Moeen Ali enters England’s spin equation – but why not Adil Rashid too?

theguardian.com

There is only one thing worse than drawing a Test match that you have dominated throughout and that is losing it. At least England avoided that indignity. As in their last Test in Antigua in 2009 they had nothing to show for a lot of noble sweat and toil. They could not finish off opposition deemed to be mediocre in some high places.

Yet England played pretty well. With a red ball in a half-empty ground, their players – with the possible exception of Jimmy Anderson, when he was so anxious to get Sir Ian Botham’s wicket landmark out of the way – looked as relaxed and contented as the goats grazing in the long grass beyond the stands, far more so than during the World Cup. But they could not win.

Next stop is Grenada, where the second Test starts on Tuesday, and a stadium built by the People’s Republic of China. England have never played a Test match in this part of the world and it will not be like Melbourne on Boxing Day there either. West Indies have played two Tests in Grenada. In 2002 they drew with New Zealand and in 2009 they lost by four wickets to Bangladesh when 17 West Indian wickets fell to spinners. Six years is a long time in Test cricket but England will note that when considering the make-up of their side. The likelihood is that there will be even less pace in the Grenada pitch than in Antigua.

England’s party will be expanded even further by the arrival of Moeen Ali and there can be an interesting debate over whether/how they should use him.

The major concern after the Antigua Test remains at the top of the order. In two innings Alastair Cook made 24 in 50 balls, Jonathan Trott four in 18 balls. For one opener to lose form may be regarded as a misfortune; for two to do so looks like carelessness. Cook will have more leeway to recover his form. After all, he is the captain and he could scarcely be faulted in his efforts in the field, even during the frustrating final day.

Elsewhere I have tossed out the mischievous notion of Kevin Pietersen volunteering to open the batting for Surrey, given how well England’s middle order performed in Antigua. I might even consider paying money to see Cook and Pietersen walk out together to face the new ball at Lord’s. But I do not think that will happen.

There is another more immediate, mildly radical move, designed specifically for this tour, which would not be frightfully popular with Trott or Adam Lyth. This entails Moeen opening the batting with Cook in Grenada and the introduction of more variety to the bowling attack in anticipation of another docile track. This would also include the introduction of Adil Rashid into the team if only to have his services to bowl at an obstinate tail.

After Antigua the inclusion of Rashid should not be regarded as a luxury. Beyond the travails of the opening pair, that lack of variety in the bowling attack is a problem on these pitches. Numbers three to 11 all made contributions for England in Antigua, but in Grenada there will still be a case for shuffling the side.

James Tredwell bowled with exemplary control. He is not a great spinner of the ball but he lulled batsmen with his clever variations. Four of his victims were caught off the face of the bat, another, Kraigg Brathwaite, was caught off the outside edge. Vicious spin has not been his ally. Joe Root, who bowls quicker, spins the ball more and had the confidence to propel his doosra (actually he bowled a couple of leg-cutters, which qualify since these are his “other ones”). Now there is Moeen, England’s spinning hero last summer. And for this particular mission in Grenada why not Rashid, who need only bowl in attacking situations?

This would be an unEnglish thing to do. It would be a gamble and it would require them to omit one bowler, who had performed well in Antigua. In a sense it would be a confident move but it is also a strategy that springs to mind more easily from a distant sofa than a Caribbean dressing room.

However, it might enhance England’s chances of victory if the pitch is equally bland. The lineup would be something like this: Cook, Moeen, Ballance, Bell, Root, Stokes, Buttler, Rashid, Anderson and two from Jordan, Tredwell and Broad.