Trevor Bayliss, the England head coach, insisted Joe Root harbours no regrets over the decision to put Australia in at Adelaide despite the hosts building a dominant first-innings total.
Root’s call at the toss on day one, perhaps guided by the two previous day-nighters here being won by the side batting second, had drawn comparisons with Nasser Hussain’s decision in Brisbane on the 2002-03 tour long before Steve Smith’s side declared on 442 for eight on the second evening.
Speaking after his side had sent down 149 overs across five sessions and then lost the wicket of Mark Stoneman before rain, Bayliss admitted Root has been forced to cope with the hand he has been dealt: an attack of right-arm fast-mediums that is lacking in variety and pace.
But asked if Root now wished he had opted to bat, given the uphill struggle the tourists now face in trying to avoid going 2-0 before Perth, Bayliss replied: “No, he wouldn’t do anything differently. It’s well documented that one of our challenges is taking wickets on flatter pitches. So Joe wanted to give our guys the best opportunity to take 20 wickets. It didn’t work out, although I thought we bowled pretty well. Look, it wasn’t an easy decision. It wasn’t taken lightly.
“ Another day, another two or three nicks might have had us in a different position. It might have evened it up from Trent Bridge two years ago when they nicked everything [Australia were bowled out for 60 after being inserted].”
Though the fast but fragile Mark Wood is set to play in the two-day tour match that starts in Perth on Saturday and precedes the third Test – he has recently returned with the Lions – doubts remain among the England management regarding the Durham quick’s durability over five days.
A more pressing worry is the bowling of Moeen Ali who, after a side-strain in the lead-up to the series and a cut to his spinning finger at the Gabba, has looked devoid of confidence with the ball and picked up only two wickets at 88 runs apiece from the three innings to date.
Asked where the all-rounder is fitness-wise, Bayliss replied: “His finger is OK, he bowled a number of overs [24] but there are no concerns over it, that’s for sure.”
England’s second day in the field at the Adelaide Oval was less spiky than the first, when Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson had sought out a running verbal battle with Smith to continue what has been a fractious start to the series.
Bayliss, though not a fan of sledging, admitted his personal preference is for on-field talk not to be broadcast to the wider world. He added: “It’s just the way the game is these days. I’d like to see the microphones turned down, I don’t think that’s necessarily a good thing for young kids watching.
“I don’t think anyone has to listen to what is being said. But it’s grown men playing a very competitive sport and sometimes those emotions boil over.”
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