The Ashes 2013: How the English attack got exposed at The Oval

England will have to be careful that they don’t go the Australian way in their treatment of the spinner and discard him on the evidence of just one bad Test. It will be a test of character for both Kerrigan and the English selectors as they decide the way forward from here.

Chris Woakes maintained a tight line of attack

In one of my earlier posts, I had mentioned the need of an all-rounder in the English attack, and Chris Woakes seems to be the man who canfit the bill. Despite being targeted by Watson early in his spell, he stuck to a wicket-to-wicket strategy and played the role of a containing bowler reasonably well on an unresponsive track.

But to use him as the third seamer, especially in flat and dry conditions, would be asking too much of the young man. A couple of months later, the two teams will again fight for the urn on the hard Australian pitches where more emphasis will be on pace and bounce. There, Woakes can, at best, be expected to play the fifth bowler’s role. Also, how he performs with the bat will be a major factor in deciding the future course of his career.

Though England are still miles away from the Australian total, with their dour approach, they have managed to reach a relatively safe position in the match and a draw seems imminent.

But there are a few sub-plots that remain to be unfolded over the next two days and the one that will be followed with keen interest is whether Kerrigan can redeem himself against a vulnerable Aussie line-up on a crumbling pitch in their second innings.

But then, given that Australia will be the only team pressing hard for a win, will the English skipper have enough confidence in the left-arm spinner to give him a decent spell in Australia’s second innings?