CRICKET
Where the Ashes will be won and lost: our writers’ verdicts
With the start of the series a little more than three weeks away, Times cricket writers look at the big selection issues and offer their predictions for an intriguing seven weeks
Mike Atherton Taking Jonny Bairstow’s fitness on trust (the medics know more than we do), then England made the right call. Once fully fit — wicketkeeping is significantly more challenging than fielding and, therefore, that is my main concern — they had to recall Bairstow and giving him the gloves was the right option. Is it tough on Foakes? Selection is about picking the right team, not the fairest team. Foakes would not let England down, but only one man can do the job. Bairstow’s record as a wicketkeeper in Tests is better than commonly imagined, and Australia will be worried about him at No 7.
Steve James Of course it was harsh on Foakes because he has done nothing wrong, but it was entirely
