Does Ben Foakes have a legitimate case for Test selection?

[slowfinger]

The so-called “best wicketkeeper in the world” has been under constant threat of inevitably losing his place in the starting XI for the upcoming series against Ireland and against Australia in this year’s Ashes. Does he deserve a place in the Bazball era?

(Evening Standard) “Foakes has performed the role of designated driver across this intoxicating period. Under Brendon McCullum, he averages 43.66, with a strike-rate of 51.43, figures that pale in comparison to men such as Harry Brook, whose strike-rate is almost double, at 96.88.”

Technically, against a very good bowling attack in Cummins, Hazlewood and co, will he be able to find a way to keep them out and keep the scoreboard ticking?

Personally, if he can find a way to replicate those exact statistics against the attack he is due to face, and his surely superior keeping, I’d have him in the team.

Interestingly Australia always backed Tim Paine who was considerably worse with the bat and arguably with the gloves.

Thoughts?

 

[Ali TT]

I'd always take a clearly superior batter over a clearly superior keeper as at test level the gains for the team you get with the latter are marginal. That Bairstow has requested to keep wicket for Yorkshire this summer tells you where England's thinking is at. However, Foakes is no chump with the bat - he's probably a level above Paine although the concern about him has been his ability against top level pace.

 

[kevinw]

Foakes is usually batting with the tail which I think makes it harder to tee off as he is trying to protect lesser batters. Foakes has done well since his return and if Bairstow wants to get back in the side then he needs to be one of the five best batters.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

Short answer: yes. He's very good.

 

[slowfinger]

Another stoic 70 odd for Foakes today in the County Championship, it seems that no matter how many 70 odds he makes he just won’t be taken as seriously.

Is Bairstow closer to Matt Prior than Foakes to Prior? Foakes seems to be averaging vaguely in the same region domestically as Prior without the replication in international

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

The only case Foakes has is if Bairstow is willing to bat elsewhere as a specialist batsman ,be it as an opener for the bang average Zak Crawley or in place of Ollie Pope whose been okay at No.3 but nothing too special. It would be unfair on Bairstow to warm the bench after 6 test hundreds in his last 10 Tests , somebody has to make way for Jonny .

 

[grecian]

The only case Foakes has is if Bairstow is willing to bat elsewhere as a specialist batsman be it as an opener for the bang average Zak Crawley or in place of Ollie Pope whose been okay at No.3 but nothing too special, it would be unfair on Bairstow to warm the bench after 6 test hundreds in his last 10 Tests , somebody has to make way for Jonny .

Bairstow did all that without the gloves, he shouldn't have the gloves when someone is better at it than him.

Yet again though, all this is press talk on a perceived view of bazball being one of just attacking batting, it seems a bit about that but alsoi just picking the best players at what they do. Despite constant chat about Leach and Foakes not fitting into "Bazball", both have been picked consistently under this management than any others.

If they need to drop Crawley or stupidly Pope, a swap for one bat to another is really the only logical choice.

 

[Adders]

Foakes fits this bazball era perfectly. He is exactly what we need at No 7 and he's bailed us out the **** and made significant contributions there numerous times over this period.

Bairstow for Foakes is a terrible idea and shouldn't even be a consideration.

 

[Socerer 01]

stupid to drop Foakes who has done nothing wrong before dropping Crawley who has done everything wrong imo

 

[Flem274*]

I'd always take a clearly superior batter over a clearly superior keeper as at test level the gains for the team you get with the latter are marginal. That Bairstow has requested to keep wicket for Yorkshire this summer tells you where England's thinking is at. However, Foakes is no chump with the bat - he's probably a level above Paine although the concern about him has been his ability against top level pace.

You're risking dropping a lot of runs.

The old "dropped on 9, scores 223 more" is a far greater punishment than a guy scoring a few less runs per innings on average.

 

[Ashes81]

If Foakes is dropped for Bairstow, not only are we weakening our WK, we're also not getting the best out of Bairstow.

At no.7 I don't think Bairstow would make many more runs than Foakes. Bairstow needs to bat at 4 or 5 so we get the most runs out of him.

Drop Crawley, move Pope to opener, Root at 3, Bairstow, Brook, Stokes with Foakes at 7.

 

[Ali TT]

You're risking dropping a lot of runs.

The old "dropped on 9, scores 223 more" is a far greater punishment than a guy scoring a few less runs per innings on average.

In a one off, yes, but not over a longer timeframe. Also, I wouldn't have a keeper who is utterly useless, no matter what their batting average but the added benefit between a competent one and an exceptional one is minimal at test level. There's a lot of ifs around Bairstow and Foakes - the latter has done ok with the bat in tests but not made himself undroppable, while the former hasn't kept for years even though he'd made himself competent with the gloves after struggling initially. As has been the case with England for some time, we have too many options to fill the lower middle order positions, while our weakness remains at the top.

 

[Socerer 01]

In a one off, yes, but not over a longer timeframe. Also, I wouldn't have a keeper who is utterly useless, no matter what their batting average but the added benefit between a competent one and an exceptional one is minimal at test level. There's a lot of ifs around Bairstow and Foakes - the latter has done ok with the bat in tests but not made himself undroppable, while the former hasn't kept for years even though he'd made himself competent with the gloves after struggling initially. As has been the case with England for some time, we have too many options to fill the lower middle order positions, while our weakness remains at the top.

Bairstow's keeping was so bad that they made Buttler the keeper after a point. he wasn't competent by any measure

and your premise at the start is wrong, it has a bigger impact over a longer timeframe than a one off because you can get away with a few missed chances in one match as they fail to take advantage of it but over a longer period they will take advantage

 

[andruid]

Drop Root. Play Bairstow at 4 ??‍??‍??‍??‍

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

Bairstow's keeping was so bad that they made Buttler the keeper after a point. he wasn't competent by any measure

and your premise at the start is wrong, it has a bigger impact over a longer timeframe than a one off because you can get away with a few missed chances in one match as they fail to take advantage of it but over a longer period they will take advantage

Nah his keeping wasn't amazing but it was fine (other than very early on when he deputised for Prior and was Not Fine).

He didn't lose the gloves to Buttler due to poor keeping, it was because his batting form had slumped and it was hoped that taking the gloves off him would help him get it back. (He was batting at #5 at the time.)

 

[Chin Music]

Surely Bairstow should have tried out as an opener for Yorkshire? Get some runs and he’s in ahead of Crawley. At least this discussion is way better than Read v Jones!

 

[Nas207]

I dont know why this is so complicated. Just drop Crawley. Seriously, does he have blackmail material on someone?

 

[trundler]

He has pictures of the selectors wearing Nazi suits made of latex.

 

[Nas207]

Maybe his Dad is bribing the ecb. Apparently he's filthy rich

 

[Nintendo]

I dont know why this is so complicated. Just drop Crawley. Seriously, does he have blackmail material on someone?

The issue then becomes who opens? If you drop Crawley to fit Bairstow youve got to make major changes to a batting lineup that's been England's most successful in a while.