Hello and welcome to Stumped, your intercontinental hit of news, features,
and debate from the sometimes quirky world of cricket. I'm Charu Sharma for Akashvani today in
Sharjah going a three match one-day international series between the West Indies and the UAE. The
West Indies belong to we think, it's not just nostalgia, another league. But they could take all
the competitive matches they can get before the ICC qualifiers and Zimbabwe. So two matches done,
the West Indies have taken an unassailable lead, and good for the UAE as well to get
some experience against the bigger boys. We all know that there's a bigger battle - the World
Test Championship in London right now, where one team seems to be doing really well and the other not well at all.
Here at the Oval, I'm looking for my umbrella. That's how sunny it is this morning
and it's been very sunny for the Australian batsman sent in and they had a few problems
with three wickets going down, but from there on it was the Head and Smith show. The most
exhilarating innings you can imagine from Mr Head. He was in extraordinary form and Steve Smith was
the bulwark alongside him, just steadily playing away. So, a very happy day for Australia and it's
lovely to be here in England and at the Oval with the sun shining. I'm Alex Hartley and from
an Australia point of view, it was definitely a good toss to lose. Well, short and sharp, but
I have to confess I mean, Jim, if you think the sun's out there and you're feeling the heat, as
soon as we stopped here in Sharja, I got off the plane, it was announced that we were 47 degrees!
So imagine playing cricket in 47! It's baking! Luckily, I'm not out in the field, all nice
and air conditioned in the commentary box. All right, let's start this week with the World Test
Championship final between Australia and India What else? It's the epic! After day one, I think
it's fair to say that it was clearly Australia's Day. India won the toss and chose to bowl first.
There's a lot of chat already about the fact that they should have batted first and people are
quoting it was WG Grace's home saying, 'when you win the toss you bat first. If you're not sure,
think and then bat again!' But it wasn't to be. Australia finishing on 327-3 and Steve Smith 95 not out.
Surely he'll get to 100. What about Travis Head, ending the day unbeaten on 146 of the finest. Such
aggressive cricket from Mr Head. Jim, there's some sunshine on you and I can feel that smirk
and the smile, but obviously you're very happy because Australia are in a fabulous position.
Yes, a very powerful position and India, they had a good hour or two when the cloud was hanging
around and the pitch was doing a bit, but they lacked a Bumrah. They certainly lacked an Ashwin.
In a game like this, whatever the conditions look like, you pick your best bowlers. And for
him not to be in the India attack, I think is an outrageous piece of selection and they're paying
for it now. I have to say that Travis Head played like a Brian Lara at times in that innings. His
ability to pick up the length and dispatch the ball to the boundary. And he did that on a number of
occasions, including one upper cut that went over a fine third man for six. So, he was in hot form
and Steve Smith was a little more obdurate, and patient. He didn't play his full array of shots,
but he didn't give a chance. Nor did Travis Head, so it's looking a little ominous for India and
very cheerful for Australia because there is a little bit of variable bounce in the pitch,
which may make batting come days four and five when India could be in their last innings, a little difficult.
Well, I dare suggest it's going to take a miracle for India to win this
Test match and very very hard work to even save it. Alex, welcome to the show. You're
sitting not too far from Jim, but I'm afraid he's going to be all Australia today. There we are.
Alex, obviously the stand out performance on day one had to be Travis Head and Jim's talked
a bit about that. A century off 106 balls. That's ODI-esk, or perhaps even T20-esk. Third fastest
Test hundred at the Oval - quite something. Of course, it was Travis Head's first Test century
outside of Australia. So perhaps a little more on Head before you move on because I mean, you were
there, you saw it. It just had to be magnificent. Yeah, it was. It was really good to watch. I think
he actually batted with Steve Smith incredibly well, the way they balanced that partnership.
But Travis Head in particular, we know he goes out and he plays his shots. It's very much the England way
for Travis Head. He's been doing it before BazBall was even a thing. He's got that high strike rate
and I think he just takes the attack on. If you've got somebody going at a strike rate of
just less than 100 at one end, there's somebody in Steve Smith at the other end that you know you're
not gonna get out. It's incredibly hard to break that partnership and be able to put pressure on
Australia, and I think the way Travis Head played his shots, he had some outrageous cricket shots.
Like Jim was saying, the uppercut over the slips, over the keeper and then some lovely cover drives.
The way he's got it all. It was incredible to watch it, it was really, really exciting. But,
as an England fan looking forward towards the summer, you go, 'oh, he could get a few runs!'
