Die derde en laaste toets in die Engelse teen Sri Lanka-toetsreeks is nou aan die einde, nadat die reën 'n klam lus vir die wedstryd gebring het..
So, wat het ons geleer? Nie 'n baie werklik. Ons is amper waar ons was drie toetse gelede. Nick Compton lyk nie heeltemal op die toetsvlak nie, is 'n duidelike gevolgtrekking. Persoonlik gesproke voel ek dat dit 'n bietjie hard sal wees om hom te trotseer - ek gee hom die Pakistan-reeks om 'n finale besluit oor hom te neem. Ek twyfel of dit sal gebeur, however and Lords was the last we will see of him in the whites of the three lions.
James Vince has probably done enough to stay in the side but needs a score against Pakistan to ensure he travels with the side in the winter.
Alex Hales might just be the opener England have been looking for. Ok, so he should have bagged himself a couple of tons – and he needs to watch the concentration – but it’s better to fail in the 80s and 90s rather than only register single digits.
Chris Woakes is a decent back up bowler and did himself no harm. I’m not sure he is an out and out replacement for Ben Stokes, egter, and he is more of a bowler who is decent with the willow rather than the genuine all-rounder Stokes is.
Jonny Bairstow looks like he has cemented his middle order spot for some time with some great innings. His keeping, egter, veel te wense oor. But to be fair it’s not often you get a player who can bat as well as he can and keep wicket to the desired standard. Jos Buttler is similar to Bairstow in that he’s a hit with the bat but largely a miss with the gloves. England need to decide if they want a specialist keeper at the cost of the strength of the batting order or they are prepared to put up with slip ups from time to time. The keeping will improve with time too (as it did with Alec Stewart) so watch this space.
England need a world-class spinner…anyone got any ideas!?! Adil Rashid kan 'n werk te doen, maar is duur.
So there we have it – plenty to chew on for the selectors going forward.
“Die pienk bal lyk grys / blou in die rooi / groen tekort, afhangende van die erns daarvan. Ek het 'n simulasie gedoen met kleurblindheid…”