Alastair Cook 8: That it feels like it has been a solid rather than spectacular summer for Cook says something about the expectations on the England captain. Six hundred and thirty-five runs at 63.50 is a healthy return (and against Pakistan he had the best series scoring-rate of his career – 67.68 per 100 balls ) though he will have been frustrated by the solitary century despite going past 50 on four more occasions. Spoke authoritatively and sympathetically throughout.
Alex Hales 6: A difficult summer with one score higher than 24 in the Pakistan series, when England were putting the tourists to the sword in the second innings at Edgbaston. Now 11 matches into his Test career, which, as has been widely pointed out, is more opportunity than Adam Lyth, Sam Robson or Michael Carberry got as Cook’s opening partner. Trevor Bayliss’s assertion – “They’ve definitely had a decent run at it” – sounded ominous though he has the one-dayers to reassert himself.
Nick Compton 5: Will be looked back on as one of the more curious England Test careers. Having been brought back for the South Africa tour following a two-and-a-half year hiatus, he had a terrible time against Sri Lanka at No3 and was dropped for the Pakistan series. Took a break from the game following his England exit and rediscovered his touch with a century for Middlesex this weekend, but his international career is surely over.
Joe Root 7: As with Cook, a fine summer though not an exceptional one by his own high standards. Still finding his feet at No3 but the 254 at Old Trafford was a full demonstration of his talent, while Hales’s difficulties meant he arrived to the crease inside the first 10 overs in six of the eight innings against Pakistan.
James Vince 5: Unlikely to hold on to his place for the winter – 212 runs at 19.27 is substandard for an England middle-order batsman and he may not have kept hold of his spot through the summer had Ben Stokes not had an injury-plagued year. This might not be the end for good, but will surely be the end of his first run in the side.
Gary Ballance 6: When Bayliss spoke of tough decisions about the squad for India and Bangladesh, you sense he was referring more to Ballance than Vince. One score of any real substance – his 70 in the first innings at Edgbaston – and showed no signs of returning to his early England form. After his in-at-the-deep-end debut in the final Ashes Test in 2013-14, 10 Tests against Sri Lanka, India and West Indies in 2014 and 2015 yielded 1,035 runs at 69.00. Eight Tests since, all at home, have brought 329 runs at 21.93.
Ben Stokes 6: His absence served to highlight just how valuable he is to England – they dominated the only Test against Pakistan in which he played. His return in the winter will restore a bit of balance to the side.
Jonny Bairstow 9: England’s undoubted batting star of the summer. Averaged 75.30 in the two series, scoring 753 runs, despite regularly being left in the lurch by the malfunctioning middle order. And his wicketkeeping has been fine. Jos Buttler no longer seems a rival for Bairstow’s place in the side, more a concern for Ballance and co.
Moeen Ali 8: Still feels like he is in the side for the wrong reason. An unbeaten 155 at Durham was followed by three poor Tests with the bat before a resurgence as he finished the summer with 63, 86no, 108 and 32 – extremely useful runs and he averaged 63.12 in the two series. But his bowling remains patchy. Could he be the solution to England’s middle-order issues if they opt for two spinners in the winter?
Chris Woakes 9: It’s now three years since his Test debut and his record – eight wickets in six Tests before this summer (at 63.75), half of them coming against India at The Oval in 2014 – had plenty wondering about the selectors’ faith. But a superb summer – 34 wickets in six Tests at 17.20 – has repayed that faith with something to spare.
Stuart Broad 7: Excellent against Sri Lanka, less so against Pakistan, but still a very solid, if slightly under-the-radar, summer. Picked up 25 wickets in seven Tests though the closest he came to one of those trademark whirlwind spells was in the first innings against Sri Lanka at Headingley, when his four for 21 was overshadowed by Anderson’s five for 16. Handy contributions in both innings against Pakistan at Lord’s were also outshone by Woakes’s 10-wicket haul. Still a vital member of the side.
Jimmy Anderson 8: His absence through injury at Lord’s may end up being his greatest impact on the summer – his exclusion against the wishes of Cook and Bayliss could lead to the end of England’s selection panel. Despite missing that Test, he added 30 wickets to his tally and showed little sign of age catching up with him.
Steven Finn 6: While the sense is that there are plenty of batsmen queueing up behind the current incumbents, there is not the same feeling, rightly or wrongly, in the county bowling ranks. That the next in line, Jake Ball, did not entirely grab his chance at Lord’s eased the pressure on Finn but he has not done enough to suggest he will hold on to his place now Mark Wood has returned to fitness.
Jake Ball 6: File under One For The Future. With Anderson and Broad still going strong, Woakes emerging as a mainstay and Wood’s imminent return there does not appear to be much of a vacancy in the side for the Nottinghamshire seamer. Made his debut at Lord’s thanks to Anderson’s injury, and claimed just one wicket, but it will have been a useful experience.
Your favourite new nightwatchman
Sri Lanka v Australia is the series that keeps on giving. Monday’s highlight came from Dilruwan Perera. With Australia dismissed for 379, a lead of 24, Sri Lanka’s openers faced a tricky five-over spell before the close of day three. A nightwatchman, it was decided, was the order of the day. Step forward Perera, who strode to the crease with Dimuth Karunaratne, and took his guard to face the first ball of the innings. Mitchell Starc steamed in …
Perera duly provided one of the great nightwatchman innings. He cut the first ball for four, crashed the third through point for another boundary, then didn’t play a shot to the fourth and was trapped plumb lbw. Still, his eight runs meant the opening partnership was Sri Lanka’s highest of the series.
• This is an extract taken from the Spin, the Guardian’s weekly cricket email. To subscribe just visit this page, find ‘The Spin’ and follow the instructions.
