People will look back to 2003/04 when I was captain and we did the same with Chris Read, who was definitely the best wicketkeeper in England, maybe in the world at that point. We went for Geraint Jones instead, because he was the stronger batsman.
I don’t think it’s being arrogant to say that England should win every Test this summer. It might not make too much difference who keeps. After that it’s Pakistan and New Zealand, both of whom they have enjoyed success against before. They have clearly decided that none of those surfaces are going to be like India, where your keeper is vital every single ball.
But I would encourage England just to be careful, because as I say the judgment of this setup will come later. Last year’s Ashes, you could argue, were lost because of Bairstow’s mistakes at Edgbaston. And you could also argue that they won at Hyderabad in January because Foakes was very good in a tight game. Fast forward to next year against India and Australia and they need to be taking 90 per cent of their chances, because chances might not come along that often.
England are brilliantly entertaining and very brave, if a bit mad sometimes. Time will tell if their latest bold move pays off.
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