For anyone who lived through the period of domination by West Indies, which lasted about 15 years from 1976, a certain amount of self-pinching has to be done on the eve of a Test match. Yes, we do really yearn for West Indies somehow to find the resolve, the skill and the luck to ensure a good contest at Leeds.
Shrewd Yorkshire folk have already come to their conclusion. The ticket sales for the first three days of the Headingley Test are healthy enough. Beyond that no one is prepared to commit and who can argue with that after Edgbaston? A quick West Indies defeat now seems as inevitable as a subsidence by England was in the late 1980s.
We crave for a good contest for its own sake – but unlike the 80s there are wider implications now that there are so many alternatives to the Test match. In this century we are often reminded how cricket is a “product” that has to entice “customers”. There is less tolerance of a bad game. Hence the fears over the future of Test cricket increase because of the increasing lack of tight matches.
When the big three (India, England and Australia) sought to take over the majority of the resources as well as the decision-making processes they may not have considered how this could lead to a diminished band of countries capable of playing Test cricket effectively. In this cycle West Indies and Sri Lanka, in particular, are hellbent on little more than survival. There are not enough good contestants.
Add to this a fresh phenomenon in Test cricket, the apparent impossibility of teams to claw their way back into a match after losing the first day or two, and a key element of any sporting contest – not knowing who is going to win – is denied. In the South Africa series, whichever side grabbed the initiative sailed along to a massive victory. This pattern is hard to explain beyond the observation that modern batsmen lack not only the technique but also the mindset to embark upon a long, self-denying rearguard action. It would be a surprise – and a very welcome one – if the Headingley Test manages to buck the trend.
There will not be too much energy wasted debating this problem in the England camp, partly because this detracts from their Test performances this summer. In a surreptitious way this has been a brilliant start for a fresh regime, albeit against vulnerable opponents.
As a new captain, Joe Root has batted superbly; he has led the side adroitly and with an easy authority. He even had the benefit of an early setback against South Africa at Nottingham, where his side not only folded but were chastised for “disrespecting” Test cricket. This may have stunned him but his reaction was calm and the side responded by playing better, a far more effective riposte than any war of words.
Now Root is back at Headingley on Friday for what must be a special occasion for him. It will not necessarily be a coronation. In the past Darren Gough often struggled at Headingley, perhaps because he was striving too hard in front of his own crowd; the same applied to a younger Jimmy Anderson at Old Trafford. So another Test half-century – the 12th in consecutive matches, which would have the statisticians drooling – is on the cards but not guaranteed.
In time-honoured fashion Root will know the importance of looking up rather than down when assessing the conditions in Leeds. If the clouds come over then he has two experts somewhere near the peak of their form to turn to. It has been a vintage summer for Anderson. He has been in rhythm throughout; he has maintained his pace, improved his accuracy and he has taken his wickets without having to rely on the ball swinging, which has seldom happened this summer.
Stuart Broad may be more relaxed now that he has gone past Sir Ian Botham, a brilliant achievement for a pace bowler who is lively but not fast, who swings the ball a bit but not much. He has never possessed the dazzling skills of his senior partner but how he has demonstrated the advantages of cricketing nous, resolve and the capacity to exploit those moments when everything clicks. And he has stayed remarkably fit.
There is understandable talk of rotation and they have decided to bring back Chris Woakes – who if fully fit would always warrant a place in England’s best team – in place of Toby Roland-Jones. Neither Broad nor Anderson will want to be rested. Courtney Walsh, towards the end of his career, said he did not want to stop bowling because he was not sure if he would ever get started again after a break. He may have had a point.
Broad and Anderson scent wickets against a West Indies side under the cosh. It probably does not help that a few former players are piling in with criticisms for this is a callow team with an especially fragile, recently scarred batting lineup. Stuart Law, the coach, is generally the most positive of men. He may point out to his young batsmen that any runs in such dire circumstances count double, not in the scorebook but in his estimation of their prospects as Test cricketers.
