England's key man: should Stokes bat at 3?

With England’s test series against Sri Lanka kicking off tomorrow, the team appears to be shaping up. It looks as though Ben Foakes will be making his debut instead of Joe Denly, who looks to have missed his chance during the warm ups. At the other end of the scale, Sam Curran’s ability with the bat has brought him into contention to play.

Aside from these selection issues still lingering, England’s chances rest on a core group of key players. While figures such as Moeen, Root and Anderson will be crucial, for me the key player looks to be Ben Stokes.

Earlier today, Cricinfo published an article by Mark Nicholas suggesting that Stokes bat at number 3, reflecting the importance he has for England going into the series. If England are to come away winners he will have to be on his best form, and so far the signs are encouraging. His 53 at almost a run a ball in the second warmup game showcased his ability to play spin and adapt to alien conditions.

During the India series this summer he showed excellent technique when playing the spinners, and his temperament also seems to have improved when required to play the long innings. Should England lose early wickets and he continues to bat 5, he will be a vital figure towards avoiding disastrous collapses as we so often see with England.

While his batting will undoubtedly be more important, his bowling is also a huge bonus to help balance the side. Stokes’ position as third seamer allows England to play three spinners, giving Root 6 strong bowling options as well as his own dodgy off spinners, which hopefully we won’t see too much of this series!

It may be that Stokes does come in at number 3, and he looks like the most qualified candidate on recent form and capability against spin. As one of England’s most experienced players and with the affray scandal behind him, now seems the perfect time to step up and show his quality.

Whether at 3 or 5, Stokes will be a vital cog in a batting line-up that will face a relentless attack by spin, and if he can solve England’s problems at 3 it will be a huge boost to their chances. Looking through the squad he immediately appears the leading candidate and looks in good enough touch to be the glue England’s batting needs.

As things shape up, England’s likely team looks strong and can be confident of getting a result from the series. Burns looked good in the warm up, Root made a fine century, Jack Leach bowled an encouraging spell and of course Stokes looks in fine fettle. All things considered, here’s a quick look at how England are likely to line up come tomorrows toss:

1. Burns

2. Jennings

3. Stokes

4. Root

5. Ali

6. Buttler

7. Foakes

8. Curran

9. Rashid

10. Leach

11. Anderson

Of course the final factor is the weather, and it looks terrible for tomorrow, so perhaps we will have to wait another day before England reveal their final team. Let’s just hope they avoid any shockers, and give lengthy consideration to the possibility of Stokes In the number 3 slot.