Bob Willis' England ratings: Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer mind-blowing in Ashes
Monday 16 September 2019 16:18, UK
England secured a series-levelling win at The Oval to give themselves a springboard into the winter tours.
But how did former England captain and fast bowler Bob Willis assess the players? Let us know if you agree with Bob's ratings on Twitter @SkyCricket...
Rory Burns - 8/10
390 runs @ 39.00
His hundred at Edgbaston gave him the confidence to battle on - and he needed it because it looked that he might get bombed out by the persistent Australia quicks. Not only has his batting been a revelation but he's become a very dependable slip catcher as well. He's done a grand job.
Joe Denly - 7/10
312 runs @ 31.20
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He's put in a very brave performance, ducking and diving and taking lots of blows to the body. He looked very shaky early on in the series, especially to the ball outside off-stump and at times appeared to be giving Australia slip-catching practice. He was then handed the poisoned chalice to go up and open after Jason Roy was moved down the order. I think he did particularly well to adapt to that position.
Joe Root - 6/10
325 runs @ 32.50; three wickets @ 40.66
It has been a difficult series for Joe. He was expected to lead England's batting as well as the team but he was let down a lot by his fellow batsmen and the back-up seam bowling. Once again he didn't convert enough fifties into hundreds. He's determined to carry on as captain after what I'd describe as a satisfactory series but not one that's worth writing home about.
Ben Stokes - 9/10
441 runs @ 55.12; eight wickets @ 45.25
He produced two dramatic centuries - one of them quite miraculous - and also some heroics with the ball. To be on a par with Ian Botham he's going to have to improve his wicket-taking capabilities but after Root, he's clearly England's best batsmen. The Headingley century will go down in folklore. He couldn't have done much more.
Jonny Bairstow - 5/10
214 runs @ 23.77; 19 catches, one stumping
He still fails to convince. His batting average is labouring in the low thirties and he didn't register a big score at all, topping out at 52. His wicketkeeping is ok - there was some very good work but a few mistakes too - but the England selectors face a tricky decision in the future if they want him or Buttler to have the gloves if England opt for another specialist batsman.
Jos Buttler - 5/10
247 runs @ 24.70
He was up-and-down the batting order. He was a bit of a luxury as a specialist batsman going in at number seven but then with the various injury problems and the dropping of Jason Roy he went back up the order. He looks most comfortable when he is batting with the tail and can free himself up to bat in one-day mode. He still has a lot to do in Test match cricket in terms of returns - only one century in 36 matches isn't good enough.
Sam Curran - 6/10
32 runs @ 16.00; three wickets @ 22.66
He hung around the squad and was overlooked for most of the series before finally getting an opportunity at his home ground. He caused Steve Smith some problems straight away. How effective he can be on flat pitches overseas remains to be seen because he didn't do much in Sri Lanka and the West Indies. We wait and see if he'll be part of the winter plans. He disappointed with the bat but there were encouraging signs with the ball.
Chris Woakes - 5/10
120 runs @ 20.00; 10 wickets @ 33.10
He started the series after his amazing acts against Ireland in the Lord's Test as though he might be one of England's leading bowlers - especially after James Anderson's injury - but Joe Root seemed to lose faith in him as a telling seam bowler and he certainly slipped down the pecking order. If James Anderson was fit he wouldn't be in the side. He had a disappointing return with the bat and bowled a diminishing number of overs.
Jofra Archer - 9/10
22 wickets @ 20.27; 48 runs @ 6.85
Jofra has been a revelation. It's a shame he couldn't play in the first Test because he may have made a difference to the result. His pace was outstanding at Lord's, his deliveries to Smith and Labuschagne in particular. Some of his spells will stick long in the memory. He's a brilliant addition to England's attack. The only minus is his ability with the bat so far but we're told that he hasn't produced his best as yet.
Jack Leach - 7/10
12 wickets @ 25.83; 54 runs @ 13.50
After his heroics opening the batting against Ireland, he played three more important innings against Australia - just failing to save the day at Old Trafford but seeing Stokes across the line at Headingley. He showed great bravery and concentration with the bat. The jury may still be out on his bowling but he has overtaken Moeen Ali for now as England's leading spinner. I think he's had a pretty good time of it.
Stuart Broad - 9/10
23 wickets @ 26.65; 61 runs @ 12.20
His bowling against the Australian top-order, the left-handers, was mind-blowing. David Warner posed a big threat to England but didn't get going at all - that was completely down to Broad. Without his old mucker Jimmy Anderson, he took on the role of leading bowler unfailingly. I think the fact that he wasn't involved in the white-ball cricket helped him. It's a pity he's sunk down to number 11 in the batting but his bowling was absolutely impeccable.
Jason Roy - 3/10
110 runs @ 13.75
It was quite obvious to me and most other observers that Roy was not a Test match opening batsman but the selectors wanted to give him a fair crack of the whip. He was castled on too many occasions for played away from his body too often and was caught in the slip cordon. It was a very disappointing return and he also dropped slip catches. I don't think we'll see him again in the near future in England Test match colours.
Craig Overton - 6/10
Two wickets @ 53.50; 26 runs @ 13.00
He was selected at Old Trafford for his extra pace but we didn't really see that extra pace - but it was a slower Old Trafford pitch than normal. He did a sterling job with the bat in both innings showing obdurate defence but his job was to bowl and he wasn't up to the mark.
Moeen Ali - 3/10
Four runs @ 2.00; three wickets @ 57.33
Moeen was showing signs of straining at the seams during the World Cup and his wretched form continued into the Ashes and he was quite rightly dropped after a single match - his confidence completely gone with bat and ball.
James Anderson - 5/10
No wickets; seven runs @ 7.00
It was a great shame that he didn't feature in the Ashes beyond his four overs at Edgbaston. I hope he'll be back in the winter. It will be great to see him bowling with Broad and Archer.