Yeah. Forget about BazBall, it's all TravBall or HeadBall well before BazBall. But he does give
you an opportunity or two once in a while. That's his game, but perhaps not Steve Smith because
he's just so solid at the crease. Maybe he began a little shakily - more responsibility for an older
player, who knows. But the Indians were running out of ideas, Jim. I'd like to hear from both of
you, Jim first, then you Alex, about what would be a strategy against Steve Smith, because he
does move across very quickly and then you have to try and bowl straight to him and try and trap him
and he whips you on the leg side. If you need to bowl wider off the yard, he's equally comfortable
on the off. What are you to do against him, Jim? It's hard to find a way through and there were a
few moments where he had to check and adjust his shot so that catch didn't carry to the
slips. Maybe there were standing a little deep at times, but he did play that rather late as he does
against pace bowling; the dropping wrist shot. I think two or three times, the ball landed a yard
in front of them in the slip cordon. Other than that there were some plays and misses,
as you'd expect. But there's a serenity about the way he goes about his game, and he looks totally
in control once he gets through that first edgy period. And there were opportunities for India to
strike. They bowled a few wicket taking balls, but they didn't take wickets. One of them I remember
whacking Labuschagne on the left fingers and he had to get some attention, and he was bowled
magnificently by Shami straight after lunch. One that went through his defences. But that was 3-76
and it's hard to believe that from there on, even via the second new ball, India were unable to
create a wicket. That said as much about the batting as perhaps the greater placidity of
the pitch as the day went on and the fact that India didn't have their best bowling line up.
I don't know whether Ashwin would have made any difference. But those four pace bowlers, there's
a little bit of a sameness about a couple of them - Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav looked to be
short of a gallop to be honest. He bowls too many four balls to be a really good Test bowler against
this quality of batting. That was the struggle for India. If you think about this partnership of 251,
it was chanceless, so that does tell us something about the very high quality of batting that was on display.
I think you when you look at Steve Smith and we asked Justin Langer yesterday: 'How do
you get a Steve Smith out?' on-air and he said 'I can't be telling you that because people will be
listening! I was like I promise nobody's listening. Just tell us, it's a secret!' He wouldn't tell us,
would he and I think for me if I was India, I know they've not really got the quicks but they could
have gone to the short ball tactic to Smith slightly earlier. I think we'll see that when
England play against Australia. I really liked the fact that when they had their leg slip and
the two catchers on the leg side, I don't think they stuck with that for long enough, because we
know he steps outside his off stump. He wants to flick the ball into the leg side. It's almost a
waiting game. With a world class batter, you just have to play the waiting game for ever so slightly
longer and I don't think India did that yesterday. They tried a couple of things for an over or two,
but you have to do it for five, six, seven overs when it's a world class batter. So,
I like the short ball tactic to Head, but I think they could have done it to Steve Smith as well and
say come on, can you play it? You gonna take it on. Are you happy just ducking and weaving out of
everything we give to you? Yeah, there have been questions about captaincy and leadership
of Rohit Sharma. People have very quickly gone on to talk about the aggression of Virat Kholi. These are all
retrospective things, but something you said back there Jim has given some heart to Indian cricket
fans, saying they were just the shade unlucky. So, I think the Indian fans will hang on to that,
we were just unlucky. But you mentioned a bit about Ashwin being dropped and again this is
hindsight, perhaps he's done better in the last few matches overseas than before when
he was spectacularly unsuccessful outside. Do you think that would have made such a big difference,
especially day one of the pitch at the Oval and getting Ashwin in instead of perhaps one
of the fast bowlers if not Jadeja? Couple of things, obviously if they had Bumrah playing,
it would've made the decision easier to go with just three fast bowlers instead of four. Also,
if someone like Pant had been playing, they could have taken the punt, so to speak,
had him batting at six and playing the two spinners and three quicks that way. Whatever
it was I mean the figures don t lie. Jadeja's numbers in Test matches in England are nowhere
near as good as you'd expect as in India. I think Ashwin shades him, actually, when you make that
comparison. But there's no way Jadeja's going to be left out because he is probably the all-rounder
of the day at the moment in Test cricket given that Ben Stokes is not bowling. He may well be
needed with the bat as this match progress. He didn't look very threatening with the ball and
maybe that'll come a little bit later on. But, yes they just could not create enough wicket-taking
opportunities once these two batsmen got set. The momentum shift was alarming, even as I say
through the second new ball. There was a skerrick of an opportunity created by the bowlers.
I think for me, I would have played R Ashwin and Jadeja. I'd have played them both together and I think
they're both different and the point of difference to Ashwin has that Jadeja doesn't have, is Ashwin
has got all these different variations. He's got so many, and I think on a pitch like we've
got today and here at the Oval, it was offering a tiny bit of spin, more hold than anything. We saw
a couple of balls spin from Jadeja in towards the left handers, but I think if you can get the ball
going both ways and you can try and outfox the batters especially when you've got set batters,
you have to try and be ahead of the game. I think tactically, Ashwin is one of the best in the world
at that. He is proactive, he's not reactive. He's proactive and that's what makes him such
a special bowler. So, as soon as a toss went up and India won and they said he wasn't playing,
I thought I think they've made a mistake and obviously that's easy to say.
