There is no better time for an honest review than after a flawed victory. England have a win under their belts against Bangladesh and by 6pm on Thursday it was all reassuringly straightforward. But earlier there had been disconcerting moments and some of them took place before the match began.
The first ones came with the teamsheet. Might Jake Ball become the new Gary Ballance? These two are very worthy cricketers. But in the 2015 World Cup the selection of an out-of-form Ballance for England’s first match came to personify the insecure safety-first instincts that were to bedevil the side throughout that (much longer) campaign.
At the Oval the pitch was brown, true and slow. There was not much there for the pace bowlers, yet England chose five of them with Ball preferred to Adil Rashid. This hinted at a lack of self-belief, which, to be fair, has not been a characteristic of Eoin Morgan’s clear-sighted regime since that calamitous World Cup. This was a surprise since Rashid had been selected for 41 of England’s past 44 ODI matches. The conditions demanded variety rather than a battery of five right-handed pace bowlers plus Moeen Ali. For England’s most important match in 45 ODIs, they declined to pick their wrist-spinner. (Mind you, Bangladesh were equally cautious when deciding to omit their specialist spinner, Mehedi Hasan, who gave England such a roasting in two Tests in the winter)
So this suggested that England do not have absolute faith in Rashid, who, according to his self-effacing spin partner, Moeen, “has many more variations” and is therefore a more likely wicket-taker. Morgan keeps telling us that he is always chasing wickets: for the record Moeen has 47 in 55 matches, Rashid 63 in 46.
However, the preference for Ball rather than Rashid probably reflected a greater lack of faith in the fitness of some of England’s bowlers, which was subsequently justified. Ben Stokes has had all the attention and out of necessity he was compelled to propel seven overs on Thursday. But Chris Woakes, who had missed England’s last two ODIs, could manage just two before his left side was strained, the only two overs he will bowl in the Champions Trophy. Was Woakes compensating in his delivery stride because of his recent thigh problem? We will never know. Now Ball may become a legitimate selection.
Perhaps there has been an element of wish fulfilment in England’s assessment of the fitness of Stokes and Woakes. They are England’s engine room, two all-rounders near their peak; vital players long since inked into the best side. Why would you not be desperate for them to play?
This yearning stretches to Andrew Strauss, England’s cricket director, who gave this pair permission for an extended stay in the Indian Premier League. They were first choices in their teams, unlike Morgan or Jason Roy, so they were kept busy. Both are adamant that the Indian experience has enhanced them as cricketers. But both are battling with their bodies. Is that merely an unlucky coincidence? Something for Strauss to ponder.
That wish fulfilment may also extend to Roy, who has reached double figures once (when scoring 20 against Ireland at Lord’s) in six ODIs this summer. Morgan’s faith in Roy is admirable and almost absolute – he has hinted that he would keep picking the Surrey opener in this tournament come what may. However, such faith cannot last indefinitely; soon it may border on superstition.
To replace Roy with Jonny Bairstow (albeit an inexperienced opener) would not be another Ballance moment betraying a loss of faith in England’s oft-quoted positive approach. Bairstow may have a different technique to Roy but his approach is similar. To use a couple of old-fashioned adjectives, seldom used now, he is strong rather than stable.
Against better attacks than that of Bangladesh, England might need a full quota of batsmen as well as the bowlers most likely to conjure up some wickets on true tracks. In tournament cricket the short-term goals prevail; showing the faith and being consistent by backing your chosen men has to give way to picking the bloke likely to score the most runs at some point. Roy’s rope may not extend beyond the New Zealand game if he remains in his trough.
Still, England produced a rather better performance than when they last encountered Bangladesh in an ICC tournament in Adelaide (defeat by 15 runs and an early flight home in 2015). It will be trickier in Cardiff on Tuesday against the Kiwis. Surely they were the Antipodeans at Edgbaston who were denied victory by the rain on Friday.
New Zealand always seem undaunted when playing against their noisy neighbours and they are unlikely to be overawed by the prospect of facing England. Against Australia, they tossed in Luke Ronchi, a wildcard, as an opening batsman; Kane Williamson became the tournament’s second centurion after Joe Root – the cream is already coming to the surface – and in a brief period in the field their trio of pace bowlers demonstrated the benefits of bowling with genuine hostility at the start. They are not compromising their modern, aggressive approach.
The Edgbaston no result means that one more victory for England in Group A – either against the Kiwis or Australia on Saturday – will allow Morgan’s side a passage into the semi‑finals.
