Ben Stokes has not been replaced by Steven Finn in the Ashes squad. Andrew Strauss, the cricket director of the England and Wales Cricket Board, was keen to stress that after Friday’s announcement of Finn as an additional member of the touring party to Australia.
“Steven is a high-quality cricketer with considerable experience of both international cricket and Australian conditions,” Strauss explained. “The selectors believe he will add to the range of options and the squad will be further supported by the arrival of the Lions in Australia in November. We have spoken to Ben and assured him that our decision in no way prejudges the outcome of the ongoing police investigation or cricket discipline commission process.”
One can understand the desire not to link Stokes’s precarious situation and the call-up of Finn. Until the evening of 24 September Stokes was England’s most dynamic cricketer whether clutching a bat or a ball and was about to be the scourge of the Aussies, breathing fire – in an acceptable way – in their direction throughout the Ashes series.
By contrast, Finn is the politest of English fast bowlers, who has toured Australia twice with modest success. On the triumphant tour of 2010-11 Finn played three Tests, taking 14 wickets, but was then dropped because he was leaking too many runs. On the 2013-14 expedition he did not play a Test and was eventually deemed to be “unselectable”, being sent home early in the one-day series.
Thus Finn could never be regarded as a like-for-like replacement for Stokes. He is a completely different type of cricketer and character. Moreover at the ECB they may cling to the hope, however forlorn it appears on the outside, that somehow after all the investigations Stokes will participate in the Ashes this winter.
Realistically, however, they must be preparing for a series without him. Although two players are required to replace Stokes the obvious and immediate need was for another pace bowler. When the two sides line up in Brisbane England will want to retain their four-man pace attack, even if that means batting Moeen Ali at seven and Chris Woakes at eight.
Finn was a logical call. His experience of Australia may be mixed but England’s tour party possesses enough rookies already. In all probability Finn will be competing for the last bowling slot in the Test team with Jake Ball and Craig Overton, both of whom were preferred to him in the original squad. If Stokes is absent, then Overton, who has some batting prowess, suddenly finds the door ajar if he impresses in the first month. The initial plan might have been for him to gain experience rather than Test caps but that could all change now.
The other candidate for a call-up from beyond the Lions must have been Liam Plunkett. He has not played a Test for three years but his no-nonsense approach has made him an integral part of the one-day side and he is not the type to be overawed by Australia or Australians. However, he remains a white-ball specialist.
If another batsman is required, which is a possibility since there will be no spares in the squad in the unlikely event that England want to replace Stokes with a batsman in their Test XI, then he will presumably come from the Lions squad.
Strauss, who may now be pining for the minor difficulties thrown up by the Kevin Pietersen affair, added: “It’s important to give the players, the coaching staff and supporters some clarity around a complex situation. This decision will help us in the weeks ahead and give every player and the whole England setup the best chance to focus on the challenge ahead in Australia.” Broadly translated I think this means: “Get used to the idea that Ben is not going to be there.” Which is precisely what they must do.
It is not so hard to imagine the thought processes of those involved in the wake of the incident in Bristol: “This is a disaster. The Ashes are gone without a ball being bowled and, even worse, the blow is self-inflicted.” This should now give way to: “What if Ben had acquired a side strain on the eve of the Brisbane Test? We would have coped with that as an occupational hazard. We should do the same now.”
Then, having noted that James Pattinson is already ruled out of the Ashes while Mitchell Starc is gingerly coming back from injury, there might be another realisation: “Hang on; we still have one or two handy players in our squad; Joe’s not so bad; nor is Jimmy … [keep going all the way down to Mason].” This then gives way to: “If we retained the Ashes without Ben then that really would be some achievement, which would defy the predictions of many punters here and all of them in Australia. We would be national heroes.” And, if all else fails, there is: “At least we might be able to pop into a bar for a quiet drink without getting pestered.”