Ben Foakes
Flickr photo by PaulSh shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND 2.0) license.

Ben Foakes and England’s problem of plenty

Mustafa Ismail·
Test
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England normally struggle to win a Test series in the subcontinent but have started off their tour of Sri Lanka with a sensational victory – courtesy of Ben Foakes…

With the score at 103-5 on the first day of the Test match, it seemed as if England would roll over again in Asia. In came debutant Ben Foakes, who played a sensational innings to put England in a commanding position. The Sri Lankan bowlers were running riot in the first two sessions of the day, but Ben Foakes strategically built partnerships with the lower order.

The 25 year-old used his feet against the spinners and played sensibly without losing his wicket. Foakes came into the team as cover for Jonny Bairstow, but his innings will give selectors plenty to think about. After all, scoring a hundred on debut in spinning conditions is staggering for an Englishman.

When you make your debut in challenging conditions and perform well, it shows you possess the mental toughness to succeed in international cricket. That’s exactly what Ben Foakes displayed in the first test. He had a calm head on his shoulders and was unperturbed by the turn and bounce the bowlers were extracting from the pitch. He latched on to the loose balls and kept on rotating the strike, which was crucial to prevent the bowlers from settling into their rhythm.

In the subcontinent, if you keep defending and let the spinners bowl at you then they will inevitably land a delivery that will dismiss you. On the other hand, if you keep rotating the strike then they have to keep changing their plan and field according to the batsman’s strengths.

Changes abound?

Bairstow and Butler are great wicketkeeping batsmen for England, but they will have to be on their toes as Ben Foakes has shown that he has what it takes to go far in this circuit. For now, Foakes should take things game-by-game and avoid getting carried away. In fact, it’s possible that he’ll be replaced by Bairstow for the next match. However, when he does get the opportunity, he needs to focus and make the most of it.

England have started the series superbly and even though they won the toss, things could have much differently if they kept losing wickets after the first five dismissals. Their lower middle-order again showed the resilience we saw in the last series and the fact that they could replicate it in Asian conditions makes it even sweeter. The team will now want to take this momentum forward to the next game as Sri Lanka will look to bounce back and target the weaknesses of the Englishmen.

A special mention for Rangana Herath, who has retired from international cricket after the first Test. The left-armer is a legend in all forms of the game and has been carrying Sri Lankan cricket over the last decade or so. In the recent Test series wins against Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan, he was instrumental. Herath’s guile and experience will be deeply missed by the Sri Lankan team. Moreover, he was a pleasure to watch as he came in without any fuss and always bowled his heart out. A true inspiration to all budding cricketers, deserving of the absolute best in his future endeavours.