Stokes apart, England’s batting numbers don’t inspire much confidence (although without checking, I doubt Australia’s without Smith are much better).
Burns 293 at 36.62
Denley 205 at 25.61
Root 247 at 30.88
Roy 120 at 13.75
Stokes 354 at 59.00
Bairstow 178 at 25.43
Buttler 130 at 16.25
Combine all seven and you get 1517 runs at 28.62. That looks bad enough, but if you take Stokes out the equation, you get 1163 runs at 24.74.
A bit of perspective as to the ‘Smith effect’. In five innings he scored 671 runs at 134.20. In other words, in those five innings he scored 44% of the runs England’s top seven scored in 56! Pretty worrying, although it does demonstrate just how special he is. After all, in those 56 innings, England managed three centuries - Smith equalled that in five innings'
Mike
Afternoon Mike, Splendid statistical stuff, Bill Frindall would be impressed! Overton simply practises the old principal of bat close to pad and front foot as close to the pitch as possible, without stressing your balance. Alan Oakman (Sussex & England), that splendid ex Welsh Guard. (all 6'6" of him) was exceptional at this. Shorter players like Gordon Barker or Harry Pilling tended to go back and across to compensate for their lack of reach. I used to get told by the former "shut the F - ing gate your Lordship!" Funnily Jason Roy has a very good defence, off both feet he just doesn't use it much. Yesterday may be start of his reform for the dying five day arena.
Sometimes having a limited academy of strokes to pick from is an advantage (like Overton). What he demonstrated was application and superb concentration. He took any number of short pitched balls in the ribs and reminded me of Brian Close v's Hall and Griffiths in 1966 (see pic below). He'll be feeling it this morning poor chap, but his determination and spirit are an exemplary example of gritty dedication and something to take heart from. He goes a long way up my short list now for those attributes alone.
Sadly technique and it's application is secondary today where the
de rigeur is seemingly to bat regardless to the prime tenets of batting. Unorthodox
genii like Smith today or Compton from yesteryear are very rare and so brilliant that they're best left to practice their wizardry for everyone's benefit, for the rest you cant leave a space the size of the Blackwall Tunnel in your gait and expect to live very long at this level. I felt very sorry for Ben Stokes yesterday, I've got out a few times in my career like that and at 6ft he probably felt his bat was far up enough to be out of danger. If you remember Boycott among others used to 'shoulder arms' (raise both arms bat held high aloft). Ben yesterday was half way and just got a toe-snick. True to his spirit this noble Leviathan walked bitterly disappointed, (by the way what a take from Paine).
