England
Ben Stokes: 304 runs at 43.4; 17 wickets at 25.2
It is no exaggeration to say that a magnificent series like this is the product of how Baz McCullum and Ben Stokes have reinvented English Test cricket, a change comparable to Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque’s revolution of European art a century ago.
The England captain was back to his best as a bowler, moving the ball, finding bounce and going the extra miles. His batting suffered a little, but he signed off at Manchester with a century. His run out of Rishabh Pant at Lord’s was brilliant in conception and execution, and turned a tight Test England’s way.
Most of all, his stamp on the team is so embedded that it seems impossible that England will play any differently in the foreseeable future. That brings a downside but the upside is good for England, good for the game and good for the fans. Just look at the faces in the crowd. Grade A
Zak Crawley: 290 runs at 32.2; six catches
He batted against type in the crucial opening stand of 188 at Headingley that launched England’s extraordinary chase of 371 that won the first Test. Thereafter balls wide of off stump were boomed through extra cover or nicked off to slip, two more half-centuries added amid the inevitable disappointing scores. People have long made up their minds about the cost and benefit of his place in the team, so it’s not interesting to rehash those arguments again. His catching in the cordon was unusually inconsistent, especially in the very tight fifth Test. Grade C
Ben Duckett: 462 runs at 51.3; three catches
As is the case with his partner, we know what to expect now: cuts, pulls and drives (but few leaves) to keep the scoreboard moving with the occasional turbo of boundaries boost to spin the tins even faster. He made 62 and 149 in the crucial win that set the series in motion and cashed in with 94 on the dead track at Old Trafford. Grade B+
Ollie Pope: 306 runs at 34.0; two catches
Such are his technical issues that his innings have become painful to watch, the head, hands and feet seldom aligned and every ball looking like a potential stump smasher. He picked up his customary series century at Lord’s – the man has heart – but you fear for what awaits in Australia. As captain, he delivered an epic Test match at the Oval, but it seemed that Joe Root and McCullum were, let’s say, very active members of the leadership group. He looks like he needs a domestic summer to recalibrate his game. At 27, he has time on his side. Grade C
Joe Root: 537 runs at 67.1; two wickets at 122.0; five catches
There’s not much left to say about Test cricket’s second highest run scorer. His game, especially since handing over the captaincy to Stokes – one of the best decisions the ECB has ever made (no giggling at the back) – is so grooved that it’s hard not to take it for granted. When he was out in the chase at the Oval, it felt like three wickets not one – when he does eventually put his bat away, it will feel like three batters have gone. Grade A
Harry Brook: 481 runs at 53.4; no wicket for 55 runs; 11 catches
He will infuriate those infuriated by Crawley for many of the same reasons, but it seems churlish to blame the man who gave England the chance of a spectacular series-sealing chase at the Oval for the crime of getting out on 111. The problem is that he’s often so dominant at the crease that any dismissal feels like a wasted opportunity to score twice as many. Should we praise the two centuries, a 99 and another fifty or lament the sometimes wild shots that led to their termination? It seems clear that you don’t have one without the other. His catching, though prolific, was fallible, crucially so in a tight series. Grade B+
Jacob Bethell: 11 runs at 5.5; no wicket for 17 runs
Drafted in for the last Test, he looked like a promising youngster from the seconds given a chance for the firsts. He is 21 and he needs to play more first-class cricket before he’s thrust into the cauldron of the Test arena again. To throw him to Cummins and co in Australia, would surely be unfair. Grade D-
Jamie Smith: 434 runs at 62.0; 20 catches and one stumping
Every time you looked up at Edgbaston, Smith seemed to be in vision: 234 overs keeping and 102 overs batting. His scores (40, 44*, 184*, 88, 51, eight, nine, eight and two) speak to a man being asked to do too much in too short a time. His keeping standing back also dropped off a little, though no keeper could have stopped some of the byes at the Oval. Standing up, he still has work to do. With James Rew having another fine season at Somerset (11 career centuries at 21 and a full-time keeper), England will soon have a decision to make about Smith. Will he stay as an ersatz Adam Gilchrist or be asked, after a bit of work on a tighter defence, to do a Kumar Sangakkara/McCullum and bat in the top order? Grade B+
Liam Dawson: 26 runs at 26.0; one wicket at 140.0
He had a chance to capitalise on a dream recall after eight years out – and he blew it. He had a chance to take a critical catch as a substitute in the fifth Test – and he blew that too. Grade D-
Chris Woakes: 64 runs at 10.6; 11 wickets at 52.2; two catches
Hobbling, wincing but, as ever, giving everything for the team, he almost provided a fairytale ending to the series. In truth, this summer looked like one too many for the immensely likable Brummie, who lacked the zip and swing that once made him such a tricky proposition in England. His batting wasn’t quite there either. He hit a typically handy 38 in the first Test but almost nothing after that. Although he gets a whole extra grade for that two he ran for Gus Atkinson. Grade C
