England face Jonny Bairstow Ashes dilemma with Ben Foakes potentially missing out

There aren’t too many clouds on the horizon for England, but one is looming ahead of the biggest series of them all this summer: how do they get Jonny Bairstow into their Ashes side?

It is, as the sportsmen say, a good problem, but it is one that Ben Stokes acknowledged when he spoke of “selection nightmares” after England’s crushing first Test victory.

There’s always an injured bowler and if not then rotation comes into play, and the England captain said last week he wants a ‘squad’ of eight closers to take on Australia in five tests in seven weeks in June and July .

But with batsmen it’s different and, as Bairstow makes a full recovery from the severely broken ankle he suffered under mysterious circumstances last summer, England will have a big decision to make after their final Test assignment of the winter here in Wellington on Thursday. at night.

England manager Brendon McCullum has already said that Bairstow returns to this England squad when fit, and rightly so after the Yorkshire man became the first symbol of ‘Bazball’ with that thrilling century. against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.

Jonny Bairstow was brilliant last summer when England’s ‘Bazball’ style took off; he now he is about to return from injury and will present a big selection dilemma.

England manager Brendon McCullum (left) and captain Ben Stokes (right) must decide who to remove from the line-up to accommodate the returning Bairstow.

So with Bairstow now running again and expected to be fit to take his place in the Indian Premier League with Punjab Kings before England kick off their Test summer with a one-off game against Ireland, one of this conquering side has to go. . .

Now there’s no chance England will be left out of Harry Brook, who looks to be a surefire starter across all formats for at least the next 10 years, while Joe Root remains indispensable and Ollie Pope has been appointed as the next team captain. Proof.

That leaves the possibility for Bairstow to open up; after all, he does it in over 50 cricket and the way he plays England, why doesn’t he do Test cricket too? – but Ben Duckett is making a strong case for facing Australia while England’s faith in Zak Crawley remains intact.

All of which points to Bairstow getting back the gloves he was so reluctant to give up in the first place and the unfortunate Ben Foakes missing out on them despite holding up as good as ever and making a major contribution with the bat at Mount Maunganui.

Foakes knows all about the disappointment of missing out through no fault of his own, most notably in the second Test against Pakistan when he recovered from illness only to see Pope retain the gloves to allow England the luxury of an extra bowler.

But the difference now is that he’s having so much fun in this England team that he’s determined not to worry about what might happen when Bairstow gallops back.

“That’s the thing,” Foakes said when asked here if he was worried about the looming threat instead.

“My journey through England has been something of a roller coaster from day one and I’ve been out of the team many times wondering how I would get my place back.”

A starter like Zak Crawley (pictured) could make way for Bairstow to lead the batting.

But a more likely scapegoat will be Ben Foakes, with Bairstow also taking the gloves again.

‘I guess thinking about those things doesn’t help my game at all. At the stage I’m at, there’s no point in stressing about it.

“I’m producing good form now in my career and I’m just trying to enjoy that instead of stressing about what could happen.”

There’s no mistaking Foakes’ class with gloves or a bat. He accepts that he doesn’t fit the bullying image of this England team but they also need a bit of orthodox ballast, which gave them half a century in the first Test at a crucial moment.

“I’m not, as you would say, Bazball,” Foakes admitted. ‘So I’ve been thinking ‘how do I do this?’ But since I came in it hasn’t been ‘you have to try to hit every ball for six’.

“It’s been playing your way, but if the option is on, don’t go ‘um and aah’ about it and be negative, just do it.”

“I can’t do what a lot of the guys on our side can do, so if I were to try to hit from the one ball, I’d just go out anyway.” So there’s no point in trying.

Foakes marks half a century during England’s first Test victory over New Zealand

‘And I think where I’ve contributed it’s been more in the role of batting normally in more pressured situations when you can’t miss a wicket. Staying true to myself is how I can make the most impact.’

There is another solution. When Captain Stokes led the batting for the only time in Test Cricket in a run against Pakistan in 2020, he batted the fastest half-century by an English opener, a record that stood until equaled by Duckett at Mount Maunganui.

Stokes has said that he wants to impact other players’ careers more than his own while leading this team and is almost too selfless at times for England’s best interests.

If Crawley struggles at Basin Reserve this week and faith really starts to waver in him, then perhaps the captain can open and Bairstow can return at six. it’s a thought