England coach Trevor Bayliss speaks about bowling combination for final Test against Pakistan
England coach Trevor Bayliss speaks about the idea of playing two spinners in the final Test against Pakistan and speaks about Moeen Ali’s performance in the win over Pakistan in the third Test at Edgbaston.
Adil Rashid, who was an integral part of England’s tour to UAE last year, took seven wickets in his County Championship match and Bayliss admitted that he is “very” tempted to play Rashid in the final Test and going forward as well.
"I think we saw last year at The Oval, the wicket had a bit in it for everyone. Nathan Lyon bowled very well there, got some spin and bounce out of the wicket. I've thought Rashid's been a chance for the last two or three Tests that we've played. At some stage he will get an opportunity.
"Obviously, we are going to the subcontinent, so he's probably the guy who will get the first opportunity there. Having a legspinner will help when the wicket is turning, that we can knock over the tail a bit easier.”
England travel to India at the end of the year and Bayliss spoke about playing Rashid as an all-rounder and the prospect of playing Ben Stokes as well.
“Ben Stokes is a big part of that. If he is in the team as one of four pace bowlers, you could have two spinners. If he was one of three pace bowlers, you might even have three spinners.
“If the wickets are anything like South Africa had in India, that's a possibility. I'd say at this stage we'd definitely be taking three spinners to India. But I think the case for playing two is a definite.”
Bayliss full of praise for Moeen Ali
While England are likely to stick with the same combination for the final Test against Pakistan, the performance of Moeen Ali, who was the Man of the Match at Edgbaston, drew praise from the coach.
"The spell just after lunch that he and Broad put together in partnership there, quite simply the difference with his bowling in that spell was his discipline of length," Bayliss said.
"We've all seen him before probably falling a little bit short, but I thought that spell he got it pretty much spot on, bowled a little bit wider of the off stump into the rough, coming into the stumps and putting the pressure on the batter. It's a bit harder then to run down the wicket and hit over the top and play reverse sweeps and sweeps. I thought he put the pressure on very well there.”
Speaking about the rankings, he said: “It does give the guys confidence that they can win games from a little bit behind, that anything’s possible. I still think we are a little way off. I thought there were signs in this game that some of the more inexperienced players were starting to show a little bit of maturity.”