On a gloomy night at the Oval, on a pitch where even Kevin Pietersen can't time the ball, in walks débutante Chris Woakes. Looking like a cricket action figure fresh from the box, he caresses his first ball in test cricket through the covers for four. The crowd erupt in partly ironic, partly jubilant applause at this rare break from the two run an over boredom that preceded it. 15 not out at the close including a beautiful back-foot straight drive, and Woakes already looks the business. It would be premature to dub him the next Flintoff/Botham/W.G.Grace, but after his brief innings today I think it confirms why England have been interested in him for so long.
However, the first two days of play cannot be forgotten, and neither can the way Shane Watson dismissed him around the park. He may be a 'batting allrounder' as all the commentators and pundits continue to say, but his route in the team will undoubtedly be decided by his ability to bowl economical spells and get wickets on flat decks. With his involvement in the ODI team almost a guarantee now Bresnan is injured, it will be tough for him to get the necessary first class games and experience in before the Ashes down under, or even before next year. But what is clear is that he needs strong guidance from the England management. It would be easy for them to say ''go and get some wickets and runs'' then turn their backs and watch the statistics, but what I believe is key will be the way in which he gets his wickets and the sort of lengths he bowls. Opening for Warwickshire he can bowl an aggressively full length to get some swing and extract the seam that Edgbaston offers, whilst bowling just back of a length with the older ball. However as Watson proved yesterday and on Wednesday with punishing straight drives and front-foot pulls, there is little margin for error in Test match cricket. This winter and next year will be massive for him, and needs to be spent specifically and wisely.
The man Woakes harshly replaced, Johnny Bairstow, can feel hard done by. All the batsman so far at the Oval have got starts, and he will probably feel he deserved a go in this last test, just to prove himself before the away leg. But for me his batting won't be the deciding factor in his England future. James Taylor is amassing some serious runs for Nottinghamshire in Division One, and on the green seamer that is Trent Bridge - no amount of second division runs will alter England's perception of Bairstow. However, Matt Prior has had a below par series and may possibly be attracted by IPL and Big Bash riches, and with no immediate or obvious plans to include Kieswetter or Butler in the test squads, I would feel wicketkeeping is Bairstow's route to future success. Alec Stewart was once considered an opening batter who kept a bit, but with perseverance and hard work became England's number one with the gloves, as can be said for Matt Prior who was frankly awful when he first donned an England shirt (e.g. Sri Lanka 2007). For me this winter should be about Bairstow the wicketkeeper. It's most likely he will retain his place for the Australian tour given England propensity to leave James Taylor on the sidelines, but this shouldn't serve as an excuse to stop developing his skills behind the stumps. Learn from the proximity with Matt Prior, talk to Adam Gilchrist and Ian Healy who will be around with Channel 9, and come back to county cricket in 2014 not just as a dashing number 6, but as a top-order player who can hold his own against the likes of Steven Davies. Otherwise he's just another batsman with a test average of 30.
At the moment though, these two are both fighting for the same place at number 6. Ironically it could be ODI cricket that decides the winner.
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