Quantcast

Crystal ball: England's 2017-18 Ashes XI

Who will take the new ball, open the batting and most importantly, captain England in Australia next summer

As England headed into their final overseas Test before next year’s Ashes in Australia, it became clear they are already planning ahead.

The decision to rule James Anderson out with what captain Alastair Cook termed “body soreness” is all about England ensuring they can prolong their all-time leading wicket-taker’s career long enough so he can make that flight to Perth on October 29 next year.

They will need him fit and firing for the first Test in Brisbane too.

Quick Single: Ashes 2017-18 fixtures released

At 34, Anderson’s future participation in that Ashes series is not a given.

But after seven Test defeats in 2016 before this series finale against India in Chennai, how are England shaping up ahead of the Australia series in a year’s time? 

With just seven Tests for Cook’s men before the Ashes opener at the Gabba on November 23 next year, there’s not much time for England to decide on a winning formula.

India claim series after Ashwin blitz

Despite their defeats on the sub-continent over the past two months – Bangladesh’s win in Dhaka followed by India’s three so far in this series – England do have cause for optimism ahead of the next Ashes series.

For one they may be close to knowing their best team.

The emergence of top-order batsmen in Haseeb Hameed and Keaton Jennings during this series against India may have solved two long-running dilemmas in terms of England finding reliable opening and No3 batsmen to fill the void left by Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott.

Hameed was Cook’s 10th opening partner since the retirement of Strauss in 2012 and Jennings the 11th. Both have impressed so far in this series, Hameed, at 19, looking the real deal in the three Tests he played and Jennings scoring a hundred on debut in Mumbai.

Jennings boosts England with century on debut

All things being equal, for England’s first Test of 2017 – against South Africa at Lord’s in July – Hameed and Cook will open and Jennings will bat at three. That would see a demotion for Joe Root back to No4 but given he may be England’s new Test captain by then that might not be a bad thing. Root has scored the bulk of his Test runs at four and it may well be his best position. Not every side’s best batsman goes in at three – for every Steve Smith there is a Virat Kohli.

The top six is then completed by Jonny Bairstow, before Chennai 62 runs shy of overhauling Michael Vaughan’s mark of 1481 for the most Test runs by an England player in a calendar year, and Ben Stokes.

Jos Buttler then comes in at seven. The decision England need to make before the Ashes is whether Bairstow or Buttler has the wicketkeeping gloves. Bairstow has improved behind the stumps since taking Buttler’s place last year. Would stripping him of that responsibility help or hinder his batting? And would giving Buttler the gloves diminish his capability to destroy an opposition bowling attack with the bat?

England also need to decide on their first-choice spinner for Australia. Does Moeen Ali, currently in the top six but who has been England’s leading slow bowler since the retirement of Graeme Swann during the 2013-14 Ashes, merit a place ahead of leg-spinner Adil Rashid? Rashid has improved this winter but whether England trust him enough to be their No1 spinner remains to be seen. Either way him and Moeen are probably fighting for one place in the team.

Root, Ali put England in control after day one

Stuart Broad and Anderson, if both are fit, are a given for a place in the XI. Chris Woakes, if he follows up his 2016 home summer next year, is likely to be the spare bowler who makes the XI ahead of Jake Ball.

That then means England have probably narrowed down their best XI to 13 players. By the end of the seven Tests in the next Northern summer they should know their best team for the Ashes.

Who will be captaining the XI though – Cook or Root – remains to be seen.

England's probable Ashes XI: Alastair Cook, Haseeb Hameed, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali/Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson

International cricket is more affordable than ever this summer, with adult tickets from $30, kids from $10 and family packages from $65 across every day of international cricket. Price for purchase at match. Transaction fee from $6.95 applies to online and other purchases. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.