England are likely to maintain their attacking structure in the upcoming New Zealand Test series, but Zac Crawley and Ollie Pope should not let their guard down, says Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain.
Vice-captain Pope struggled in England’s 2-1 loss to Pakistan last month, averaging 11 points and scoring a maximum of 29, but Crawley could score 78 points from the first innings in the opening game in Multan. I couldn’t.
England have named Warwickshire all-rounder Jacob Bethell in their squad for the three-Test tour of New Zealand, but Jamie Smith will miss the tour due to the birth of his first child, leaving Jordan Cox to guard the wickets. Become.
Hussain said: “England have picked some very good players. Over the last two years they have randomly selected players who have come in and all of them have performed very well and are very good cricketers. It looks like,” he said. sky sports cricket Podcast.
“Have you ever looked at any of them and thought, ‘What did England choose him for?’
“They all looked like good players and performed right away. But will they ever return?”
“We can’t close up shop. We want to keep poking Crowley and Pope and saying, ‘You know what? Keaton Jennings is getting a few RBIs, or is he getting an RBI?’ [Haseeb] Hameed is getting some points now, but Rory Burns has been getting a lot of points over the summer. ”
“Your position is not given forever.”
After England lost the series to Pakistan, captain Ben Stokes defended his top-order batsmen, saying they were the best in the country, but Hussain and Sky Sports” Michael Atherton questioned whether this meant there were not enough people.
“Going back to Bethel’s selection, you can look at this two ways. You can say this is a future superstar kid that they’re absolutely betting the house on,” Atherton said. added.
“They think he’s going to be a great player and they’ll be judged on that basis, and they’re probably right. A lot of their choices were really good.
“But then, if you have to choose a player who averages 25 points in 20 first-class games and hasn’t reached 100 first-class points, what else is there?” .
England have so far punted on young players such as Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir, but Bethel will be the next player to impress the selectors, having done well with the spinners who played in Pakistan.
“When Rob Key (Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket) announced the list of 29 centrally contracted players, he said this was proof of the depth of red and white ball cricket in this country. ‘ added Mr Atherton.
“How much depth will there be in top-flight batting if the next unranked Cav achieves a record like Bethel’s? Maybe it’ll be just another successful punt for them.”
“Are they going to stubbornly stick to the type of cricketer they’re looking for? Or are they going to say, no, well, I’m ready to go another route.
“I actually really like 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 enables all types of breeding. I like the fact that I clearly understand what’s going on. “
Atherton: Multi-year central contracts don’t keep players hungry
Olly Robinson has taken 76 wickets in 20 Tests at an average of 22.92 since arriving in the summer of 2021
The England and Wales Cricket Board this week released the latest central contract list for the men’s cricket team, with Ben Foakes and Ollie Robinson conspicuously missing.
But Smith was among the first players to sign a central contract, alongside Surrey’s Will Jacks, Somerset’s Bashir, Lancashire’s Phil Salt and Nottinghamshire’s Olly Stone.
Bethel and Leicestershire’s Josh Hull has also agreed a development deal with England for the first time, joining Hampshire’s John Turner.
Meanwhile, England captain Stokes and Jos Buttler have decided to extend their contracts for two years.
“I’m not a fan of multi-year contracts. The sport moves so fast, you want to keep the players on their toes and keep them hungry,” Atherton said.
Meanwhile, Key believes the multi-year deal shows the determination of all players to prioritize playing for their country.
“Why does he feel he has to do a two-year contract? Probably because of the lure and attraction of a cricket franchise,” Hussain said.
“He feels there are so many chances for the players to go into the twilight of the franchise and they have to keep control, especially fast bowlers like Mark Wood.
“He could ignore their bluffs and just offer one year and see what they do. And that leaves you hungry, a one-year deal.
“Maybe Ollie Robinson’s absence will be a wake-up call for him, his stats are just phenomenal.
“I know he’s frustrating people, but I don’t get it. I would be very disappointed if he doesn’t play for England again. I think he’s very talented. ”
Test tour of New Zealand by England
- Warm-up game vs NZ Cricket XI: November 23rd-24th (Queenstown)
- First test: November 28th – December 2nd (Christchurch)
- Second test: December 6th-10th (Wellington)
- Third test: December 14th-18th (Hamilton)