Let's move on to, on Stumped, a week to go before the men's Ashes begin in England and they were dealt
a blow with spinner Jack Leach ruled out with a stress fracture in his back. So, these injuries
are just racking up. But all-rounder Moeen Ali has agreed to come out of Test retirement and
join the England squad for the first two of the five Ashes Tests. So, that's obviously some
level of good news for England. This comes after being approached by England captain Ben Stokes
and the coach Brendon McCullum. They obviously rate him very highly and come on back Moeen,
and he is. Thoughts on his decision to accept returning and playing the first two matches? I
don't think he was ever going to turn it down, to be completely honest. Having spoken to him last
year and we were watching at Headingley, he was going, 'well it actually looks really good. It looks
good fun! I've never seen Test cricket played in this way. I sort of want to get out there.'
A couple of weeks later, Baz's asked him if he wants to play and he said, Only if you ever really
need me.' Well, turns out we really need him. I think had there have been anybody else we'd have
gone to somebody else. We've tried, we've tested, we've had Matt Parkinson, we've had Rehan Ahmed.
They're just not ready. They're just not ready to play at Test cricket level. I think in an Ashes,
in a crucial Ashes where you're playing this new brand of cricket and all eyes are on you, you need
experience and there's only two other spinners that have ever taken more wickets than Moeen Ali.
So, yeah, I think it's the right choice. We know he'll step up. He might not play the first
Test match. There's a lot of talk on the fact, he's not played red-ball cricket now for going
on two years, nearly two years, but it's not like he's not been playing cricket. I think a lot of
England's team, they focus on white-ball anyway, so it did not come as a surprise to me that he'd
been picked. For me, I think it's totally the right choice just because of all the experience
he's got and he's played in Ashes series and the first games at his home ground, so he'll feel at home.
Well, how about that Jim? India leave out the world's best off-spinner, if I might say so,
Ashwin and England call on Moeen Ali. No disprespect, it may not be the finest offie,
but he's back in the team. Your thoughts on his decision to play and coupled with that the fact
that Leach because he has played in all 13 of England's Tests since Ben Stokes took over as
captain, taking 45 wickets. So that's a big bag. How's this mix for England losing Leach, getting Moeen?
It doesn't look good for them. I'll put it that way. As I said to Alex yesterday,
I think the England women's team have got more likely spin bowlers than the men,
to be honest. The dearth of spin bowling in this country is extraordinary. Extraordinary.
It must be the greatest wipeout spin situation of any country playing big cricket. Jack Leach
has done remarkably well and his absence is a big minus for England. And around all of this
of course, we have the issue with Ben Stokes, whose knee's no good. Should probably have an
operation. Will he bowl a ball in the series? I mean, he's a great all-rounder historically,
but if he's not bowling you'd need to have someone other than Joe Root who'll probably be the spinner
in the first Test because they'll go with four quicks, holding up an end at least. So, when you
look at Moeen Ali's record, it's not flash against Australia: 20 wickets at 65 in Test cricket. Not
that Jack Leach is any better, but I don't think the Australians will be too fearful about Moeen
Ali playing. But what choice, as Alex says, have England got? Where can they go? They don't have
too many alternatives, and this is a fairly dire situation around a fast-bowling attack that has
got a mixture of great experience, some old age, a few injuries. So, England are going to have to
find a way somehow to get 20 wickets in a Test match quickly, because I reckon Australia will get
20 pretty quickly if they're on their best game. Hmm, and what about this somewhat strange. Now,
Alex, you first. Former England coach Andy Flower, who won the Ashes three times during his five
years in charge is now a consultant for Australia. This is trickery. What's going on? Will it affect anything at all?
It's obviously an advantage to Australia because Andy Flower has coached these
England players and I think when you're doing a job, you have to do the best job that you can. So,
there is going to be times where the Australians are saying 'how are we gonna get Joe Root out? What's
Joe Root's weakness?' You know, he's going to have to tell them, because that's what you do.
You have to do a job to your best ability. It will advantage Australia, but I don't think England
will be too fazed about it because England are very much, 'we are going to concentrate on us and
us only. We're not bothered about the wider world, and we're not bothered about anybody else. We're
in our own little bubble, we're playing under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. What they say
is absolutely brilliant. You know, we're absolutely going to go for it.' But for Australia, if you can
get somebody in that can give you those little ins, then it's all about those one percenters, isn't it?
He's a very hard-nosed character, that Andy Flower. I remember when he was coaching
England and that series in Australia in 2010/2011 when they won so well under his direction and Andy
Strauss's leadership. It's not all 100 percent for Australia. Things can go amiss, particularly when
the balls moving around and Jimmy Anderson has got it on a string or for that matter Stuart Broad.
But England have got their own issues there are about which bowlers to play where and when, given
we've got five Tests in seven weeks and Australia have a similar issue about how well their fast
bowlers will back up. Will Pat Cummins be able to, as captain, play every Test as the main strike bowler?
Well, that's all we have time for on this week's Stumped. My thanks to Jim Maxwell and
Alex Hartley and all of you for listening. Well, speak to you again very soon. For now, goodbye.