Chris Silverwood admits to concern over top-order batting woes

Silverwood has often stressed the importance of first innings runs, with Rory Burns, Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley emerging as his preferred top three. But England have not made 400 since the first Test against India in February

England head coach Chris Silverwood admitted his concern at the lack of runs coming from his batting line-up after Joe Root almost single-handedly rescued his team in both innings of the first Test against India.

Ultimately, the weather washed out any prospects of an intriguing final day at Trent Bridge, but only after Root’s day-four century had given the home side a sniff of victory in a game in which five England batsmen were dismissed without scoring and none – Root apart – passed 32.

Rory Burns recorded his fifth duck in 11 innings with his dismissal on the first morning, though he did make scores of 81 and 132 against New Zealand in June. Dom Sibley, his opening partner, came in for criticism of his tempo at the crease; he was 18 not out at lunch on the first day and has averaged 21.56 in his last nine appearances.

Dan Lawrence’s first innings duck – strangled down the legside – was the fourth in his eight-match Test career, while he has also made three half centuries in that time. Zak Crawley, who lit up the English summer last year with his 267 against Pakistan, struggled once again. In 2021, he has averaged 11.14 in Tests.

Silverwood set his stall out when he was appointed to his role, stressing the importance of first innings runs, with Burns, Sibley and Crawley emerging as his preferred top three, though having only lined up together in six matches so far. But, having initially fared well, England have not reached 400 since the first Test against India in February.

“We have to address the fact and accept that at this moment in time we are not getting those runs,” he said. “Questions have been posed to them – and the question has been posed to the batting coaches as well, making sure that we’re giving them the best opportunity to be successful.

^{Dom Sibley made 12 in an 89-run partnership with Joe Root on the fourth day of the first Test}

“But ultimately, if it isn’t working, I have to take a view of, well, why isn’t it working and how do I change that? I have invested in these guys. I would rather be accused of giving somebody one too many chances than not enough. I’ve made that clear from the start. But at some point, I will have to make a decision.

“We need to do something. Ideally, we get the guys scoring runs again and we get the confidence back and they get a score away. But if that doesn’t happen, then obviously I have to have a look.”

On Crawley, who has only reached double figures in four of his last 14 innings, he added: “I think it’s clear we have got a real talent there. You don’t do what he did and score those big runs without having the talent, and I think we all praised him at the time for the innings that he had. I think it’s a case of finding a way for him to get going. Starting that innings, how does he get himself in? How does he manage the ball around off-stump?

“And that’s the questions that I’ve posed to him and equally to the batting coaches. Can we get him to the stage where he’s got a method to get himself in and then can he capitalise from there? I think it’s an ongoing process, but there’s no doubt in my mind that there’s a heap of talent there who is capable of performing at this level, and I think we’ve all seen that.”

Silverwood hinted that Ollie Pope was “making all the right noises” for a potential return, having not been deemed fit enough to feature in the Trent Bridge Test following a thigh injury. Haseeb Hameed, meanwhile, is the reserve opener in the 17-man squad; he made a century against India in a warmup game for a County Select XI and has impressed Silverwood since arriving in England’s camp, as has Jonny Bairstow who looked in good order in making scores of 29 and 30 last week.

Silverwood also defended Sibley for his role in an 89-run stand with Root that helped to drag England past parity after the early losses of Burns and Crawley in their second innings. Sibley contributed just 12 from 82 balls, with Root making 71 from 92.

^{Rory Burns' duck in the first innings was his fifth in 11 innings, a run that also features a century against New Zealand}

“We know that Sibbers’ super-strength is his concentration at the crease – the fact that he can bat large amounts of time,” Silverwood explained. “There are always going to be work-ons with Sibbers – could he rotate the strike a little bit more, and things like that. They are things that will come in time.

“But that partnership that he put on with Joe – although he was obviously the lesser run-scorer in that partnership – the fact is that he helped Joe get us out of that hole. He did his job on that occasion.”

As for Root: “To do what he did during that Test match was just phenomenal in the position he found himself going out for that second innings,” he said.

“I think it’s one of the finest hundreds he’s scored – certainly that I’ve seen him score – from the situation to do that to give us a fighting chance. It shows that he’s coping well; my job is to make sure that I keep on giving him that help behind the scenes so that he feels that he can keep going out and expressing himself on the park.”