Friday 4 August 2017 23:43, UK
Bob Willis believes another innings without a score and a failure to learn from his mistakes is likely to cost Keaton Jennings a place in the England squad for the West Indies series...
Keaton Jennings failed to make a score again and I would be looking elsewhere for the West Indies series.
Most of Alastair Cook's opening partners since Andrew Strauss retired have been given a spread of seven matches if you think back to Adam Lyth, Sam Robson and Nick Compton's two comings as an England player.
But the problem with Jennings is, he keeps getting out in the same way. He stands there with his bat out in front of his body with very little give in his front leg and the bowlers bowl at the top of off stump with the ball leaving him and he nicks it behind.
Although conditions haven't been easy - there hasn't been a belting batting pitch all series - the alarm bells must be ringing when a player, at this level, keeps getting out in the same way.
We can see by the number of partners that Cook has had that it is a very difficult assignment indeed. I guess the next greyhound in the traps would be Mark Stoneman, another left-hander and opening bowlers seem to like bowling at left-handers.
The Ashes this winter will certainly be considered and while you are talking more about pace in Australia rather than movement, I think that Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are pretty good exponents of bowling that searching line outside off stump.
We've seen a few short deliveries from Morne Morkel this summer but pitches here don't have the same pace as in Australia so it is difficult to judge anybody before they take that on.
I'm sure Jennings like most opening batsmen, likes pace on the ball but if they're thinking of a change - and Stoneman may be their selection - then they've got to give whoever it is these three Test matches against the West Indies.
Ideally, what England would want would be for Haseeb Hameed to return to form and provide them with a right-hand, left-hand combination at the top of the order.
Before the series began, we thought that after his success in India, Jennings and Hameed would be two or three with Cook. I'd love Hameed to come good because his temperament is so special.
Sure, he got smashed on the fingers a bit but they're not going to pick him without some form for Lancashire.
I've said before, I think there is too much interference from Hameed's father and a bit of pressure from him. I think Hameed is a very mature character but you can't select a guy if he is not scoring runs at county level.
Meanwhile, Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada did quite brilliantly for South Africa. They haven't got the support of Vernon Philander this time so the back-up bowling isn't as strong although Duanne Olivier produced the perfect delivery to dismiss Jennings and picked up Joe Root as well.
I think they've done an admirable job. There has been help for the seam bowlers but in a series where the side batting first has won easily each time, you need your bowlers to bowl very well when you are forced to field first.
Morkel got rid of Dawid Malan and with the left-hander failing again the big question mark is still there with England's batting.
Tom Westley might have solved a position if we don't go down the Stoneman, Hameed route but you've still got that problem at five.
As I said during the last Test, I don't know why Malan isn't batting at seven with Jonny Bairstow at five. They can't be saying he's a better batsman than Ben Stokes and Bairstow and there is no disgrace playing as a specialist batsman at No 7.
The loss of Malan just before tea put an enormous amount of strain on Root, Stokes, Bairstow and Ali yet again - they keep having to do it.
I think England would be very happy with 375 if they could get there from this position. It is unlikely though and I'm sure the weather will play a part at some stage so we're probably not going to get five full playing days. Batting first they'd be disappointed if they didn't get 350-plus and will want a minimum of 300.
