There’s a lot to like about England’s squad for the first Test against New Zealand. But don’t be dazzled by the headline omission of Zak Crawley or the call-ups for uncapped trio Emilio Gay, James Rew and Sonny Baker. This is the same old Bazball.
Crawley was always going to be the sacrificial lamb for England’s sins in Australia last winter once it was confirmed that head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key were going to keep their jobs in the wake of the 4-1 Ashes mauling.
After 64 Tests in which he averaged 31, Crawley can have no complaints about being replaced by Gay, whose fine start to the season for Durham has earned him an opening spot alongside Ben Duckett for the first Test that starts at Lord’s on 4 June.
Along with Rew, confirmed as the spare batter in the 15-man squad, and fast bowler Baker, England have made three progressive picks that offer a nod to county cricket and present the impression of a fresh start following that Ashes nightmare Down Under.
Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll see not that much has changed. That’s because the decision to overlook Sam Cook, the leading English wicket-taker in Division One of this year’s County Championship, is typical of a set-up that still too often picks players more by gut feeling than on-field performances.
That’s not to say recalling Ollie Robinson, who Key confirmed would take the new ball at Lord’s, or taking a punt on Baker, whose inexperience is trumped by the raw pace that marks him out as a star of the future, is wrong. Both deserve their places, as does Josh Tongue, the outstanding English bowler in Australia last winter.
Yet how there is no room for the best county seamer of his generation just weeks after Key promised to place greater weight in terms of selection on domestic performances is a nonsense.
At 28, Cook’s chances of adding to his sole cap earned against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge last summer are looking slim. Indeed, this looks like a sliding-doors moment. This was his opportunity to be given another chance, especially with Jofra Archer being rested for the first Test against New Zealand.
Gay, Rew, Baker and Robinson have all rightly been rewarded for strong starts to the season. But few have started the summer stronger than Cook, who has 21 wickets at 20.66 for Essex.
Yes, his Test debut against Zimbabwe was poor. Yet it came in a generally poor, injury-hit summer in which Cook only took 16 wickets at 35 for Essex.
Over the previous four summers since the pandemic he took 200 wickets at 16.89. No other English seamer comes close. And given England are struggling for new-ball bowlers, this decision looks even more bizarre.
The days of the Bazball regime picking players on vibes was meant to have been a thing of the past following that wretched Ashes series in Australia.
The rebuild that begins now will ultimately be judged on the result of next summer’s home Ashes. Surely Cook had to be given a chance to be part of that ahead of Matthew Fisher, a game but relatively inexperienced seamer.
Asked why Cook was overlooked, Key told The i Paper: “I spoke to Sam Cook earlier. They’re hard conversations to have because there’s not much more you can say. He’s bowling well, getting wickets.
“We felt last year after Zimbabwe it wasn’t his best year. Whereas this year he looks back somewhere close to his best. It’s one of those.”
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One of what? Decisions that doesn’t make sense?
Key went on: “He’s in that group of new-ball bowlers with the likes of Matt Potts, Fisher, who was out in Australia as well so we felt it’s his chance. He bowled really well in the last game he played for Surrey… Unfortunately for Sam it’s just keep doing what you’re doing.””
Fisher took six for 144 against Sussex last week, Cook six for 108 against Hampshire – both Division One fixtures.
The argument that McCullum, Key and the rest of the selection panel, including new national selector Marcus North, have created a level playing field for all outstanding county performers following the Ashes debacle has been shown up for what it is – a mirage.