From Rory Burns’ concerning F to Zak Crawley’s promising A+: Grading every ENG player who featured in the series

ByAnirudh Suresh, SportsCafe Editor

08/26/2020

England coming out of the Pakistan series unscathed, without losing a single Test, that too in the absence of Ben Stokes, is not something a vast majority saw coming, but Joe Root’s boys pulled off a great team effort to make it happen. But it’s time to find out who the ‘real’ contributors were.

Rory Burns - F

Looked like a shadow of his improved-self throughout the series and was dismissed in all four innings in disconcerting fashion. Showed technical vulnerability against both the inswinger and outswinger and, uncharacteristically, only faced a total 49 deliveries in the entire series. Might have to go back to county cricket to restore both confidence and technique.

Dom Sibley - D

Was never in comfort or control in any Test but, unlike Burns, found a way to dig in, spend time in the middle and score runs. Was unsettled by Abbas throughout the series and also looked particularly clueless versus the spin of Yasir Shah. Despite having scored more runs than Burns, might end up getting the axe in Sri Lanka due to inability of scoring freely against the slower bowlers.

Zak Crawley - A+

Played only two innings due to team balance and English weather, but made both count - scoring 53 and 267 respectively. Quashed all doubts about his technique, temperament and quality with the double-century but most importantly dragged England out of trouble and helped them pocket the series. Looked at ease versus seam, swing and spin, showcased incredible game-awareness and intelligence and portrayed counter-attacking aggression similar to that of Kevin Pietersen. Has fixed his spot in the side for the next 18 months.

Joe Root - C

Did not get ‘the big knock’ for the second series running, but stayed put and scored valuable runs at crucial junctures of the game. Was uncharacteristically not free flowing with the bat across all three Tests but was unfortunate to have copped two unplayable deliveries from the hands of Naseem Shah. In terms of captaincy, took questionable decisions, including delaying declaration in the third Test, and did not manage Jofra Archer properly. Did a good job, however, in instilling confidence within the team.

Ben Stokes - E

Showed great spirit in first Test to bowl for the country despite nursing an injury, but failed to make significant contributions with the bat. Seemed mentally jaded in Old Trafford and would be hoping to return to his best come the IPL.

Ollie Pope - C

Re-established the ‘crisis man’ nickname with invaluable fifty at Old Trafford, but suffered an inauspicious dip in form as the series progressed. Looked iffy against the googlies of Yasir Shah and struggled to read the leg-spinner in both the second and third Tests, and also fell prey to the leggie in similar, concerning fashion. Seemed to have injured his shoulder on Day 4 of the last Test, so would be hoping to heal both his body and his batting before the Lankan tour beckons.

Jos Buttler - B+

Entered the series with his place in the side under ginormous pressure, but exited it as England’s second-best batsman. Played not one but two match-defining knocks in as many innings and finally seemed to have rediscovered the form and tempo that had deserted him for over two years. Let the team down, however, with some shoddy glovework, which raised doubts over his designation in the side. Keeper or not, like Crawley, ended up locking his place in the side. Would have gotten an A if not for the wicket-keeping gaffes.

Sam Curran - E

Played ahead of Jofra Archer in second Test as fourth seamer, but largely failed to trouble Pakistan batsmen apart from one spell of stringent accuracy against Abid Ali. Failed to generate swing into right-handers and was also too short with his length for the most part. Did not give enough reason for England to consider him for future tours as a specialist seamer.

Dom Bess - D

Started the series off in fine fashion and had his figures ruined by Jos Butler's glovework but rendered ineffective as the series progressed. Found it hard to strike the balance between attack and defence and, often, tried way too hard to bowl the ‘perfect delivery’. Had trouble in discipline and dropped the ball short one too many times and, despite showcasing talent, seemed too raw for the Test level.

Chris Woakes - B+

Was used bizarrely with the ball by England throughout the course of the series, but made things happen everytime he was summoned by the captain. Used both the booming outswinger and the sharp nip-backer to great effect and, despite not adding too many wickets to his tally, was the most disciplined of all English bowlers. Most importantly rediscovered his form with the bat and served as the single biggest reason for the home side’s victory in the first Test.

Jofra Archer - D

Threatened to blow the roof off the place on multiple occasions, but largely failed to capitalize on the momentum he’d generated for himself. Blew hot and cold across each of the four innings and seemed to not know or understand what his role in the side was. Did well to clean up the Pakistan tail in Old Trafford but, apart from that, hardly threatened to knock over the batsmen.

Stuart Broad - A

Picked up from where he left off versus the Windies and tormented the Pakistani batsmen with his accuracy right from ball one. Surprisingly, did not have a great deal of success versus the left-handers but generated, at times, wild levels of lateral movement to bamboozle the batsmen. Excelled with both the old and new cherry and transformed himself into Root’s go-to man for all occasions.

James Anderson - B+

Started the series off in worrying fashion, looking ineffective and non-threatening, but transformed into peak Jimmy Anderson by the time the third Ageas Bowl Test beckoned. Picked up his pace and accuracy in the second Test and, from thereon, looked seemingly unstoppable. Played a huge hand in the series win by taming danger-man Shan Masood and regained his throne as England’s top dog by the time Pakistan were batting for the second time in the third Test.

Grades of English cricketers

A+ - Zak Crawley

A - Stuart Broad

B+ - Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes and James Anderson

C - Joe Root and Ollie Pope

D - Dom Sibley, Dom Bess and Jofra Archer

E - Ben Stokes and Sam Curran

F - Rory Burns