Jamie Overton: nine runs at 4.5; two wickets at 82.0; two catches
Like many a Surrey watcher, I’m not sure if he gets in the county champions’ best XI, so it was a surprise to see him turning out for England. To be a threat at Test level, he needs to be at top pace and hitting the deck – in his one appearance, he wasn’t. Grade D-
Brydon Carse: 164 runs at 27.3; nine wickets at 60.9; one catch
In a batters’ series, he kept running in hard and asking questions, but they were too usually too straightforward for the man 22 yards away. If he is to be more than a squad bowler, he needs to be closer to 90mph consistently or move the ball that little more to challenge top-order batters. His 56 at Lord’s looks even better now than it did at the time. Grade C+
Gus Atkinson: 27 runs at 27.0; eight wickets at 20.0; one catch
One key benefit of a smooth action in which almost nothing can go wrong is repeatability and Atkinson simply picked up his Test career where he left it in May. Increasingly, he looks to have Glenn McGrath’s relentless line – that half bat’s width of movement and a sharp enough, short of a length delivery to keep the batters honest. He also brilliantly ran out Shubman Gill from what was little more than a quarter chance. He could do very well in Australia. Grade A-
Jofra Archer: 11 runs at 11.0; nine wickets at 28.7; one catch
Archer is back bowling, smiling and taking wickets. It was just like old times – the glide to the crease, the almost frictionless delivery, the 90mph showing on the big screen. Could he have been saved from the Old Trafford bowlers’ graveyard and been unleashed at the Oval? Grade B+
Josh Tongue: 13 runs at 3.25; 19 wickets at 29.1; two catches
For a big nasty quick, he has the goofiest of smiles – and he needs it when the ball is going here, there and everywhere. At the Oval, England lost the Test by six runs, but they lost the extras count by 64 v 34, many of which could be chalked up to Tongue. He bowled in six innings and only once went for less than four an over. But he does take wickets with the kind of deliveries that get set batters out. Grade C+
Shoaib Bashir: 16 runs at 8.0; 10 wickets at 54.1; one catch
The first of England’s two injured heroes, his freak dismissal of Mohammed Siraj sent him off round St John’s Wood showing more pace than he does at fine leg. His variations are improving, and his drift and dip are a genuine threat, but his greatest asset is Stokes’ captaincy. This is his fourth series in a row in which he has averaged around the 50 mark; that’s not sustainable. Grade C-
India
Shubman Gill: 754 runs at 75.4; three catches
Gill was imperious at the crease, wearing the considerable mantle of the India captain as if to the manner born. There were times, especially in his record-breaking knocks at Edgbaston, when it was hard to believe that anyone in history had batted with such easy grace. Even in the purplest of form, the cruel schedule ensured that he made only one score above 21 in his last six innings.
As captain, he is largely undemonstrative, but could be riled to show the passion the fans, and, perhaps, his bowlers, demand. Talk of “the line” is tedious, but I fully expected England’s delaying tactics at Lord’s and fully expected some comeback – I think everyone in the middle did too. He’s clearly making his way in terms of tactical acumen in the field, but he has already developed a captain’s greatest asset – bowlers who will run in and never give up. Grade A
KL Rahul: 532 runs at 53.2; six catches
Finally settled into a role in the side, he plays the part of an old-school opener perfectly, binning the ego (not one of 1,066 deliveries was hit for six) and allowing others to play around him. That said, his elegance on the drive and cut shows his middle-order pedigree, but it’s now carefully rationed out to mitigate risk. He loses half a grade for his part in the ridiculous, match-turning run out at Lord’s – just wait for your hundred man. Grade B+
Yashasvi Jaiswal: 411 runs at 41.1; one catch
We only saw those gunslinger’s fast hands early and late in the series, the impetuosity of youth seeing him off in-between times, the wide tempter just too tempting. But what a talent the 23-year-old is – the fast starts he provides are certain to reap rewards more often than not. Ruthlessly expelled from the slip cordon after a few drops, he was often seen shouting from the deep, a little forlorn, missing the limelight. Grade B
Karun Nair: 205 runs at 25.6; four catches
Like Liam Dawson, another player brought back to Test cricket after a long absence in the hope that he could reproduce his domestic form. He didn’t, but he didn’t entirely fail in that tricky No 3 slot, before looking a little more comfortable at No 5 in the fifth Test. Grade C
Sai Sudharsan: 104 runs at 23.3; two catches
He alternated with Karun Nair in the middle order and, in a series of big bold statements, was even quieter at the crease, exemplified by spending two and a half hours over 38 in the fifth Test. He could, with some justification, point out that 91 of the first-innings 224 runs were scored during that stay and, without them, England would have won the series. Grade C
Rishabh Pant: 479 runs at 68.4; seven catches
