Gerard Whateley believes the England team are on the “brink of crisis,” with multiple changes forecast for the tourists’ Boxing Day Test team.
Young opener Zak Crawley could earn a recall having been axed with a Test average of just 11 in 2021, while veteran Jonny Bairstow could return to the middle order.
England will likely pick a tweaker in Jack Leach or Dom Bess, while paceman Mark Wood should return and bring bite with the new ball.
“They can put Crawley in at the top of the order if they choose to, as Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns are having their dramas,” Whateley began on SEN 1170 Mornings.
“They have a weakness in the middle order that Bairstow could potentially fill, but his form has been pretty poor over the past three years in Test cricket, so whether that makes them better or not…
“Wood plays as a fast bowler; he should have played in Adelaide. It was a decision that was poor when it was made, you didn’t need hindsight to realise the lack of sheer pace would undermine their attack.
“And they’ll have to play a spinner; Jack Leach I imagine is ahead of Dom Bess, but Leach got manhandled so badly at the Gabba, will they hold their nerve on that?
“So there are no easy answers for England. They look thoroughly overmatched.”
Few of the tourists come even close to matching the Australians’ sound results in the longest format, though they more often play in challenging conditions.
Crawley averages just 28.34 with the bat after 15 Tests, just behind wobbly incumbents Hameed (29.78 in eight) and Burns (30.92 in 31).
Joe Root (50.01 in 111 Tests) and Ben Stokes (36.40 in 73) offer stability in the middle order, but Dawid Malan (30.84 in 19) and Ollie Pope (29.79) are back in the pack.
By contrast, only Marcus Harris of the Australian top five averages fewer than 40 runs in Test cricket; both Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne average more than 60.
“There are players whose credentials in Test cricket weren’t overly sound coming here,” Whateley continued.
“This is the heart of such a difficult tour for England. They have been ruthlessly exposed.
With the Australians just one Test victory away from retaining the Ashes, the visitors have little time to calibrate in the nets and at selection, and dispel any disharmony that may be lingering after consecutive thrashings.
“They appear just on the brink of crisis,” Whateley surmised.
“To read or to listen particularly to the travelling media (is to understand) how real the pressure is on Joe Root’s job as captain at the moment.
“Clearly, the coach Chris Silverwood is under enormous pressure given their deterioration in recent Test results, and the decisions that have been made here that have looked wrong at every turn.
“And then there appears to be division within the ranks, to listen to Joe Root talk about bowlers not bowling the right lengths, and to have read Stuart Broad’s column saying ‘you can’t do that, or you’re bowling half-volleys all the time.'
“They don’t appear tremendously aligned on strategy… the only way to amend that is to win, and winning against this Australian team, now that the momentum has been so thoroughly headed up, is going to be incredibly difficult.”