Alastair Cook believes James Taylor’s time as a Test cricketer has now come before the batsman’s return to the England side following a three-year absence.
Nottinghamshire right-hander Taylor comes in for Sunday’s third Test against Pakistan in place of the dropped wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, with Jonny Bairstow now taking the gloves for what is a must-win match if a series defeat is to be avoided. Taylor, who won two caps against South Africa in 2012 but failed to make the winter tour to India that year, comes in after a bumper summer in the County Championship that saw him hit a career-best 291 against Sussex in July before registering his maiden international hundred in the one-day series with Australia.
Cook has been keen to get Taylor into the Test side on this tour because of his perceived strength against spin bowling; however, a spot has not become available with the management keen to give Bairstow, called up during the Ashes, a fair run.
Asked if the 25-year-old was ready for his England return in the longest form of the game, Cook replied: “I firmly believe he is. He played a couple of games in 2012, didn’t make the next tour and I’m sure he felt harshly treated. Sometimes that is how it goes. He has gone away over last three years and is a lot different player to what I remembered. We saw that in one-day series in summer and how he played quick bowlers against Australia and the way he scored that hundred and looked a fantastic player.
“He has come on tour and continued that; he is itching to play. You don’t average 47-48 in first-class cricket without being a fine player and clearly his strength is when he gets in, he gets big scores – and we know how important first innings runs are to set up the game.”
With fast bowler Mark Wood declared unfit for selection as a longstanding ankle problem is rested, Cook admitted he was still unsure if the seamer Liam Plunkett or the spinning all-rounder Samit Patel would come into the side.
The words of Cook’s opposite number, Misbah-ul-Haq, may provide some help in terms of which way to go, with Pakistan also needing to shuffle their bowling after seamer Imran Khan was ruled out with a hand injury suffered during Friday’s training session.
The spinner Bilal Asif, recently cleared for throwing by the ICC testing centre in Chennai, or the left-arm seamer Rahat Ali could come in, with Misbah admitting he was leaning towards the latter on the evidence of the pitch a day out. Pakistan also see the batsman Azhar Ali return to the side following a foot injury and visa problems that saw him miss the first two Tests, with opener Shan Masood – removed all four times in the series by Jimmy Anderson – the likeliest to make way.
Misbah added: “Obviously, you have to think positively and we will do our best not leave any stone unturned and play well and win. Confidence is high after winning the last game; it’s an important match and we will do our best to win.”
