A deep reservoir of pace bowlers is always the aspiration of any cricket squad. England hope they possess one but they cannot be sure. There is no shortage of names but that does not guarantee quality.
We know about Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, whom we can regard as the old firm. Their figures now approach monumental proportions; they share 741 Test wickets between them. Thereafter a pecking order of sorts has emerged but it is not a precise one (ask Liam Plunkett).
But for their injuries Steven Finn and Mark Wood are probably the next in line; they rotated throughout the Ashes series and both would have been selected in the tour party for South Africa if fit. Then it all becomes a bit fuzzy, although Plunkett may not see it in such gentle terms.
Unlike Chris Woakes, Mark Footitt and Chris Jordan, all of whom are going to South Africa, Plunkett was in the Test squad in the United Arab Emirates but he is not required any longer. He has kept his counsel rather well but Jason Gillespie, Plunkett’s coach and mentor at Yorkshire, has let on that he is none too happy.
“I know he is bitterly disappointed”, Gillespie says. “We were left scratching our heads a little bit at Yorkshire. He has gone from almost playing to not in the squad in conditions you think might suit him – fast, bouncy wickets; he is one of the fastest bowlers in the country so that is an interesting one.”
The selection of Woakes for South Africa was no great surprise; he is a dependable cricketer and is the man most capable of acting as cover for Ben Stokes, now recovering from his shoulder injury. Footitt, though representing a bit of a gamble, at least offers welcome variety. So the final place must have rested between Plunkett and Jordan. They plumped for Jordan, who until the friendly against the UAE on Monday, has been sighted here only as a substitute fielder, often at deep midwicket. (This prompted a neat observation below the line on the Guardian website when England were playing their ODI in Sharjah – “Sarfraz tried to hit the ball into Yemen but could only reach Jordan.”)
After he had bowled handily against the UAE Jordan said he was overjoyed to be selected for South Africa, though the news had obviously come as a bit of a surprise. He explained he had been considering playing in the Bangladesh Premier League before his winter took a turn for the better. He was confident “you haven’t seen the best of me as a Test cricketer” (he has played eight Tests) and said he was now in great shape after injuries this year. It was suggested he was a bit rusty with the bat against the UAE when he swished at a lot of hot air. “A lot rusty,” he corrected.
So Jordan has his chance to impress but the reservoir does not end with him. In short-form cricket, Reece Topley and David Willey, both of whom crave playing for England – and their new counties – with a red ball as well, are at the forefront of the selectors’ minds. Unlike Jordan, both have played all the ODIs here and will expect to start in the T20 team.
Then beyond this batch there are two sets of brothers, who should be challenging strongly before too long: the England and Wales Cricket Board coaches are keeping their eyes on the Overtons (Craig and Jamie), who came to Somerset via north Devon and the Currans (Tom and Sam), who arrived at Surrey via Durban and Wellington college. At least two of them could disturb a fragile pecking order quite soon. For the moment I’ll hedge my bets about which ones.
