"You can’t be thinking about what your batting at eight and nine looks like" - Trevor Bayliss on the England batting unit
Former England coach Trevor Bayliss has noted that the batters will have to take up responsibility and score the bulk of their runs. England's batting unit have failed to pile on the runs in the 2021 Ashes with Joe Root and Dawid Malan being the only players to have crossed the 50-run mark in an innings.
We trail by 237 runs after the first innings.
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With 297 being their highest total on tour so far, it poses a great deal of concern. The batters even failed to take advantage of the rather flat surface at Adelaide and could only make 428 runs across both innings.
Mark Wood's probable inclusion for the third Test could see the Three Lions leave out Chris Woakes and expose their tail. Bayliss claimed that in such a case, the importance of England's batters stepping up will be all the more paramount.
Writing for his column in the Daily Mail, Bayliss said:
"Mark Wood’s probable return might leave a bit of a tail if Chris Woakes is left out but I’ve always been a believer in a batter doing a batter’s job. You can’t be thinking about what your batting at eight and nine looks like. The top seven simply have to score the runs."
Mark Wood was left out for the second Test despite the visitors playing an all-seam attack. The right-arm pacer was arguably the pick of the England bowlers in the first Test with his short, sharp spells often troubling the Australian batters. With all of England's seamers bowling at a similar pace, Wood's inclusion seems imminent, especially with how the Adelaide Test ended.
"With Ben Stokes in the England team, four seamers should be enough" - Bayliss
Speaking of England's selection for the upcoming Boxing Day Test, Bayliss believes that a spinner needs to be fielded. Jack Leach was dropped for the pink ball Test after his poor outing at The Gabba. Joe Root and Ollie Robinson had to turn their arms for spin bowling in the end.
Bayliss said:
"I am not in the selection meetings and don’t know what conversations have been had, but with Ben Stokes in the England team, four seamers should be enough. If four can’t do the job what’s a fifth one going to do?"
He added:
"I’m pretty sure England will take a spinner into the third Test but the decision might be whether it’s Leach or Dom Bess. I’d give Leach another go because having to bowl on that green seaming pitch in Brisbane with just 147 to defend wasn’t the easiest thing to do."
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Bowling changes across both camps seem to be imminent with England desperate for results and Australia battling a bit of an injury crisis. The third Ashes Test will begin on Boxing Day (December 26) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.