Life and depth situation

Its become abundantly clear during this pandemic ravaged era that one of the prized ingredients in a cricket squad is depth Ideally it should be both in batting and bowlingEven the home team squads are now larger in case concussion substitutes are required or for when players test positive Touring parties are far larger to accommodate both replacements and preseries intersquad matches This situation favours the wealthier countries and those with a robust development systemIndia displayed their ample depthmdashparticularly in pace bowlingmdashin defeating Australia on their recent tour In making six changes from the first to second Test and still defeating England comfortably at Edgbaston New Zealand surprised with their talent levelFlexibilityEngland have displayed both depth and flexibility by comprehensively blanking Pakistan in their three match ODI series Their prospects for the Ashes in Australia were also boosted by the skilful showing of both Saqib Mahmood and Brydon Carse two bowlers whose pace should be an asset on bouncy pitchesAlso Read Quartets give no quarterHistory has shown that strength in pace bowling is a requirement for success in Australia and England is building up an impressive groupHowever good pace bowling alone isnrsquot a guarantee of victory in Australia The bowlers need good catching support and sufficient runs to provide a decent margin for error It is the latter commodity that should most concern EnglandOn that score though the forced selection of a whole new squad for the Pakistan series may turn out to be a blessing Irsquom not convinced that Rory Burns and Dom Sibley with their dubious techniques and quirky habits will have much success against a thoroughbred Australian pace attackConsequently the reminder notices served by Dawid Malan and James Vince against a quality Pakistan pace attack should be sufficient for them to be included in an extended Ashes squad On the last tour of Australia both Malan and Vince performed well at the Gabba and the WACA showing they were comfortable coping with the extra bounceSome might dispute the assessment of Vince but a sublime halfcentury at the WACA was terminated by an unplayable shooter and he was well on his way to a century at the Gabba until he was run out by a direct hit If either of those innings were turned into something substantial he could well now be an established member of the Test side Therersquos no doubt he has the talent to be a very good Test batsman the only query is whether the mental side of his game can match itAlso Read Big Bird lands up againThose reservations aside there should be a place for both in an extended COVIDera touring partyThe other bonus England may gain from having to unveil a second team was legspinner Matt Parkinson He is a big improver and his style of bowling can be useful in Australia His ability to flight the ball and his typically confident Northerner temperament could make him a valuable Ashes assetThe one major team whose recent performances havenrsquot implied substantial depth is Australia Batting is the main area of concern and that hasnrsquot flourished in the Caribbean with only Mitchell Marsh making his mark Marsh is unlikely to replace Cameron Green as the Test allrounder batting at sixAustraliarsquos fragile battingOnce again the Australian batting was shown to be fragile when David Warner and Steven Smith are missing A glance at the Sheffield Shield batting performances for the last couple of seasons doesnrsquot inspire much confidence that the new wave of stars is on the horizonWhen it comes to batting talent India are best placed of all the teams Their development system which produces players with traditional techniques and provides ample opportunities at firstclass level is one to be enviedMind you the extent of Indiarsquos reserves will be fully tested on the England tour as theyrsquove already had to react to isolation requirements and they havenrsquot even played a warmup game Just another example of why modern cricket teams consider depth is kingAlso Read Pace pays it sure does