Top marks for James Anderson and Jonny Bairstow?
Monday 27 June 2016 07:29, UK
After England got their summer off to a winning start with a 2-0 Test series victory over Sri Lanka, Bob Willis casts his eye over the performances of the hosts' players.
James Anderson and Jonny Bairstow were the undoubted stars during a three-match series dominated by Alastair Cook's side but while others also had a positive impact, not every player will be satisfied with their contribution to the team.
Read on to see how Bob rated the England players efforts' and why...
Alastair Cook - 7/10
212 runs @ 70.66 - one fifty
I think he captained the side very well - he is far more positive in that regard than he used to be - and he made contributions with the bat without making huge scores. Getting past 10,000 runs is another feather in his cap and he is going to remain England skipper for as long as he wants to.
Alex Hales - 8/10
292 runs @ 58.40 - three fifties
He played very well on two tough pitches at Headingley and Durham and also at Lord's, where it was a shame he couldn't reach three figures. He has learnt where his off stump is and leaves the ball very well having curbed some of his one-day intentions in the longer form. He'll be in the side for a while.
Nick Compton - 4/10
51 runs @ 12.75
He struggles desperately with his trigger movements and took his poor from with Middlesex into the international arena, nicking off continually to similarly-pitched deliveries outside off stump. I expect him to be replaced by Scott Borthwick against Pakistan, although I would go back to Ian Bell.
Joe Root - 6/10
87 runs @ 21.75 - one fifty
A fairly poor series by his high standards, with just an 80 up in Durham. He played a couple of over-confident shots but also got a couple of good deliveries, so I have no concerns about him whatsoever. He also looked good in charge at Lord's when Cook was off the field injured.
James Vince - 5/10
54 runs @ 13.50
When I played batsmen were flung out after two games but I am sure England will stick with Vince against Pakistan - seven Tests seems to be the norm for them to judge a player. He needs to learn where his off stump is, though, as good players don't get bowled out very often.
Ben Stokes - 6/10
12 runs @ 12.00
One wicket @ 25.00
It's hard to judge Stokes on one Test up at Headingley where other players did most of the work! More generally, it's all well and good playing shots but on English pitches sometimes you need to have a look at the bowling before you go blazing. He'll probably come back strong against Pakistan.
Jonny Bairstow - 9/10
387 runs @ 129.00 - two hundreds
He couldn't have batted better; he was a revelation at Headingley on a pitch every other batsman struggled on and then added another hundred at Lord's. His keeping remains a major problem, however, so England have to decide whether they can put up with the odd dropped catch.
Moeen Ali - 6/10
189 runs @ 63.00 - one hundred
Two wickets @ 90.00
Moeen is an extremely selfless cricketer who always looks to play his shots, as he did during that marvellous century in Durham. He wasn't needed as a bowler, though, so I hope he gets more opportunity against Pakistan looking ahead to the tours of Bangladesh and India later this year.
Stuart Broad - 7/10
12 wickets @ 24.58
Stuart always makes a contribution with the ball, even if he was perhaps not at his scintillating best in this series. Some of his best work was on unresponsive pitches and his partnership with James Anderson is highly effective. His batting has gone backwards, however.
James Anderson - 9/10
21 wickets @ 10.80 - three five-wicket hauls
He is now quite rightly the No 1 bowler in the world - if there is anything in a pitch he will exploit it with the seam and if there is any swing he will find it. He has tremendous control, hoodwinks batsmen and is very much the leader of the England attack. He is just getting better and better.
Steve Finn - 7/10
Seven wickets @ 28.14
He had a tough start to the series and I don't think he bowled particularly well at Headingley or Durham, but he always has this knack of picking up wickets and bowled much better at Lord's. England will, though, have a tough decision to make over him and Chris Woakes when Stokes is fit.
Chris Woakes - 8/10
105 runs @ 52.50
Eight wickets @ 18.75
Woakes was a revelation after his poor performances in South Africa, bowling quicker and with more aggression than anyone else and also generating good bounce from a good length. He showed he was a proper batsman against fast-medium bowlers, too, and that could give him the edge over Finn.
Watch England and Sri Lanka's five-match ODI series live on Sky Sports, starting with the opening match, at Trent Bridge, from 1.30pm, on Tuesday, June 21.
