(Photo by Gareth Copley / Getty Images)
By Chris Stocks
The underwhelming nature of England’s Ashes squad and the fact Ben Stokes is highly unlikely to be available meant last week’s announcement of the Lions party for Australia was significant.
Normally the Lions are made up of the most promising young players in county cricket and a smattering of those on the fringes of the Test team.
But the 17-man squad that will shadow the main party in Australia, containing as it does four players with Test caps, is more akin to an emergency pool of back-up options in case too many in the original squad crash and burn in the heat of the Ashes battle.
Insurance policies are generally a wise option in whatever context you take them out. So, the selection of the Lions squad, led by a man in Andy Flower who oversaw England’s 5-0 whitewash in the 2013-14 Ashes, should be seen as just that.
England, whether they admit or not, cannot be overwhelmingly confident they’ve picked the right men for the Ashes.
They may be hoping for the best but they are also preparing for the worst. Who can blame them?
In James Vince, Gary Ballance and Dawid Malan there are three batsmen in the main squad who most fair-minded judges would admit are liable to struggle against Australia.
Having Test experience in Keaton Jennings, Ben Duckett and Tom Westley in the Lions set-up is a comfort blanket, although it’s probably a blanket with a few holes in given the failure of all three to take their chance when given it by England over the past year.
Mason Crane is an interesting choice as the second spinner for the Ashes. But having Jack Leach, who had an infinitely better season in the Championship, at close quarters is smart.
Mark Wood, too, is a welcome addition to the Lions party. The Durham fast bowler would have been in the Ashes squad had he not been plagued by yet more injury problems this summer.
His presence with the second-string should be seen for what it is – a chance for Wood to build up his fitness and prove he can withstand the rigours of a Test match in time for the second half of the Ashes series.
If he can do that during the early part of the Lions schedule – which includes a three-day match in Brisbane in November – he is likely to be recalled in time for the third Test at Perth.
Lions tours have always been used to help some players back to fitness and offer cover for any injuries that may befall the main squad.
It happened, of course, last winter when Jennings was called up for the final two Tests of England’s series in India from the Lions tour of the UAE to replace Haseeb Hameed.
However, in terms of the batsmen, it would not be a surprise if at least one of the current Ashes squad was replaced at some point by a Lion for loss of form rather than injury. Whatever the reason for a call-up, I would argue that one of the uncapped young Lions batsmen might be better positioned to step into the Ashes squad than any of the three with previous Test experience.
At least one of Nick Gubbins, Joe Clarke or Dan Lawrence might already be in the main Ashes tour party had the selectors been braver.
Lawrence, who averaged 45 this summer in helping Essex win the County Championship title, is only 20 but, in my eyes, he already looks a better option at No.5 for England than either Malan or Ballance.
Chucking a kid into such a high-profile series might not always be the best move. Yet Lawrence, according to those in the know at Essex – including Alastair Cook – is a rare talent. His back-to-the-wall century against a Lancashire attack that included James Anderson saved Essex from defeat in the first game of the season.
It’s that kind of grit, quality and class that England will need over the coming weeks and months in Australia.
Strong cases could be made for Clarke and Gubbins, too.
All three will have a chance to show what they can do with the Lions in Australia. Other fine players – Alex Davies, George Garton and Jamie Porter to name three – will also have ample opportunity to provide evidence that they can make the step up to international cricket.
It really is an exciting time to be an English cricketer on the fringes of the main Test squad because it looks as though there will be plenty of spots in the first XI up for grabs in the coming months.
England might defy expectations and win the Ashes, with perhaps Vince, Malan or Ballance playing a starring role.
However, it’s far more likely things will go south and if they do at least there appears to be a decent back-up plan.
England Lions squad: Dom Bess (Somerset) Joe Clarke (Worcestershire) Paul Coughlin (Durham/Nottinghamshire) Alex Davies (Lancashire) Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire) George Garton (Sussex) Nick Gubbins (Middlesex) Tom Helm (Middlesex) Keaton Jennings (Durham/Lancashire) Dan Lawrence (Essex) Jack Leach (Somerset) Liam Livingstone (Lancashire) Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire) Jamie Porter (Essex) Amar Virdi (Surrey) Tom Westley (Essex) Mark Wood (Durham)
