by Brendan McCullum admitted on Sunday that the England Test team will enter a new phase under his leadership and Ben Stokes when they play the West Indies in July.
There is much to discuss: who will be their first-choice spinner? Which of the many contracted seamers will make a Test debut? But, with Harry Brook sure to return to No. 5 after missing the tour of India for personal reasons, perhaps the most pressing question is who will keep the wicket.
Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow have shared the gloves since McCullum and Ben Stokes took over in 2022. Bairstow was first choice at home last summer due to his batting ability, before Foakes’ better appointment took over in India.
But both men had inconclusive journeys. Bairstow didn’t reach 40, and Foakes kept up impressively, but struggled with the bat, particularly when he left the tail, a part of the No 7 role that England consider vital.
When asked who would take the gloves in the summer, McCullum was non-committal. Foakes and Bairstow clearly still have very strong cases, but the sense is that the duopoly guarantee has ended.
Here are five other options:
Ollie Robinson
Durham, 25
A first class record 65 matches, 35.13 average
Out with one Kent-born Ollie Robinson born on December 1st (1993), and in with another Kent-born Ollie Robinson born on December 1st (1998)? Maybe.
Robinson has a strong first-class record, now averaging 35 for Kent and Durham. It is technically classic, but scores quickly, and it keeps very tidy of course. He was the Lions’ first choice this winter, but insiders have suggested he has not made his case as far as expected and could do with another season of full county action, which he only got for the first time after moving north last year. year.
In India, three hundred duck innings were registered in three games, but recovered well in the second. That said, he has a vital advantage early in the season, in that he will be playing alongside Ben Stokes at county level.
Jamie Smith
Surrey, 23
A first class record 50 games, 39.38 avg
England record Two ODIs, 9 avg
Some have argued that Smith’s ceiling is so high that he needs to make a quick decision on whether he wants to be a long-term middle-order linchpin, or a long-term keeper-batsman. Indecision didn’t help Bairstow in particular.
This winter, Smith – after consulting with England – opted to play white-ball cricket on the franchise circuit, rather than go on another Lions tour. He was one of the stars of Surrey’s Championship final win, and will be nestled in the middle again this year, minus the gloves (which belong to Foakes). He is a powerful ball player and is tall as a keeper, like Foakes. Could England really pick a keeper who wasn’t doing the job regularly for their county? Management would probably do this.
James Rew
Somerset, 20
A first class record 25 games, 45.11 average
Too soon, in all likelihood. Rew only turned 20 in January and, although he had a sensational year last season – scoring five hundreds by mid-summer – he could spend more time learning his craft. Robinson took the gloves on the Lions’ tour, but Rew came in at No. 4, a measure of how high his stick is considered. However, he had a quiet outing, with just one score of more than 22 in six innings. A big one for the future, though, and a good start to the season for Somerset, holding on to England’s pace and spin attack, could push him into the conversation.
Phil Salt
Lancashire, 27
A first class record 52 games, 33.52 average
England record 19 ODIs, 36.41 average; 21 T20Is, average 35.50
The regularity with which Salt is seen barking white balls at the top of the order in one league or another could make this look left-field, but well-placed insiders believe England as they see it as a batsman down. the order. It makes a certain amount of sense: he keeps enough, and he hits a long ball, which is Foakes’ biggest problem when batting with the tail. Salt’s first-class record is solid, whether at the top of the order, or more recently as a keeper-batsman since moving to Lancashire.
Salt says he doesn’t see himself as a white-ball specialist. “The way the Test team is playing at the moment, I see myself fitting in there somewhere in the future,” he said in September. Watch this space.
There is one catch: he will be at the Indian Premier League in early summer, while his rivals – Bairstow apart – are playing in the Championship.
Ollie Pope
Surrey, 26
A first class record 95 matches, average 49.03
England record 43 test matches, average 34.04
Seriously? It might not be so mad. England are very fond of Pope, who is their vice-captain. Although his record is at No. 3 was good overall, his form in India took a nose dive and was a bit awkward overall. Could they decide to end the experiment, but keep him on the team this way, in a more natural slot further down the order?
The answer is probably no, but the Pope has played for England before, three times, in New Zealand in 2019 and twice in Pakistan in 2022 when Foakes was ill then he was not immediately recalled. On all three occasions it kept more than serviceable.
