by sussexpob » Tue Aug 01, 2023 9:41 am
BFL's player ratings are generally pretty similar to my own, but may as well throw my hat in the ring.
England
Ben Duckett - 6
Duckett is the pure emobodiment of Bazball. Technically poor around the wicket, and the only opener I have ever seen who refuses to leave the ball, I do wonder if this resurgence after re-selection will not peeter out to lower returns in the future. Australia bowled particularly poorly to Duckett after he fell into traps to the short ball early on. Never looked like getting much, but thats the wonder of ultra-positive cricket.... a few false strokes here and there gotten away with, and a handful of overs pass and he is near 50. On flat pitches he's is fearsome, but on pitches that seam, I'd back myself to get him all the time. In the end, he had a pretty good series.
Zak Crawley - 9
More than the runs Zak scored, it was the tone he set straight up that hurt Australia. Any hint that Cummins might have attacked a little more were snuffed out pretty much as soon as Crawley crunched a boundary. The weaknesses are still there outside off stump, and at times luck favoured him with edges landing short or dropped - Cricinfo claiming that his 100 had the most false shots ever recorded since the stat has been charted - but every batsman will occassionally play and miss. The question is, does the consistent starts not turned into big scores represent room for improvement, or represent he's at a high level of form to turn failure into starts? The answer to that question will define his career - if he can start turning all those 40s into 70s or even 100s, then the unrestricted support of his management will finally be justified in buckets.
Ollie Pope - 4
I wanted to put zero here just for that shot he got out to at Lords. Pope has improved in the bazball era, but not to the extent of the general improvement. FInding a test class 3 is never easy, so that might save Pope from the permanent axe when fit again, but his natural style is not suited to bazball, and despite the fact I have always liked him even I concede that his returns just havent been good enough.
Joe Root - 9
The questionable declaration in the first test turned an unfinished Root classic from potential match-winner to consolation points, and his partnership with Crawley at Old Trafford may have ended in a drawn test, but the blows landed felt like they were still stinging as the teams went to the Oval. Another very good innings turned a close match in England's favour.... three contributions that could/should have won test matches in 5 games? Inbetween, there was famine, but the feasts give Root a big score.
Harry Brook - 5
Maybe a harsh score for someone averaging 40, but he needed drops and a hell of a lot of luck to get anywhere this series. Fortune smiled on him a lot - it wont always, and if he plays like this when his luck turns, things could turn ugly. Another player who might do better outside England as his career goes on.
Ben Stokes - 7
Loses a mark for the declaration in the first test. At Lords, his incredible hulk show nearly turned a forlorn situation into another classic, and there was enough decent contributions in England's wins to push scores from good to match winners. The fact he didnt bowl in the last 3 tests is a worry, but I think this is the new Stokes... injuries and workload are catching up, and we might be witnessing the end stage of his career.
Jonny Bairstow - 5
He came back from a bad injury, and clearly wasnt match fit. Fortune at Lords in the first innings gave him a decent score, but it was a calamity behind the stumps from ball 1, and with it failure with the bat. By Old Trafford, fitness and form returned, catches started to stick (including 1 or 2 really good ones) and the flow to his batting that had been fearsome last summer started to return. England really shouldnt have picked him until he was fit, and those errors behind the stumps might have been the difference between wins and losses in both cases. But we can only judge on what we had, and those mistakes cost England dear, and lose Jonny a few points.
Mo Ali - 3
Moeen claims if Stokes messages him to appear in an England shirt again, he will delete it - I think that would be generous to assume such a text will be sent. Aside from the cameo at Manchester elevated to 3, Moeen averaged 25 with bat and over 50 per wicket with the ball - and in two of the 5 tests, his fitness was questionable enough to even allow a compliment of full bowling. He answered the teams call, but England would have been better to have blooded a younger option - I dont think they could have done worse. Time to move on.... decent guy, but no longer a test worthy option. A bad call from the selectors and management.
Chris Woakes - 10
The best players make the game look simple. Get the line right, get the length right, get the wrist in the right position to allow the ball to move - easy, right? Woakes selection changed the series, and conditions seemed to change when he was trundling in. He moves 3rd onto the all time averages list of pace bowlers with 100 wickets in England... in English conditions, he should be one of the first names on the team sheet. Overseas, he should be the first name left off the team sheet. History doesn't lie...
Stuart Broad - 7
A decent, if unremarkable series for Broad. When he got it right, he moved the ball from dangerous areas, and maybe at times deserved more from his efforts - like yesterday in tandem with Woakes, who took all the wickets while Broad produced all the pressure, and deserved some himself. Still, a decent end to a good career - can wander off into the sunset with a last ball wicket for Ashes victory, and a last shot in test cricket that killed someone in the stand.
Mark Wood - 9
With no recent miles on the clock, and a tank full of gas, I was staggered by the pace Wood served up in the third test. Wood started the counter attack with a hostile spell of bowling at Leeds, and ripped into the Aussies in the 4th test as England forlornly persued the win. As is always the case though, a few tests here and there and questions of fitness, this time a heel injury, meant he was more subdued at the Oval... still cant take away his series changing effort in Leeds. Couple of decent slogs with the bat too.
Josh Tongue - 7
Bowled better than his stats suggest, and was an encouraging if somewhat raw start. Be looking forward to seeing him again soon. Looks a good prospect
Jimmy Anderson - 1
Not since Jimmy trundled through 3 tests with a broken back in 2006/07 Ashes series, has he ever looked so unthreatening. Jimmy had a real career low point, and it can be somewhat summed up in the last test where Broad had the ball ragging everywhere at the other end, while the master of swing couldnt get anything going. He turned 41 in the last test, and he suddenly looks very much like he is 41. Had this been a case of just some bad bowling here and there, you'd be more confident - the fact he was gun-barrel straight with the ball while others had it on a rope feels less encouraging. Did Broad beat him to the punch retiring at the end of this test? I am sure Anderson will want his retirement moment alone.... but 1 or 2 test matches repeating this series, and he might not even get the luxury of deciding. In fact, he might not after a series averaging 85.... sorry Jimmy, I love you.... but this was a horror show.
Ollie Robinson - 5
Stats feel like somewhat of a lie, as an average of 28 feels way too good for what he produced. At times it looked flat, and his pace was well down. Got himself into unnecessary scraps on the field, and made himself look like an idiot off it. A blip in a great career effort so far. With Anderson fading and Broad gone, Robinson will need to get back up to speed quickly.
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And a hat and bra to you too, my good sirs!