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Bayliss wants more wicket-taking threat
- Updated: May 31, 2016
They may have won the Investec Test series with a game to spare, but head coach Trevor Bayliss believes England still have “a long way to go” before they can compete with the best teams in the world.
Bayliss was delighted with England’s victory but knows that, with a five-Test tour to India before the end of the year and an Ashes tour 18-months away, his side “need to improve” in several areas.
Specifically, he believes that England need more potency in spinning conditions and accepts that there remains some uncertainty over the top-order batting.
“We are still a work in progress,” Bayliss said. “We’ve a long way to go before we reach our best or a way of playing the game that I think everyone would be happy with. If we want to compete against Australia, who are the No. 1 team at the moment, on a consistent basis there are areas we need to improve.
“Our batting needs to improve against spin bowling. We did play well in the UAE against Pakistan so we know we can score runs. But bowling on the flatter, spin-bowling wickets, we can keep it tight but we’ve got room for improvement in terms of taking wickets.”
Certainly England struggled to finish off the Sri Lanka second innings in Durham. While James Anderson ended with 5 for 58, the other six bowlers utilised claimed combined figures of 5 for 401. The spinner, Moeen Ali, finished with figures of 1 for 136.
But instead of calling for changes ahead of the final Test at Lord’s, Bayliss explained that he felt that some of those players struggling for form would benefit from knowing that the selectors backed them and decided to name the third Test squad the moment the second Test was finished.
“There have been discussions over selection over the last month or so,” Bayliss said. …
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