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Ffifty years ago, British postmen went on strike. For seven weeks you couldn’t send a letter – and the consequence was that London got used to motorbike couriers. Likewise, some of our confinement habits will surely persist: working from home, meeting on Zoom, joining a friend for a walk rather than a meal. If you’re wondering what this has to do with cricket, the answer is that it raises questions about Ben Stokes’ makeshift XI.
Eoin Morgan, the de facto player-manager of England’s white ball teams, rules with an iron bar (just ask Alex Hales). He knows exactly what and who he wants (ask Liam Plunkett). He doesn’t believe in cheap beginnings (ask George Garton). For the series against Pakistan, Morgan simply copy-pasted the shift team with Sri Lanka. And then he found that the best-worked out plans of mice and men are now subject to the whims of Covid.
Stokes’ liners could easily have been brave losers, like so many Brits at Wimbledon. Instead, they gave a gifted Pakistani team a crush, followed by a scraping. The minute they won the series, Morgan was clapping on Twitter: “What @ benstokes38 and the team have achieved is amazing.”
Yes, yes, Morgs, but what happens next? Who is the motorcycle courier in this story? For the T20s against Pakistan, England could well regain its first-choice squad. In the words of Bob Dylan, however, things have changed. There are several conclusions to be drawn, and not just the obvious that England have a deep well of white ball talent.
First, Morgan is no longer essential. He remains a huge figure, England’s most influential player for decades, but Stokes’ side have shown that morganism can flourish without Morgan. They were fearless, they had fun, they kept their cool and kept on blazing. In Game 2, they lost their first batting stars Dawid Malan and Zak Crawley to the ducks, but Phil Salt and James Vince used offense as their better form of defense. “There was a point where I wondered what to do next,” Salt said, “whether it was to consolidate or get the game back on… Right from the start, this is something that Morgan was always clear about. crystal. We took the positive option, so it was a pretty easy decision. A team with that clarity can cope with rotation.
Second, Stokes is a better captain than we thought. His previous stint, in the first Test against the West Indies last year while Joe Root was on paternity leave, ended in defeat. Stokes was too enthusiastic with the last XI, capitalizing on the pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood on slow ground. He led from the front, making 89 races and taking six wickets, but didn’t pull the strings. This time around, he’s done less as a player – scoring 22 points, made just one – and more as a leader. He pumped up the new recruits, oozing happy confidence and backed his bowlers with three or even four records. If his first shot from captain to captain went a bit to Ian Botham, it was Steve Waugh with a smiley face.
Third, England has found a new spearhead. A week ago, Saqib Mahmood was just another fringe crimper; now he’s a potential leader of the pack. After just four ODIs, he took on the new ball and the lion’s share of the blame. The big scalp of this series is Babar Azam, the world number one drummer for a day. Mahmood removed it surgically, twice, for 0 and 19. Both incisive and thrifty, it is the second find of the summer after Ollie Robinson. With those two and Archer, England already have their next attack.
Finally, there is someone else in the camp who replaced Morgan: Chris Silverwood. As Gareth Southgate grabbed the headlines, his cricket counterpart quietly enjoyed his best week on the job. First, he was selfless, leaving family vacations to take the reins. Then, put on the spot for the first time since taking over the selection, he made wise choices: Salt to blow him up like Bairstow, Malan to add composure, Lewis Gregory to swing him like Woakes, Matt Parkinson to tweak it as Rashid. He learned from his mistake by pushing James Bracey into the test team and picked a suitable goalie in John Simpson. His unexpected faith in Vince was rewarded with a stylish 60, rather than the usual elegant 20.
Last week, Silverwood turned a crisis into an opportunity, and now he can capitalize on that with some Morganesque clarity. While one-day teams are spoiled for wealth, the Test side is just embarrassing. Taking over from Ed Smith, Silverwood ditched the policy of picking all-rounders, pushing himself into a corner and being left without a spin. He played both Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad even though their hitting rate declined, which meant additional passes for Olly Stone – who duly stopped.
Bosses are defined by their big calls. Southgate struck out Wayne Rooney, dismissed Trent Alexander-Arnold and put Jack Grealish on the bench. Silverwood must decide if England fare better on a scorching day in Brisbane with Anderson and Broad or Robinson and Mahmood. If you are leading a team, you must be able to say boo to a GOAT.
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