When Ben Stokes names his team to play Australia at the Adelaide Oval, there’s every chance it could look a lot different to the one that featured at Perth and the Gabba.
The captain said after the loss in Brisbane, there’s no room for weak men in his dressing room, leaving many pundits pondering who he could be referring to.
Ollie Pope and Jofra Archer are the two who have come under the most scrutiny in this Ashes series.
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Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes. Â PA Images via Getty Images
Pope hasn’t passed the half-century mark yet in Australia, while Archer shocked many when he bowled his fastest spell yet during the second innings at the Gabba, despite a small target to defend.
“Bowl fast when there’s nothing going on, champion,” Steve Smith told Archer in an exchange worthy of Ashes folklore.
For Pope, the consensus has been that he’s a batter of talent but possibly doesn’t suit the Bazball style.
Archer won’t be on the chopping block simply because England needs him to fire.
Where’s the depth?
On the Sky Sports Cricket podcast, Michael Atherton admitted the depth chart is “thin” for England.
Jacob Bethell hasn’t set the world on fire for the Lions, while no bowler has either.
Josh Tongue, Matt Potts and Shoaib Bashir are the most likely bowlers that will be in contention. The injury to Mark Wood has left a big hole in the side.
Mark Wood. Â Getty
Brydon Carse impressed in the first innings at Perth but has been underwhelming since.
If England does make changes, Nasser Hussain suggested there could be some “rejigging” in the form of Will Jacks, who could move up the order.
That would open a spot for Shaoib Bashir, with the visitors no doubt needing a spinner at Adelaide.
In the Australia A match against England Lions, Bashir finished with 0-115 off 25 overs.
“I think there’s one to come in and a decision around the spinner and how that interacts,” Ed Cowan said on the ABC Cricket podcast.
“I think they have to play Bashir.”
Shoaib Bashir. Getty
With that comes another thought: how would Australia deal with Bashir?
If he is picked, it could bring an opportunity to open with Usman Khawaja and bring about the possibility of Travis Head in the middle against Bashir.
There’s a very real chance Head could hit Bashir out of the attack inside minimal overs. It would leave Ben Stokes scratching his head.
In terms of the batting, the likelihood is that England sticks solid.
As Mark Taylor told Wide World of Sports, it’s not necessarily the personnel, “I think it’s more their approach”.
If Bashir is picked, Pope could fall out for Jacks, or there’s even the possibility Pope takes the gloves, and Jamie Smith misses out.
For years, England has supposedly planned for this series. Did they plan for it to be 2-0 in two Tests?
It’s unlikely, and this current outcome suggests the planning was all wrong.
Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. Getty
Will England need to protect its main man?
The injury-prone Ben Stokes has bowled 32 overs in this series. It’s really not many in the grand scheme of things, but at Brisbane, it looked as if Stokes wanted to do it on his own.
Commentators noted Joe Root constantly talking to him during Australia’s first innings and suggested the only person who could stop Stokes from himself was Root.
James Anderson wrote for the Daily Mail that Stokes needs help.
“This England team is missing a leader in the attack. We don’t have a captain of the bowlers any more, someone checking in on the group, bouncing ideas around, making sure everyone is working together and coherently, backing each other up,” he said.
“Stokesy can’t do everything, but his bowlers in this squad aren’t the kind of personalities who can help him out.”
The other suggestion around Stokes has been that he should bat at No.3. Michael Vaughan has been the loudest voice in that, writing in his column for The Telegraph, that Pope should be gone while Bethell hasn’t done enough to deserve his spot. Vaughan would move Jacks into No.6 as a result.
The former England captain also suggested Pope could replace Smith as keeper, too.
Here’s Jonny
Perhaps one of the more wild suggestions to come from England’s disastrous start has been that Jonny Bairstow should be given an SOS call.
ESPN CricInfo editor Andrew Miller, the man who coined the Bazball term, made the Bairstow suggestion to bring back the passion and fight into the side.
Pope would be the man who misses out.
Bairstow has not played Test cricket since March 2024 after scores of 29 and 39 against India.
Jonny Bairstow. Getty
Cowan put it down to media needing to fill space during the break between Tests, calling the suggestion “ridiculous”.
The former Australian opener said Sydney Thunder batter Sam Billings would be a better option if England needed an SOS.
“Sam Billings would be better off playing than Jonny Bairstow,” he said.
Billings himself hasn’t played a Test since July 2022.
Either way, it’s all getting rather desperate for England.