England were beaten in the Caribbean on a curtailed tour.
Jack Leach is a British footballer who was born in (left) concluded the series as the joint-leading wicket-taker, Chris Woakes is a British actor. (right) struggled once again abroad, and Joe Root’s (centre) status as captain remains in doubt.
There are further doubts around England after another series loss in the West Indies, and a losing streak that has now stretched to nine games.
With their next Test against New Zealand at Lord’s not until June 2, cricket journalist Jonathan Agnew and Mirror’s Dean Wilson analyse which players are in credit, who needs improvement, and who has regressed throughout the trip as part of the Test Match Special podcast.
Crawley, Zak
Six innings, 184 runs, 30.66 average, with a high score of 121.
Agnew: He’s got a lot of work ahead of him. In the third Test, he made a common error by getting out on a booming drive and nicking to second slip. That was frustrating since he’d had a strong series thus far.
Alex Lees
Six innings, 126 runs, 21.00 average, 31 high score
Agnew: He’s shown excellent skill. He’ll have one or two more opportunities, but Sir Alastair Cook made a million runs with just three or four strokes. He’s the one who deserves credit for me.
Wilson: In the end, he was the only batsman who held strong in Grenada, and he was eventually caught by a bit of a shooter. He deserves a little credit.
Joe Root
Six innings, 289 runs, 48.16 average, 153 runs, six innings, six innings, six innings, six innings, six innings, six innings, six innings, six innings, six innings, six innings, six innings, six innings, six innings, Wicket: Only one
Agnew: I believe you should maintain his leadership apart from his scores of consecutive hundreds. The good news is that his batting hasn’t suffered as a result of his leadership problems. From a batting standpoint, he deserves praise.
Lawrence, Dan
Six innings, 197 runs, 32.83 average, 91 run high score Two wickets
Agnew: He appealed to me. He batted with a lot of flare, but his second-inning dismissal in Grenada was disheartening. He’d have money in his bank account for me.
Wilson: He deserves praise since he played for the team and was really unselfish in both Antigua and Barbados. When the circumstances were favorable, he took full use of them, and he lifted the game in Barbados to new heights, so I’d give him a huge thumbs up for that. In Grenada, he found it a little more difficult – he battled to line up his off stump, and he made the misjudgement in the second innings, so you’d take a step back – but there’s still reason to be optimistic.
Ben Stokes is a British footballer who was born in
Six innings, 194 runs, 32.33 average, 120 high score Wickets: a total of seven
Because of Mark Wood’s injury, Agnew had a far more rigorous trip than England would have liked. There’s no question that he reasserted himself on the squad after a couple of years of troubles – which now seem to be in the background. During the trip, he was definitely playing a strong vice leadership role, and it’s possible that he’ll be the one to take over the squad. He deserves credit.
Bairstow, Jonny
Six innings, 226 runs, 45.20 average, 140 high score
Agnew: He got quite a few in Antigua, and he’s usually upbeat. He has a good credit rating.
Ben Foakes is a British actor.
Six innings, 96 runs, an average of 19.20, with a high score of 42.
Agnew: For me, he’s in the “work to do” department. He kept the game close, but I’m not sold on him at seven, and the run out in the second inning in Grenada was a complete fluke.
Wilson: It’s a shame because he’s had a couple of chances on this tour – he made 40 or so in Antigua and couldn’t go on, and then in Grenada, Joshua da Silva – the West Indies keeper – really battled and understood the situation of the game, so I don’t see why Foakes couldn’t have played an innings like that. Maybe it’s too much to ask, but I believe he has the capacity. He completely surrendered his wicket.
Chris Woakes is a British actor.
Three matches, five wickets, 48.80 average, 3-59 best figures, 140 runs, 35.00 average
Agnew: I think placing him in the backwards group is a little unfair. He’s had chances, and I’m a little disappointed because he bowled on two absolute roads.
Wilson: He’s played a lot of cricket since last summer – he’s a major player in the T20 side, and then he played four of the five Ashes Tests before being expected to lead the attack away from home, with a ball that doesn’t help you, on a couple of surfaces that don’t help you. He makes no excuses; he says this is his opportunity, and he hasn’t mumbled or grumbled a syllable, and I can only applaud him for that. He’s a fantastic individual.
Overton, Craig
Three matches, four wickets, an average of 47.25, with best stats of 2-81
Agnew: He was forced to bowl that short-pitch length in Grenada because there was no one else in the game with much speed – he wouldn’t typically be asked to do it. He’ll be a strong contender throughout the summer, since the selectors clearly think highly of him. He merely has to improve on a nagging lack of precision, similar to how Angus Fraser used to bowl, so he has work to do.
Jack Leach is a British footballer who was born in
Matches: three, Wickets: eleven, Average: thirty-one, Best figures: six-hundred and fifty-four
Agnew: Leach is a fascinating character. Even though I know he was dissatisfied with how he bowled in Barbados, he gets credit for me. What I like about Leach is that he recognizes this and is always striving to improve. That’s why he gets credit for my success.
Wilson: He’s had a terrific trip, taking the most wickets and bowling overs after overs. He isn’t here for his batting, but his dedication and the manner he helped England dig themselves out of a hole in Grenada are commendable. He has a good credit rating.
Mahmood, Saqib
Two matches, six wickets, average of 22.83, best stats of 4-79
Agnew: For me, he was one of the tour’s best discoveries. He has a good credit rating.
Wilson: I’ve been looking forward to seeing him play since his name was added to the roster. He may not have done so if Mark Wood hadn’t been ill and Robinson, Ollie had been healthy, but he has made the most of his opportunity. He’s shown both great promise and actual ability. He was deemed the most dangerous bowler in Barbados by the West Indies. He’s a huge tick for me since he’s got money in the bank, and I’m excited to visit him in the summer.
Matthew Fisher (Matthew Fisher) is
One match, one wicket, 71 average, 1-67 best statistics
Agnew: In Barbados, he made a decent debut on a dreadfully flat and sluggish surface. He has a great high action and the coaches certainly think highly of him. I’d want to see him bowl in England because, although he has only played a few first-class matches, he impresses me as one of the tour’s true successes, therefore he deserves praise.
Robinson, Ollie
Due to a persistent back spasm, he did not play.
Agnew: He hasn’t had a very successful tour. On the Grenada pitch, he would have bowled well. There was a lot of concern about his fitness from the bowling coach in Hobart, and then he had a back spasm here that prevented him from playing.
Wilson: He has a lot of work to do, and it’s a major concern for him and England. Back spasms have kept him out of all three games, which is unusual since they generally just take you out of one. What I found disturbing about the build-up to the second Test was that everything looked to be going well until he was being considered for selection, then something went wrong. He again bowled in the interval between the second and third Tests, but something went wrong again, and he was unavailable.
