If anyone is qualified to defend the pedigree of Alex Hales as a potential Test opener it is James Taylor, who has witnessed first-hand his county team-mate’s development in long-form cricket over the past two seasons at Nottinghamshire.
Hales may have failed in this weather-shortened opening three-day tour match in South Africa, dismissed twice for eight after being backed by Trevor Bayliss, England’s coach, to become captain Alastair Cook’s latest opening partner when the first Test starts in Durban on Boxing Day.
However, the 26-year-old has not just been picked for his exploits in international limited-overs cricket, where he is the only Englishman to have scored international centuries in both the 20 and 50-over formats. Hales has proven pedigree in first-class cricket, too, averaging 51 and 49 in each of the last two summers.
Taylor, who started the tour with a century on day one of this match against a South Africa Invitational XI, said: “I know he’s going to be frustrated but it happens, it’s only one game and as an opener it’s a tough place to bat. You’re going to get those low scores but I’m sure he’ll bounce back.
“He’s just played in the UAE – totally different conditions from here. Ideally you’d score a hundred in your first game but it doesn’t always work like that and I’m sure he’ll bounce back for the next game.”
Taylor was speaking after England’s preparations for next week’s first Test were hit by the weather on the Highveld, with play halted only six minutes into the afternoon session by a spectacular electrical storm.
Unlike England’s World Twenty20 match against New Zealand in Bangladesh last year, the umpires were quick to usher the teams off the field when forked lightning struck close to the ground. The delay in Chittagong led Stuart Broad to complain the players’ safety had been compromised – but there were no such worries this time and, with lightning continuing for several hours, play never resumed.
It meant England’s bowlers were denied two sessions of practice they really could have done with, especially as Jimmy Anderson and Broad were restricted to only five and six overs respectively in the match.
Mark Footitt, too, was also robbed of perhaps his final opportunity to stake a claim for a place in England’s XI for Durban. The left-arm seamer produced an erratic display in the first innings, when he took two for 51, and would have liked another chance to show what he can do. He may still get an opportunity in England’s final warm-up match, against South Africa A, starting in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday, but probably only if either Anderson or Broad are rested.
If the storm that hit shortly after lunch was spectacular, the batting by England before it was anything but. When the morning began, the tourists were 99 for three and with Gary Ballance, unbeaten on six overnight, keen to prove a point in his first England knock since being dropped after last summer’s Lord’s Ashes Test.
There were some nice shots from Ballance, who had started his Test career well before losing his way earlier this year. However, after reaching 25 he was caught at mid-on attempting to pull Junior Dala, the man who twice dismissed Hales in this match. With that went any hopes Ballance had of forcing his way into England’s side for the first Test, Nick Compton now seemingly certain to claim the No3 role following his first-innings 58 here.
Ballance’s departure sparked a slide that resulted in England losing three wickets in eight balls. With a lead of 418 at the time, the collapse really was insignificant in the wider context of this match, which didn’t have first-class status.
Jonny Bairstow was the second of those wickets to fall, for a golden duck, after being harshly judged to have edged Dieter Klein behind. Joe Root, who started the day unbeaten on 26, at least top-scored in the innings with 39 but could not kick on, Dala grabbing the scalp of the world’s No1-ranked Test batsman.
Root at least spent close to two hours in the middle and given his form this year – the Yorkshireman has hit a phenomenal 2,131 international runs so far in 2015 – England will not worry about him when the serious stuff starts on Saturday week against South Africa.
Chris Woakes and Broad were also both dismissed cheaply by Dala, who celebrated a memorable five-wicket haul. The innings then concluded when Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes, both out in the twenties, departed.
When play resumed after lunch, Anderson was given the new ball for the first time in the match. He was able to bowl only one over before the heavens opened. Footitt also managed to get an over in but further undermined his selection claims by conceding five runs from it.
