Tough calls and finding the right ’keeper

If there was more proof needed that team thinktanks and selectors tilt towards the better batsman when it comes to choosing between two wicketkeepers it came with Englandrsquos selection for next weekrsquos fourth Ashes Test at Old TraffordThe fumbling Jonny Bairstow managed to retain his place in the squad amidst chants from pundits to drop the Yorkshireman and include Surrey wicketkeeper Ben FoakesGeoff Boycott knows a thing or two about having the best man behind the stumps in Test cricket no matter how good or bad he is with the bat So it was no surprise to read his comments which called for his fellow Yorkshireman to be replaced at Old TraffordJohn Etheridge The Sunrsquos experienced cricket writer pointed out a couple of days ago how Bairstow who scored six Test centuries in 2022 has very little to show in this series after a runaball 78 in the opening Test at Edgbaston More importantly Bairstow has been sloppy behind the stumpsSurprise over Bairstowrsquos retention has been expressed by Australian experts too ldquoENG has retained Jonny Bairstow for the 4th Test They are surely flirting with danger 11 catches amp 1 stumping in six innings 7 dropped catches amp 1 missed stumpingrdquo tweeted radio commentator Glenn Mitchell while senior radio broadcaster Jim Maxwell had this to say in a tweet about the England selectorsrsquo decision to keep Bairstow in the side ldquoWell what can you sayhellipit was a mistake after EdgbastonhellipBairstow a lesser batsman after injury and wk dutieshellipbut the Bazball cabal loves himhelliprdquoAll this has probably led to a situation wherein Bairstow finds himself as the England player with the most pressure save skipper Ben Stokes in a quest to once again deny Australia an overseas Ashes triumphEngland won the last Test at Headingley but the Aussies lead 21 and the hosts will be breaking new ground if they revive from that scoreline It will take a miracle of sorts for England to win the Ashes like they did in 1981 Like now the revival started at Headingley where Ian Botham and Bob Willis steered England to victory and made it 11 in Game ThreeEngland won the following two Tests at Edgbaston and Old Trafford with the final Test at The Oval ending in a drawInterestingly England led by recalled captain Mike Brearley changed their wicketkeeper in the midst of the seriesBob Taylor spent years in the wings waiting to replace Kentrsquos Alan Knott as Englandrsquos No 1 wicketkeeper Taylor became Englandrsquos regular rsquokeeper when Knott joined World Series Cricket in 1977 By 1979 the Derbyshire man was first choice but David Bairstow got the nod for the odd Test and justified his position as the better batsman in the 197980 oneday triangular series in AustraliaBut all of a sudden Knott was recalled for the 1980 home series against the West Indies He lsquokeptrsquo in four Tests and was replaced by Bairstow for the final Test when the selectors realised that Knott wouldnrsquot be keen on touring the West Indies in 1981If being recalled in 1980 came as a surprise for Knott him being picked for the fourth Test of the 1981 Ashes was more of a shockPaul Downton kept wickets in the opening Test and was dropped for missing a straightforward chance offered by Allan Border when Australia were 514 at Trent Bridge Taylor replaced Downton at Lordrsquos and made way for Knott in the fifth Test at Old TraffordBotham the hero of that series provided an insight into the change in his book The Incredible Tests 1981 ldquoThis move Knott for Taylor was largely influenced by the conditions the selectors expected to find at Old Trafford when they sat down to pick the team Alec Bedser selector had made a careful check earlier in the week and was told that the wicket would be similar to the one at Edgbaston with perhaps a little more bounce and expected to help the spinners over the last couple of daysWith that in mind the selectors had called in Derek Underwood to help John Emburey in the spinning department They planned to go into the match with five bowlersmdashmyself includedmdashinstead of four as we had been using previously Our batting being what it was they also opted for Knottyrsquos greater runscoring potential over TaylorrsquosrdquoTaylor took his nonselection on the chin In Standing Up Standing Back he wrote ldquoI have always been a perfectionist so I am never slow to criticise myself and Edgbaston 1981 goes down as one of the most mundane efforts from me for England I had the feeling that I was going to be dropped and so it proved They brought back Alan Knott for the Old Trafford Test no doubt to stiffen the batting that had looked so brittle throughout the summer I could understand the reasoning we were twoone up with two games to play and needed batting strength to retain the Ashes but I was still disappointedrdquo Knott scored two half centuries in two Tests to end his 95Test career with 30 fifties and five hundredsEngland will hope the Old Trafford Test result will be similar to the Ashes Test there in 1981 when they won by 103 runsA victory will also even out the scoreline and make the final Test at The Oval a seriesdecider And England believe that Bairstow their most experienced batsman after Joe Root and Ben Stokes will help get the urn back How critical it is to have an efficient wicketkeeper will show up againmiddayrsquos group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stanceHe tweets ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper