'If England play the extra bowler then they need to go for the one who gives them something different. Variety is vital.'
Wednesday 1 November 2017 09:03, UK
In the latest Hit for Six, Nasser Hussain reveals how he would replace Ben Stokes; how strong Australia are looking ahead of the Ashes; plans for Test and ODI leagues - and, as it's Halloween week, which bowler gave him the most jitters…
Joe Root says he is planning on being without Ben Stokes for the entire Ashes series - how would you replace him in the XI?
He is virtually irreplaceable as he is two cricketers rolled into one. I said a couple of weeks ago that I would have gone for someone like Samit Patel, who would give England a fifth bowling option and also keep the batting strong as getting big first-innings run in Australia is very important.
It doesn't look like they will go down that route as they have drafted another bowling option, Steve Finn, into the squad. You'd think they will now move Jonny Bairstow up to six, Moeen Ali to seven and Chris Woakes to eight and slot in the extra bowler to look after James Anderson and Stuart Broad's legs.
I think you will have to look at how Finn, Jake Ball and Craig Overton go in the warm-up games with regards to who gets the nod in the Tests. If you are going to play the extra bowler then go for the one who gives you something different, so if Finn suddenly finds some rhythm and extra pace and bounce, he might be the man. It's vital that there is a bit of variety.
Will England have given any thought to playing Jonny Bairstow as a specialist batsman and handing Ben Foakes the wicketkeeping gloves?
That shouldn't be in their thinking as Bairstow has done brilliantly as keeper-batsman. His keeping over the last year, like with Matt Prior before him, has improved beyond recognition.
Everyone spoke about his batting over the summer but when that ball wobbled around his glovework was exceptional. Just look at how the Windies' wicketkeeper, Shane Dowrich struggled in comparison.
Why after all that effort he has put in would you relieve him, give the gig to someone else and end up with two wicketkeepers. I certainly wouldn't go down that road.
How good a shape do you think Australia are in ahead of the Ashes? Mitchell Starc is back with a bang having taken 8-73 for New South Wales…
They haven't learnt anything new in their Sheffield Shield cricket, an important time for players to try and secure spots. Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade hasn't done much to cement his place and no one has really put their hand up for the No 6 spot. You would argue that England's batting down the order, especially if Stokes plays at some point, is stronger than Australia's.
Much like with England, I would tell them to play a batsman at No 6. If it's Glenn Maxwell, who can offer a few overs of spin, then great, but you don't want someone who is not quite good enough with the bat or ball just because you are seeking a balance. You might as well play the man who will get you runs, especially in a line-up that will rely heavily on David Warner and Steve Smith.
Their bowling attack looks good. The James Pattinson injury is a blow but they could have Starc fully fit and firing. He's no Mitchell Johnson, in that when a Kookaburra balls goes flat I don't think he is the type of bowler to produce something exceptional, but he is very, very good, much like off-spinner Nathan Lyon - a vastly underrated bowler who will not let anyone down.
International cricket returned to Pakistan on Sunday as Sri Lanka played a T20 in Lahore. What are your favourite memories of touring the country?
I loved touring Pakistan, I have to say. I established myself on an 'A' tour out there as captain, having been overlooked for an Ashes tour, and it was the best thing to ever happen to me.
We also had a bridge-building exercise over there following the Mike Gatting-Shakoor Rana incident, while, of course, there was Karachi under lights in 2000, when I was at the other end as Graham Thorpe hitting the winning runs to earn us a series victory.
It was a special, special moment - not just because we won but because Pakistan is a great place to play cricket. Hopefully plenty of current players will now get to experience that.
Plans for Test and ODI leagues were announced by the ICC a few weeks ago - are you a fan?
You always have to look to keep the game moving forward and add context to matches. Sometimes these five-match ODI series or one-off Tests don't really have that. So I am pleased they are looking at it but it is not complete - it's by no means a guarantee that India will play Pakistan, for example. It won't be a true reflection of where teams are unless everyone is playing everyone else.
It's a good effort, so the authorities should be applauded, but there are more important things to consider to keep Test-match cricket strong going forward. Pitches with spice are vital, like we saw in England this summer, where ball just slightly dominated bat. That will make games more intriguing.
Over rates have also been absolutely diabolical of late and no one seems to be doing anything about it. The extra 30 minutes at the end of the day seems mandatory and you just don't seem to get 90 overs in nowadays. Then you move on to ticket prices and what sort of experience the modern spectator has at the ground. Those are the areas where I would be focusing my attention.
Finally, as it is Halloween week, who was the most fearsome bowler you faced in your career?
Fearsome for me was someone who would get me out, although, from a broadcasting perspective, it was pretty fearsome watching Johnson in the last Ashes series in Australia. He bowled serious left-arm pace and you can see why Kevin Pietersen called Brisbane 'The Gabbatoir'!
So I would say Courtney Walsh, who got me out for a pastime, was fearsome. There were quicker bowlers - Allan Donald when he was raw, Shoaib Akhtar, Brett Lee down Doctor in Perth on my 2002-2003 tour - but I never feared a cricket ball, even with my poppadom fingers!
Fearsome was someone who viewed me as a walking wicket and that was Courtney.
