Will they live to regret it?

Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes utilise different captaincy styles but they both possess the same admirable trait by seeking victory from the opening deliveryOne of the big differences is Stokesrsquos desire for his batsmen to attack which has forced Cummins to employ some defensive strategies Itrsquos not desirable to give good players an easy single at the start of an innings and you are trusting luckrsquos fickleness by trying to dismiss a sensible batsman via a bouncer barrageThese were tactics Cummins employed at different times during the series and while they were dubious ploys the question still applies ldquoWhy did senior players allow him to continue using such repetitive tactics that werenrsquot workingrdquoOne aim of a good cricket team is to make the opposition change its tactics whether it be a team strategy or an individual option England achieved that aim but because they made some poor selection choices they still trail in the seriesCorrect tactics by StokesThere were critics of Stokesrsquos decision to declare at Edgbaston and bat on at Old Trafford These are smokescreens as his tactics were right and both are aligned with the captainrsquos stated desire to push for victory Any captain who calculates a declaration according to a weather forecastmdashas was suggested of Stokes at Old Traffordmdashis asking for troubleWhat has to be queried is Englandrsquos poor record at the selection table This series theyrsquove mistakenly plumped for Jonny Bairstow a recognised batsman ahead of the far superior wicketkeeper Ben Foakes They opted to court Moeen Ali an offspinner who bats but even at his peak didnrsquot relish the challenge of playing Australia England also preferred a seam attack that lacked variety before belatedly unleashing a genuine speedster against Australia in the third Test England then failed to give Mark Wood the advantage of using a hard new ballAlso Read Cricket quite the gentlemanrsquos gameThese are all culpable errors that are difficult to overcome even when accompanied by an admirable desire to prioritise runscoring and taking wickets This is especially the case when Englandrsquos captain and coach have a considerable say in selectionDefensive fieldersDefensive fielders highlight a desire among modern captains to protect boundaries thereby allowing easy singles There are times when this is a questionable policy despite the dramatic improvement in modern bats If a batsman hits a boundary hersquos still facing the next ball but a single frees him from the strike and he enjoys the safety of the nonstrikerrsquos endA captain who disperses the field with no close catching men and the bulk of the fielders on the boundary is greatly reducing the effectiveness of an attacking bowler If a captain places nine men on the boundary any selfrespecting bowler is entitled to say ldquoYou want that field then you bowl to itrdquoCaptaincy is subjective therersquos never universal agreement on tactics especially when a game is lost A captain must hold his nerve and expect good positive suggestions from his senior fielders I liken captaincy to a computer others can provide an input but itrsquos the skipper who has to make the final decisionBoth Cummins and Stokes were the right choice as respective leaders In Cumminsrsquos case hersquos a good captain and deserves to retain the position However he may be listening to too much advice not all of it from people qualified for the jobCritics would do well to recall that under Cumminsrsquos captaincy Australia hold both the World Test Championship mace and the urn Cummins displays his worthCummins displayed his worth in the Oval Test by learning from past mistakes After sending England in on a pitch that had some life for the bowlers Australia dismissed their opponents for a reasonable total despite some sloppy fieldingThe Test is now poised to end in a one innings shootout with the series finishingmdashas it beganmdashin a sprint for victory Whatever the respective merits of the two skippers the teams have provided ample entertainment and a series to be remembered