The former Test bowler has some harsh words for Joe Root and his team ahead of the series with Australia later this summer
England's batsmen play for themselves and lack the discipline to help win back the Ashes from Australia, according to former bowler Bob Willis.
The formation and identity of the top order remains a mystery for Joe Root's side as they seek a long-term replacement for Sir Alastair Cook, who retired last summer.
Rory Burns, Keaton Jennings and Joe Denly are the men in possession of the top three positions but none of the trio have fully convinced in the red-ball game.
Recent series have seen the middle order relied upon to produce the runs, with the quartet of Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow among the most formidable around.
But Willis believes none of those players are prepared to risk their own individual reputations and move up the order for the good of the team.
ENGLAND HUB
"A fair amount of selfishness goes on," said Willis, who appeared in seven Ashes series and is England's fourth all-time wicket-taker.
"Someone like Joe Root isn’t prepared to walk into the fiery furnace at one, two or three in the order.
"I have an old fashioned view that the best batsman in the side should bat at number three. But Root steadfastly refuses to do that.
"So we’ve had a shuffling pack of ‘maybe’ players. If the Bairstows and Buttler consider themselves Test Match batsmen, they should be good enough to take those positions.
"But they don’t think they are, so instead we’ve had the revolving door, with Jennings and Burns getting a run.
"Joe Denly at his age? Are they really thinking that he’s going to be an England opening batsman or a number three?
"I don’t think that the quality is there in county cricket. The lack of real quality in the bowling people face is stunting the growth of fully fledged international batsmen."
The 69-year-old, who observed that Australia will pose a formidable threat now that Steve Smith and David Warner are available again after their ball-tampering ban, added: "I’m worried about England’s batting the Ashes.
Burns and Jennings are far from certain to be opening in the Ashes
"A better disciplined and behaved Australian side will be a real handful for England.
"Clearly, if they go well in the World Cup that will give them an enormous boost.
"But I don’t think the quality of England’s batting is good enough to win the Ashes as things stand at the moment."
"The lack of patience and application from England batsmen in the Test Match arena does worry me greatly.
"Now that Alastair Cook has headed off into the sunset, there’s only one proper Test match batsman in that line-up and that’s the captain.
"There are positive signs from Jos Buttler, but he needs big scores on a regular basis, particularly if he’s relegated to third choice wicket keeper.
"The team is crowded out with all-rounders. Their performances are too intermittent for me."
An Evening with Bob Willis at the Spread Eagle Hotel in Thame Oxfordshire, UK. Sunday July 7th. Tickets here.
Posted by Mr Lloyd Birch on 29/04/2019 at 11:22
We only have one top class batsman and that is Joe Root. End of.
Posted by Les Bone on 29/04/2019 at 09:32
I may be biased but James Vince is as good as any of Burns, Stoneman, Denly, Jennings and any other top three batsman in county cricket at the moment. After seeing his 96 and then 190 this week it was pure class. Don't forget his 83 at Brisbane which was first class. Also 76 in his last Test innings. One good innings and he will be in for some while.
Posted by David Rimmer on 28/04/2019 at 12:22
ON paper, Australia should win the Ashes but what is on paper does not always transpire in practise which is what makes sport so fascinating. Notwithstanding, the excellence of James Anderson and Stuart Broad and that is declining, the Aussies have the superior attack. How can England defy that? As Bob Willis said, there are too many maybe players and of those that have done well, none are prepared to put their reputation on the line by batting in the top three. County cricket does seem to be lacking in preparing top order England batsmen for the rigours of Test Cricket. I am sure Bob Willis would advocate the modern equivalent of a Ken Barrington for the middle order. He could blunt attacks with his resilience and over my dead body approach, and averaged almost 60 over 85 Tests. Barrington's heavy smoking did not help but his commitment to England through most of his 30s resulted in his early death (age 50) _ he gave everything for the cause and we need somebody similar like that now. Willis was a young player at Surrey when Barrington was coming toward the end of his career and the former's statements over the years on specialist batsmen demonstrate the high regard he held for Barrington. It is a selfishness but being a specialist batsman does encourage that trait as you only get one chance as a batsman unlike a bowler. One mistake and you are out and that error is more likely to come when the ball is new and you are in the top three.
Posted by Tony Trevor on 27/04/2019 at 09:00
Bob is correct, your best batsman should be at No 3. I don't get to see much county cricket, but if the quality isn't there, then that has to be something to do with less schools playing the game. And the constant changing of formats must make a difference. the'wham bam thank you mam' style, quickly replaced by the intense concentration of 4 or 5 day cricket, where boundaries have returned to their original size, and bowlers stay on for longer spells. The days of shouting down a coal mine and asking for a fast bowler have long since gone.
Posted by St Rob on 24/04/2019 at 17:36
Awful blunders in headline and intro guys. Do England only have one batsman?! Please sharpen up.
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.