England will continue to stick to their attacking regime for the upcoming New Zealand Test series but Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope should not get too comfortable, says Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain.
Vice-captain Pope struggled during England’s 2-1 defeat to Pakistan last month, averaging 11 and recording a top score of 29, while Crawley was unable to build on his 78 from the first innings in the opening game in Multan.
England have named Warwickshire all-rounder Jacob Bethell in their squad for the three-Test tour of New Zealand with Jamie Smith set to miss the trip due to the birth of his first child, meaning Jordan Cox will keep wicket.
“England have selected very well. The people in the last two years, random picks, have come in and they’ve all done very well and look very good cricketers,” said Hussain, speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast.
“You’ve not looked at any of them and thought, ‘well, what have England picked him for?’
“They’ve all looked good picks and put in performances straight away. But will they ever go back?
“It can’t be a closed shop. I would like to keep nudging Crawley and Pope to say, ‘do you know what? Keaton Jennings is getting a few runs or [Haseeb] Hameed is now getting a few or Rory Burns got a lot over the summer’.
“Your place is not granted forever.”
After England’s series defeat to Pakistan, captain Ben Stokes defended his top-order batters, saying they are the best in the country, but Hussain and Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton questioned whether this means there is not enough talent available.
“Going back to the Bethell selection, you can look at it two ways. You can say, this is the superstar kid of the future that they are absolutely betting the house on,” added Atherton.
“They think he’s going to be a fantastic player and they’ll be judged on that. And that may well be right. A lot of their selections have been really good.
“But you could also say then, well, if they’re having to pick somebody who averages 25 after 20 first-class games and hasn’t scored a first-class hundred, what else is there?”
England’s previous punts on young players, like Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir, have paid off with the spinners starring in Pakistan, and Bethell is next in line to leave an impression on the selectors.
“When Rob Key (managing director of England men’s cricket) announced the list of 29 centrally-contracted players, he said it demonstrates the depth of red-ball and white-ball cricket that we have in the country,” added Atherton.
“What depth is there in terms of first-class batting if the next cab off the rank is a record like Bethell’s? Maybe it’s just another one of their punts that will come off.
“Will they stubbornly stick to the type of cricketer they’re looking for? Or will they say, no, well, we’re prepared to go a different way.
“I actually quite like that about what they do. They have a clear vision of what they want.
“I don’t think it should be one size fits all, because I think the beauty of Test cricket is that it encourages and allows all types to flourish. But I like the fact that they have a clear understanding of what they’re looking for.”
Atherton: Multi-year central contracts don’t keep players hungry
Ollie Robinson has taken 76 wickets at an average of 22.92 in 20 Tests since emerging in summer 2021
The England and Wales Cricket Board this week unveiled the updated central contract list for the men’s cricket team with Ben Foakes and Ollie Robinson being the notable omissions.
However, Smith featured among the players to have signed central contracts for the first time, alongside Surrey’s Will Jacks, Somerset’s Bashir, Lancashire’s Phil Salt and Nottinghamshire’s Olly Stone.
Bethell and Leicestershire’s Josh Hull have also joined Hampshire’s John Turner by agreeing England development contracts for the first time.
England skippers Stokes and Jos Buttler have, meanwhile, penned extensions on two-year deals.
“I don’t like multi-year contracts. I think sports is so fast moving and you want to keep players on their toes and keep them hungry,” said Atherton.
Meanwhile, Key believes the multi-year deals showcase the commitment of all the players to prioritise playing for their country.
“Why does he feel he has to give two-year deals? Probably because of the lure and attraction to franchise cricket,” said Hussain.
“There’s so many opportunities for players to go off into a franchise sunset and he feels he may have to keep control, especially of his fast bowlers like Mark Wood.
“He could call their bluff and just offer one year and see what they do, and it does keep you hungry, a one-year deal.
“Maybe Ollie Robinson missing out will be a wake-up call for him. His stats are absolutely phenomenal.
“I know he frustrates people, but I don’t know, I’d be very disappointed if he doesn’t play for England again. I think he’s very talented.”
England’s Test tour of New Zealand
- Warm up-game vs NZ Cricket XI: November 23-24 (Queenstown)
- First Test: November 28-December 2 (Christchurch)
- Second Test: December 6-10 (Wellington)
- Third Test: December 14-18 (Hamilton)