England must focus on their batting line-up as Trevor Bayliss must prove himself as a Test coach against South Africa

Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith will be writing exclusively for The Independent this summer. Here looks ahead to the third Test at the Oval

Root and Bayliss must choose to go for a better batting line-up (Getty)

It certainly feels like a long time since England’s disastrous last day in Nottingham sparked the all too familiar scramble amongst the English press and selection panel that’s ensued in the last week.

Hashim Amla made a good point in that it was only a week or so since the same questions surrounding batting mindsets and approach were being levelled at the tourists themselves, after South Africa folded in similar fashion at Lord’s.

It does seem apparent, however, that this has become a theme to England’s batting. To my eye, their game seems to be tailored heavily to batting on flat wickets, and we’ve seen various instances of the blame being attributed to surfaces rather than the players when collapses have occurred.

The fact remains that, where there’s been movement or inconsistency in a surface in either format, England’s batting has been found wanting. As Hashim quite rightly said this week, there is still room for ‘grind’ in Test Cricket.

The only newsworthy headline to come from the South African camp is the early release of JP Duminy. At 33, I’d be very surprised if we saw JP back in red ball cricket for The Proteas.

It certainly appears as though both Aiden Markram and Theunis De Bruyn (who featured in the 1st Test at Lord’s) are now ahead of him in the pecking order, and he has already toyed with the idea of retiring from the longer form of the game. A much more consistent white ball performer, that may well be where South Africa make use of JP’s talents moving forward.

The England camp has been the busiest of the two, and with The Oval pitch rumoured to have a good level of grass cover from what I’ve heard, I’m at odds as to why they could be tempted in to playing Liam Dawson again in this series. South Africa will certainly be happy if they do, and with the Ashes to follow this winter, England should be placing more emphasis on establishing who their best Test top seven is.

England must decide to play Moeen Ali as a lead spin bowler again (Getty)

Westley looks set to bat at three, with Dawid Malan likely to bat at seven if Dawson is to miss out. As much as playing three debutants in such a pivotal Test Match is far from ideal, playing six bowlers in England is nothing short of gluttony in my book. With England’s batting frailties as pronounced as they have been, it’s an indulgence they can ill afford.

That brings me back to the seemingly protective mindset the England management have adopted regarding naming Moeen Ali as the second spinner, or ‘first best’ as Trevor Bayliss said after Trent Bridge. As a player, Ali doesn’t strike me as someone who struggles with having a prominent role in the side, and if Dawson is being picked to ‘protect’ Ali from responsibility, that approach surely has a shelf life.

England will have to take the flack they’re receiving from the press and find a way to improve as a group. When you experience a slump as a batting unit, it’s a collective process to arrest that decline and make positive changes. That can include the way you train, technical adjustments or a different approach mentally – anything that as players you feel will produce more consistent cricket.

There certainly has to be an admittance that results haven’t been good enough for some time, given the talent England have at their disposal. As South African captain at the moment, if I could find a way to knock over Joe Root and Alastair Cook, this team would back themselves to bowl England out cheaply more often than not with the attack South Africa have at their disposal.


 Trevor Bayliss has to prove himself at Test level as he has with the white ball 
 (Getty)

Talk of introducing specialist coaches at international level has also been rife since Trent Bridge. We’ve seen it happen already with captaincy, in order to lessen the considerable load you feel as an international captain playing multiple formats, and I for one think the idea carries weight.

To take a look at England as an example, Trevor Bayliss himself has spoken about the lack of opportunities he has to watch the next batch of potential Test batsmen ply their trade in county cricket. If you think back to someone like Duncan Fletcher, a man who oversaw a transformation in England’s Test Match fortunes, he discovered the likes of Marcus Trescothick by seeing them in action a long time before they arrived for Test duty.

Bayliss has done a superb job in dragging England’s white ball cricket up to where it is now, yet Test-match cricket remains an area where he himself is unproven as a coach.

This next week will undoubtedly be another battle for consistency. Both sides have had one good game, and one shocker so far. South Africa will be looking to their batting line up for another strong display, knowing that they can make life very difficult for England with runs on the board.

Amid all the talk of South Africa’s fast bowling quality, Keshav Maharaj has been going about his business with real assuredness and quality. He’s proved an excellent foil for the fast men, and if it stays dry at the Oval, he may well have another big part to play in this game.

On a personal note, I’m very glad to have the opportunity to be present for the 100th Test Match at a ground that holds so many great memories for me as a player. A South African win would make it a very sweet return indeed.