If we move Joe Root to three then we have a problem at four. Others press for Josh Buttler but his first class form is not convincing either. For me Woakes is a no-brainer. It provides the option of another spinner alongside Rashid and a three-pronged seam attack. It gives a first seven of Cook, Hameed, Root, Stokes, Bairstow, Woakes and Ali – all whom have runs in them. A collapse by Ballance, or Duckett predictably failing, is avoided.
The problem arose in accommodating Jimmy Anderson. English sport loves an institution or national treasure and once they are established in the side it’s hard to dislodge them. They have connections in the media, Broad has his column in the Mail on Sunday, and knows how to exert media pressure. A similar problem has arisen with Rooney. These old pros too are approaching Test records they wish to achieve for posterity. A few years ago everything got held up so Graeme Hick could make a batting record. Anderson was not that effective and Broad injured but it was always Woakes that would go for them although he has not let England down against Pakistan or Bangladesh. It beggars belief, when the series could be lost by next week, that he should be overlooked. It’s that simple.
