England faced yet another humiliating Ashes defeat in Australia when they capitulated against the relentless Aussie pace attack. Nathan Lyon, who was the leading wicket-taker before the start of the fifth and final Test, didn’t need to bowl a single ball in the entire Test, with the Aussie pacers triggering a familiar England collapse late on Day 3.
After averaging just 14.13 runs in the first four Tests, the England openers finally put on a show in the last innings of the series. Chasing 271, Rory Burns and Zak Crawley combined to hand England an early advantage by adding 68 runs for the opening wicket. The fact that it was their highest opening partnership of the series shows how poor they were throughout the series. The partnership provided a rare glimmer of hope to the English team and their supporters, but as if the batters didn’t have the stomach to fight, they lost the next nine wickets for just 54 runs.
England were constantly put under pressure early on in the innings. English openers failed to last more than two overs in four of the ten innings this series, batting for more than 15 overs just twice. The openers had a partnership of more than 7 runs in only four innings throughout the series. Throughout the 2021-22 Ashes, Australian openers played an average of 53.9 balls before losing their first wicket. England openers, on the other hand, lasted only 40 balls.
The issue with the England openers isn’t new. Since the start of 2021, of the teams with a minimum of 15 opening partnerships, England’s average opening partnership of 22.57 runs is the second-worst, behind West Indies’ 20.1. With the openers struggling to bat out time and unable to put runs, it puts a lot of pressure on Joe Root and others who come in much earlier than they would prefer.
England have used four openers since the start of 2021. Rory Burns, who scored just 77 runs at an average of 12.83 in the 21-22 Ashes, has been England’s most prolific opener in this period. Despite averaging just 26.47 over 21 innings, the fact that England have persisted with him shows the lack of depth in the reserves for England.
England is not an easy place to bat, especially for the opening batters. With the Dukes ball, bowlers can find movement not only in the air but also off the pitch due to its prominent seam. Despite that, the openers have relatively easier conditions in England as the new batch of the Dukes ball tends to move a lot more after the first 15-18 overs. England openers have more ducks (15) than 50+ scores (11). Burns is the only opener in this period to score a hundred for England.
For England to improve their performances with the bat, the openers need to put their hands up and take responsibility. Joe Root has been carrying the entire English batting for far too long, and it could be a matter of time before he runs out of steam, leaving England in a bigger hole.