Ben Gardner writes on Ben Foakes’ supporting act in Ranchi, an innings of substance and value that, as often before, was cut short of becoming a true statement.
Cast your mind back to the summer of 2022, but forget for a second all the good stuff. Focus instead on what, until last week, was England’s only blowout defeat of the Brendon McCullum era. Dean Elgar turned up at Lord’s, promised to puncture England’s bravado in a series of side-mouth interviews, and then Kagiso Rabada backed him up, blowing them away by an innings.
Mr McCullum publicly urged his players to “work harder”, but the reaction on the field suggested he would consider it privately. At Old Trafford, England, led by Ben Foakes, put on one of the most traditional batting shows of a brave new era. The England wicketkeeper, five runs behind and with less than 150 men in the field, had a slow-paced century as Ben Stokes’ side responded with an innings victory.
England will resume tomorrow morning on 304-7.
What are your predictions for day 2?#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/QrgiBmC8XS
– Wisden (@WisdenCricket) 23. February 2024
He made a back cut against the bowler who was dismissed twice in the last Test. At that time it felt like the first part of his career was over. Scoring his first home Test hundred in the summer in his first home test, he proved he deserved more than just a stopgap overseas. Still, he has joined the team multiple times since then.
For Old Trafford 2022, read Lunch 2024, at least for now. England are struggling, their approach is questionable and the survival of the series is at stake. Once again they were rocked, five down in the first session, and it was Foakes who settled again. He and Joe Root scored just over 2 per over and also played the first wicketless session of the series. While Root rediscovers how calming cruise control can be, Foakes is in his own bubble, barely scoring every four balls. A straight drive rings the stumps. Fielders have been trying to thwart boundaries, of which he has only reached twice in his first 117 games, but there is little sign of the pressure mounting.
Why is it like that? Achieving 250 wins and 5 losses after going through the toughest batting conditions in the series is a bit of a miracle. And though England have overcome hills and hardships, the path they have chosen remains brave. Foakes and Root could have easily ended the first session as a license to bat, with a pea roller that pinned Stokes’ pound, rather than waiting for the fatal blow. Rather, they correctly assume that even if scoring proves difficult, it is possible to survive with a few changes. Sweeps are unwise as the bounce is uneven and India are more content to limit runs than look for wickets. So Britain makes them work.
There is little need to revisit the debate over the value of Fawkes, as both sides are firmly entrenched, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. But it was a reminder of just what kind of player Foulkes is. The batter-goalie dichotomy is always detrimental to everyone involved, and also ignores the fact that Foulkes doesn’t bat like a goalie at the crease. Wagging his tail is not his strong suit. Rather, he is one of England’s key partnership builders, his liaison and counterpart. Mr. Fawkes has now been involved for six centuries under Mr. Stokes. Root averaged 64 runs batted in for the team, the best of any batsman who played at least five games.
“What he’s done today is what marks him out as one of the greats.” 🙌
Joe Root’s amazing century at Ranchi is one of his best 💯
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Unholen: https://t.co/zKF0aOn7lp
Ansehen: https://t.co/UcvSlwuH4Z#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/06Dz0CInLP– Wisden (@WisdenCricket) 23. February 2024
As a new ball appeared on the horizon, Foakes sensed the moment. He targets the leg side of R Ashwin, scores a six and his four within four balls makes the record double his. In the blink of an eye, he went from just 30 points to a game-changing 50 points and three points. Perfectly judged.
And it happens. Mohammed Siraj returns and finds a reverse swing that Foakes reduces by half to mid-wicket. It’s a smart move in bowling, but it’s also an avoidable dismissal. Fawkes thought to throw his bat, but he caught it in time. He was showing his usual self-control, but this time he was a little too slow. As he had so many times before, Foulkes played an innings full of substance and value. And as has happened many times before, it did not amount to a true statement. Since such things have happened in the past, he will know that he is never far from becoming the victim of a dilemma of choice. Each time he found the decision difficult, but he never fully resolved the discussion.
As Root turns 100, he and Stokes have an Elvis-inspired celebration. This reminds us that the England captain wants his cricketers to become rock stars. Folk may never take on that role, but few are better at keeping up the pace. History shows that England tends to take sides when it comes to debate again. The fortitude of Fawkes’ Lunch kept England alive and proved its worth, but it could also end when it needed to be.