If comically effective is permissible as a description, it’s the right one for the effervescent wicketkeeper-batter who picked up two injuries in four Tests, yet was a key figure in each of them. His extraordinary mix of bravado and innovation brought twin tons in the first Test (which his side lost) and there were runs and laughs pretty much every time he walked (sometimes hobbled) to the crease. His wicketkeeping, especially standing up, is not back to its pre-car crash best, but Dhruv Jurel did a lot of that for him, so it didn’t matter much. Grade A-
Ravindra Jadeja: 516 runs at 86.0; seven wickets at 72.4; one catch
The elder statesman of the side is still the quickest in the field even after spending so much time batting. In at No 6, a notch or two higher than for most of his career, he batted like a specialist to out-average even his skipper, with one century and five fifties. They were smart runs too, balancing attack and defence as befitted the situation. Other players could learn a lot from watching his knocks back with a coach. He didn’t take many wickets and couldn’t he keep things as tight as his reputation demands, but this was no series for spinners. Grade A
Nitish Kumar Reddy: 45 runs at 11.25; three wickets at 37.0
His victims were Crawley (twice) and Duckett, so he certainly contributed with the ball even if his captain often appeared reluctant to bowl him. He never got going with the bat. He’ll be back, though, as he looks like a typical English all-rounder. Grade C
Dhruv Jurel: 53 runs at 26.5; three catches (and seven as sub wicketkeeper)
It was a disjointed series for Pant’s replacement. He showed glimpses of his class on both sides of the crease and didn’t let his team down, but was given a very tricky hand to play. Grade C+
Shardul Thakur: 46 runs at 15.3; two wickets at 72.0; one catch
At 33, he’s probably a little over the hill and has always lacked the class in either discipline an all-rounder needs. He looks likely to be overtaken by younger men very soon, if not already. Grade D+
Washington Sundar: 284 runs at 47.3; seven wickets at 38.6; one catch
We didn’t know it at the time, but his extraordinary hitting, adding 39 for the 10th wicket, proved crucial in putting the fifth-Test target just out of reach for Root, Brook and co. He’s a very classy batter and was the best spinner on show with drift a key weapon. At 25, more than 10 years younger than Jadeja, he looks an obvious replacement. Gill will have to be patient with his bowling, but there’s every sign that India have found a gem. Grade B+
Akash Deep: 80 runs at 20.0; 13 wickets at 36.5; one catch
He took the wind-up merchant act a little too far with Duckett, but proved a very handy seamer who was suited to English conditions, with lateral movement at a decent pace. He had a lot of fun bowling at Edgbaston and batting at the Oval, his unexpected nightwatchman runs doing a Pant in changing the mood. Grade B
Jasprit Bumrah: nine runs at 1.8; 14 wickets at 26.0; one catch
England showed a lot of respect to India’s unorthodox spearhead, with good reason. He was limited to three Tests due to injury and India won the two he sat out – a strange anomaly that seems to happen quite often in cricket. He opened his account with a five-fer in the first innings at Headingley, but was powerless to stop England’s march to 371 in the second dig. Back after a break, he bagged another first-innings five-fer at Lord’s, but could not not prevent England’s second victory. Like his fellow bowlers, he was emasculated by the pitch in Manchester. Grade B
Mohammed Siraj: 20 runs at 4.0; 23 wickets at 32.4; four catches
It would be grotesquely patronising to describe Siraj as a “trier” as he is a skilled bowler operating at close to 90mph with away swing and a wobble seam in-ducker in his arsenal. But in a series stuffed with batting records, injuries and worn out bowlers, he charged in like a madman (it’s a great look) all day, every day, endearing himself to fans of both sides.
Most of all, when his hour of resistance was concluded by the ball trickling back on to his stumps still 23 short of the target at Lord’s, he reacted the way any of us would. When he stepped on the boundary while catching Brook at the Oval, he reacted the way any of us would. And when redemption presented itself after one last huge effort on the final morning, he reacted the way any of us would.
He took four more wickets than any other bowler on either side and even wore a headband for Thorpey. This was an all-time great series in no small part due to the heart and soul of the son of a rickshaw driver. Well played Sir, well played. Grade A
Prasidh Krishna: six runs at 2.0; 14 wickets at 37.1
Aggressive with a wonderfully natural sneer he points at batters, the willowy right-armer is very sharp, if a little easier to line up than Bumrah. He picked up 14 wickets in his three Tests, a highly creditable return, including four in each innings in the pulsating fifth Test. He paid a price for them but these pitches were tilted so much in favour of the bat that everyone did. Grade B-
Anshul Kamboj: no runs at 0; one wicket at 89.0
Parachuted (unfairly) into the middle of the series to bowl on that dead Manchester patch of earth, he looked terrified at first, but did improve. He’ll always have one Test wicket (Duckett), but he may not get another. Grade D+
This article is from The 99.94 Cricket Blog
