It’s the challenge England didn’t want: picking a XI without Ben Stokes. But even a poor performance at Old Trafford reinforced the feeling that without Stokes, England are best served by keeping five specialist bowlers.
The trade-off with such a team is a slightly weaker batting performance, but a middle order of Joe Root, Harry Brook and then Jamie Smith at number six would still be an enviable asset by most standards of English Test history.
One benefit of Smith’s selection as wicketkeeper ahead of Ben Foakes is the extra flexibility it offers. For all his qualities as a batsman, Foakes could not be used as a Test number six. For Smith, the position is still two places lower than his normal place as a specialist batsman for Surrey. After making 111 in his first Test innings as a number six, Smith’s clinical 39, which gave momentum to a stagnant innings, brought England to the brink of victory.
The re-orientation of the team in Stokes’ absence also forced another man to move up the order: Chris Woakes. His 25 innings and eight not outs extended Woakes’ success as he was promoted to the number seven position: he now has an average of 62.8 in that position. Although the sample size is small and Woakes would ideally be in the number eight position, he has proved to be a very worthy number seven in English conditions: his overall batting average at home is 33.3 in 32 Tests.
The promotion of Smith and Woakes ensures that England can field five bowlers. In a strange way, such a strategy relies on bad luck to prove its true worth: after Mark Wood’s injury, England were grateful for the hedging strategy built into their team. Had Jordan Cox replaced Stokes in the XI, England’s attack after Wood’s injury would have been reduced to Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir and two other off-spinners – Joe Root and Dan Lawrence – in support.
It was the third time in the last 18 months that England have needed such cover after opting for a five-man attack. In the last Ashes series, Ollie Robinson failed to bowl in the second innings at Headingley and Moeen Ali failed to bowl in the first innings at the Oval. With a four-man attack, such setbacks could have cost England the Test match; with a five-man attack, England still had the means to take 20 wickets and win both Tests. Selecting five bowlers also ensures that Wood can get going in short spells rather than having to hold back. The structure means bowlers can be used when they are most effective, rather than just because the rest of the attack is too depleted.
Matthew Potts benefited from Stokes’ hamstring injury. Given a County Championship average of 41.1 this year, Potts was perhaps pleased to bat at number nine behind Atkinson; a direct hit from Asitha Fernando was testament to his improvement in batting and 17 was a useful contribution in the context of the game.
Ideally, a fourth pace bowler would add variety. Rather than offering a new angle or a quirky action, Potts was the fourth right-arm seamer in the attack.
Having played just one of England’s last 21 Tests, Potts’ first spell gave the impression of a man too eager to impress. Potts bowled very full to gain early momentum, repeatedly bowled too much and was thrashed for 33 in his first five overs. He felt a little like a spare part; in the second innings, Ollie Pope waited until the 22nd over to bring Potts on.
While Potts sought momentum in the first innings, he took on a less glamorous role in the second, bowling just under a length to prevent Sri Lanka from pulling away easily. After 16 balls in his second innings, Potts was vindicated when he trapped Dhananjaya de Silva lbw with the help of a low bounce.
It served as a template for Potts’ approach, which became even more important after Woods’ injury. The grunts, which sound like a tennis player at Wimbledon when Potts throws the ball, convey the feel of a cricketer trying to prove himself at Test level.
Some professionals call them the “dirty overs”: the time when the pitch flattens, the ball softens and fatigue sets in. Potts adopted them as his own and mobilised all his ingenuity. He readily obliged Pope’s invitation to hit the pitch, although a bowler using this tactic could ideally achieve a little more pace than Potts’ norm, just under 85mph. There were cutters and slower balls, a glimpse of the variations Potts employed in the Hundred. Three wickets were Potts’ reward, a tally that could have been five but for two dropped catches.
After two years on the fringes of the squad, Potts provided proof of England’s strength in depth and his performance was one final demonstration of how well England had set up their team without Stokes.
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