Blog

It might have been destiny’s decree that the nadir of England’s recent Test performances happened to be on the 2nd of February aka Groundhog day, with a second consecutive Test defeat in the Caribbean.

Like the proverbial groundhog, nobody knows which England team will come out of the burrow, the one which is interested on its own shadow and scurries back to familiar surroundings or the one that skittles along signalling spring and happier times ahead. 

England’s batting failures against lowly-ranked Windies also shows how the team have gone full circle, with an inevitable sense of déjà vu and repetition just like the film Groundhog Day. With a repetitive pattern to the Test game constitution by busts and booms, the English Team would feel like they have got themselves trapped in a time loop, just like the film. 

Almost exactly a year ago, the Barmy Army returned home from Down Under after witnessing their team go down 4-0 in the Ashes series, with a combination of a badly curated drop-in pitch and inclement weather in Melbourne saving them the ignominy of a Whitewash. Apart from captain Joe Root, the rest of the English batting failed to impress with the likes of Moeen Ali and James Vince faltering against the Aussie pace. Even England’s bowlers weren’t as effective on pitches that weren’t as swing friendly as back home, with the Aussies scoring in excess of 300 five out of the eight times of asking. 

Joe Root’s red ball misadventure in the Southern hemisphere continued with a 1-0 series loss against New Zealand. A Trent Boult and Tim Southee masterclass saw the visitors get bowled out within a session for a paltry score of 58 as the Kiwis gained a comfortable victory by an innings and 41 runs in Auckland. 

Despite having a horrendous start to the year, the English stars picked themselves up when the top ranked Test team of the World India came visiting. With the all-round exploits of newfound hero Sam Curran, Joe Root’s team slayed the Indian challenge and ended up winning the series 4-1. They followed this zeal to the tour of Sri Lanka, with the spin duo of newbie Jack Leach and Moeen Ali giving them a 3-0 series sweep in the subcontinent for the first time ever. Sri Lanka helped the Team rise to third in the Test rankings, only behind India and South Africa. 

Therefore, one could be forgiven to predict the English Lions would make light work of their Caribbean counterparts, given the hosts themselves were coming off the back of two consecutive whitewashes in the sub-continent against India and Bangladesh respectively.  

The highly touted England batters failed to live up to their expectations yet again Pace trio of Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel and Jason Holder ensuring the visitors never crossed 250. 

England’s batting capitulation shows that Joe Root’s side have a long way to go in a quest for Test dominance. Unlike with the ODI team, their aggressive style of play has come back to haunt them in the Tests. The likes of Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes have failed to fully transition themselves to Test players. They either play their natural attacking game, which ends up giving the opposition chances, or they get too defensive and end up inviting too much pressure on themselves. Ben Foakes and Sam Curran, who were the star performers with the bat against Sri Lanka and India respectively also failed to continue their good run. 

Randy Brooks/ AFP

Also, their bowling too has sold them short, with lead bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad a shadow of their revered exteriors on away tours where the wind is more static. Just like India have often dubbed ‘flat track bullies’, England are very much ‘swing yard’ bullies with the team struggling to pose enough questions to the batsman on tracks that are turning square or assisting extra pace. 

Just like the groundhog, nobody knows what to expect when the English Test team take to the field, but they never cease to amuse and of the best enough buzz about them. The final Test against a Holder-less Windies could be a crucial point for Joe Root’s men. Ahead of the World Cup and the Ashes, this final performance in the Caribbean could end up dictating if the team is headed towards spring or will the harsh winter continue?