Joe Root’s susceptibility to lbw and England’s failure to convert starts into centuries are the only blots on an improved post-Bazball batting display, according to Nasser Hussain.
England piled on 453 runs to establish a commanding first-innings lead of 320 in the third Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston.
The hosts were firmly in control and on course for a 3-0 series sweep, with Pakistan closing on 52-2, still 268 runs adrift, when rain curtailed play.
“I’ve liked the tempo of the batting in this series,” former England captain Hussain said.
“We talked about it earlier in the Bazball era, England going too hard and not seizing opportunities.
“They’ve got the tempo right, especially through the middle order with Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Dan Lawrence and Gus Atkinson.
“I know it’s a poor Pakistan bowling attack, but even Josh Tongue and Jofra Archer have contributed with the bat.
“I like Emilio Gay’s tempo at the top of the order. He bats time and knows when to absorb pressure. English cricket, and this side in particular, have been crying out for that.”
‘So obvious Root is struggling’
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Despite the overwhelming positives, Hussain highlighted two areas England have yet to address during the Pakistan series.
Root’s four dismissals have all been lbw, with the world’s second-highest Test run-scorer continuing to wrestle with that mode of dismissal.
“Obviously, there are two boxes they haven’t ticked,” Hussain explained.
“Their greatest player is struggling with one specific type of dismissal: lbw.
“It’s so obvious he’s struggling. He tried to address it in the first innings, made a technical adjustment and then got out lbw again.”
‘England need to convert starts to big scores’
Meanwhile, England’s wait for a hundred has reached historic levels.
Brook (75), Smith (69), Lawrence (65), Gay (60) and Ollie Robinson (50) have all reached fifty without kicking on to three figures.
A total of 14 half-centuries have been scored across the series without a single hundred, the first time that has happened in a Test series in England since the 1888 Ashes.
“The other one is getting hundreds,” Hussain added.
“You can beat Pakistan with 40s, 50s and 60s. To beat Australia, or the New Zealand side we saw earlier in the summer, you need big hundreds and massive scores
“England just need to convert those starts into big scores.”
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’60 equal to a century this summer’
Reflecting on the absence of a century in the Test series, former England bowler Stuart Broad has called for a reassessment of what constitutes a good score after a scorching summer has made conditions favourable for bowlers.
Broad argued that some scores this summer have been every bit as valuable as centuries on flatter pitches.
“Top-order batting has been very difficult in this series,” Broad said.
“Root, England’s best-ever player, has struggled for runs in this series. If he’s struggling, it’s OK for everyone else to struggle.
“We can’t praise the likes of Ollie Robinson, who is getting 20-odd wickets at an average of around 6.00, and also say, ‘We should be getting more centuries.’
“To be honest, this summer I think a 60 has felt like a hundred.
“You’ve had to work as hard for a 60 on these pitches as you would for a hundred on a normal Test match surface.”
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