Smith, Wood & Woakes – five questions for England

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Call it what you like, the beginning of England’s latest refresh has gone pretty much to plan, with an expected clean sweep of West Indies.

Ben Stokes’ side have shaken up their personnel and tweaked their style to impressive effect. Anything other than a 3-0 win against an inferior West Indies side would have been a surprise, and England were ruthless and efficient to complete the series in less than 10 days of actual cricket.

If we’re being hyper-critical, there was still some sloppiness with the bat and the catching can be improved. There are sterner examinations to come.

There are other things to talk about, too.

Jamie Smith has slipped into Test cricket like a hand into a wicketkeeping glove. The biggest compliment that could be paid to his keeping is that it has gone unnoticed, while the stylish way he dragged England from trouble in making 95 with the bat on Saturday afternoon at Edgbaston was the reason he was picked.

Still only 24, he had long been earmarked as an international cricketer, most likely as a batter, and there is a question of if, one day, England might want him higher than number seven.

The pass the parcel of keeping gloves and shifts up and down the order did little good for Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow, so the utmost caution is advised. However, it might be that Smith is already the next-best option should a vacancy arise in England’s top five. At the very least, if ever the balance of the team needs altering, say for an extra bowler in the subcontinent, Smith could certainly bat in the top six and keep.

Cover for opener Zak Crawley may be needed if his broken right index finger doesn’t heal in time to face Sri Lanka on 21 August.

Dan Lawrence has spent enough time mixing drinks to get a job behind a bar and was due to fill in for Ben Duckett when the left-hander was on baby alert, albeit that was an emergency measure. It would be very like this England team to ask Lawrence, a middle-order batter, to open, though they may also turn to a specialist like Keaton Jennings or Alex Lees.

The future of the England white-ball team is a hot topic at the moment, but Stokes was in no mood to reveal his international limited-overs plans at Edgbaston.

After he came out of retirement to play in the 50-over World Cup, it was never clarified whether Stokes was going back into ODI pipe-and-slippers mode, then he skipped the T20 World Cup to get ready for the home summer.

Asked on Thursday if he had thought about it, he shot down the conversation by saying: “It’s the day before a Test match.”

Now with a fully functioning left knee, Stokes’ all-round abilities would boost either of England’s white-ball teams, at least when the schedule allows it.

England have no Test cricket between December and the summer of 2025, a gap Stokes could fill with the Champions Trophy. There are reports of offers from the SA T20 and an IPL franchise would surely be interested if Stokes makes himself available, while he is soon to play for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred for the first time in three years.

Granted, there are very few opportunities for Stokes to play any white-ball cricket for England, and the Test skipper isn’t saying whether he wants to or not.

Mark Wood has been electrifying in the two Tests he has played in this series. At Trent Bridge he bowled the fastest home spell by an England bowler and was desperately unlucky not to take more than two wickets. He got his rewards at Edgbaston with a devastating burst of 5-9 on Sunday afternoon.

When available, Wood is probably England’s first-choice seamer and, after Stokes, perhaps the most important player to their chances of winning the Ashes in Australia.

Even if his past fitness record is chequered, he has now gone some time without a long-term lay-off. In bowling terms, his body is relatively young – he has actually bowled fewer deliveries in his entire professional career than Stokes, an all-rounder, has bowled in first-class cricket alone. At 34, Wood seems to be getting quicker.

How England manage Wood to Australia will be interesting. He is known to have a ‘best when fresh’ approach to Test cricket – ie, he doesn’t like bowling too much beforehand – and Stokes knows it is only worth picking Wood when his Durham team-mate feels 100% fit to bowl his rockets. Anything less is a waste.

Wood’s white-ball powers are on the wane, so England should avoid picking him in limited-overs cricket from now on. There is a discussion over whether he should be used in dead rubbers like Edgbaston, especially when Dillon Pennington and Matthew Potts are waiting for a chance.

That chance will come against Sri Lanka, because Wood will not play all three of those matches. England must handle him as carefully as a newborn baby and have a plan for how and where they unleash him against the Australians.

When James Anderson was pensioned off because he won’t make it to Australia, some asked why England persevered with Chris Woakes. Woakes is a bowler of a similar style to Anderson, not as good (few are as good as Anderson) and with a desperately poor record away from home (he averages more than 50 overseas compared to 21.83 at home).

Stokes said he couldn’t explain without sounding “ageist”, yet there is some logic to selecting purely on age. At 35, Woakes is hardly a young man, though a full seven years younger than Anderson – seven years is well more than half of Woakes’ Test career.

As he proved in last year’s Ashes and again at Edgbaston, Woakes gives England batting depth at number eight they currently will not find elsewhere. Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer are possible future options, though there is no guarantee any of them will make it to Australia. Rehan Ahmed and Tom Hartley could have done it, but neither are better spinners than Shoaib Bashir.

Runs alone will not get Woakes on the plane and England will always pick their best attack, regardless of batting ability. Will Woakes prove he should be among the six or so seamers with a ticket down under? Short of cricket beforehand, he got better as the Windies series went on.

Even if the pace of Wood, Archer, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue will be what England really desire, they will still need to balance the attack, particularly with at least one day-night Test to plan for.

It is not absolutely out of the question that Woakes is worth a place in the squad. If he isn’t, a role as a home specialist is no bad thing, either.

This isn’t one for the England team but rather English cricket as a whole, including fans.

The health of Test cricket could be discussed much more in-depth than here, yet there has been a misplaced feeling that this country has no need to be concerned. The Test team draws eyeballs, ticket sales are high (despite some eye-watering prices) and broadcast revenue is stable.

Such a view would be short-sighted if a fourth day against all except the strongest opposition cannot be guaranteed.

Yes, this is a slightly anomalous summer with the visits of West Indies and Sri Lanka, two teams who, with all due respect, are vastly inferior to England. West Indies had their moments, and their win against Australia at the Gabba is fresh in the mind, but relying on a shock result for a competitive contest is no way to run a major sport.

The whole economy of English cricket is largely reliant on Test cricket, so England need strong opposition, and that can’t only come in the years Australia and India are touring. If the rest of the world struggles to make Test cricket financially viable, everyone else will get worse. Put simply, we are on a path to England, Australia and India playing only each other over and over again.

England are paying a tour fee to Zimbabwe for their one-off Test next year. It is a small step in the right direction.

If it is truly believed that Test cricket is the pinnacle and is worth saving, the English game should take the lead.