Alex Hales: Tough at the Top

Since Andrew Strauss retired, England's average opening wicket stand is 35.25 - below the overall average of 35.35. Over this period, 9 batsman have partnered Cook at the top of the order. Joe Root (37.66) is the only one with an average above 35. The other 8 (Hales, Compton, Robson, Carberry, Lyth, Moeen Ali, Trott and Buttler) have a combined average of 25.15. In their 84 combined innings, they have scored just 4 centuries and 9 fifties.

Cook's most recent partner, Alex Hales, is currently sporting a meagre average of 27.28 after his first 11 matches. His numbers are boosted almost entirely thanks to a very mediocre Sri Lankan attack. His average (17.56) in the two series against South Africa and Pakistan is a sight for sore eyes.

Hales was brought into the side to be an attacking foil for Cook, yet, as it turned out, Cook has been the more aggressive of the two. Hales has looked tentative and turgid with a strike-rate barely above 40. He has stewed and stagnated at the crease for long periods - simply unable to rotate the strike. He blocked and blocked and blocked until he nicked off as Pakistan's seamers exploited his inability to resist playing at anything outside his off-stump. He reached 25 only once in the recent series with Pakistan, and his troubles began weighing so heavily on his mind that he got so desperate as to change his technique mid-Test at Old Trafford.

Over the last 2 years, England have tried 7 different opening combinations. Pakistan are the only team to have gone through more partnerships. The selectors have yet to find the right combination. And so once again, England will start an upcoming series with serious question marks surrounding Cook's opening partner. Is this the end of the road for Hales? If so, who replaces him? Do they go back to the well and try Robson or Lyth again? Or perhaps a left-field selection in either Ben Duckett or Daniel Bell-Drummond?

cricketwindies.com/the-pitch/rate-these-subc-seamers/

Its tough ...outline whom Halo faced !

England may need a tour of Zimabwe : to get their groove back !

www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/249866.html

11 Test with a debut vs. South Africa and now Pakistan.

As mentioned a good series vs. Lanka.

It's understandable that the selectors are continuing to try different combinations as non of them seem to work, but seeing as all the ones they are trying are failing, why don't they do the opposite no and just leave the current opening partnership as it is and see how it develops? Instead of chopping and changing it after every series, then if possible stick to the same to and then evaluate the performance after a season. That would also take a lot of the pressure off and they would at least know that no matter how they perform they will still be there next game and that may give them the confidence to play their game without the pressure of being dropped if they don't produce a 5 star performance.

England have some good young opening batsman in the pipeline. Bell-Drummond, Jennings, Gubbins, Haseeb Hameed and Duckett to name a few.

Young Haseeb Hameed became the youngest ever Lancashire batsman to record 1000+ runs in the County Championship, to go with 2 roses tons, and the first teenager to score 4 Championship centuries in a season. He is a real grinder, in the Boycott mode, facing 2651 deliveries in Division 1 this year; no other batsman has reached 2000.

An impressive achievement.

Halo has unfortunately gone into Trott and Compton more, overthinking.


I still think we should given him an extended run but not sure about Ballance.