Mark Butcher, a former England batsman, believes that wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Foakes could once again find himself excluded from the playing XI during the upcoming five-match Test series in India, where Ben Stokes and the team are set to tour.
Foakes faced controversy when he was dropped from the Ashes playing XI to accommodate in-form middle-order batters Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook. He had expressed his disappointment at missing out on the significant series, especially after being previously praised by his captain as the ‘best wicketkeeper in the world.’
Foakes has demonstrated proficiency in playing spin and managing wicketkeeping duties on challenging, turning pitches in previous instances. He was a member of the England squad that toured India in 2021, experiencing a 3-1 defeat. In that series, he accumulated 78 runs in six innings with an average of 15.60.
“I don’t see how they can play him, as much as I think he should be in the side. I do not see how they can get him in and play a balanced attack with five bowlers that includes two spin bowlers, three seamers and have enough batting. I just can’t see how they do it, I’m afraid,” Mark Butcher said on Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast.
“I can’t see England wanting to go in with five specialist batters, Foakes at six, and then five bowlers after that because they haven’t got the all-rounders out there, so honestly I don’t see how they get him in,” Butcher added.
Foakes gained recognition for his ability to play spin, particularly during his successful debut series in Sri Lanka. The wicketkeeper-batsman notched a memorable century on his debut and accumulated a total of 277 runs in the three-match series.
“I don’t feel our spinners are good enough to do that” – Mark Butcher’s opinion on England’s potential use of only four bowlers
Foakes’ potential inclusion hinges on either dropping a middle-order batsman or a bowler from the team. Opting for the latter would mean England having only four bowling choices in the squad, especially with Stokes probably not bowling immediately after his knee surgery.
Additionally, the conditions in the subcontinent necessitate multiple spinners, limiting England to fielding two pacers and two spinners in the playing XI, with Joe Root serving as the third spin-bowling option.
Butcher expressed the view that England’s spin bowling contingent, mainly featuring relatively inexperienced players like Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, and Shoaib Bashir, may not perform effectively in a four-bowler setup. Butcher suggested that Stokes might need to incorporate three frontline pacers in the team.
“Without seeing the surfaces it’s difficult to say [if England will feel the need to pick five bowlers] but a balanced attack in turning conditions is that, isn’t it? Unless you feel your slow bowlers are good enough to only play two seamers and two spinners and that be it.”
“But I don’t feel our spinners are good enough to do that, and England’s strength wherever they travel has always been their seam bowling, so you’d want at least three seamers in that team,” Butcher said.
England is missing Stuart Broad following his retirement announcement. The fast-bowling choices for the team consist of James Anderson, Mark Wood, and Ollie Robinson, while Chris Woakes has been left out of the squad.
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