Jeetan Patel admits England would have ‘liked Graeme Swann out there’ for Ashes
Spinner Will Jacks has toiled in Adelaide while Shoaib Bashir was overlooked again.
England were left pining for the days of Graeme Swann as a lack of spin bowling options saw them dragged to the brink of Ashes defeat in Adelaide.
Swann retired midway through another drubbing Down Under in 2013-14 but the tourists would give anything for a bowler of his calibre after their failure to adequately fill the role bit them hard in the third Test.
He finished with 255 Test scalps at under 30 apiece, as well an economy rate of less than three an over, the kind of numbers that would have helped them keep Australia in check as they built up an impregnable position on day three of the third Test.
Instead, they saw their rivals run up a huge lead of 356 with six wickets still in hand and two days to force their way to an unassailable 3-0 scoreline.
With Jack Leach and Liam Dawson jettisoned by the selectors and the out-of-form Shoaib Bashir yet to feature despite travelling as the nominated first-choice, batting all-rounder Will Jacks has been asked to fill in on Australia’s most friendly turning surface with modest results.
Unlike opposite number Nathan Lyon he was unable to find the kind of consistency required to shut down an experienced hand like Travis Head, whose 142 not out took the game out of sight, and his 19 overs leaked 107 runs including a dozen fours and one six.
Spin coach Jeetan Patel, the latest in a sequence of three assistants sent out to speak on behalf of an ailing team, admitted: “Would we have liked Graeme Swann out there? Probably, but it’s a reality of where we’re at and what we thought we needed for this game.
“I don’t think Jacksy has bowled poorly, if anything he’s been a touch short or a touch straight at times. They’ve played him very well and looked to put him under pressure which is probably what you would do against a spinner of Jacksy’s nature, where it’s not his frontline skill. He’s probably 50-50.
“We all know why he was picked….we felt we did need that extra batting cover.”
As for Bashir, a 22-year-old rookie who was groomed specifically for this tour but appears to have lost all rhythm, Patel denied he was being viewed as “unselectable” with two Tests still to play.
“Absolutely not. Next week is next week. The week after is the week after that,” he said.
England’s bowling card was further weakened by uncertainty over Ben Stokes’ fitness. After suffering from cramp and dehydration while batting for more than five hours in severe heat, he did not bowl a single over in the second innings despite the series being on the line as Head made hay.
England denied there was any specific injury issue to contend with but it seems apparent that the weight of his workload has once again come at a personal cost. With England needing miracles, which have been something of a Stokes speciality over the years, that could be a profound problem.
“My sense is he’s just pretty knackered,” said Patel.
“We all know he doesn’t do anything at 80 per cent. Maybe he thought he was a risk, so he didn’t bowl. If he thinks he can’t do it at 100 per cent, I don’t think he’s going to do it. That’s probably where he’s at.
“He’s taken a lot out of himself to get through this point in the game. I think he might be a bit tired and just need a bit of time to himself right now.”
