England critics are already questioning selections as first Test hangs in the balance

After just four days of the 2023, it appears the knives are already out for England as critics sing from the hills for the axing of a fan favourite.

It appears the knives are already out in England.

English pundits have begun questioning the home side’s selections as the first Test hangs in the balance, with wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow in the firing line over some easily missed takes over the opening four days of the first Test.

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Although he took an exceptional catch to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne for a golden duck on day two, he also missed at least three simpler chances in the following four sessions.

One of these errors was a straightforward stumping opportunity that gave Cam Green an early reprieve.

Australia had just lost Travis Head, and at 148-4, Green attempted to attack Moeen Ali but was beaten by the flight and turn.

Bairstow failed to hold onto the ball, and Green went on to score 38 crucial runs that could end up impacting the final result.

Alex Carey also benefited from Bairstow’s sloppy wicketkeeping. Bairstow dropped Carey twice, first off an outside edge from Joe Root’s bowling when Carey was on 27, and then off James Anderson’s bowling on the third morning when Carey was on 52. Carey eventually reached a score of 66.

English pundits have begun questioning the home side’s selection as the first Test hangs in the balance, with wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow in the firing line over some easily missed takes.

“Everyone always focuses on the runs Bairstow scores in the Bairstow vs Foakes debate,” Oliver Smiddy said via The Guardian.

“But he’s cost us an awful lot this game through missing some pretty regulation chances. “Leftfield suggestion – ask Foakes to open and keep, if Jonny is too scared to bat above 7, and drop Duckett (if you want Crawley to be the swashbuckling opener)? It’s sufficiently wacky to align with Bazball. He could be the new Alec Stewart!”

Cricket writer Geoff Lemon questioned whether Foakes could stand up to the new ball, but did admit it was the worst he’d ever seen Bairstow perform behind the stumps.

“I wondered about Foakes opening but I don’t think he could do it. One point in defence of Bairstow is that this is one of his worst keeping performance for England. He’s usually a lot more reliable than this, though not in Foakes’s class, and he is coming back from a horrible injury.”

Even former Aussie keeper Darren Berry said the decision to leave England’s best gloveman out of the Ashes was “madness”.

Former England player Mark Butcher believes that England management took into account Bairstow‘s lack of match practice as a wicketkeeper when selecting him over Foakes.

Bairstow, who had been out of action due to a broken leg during the winter, returned to the team as the designated wicketkeeper, displacing Foakes, who had been the preferred choice during Ben Stokes’ captaincy.

Bairstow had been batting without the gloves at No. 5, where Harry Brook had a breakthrough performance over the winter. Consequently, England decided to drop Foakes and entrusted the wicketkeeping responsibilities to Bairstow, who had previously kept wicket for England in 49 Test matches between 2013 and 2021.

Although he took an exceptional catch to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne for a golden duck on day two, Bairstow also missed at least three simpler chances in the following four sessions.

Foakes is widely considered to be the better gloveman, but Bairstow brings an extra factor with the bat, which compliments England’s ‘Bazball’ approach.

While Bairstow’s performance behind the stumps has received criticism, Butcher tried to contextualise his selection within England’s commitment to an aggressive game plan, while acknowledging the concerns about his form and fitness.

“It‘s incredible, that attitude of just trying to create chances no matter the cost, and just how discombobulating that can be for batters who are used to playing the game in a completely different way at a completely different rhythm is wonderful to behold, and that’s not something we should be surprised about,” Butcher told the Wisden Ashes Daily Podcast.

He further elaborated, “these decisions are baked into a philosophy that says, ‘we will go out there with our most attacking, our most pugnacious line-up, and if there are a few mistakes along the way, so be it. We’ll make enough chances or score enough runs to cover up for the errors elsewhere.’”

Despite his challenges behind the stumps, Bairstow performed well with the bat in his comeback innings, scoring a quickfire 78.

The final day of the first Test begins at 8pm Tuesday night (AEST).