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The Ashes 2023 came to a befitting end with both teams sharing the spoils. While Australia won the first two Tests, England made a resounding comeback to level the five-match series at 2-2. After losing the first two matches by the barest of margins, the hosts won the third Test in Headingley. England came close to winning in Manchester as well, but rain played spoilsport. The hosts then emerged victorious at The Oval to stop Australia from winning the series.
However, Ben Foakes had to watch the series as a spectator having been left out of the squad in favor of Jonny Bairstow. This decision generated significant discussion, as Foakes is widely regarded by many cricket experts as the premier wicketkeeper in the country.
With England’s formidable lower-middle order that includes the likes of Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, and Bairstow, Foakes found himself not selected for any of the Ashes Tests. The cricketing community was quick to argue a strong case for the 30-year-old, particularly after The Bradford-born cricketer’s less-than-impressive performances behind the stumps during the first two Tests. However, the team management remained resolute in their choice to back Bairstow consistently.
Foakes, once praised as the ‘best keeper in the world’ by skipper Stokes, has shifted his focus to the domestic season with Surrey. He recently showcased his batting prowess by scoring a century in Surrey’s closely contested five-wicket loss to Leicestershire in the One-Day Cup. Additionally, he has been displaying his batting skills in the County Championship, further underscoring his abilities on the cricketing stage.
Foakes considers Test match exclusion a familiar chapter
It wasn’t the first time that Surrey wicketkeeper was dropped from the English side and replaced by Bairstow. He had initially made his Test debut during the 2018-2019 series in Sri Lanka, where he earned recognition for his century and was named the player of the series. Nevertheless, he was replaced by Bairstow upon his return. This pattern repeated itself in the current season, as Foakes, who had participated in tours to Pakistan and New Zealand earlier in the year, once again found himself out of the playing XI
“It’s the right way to do it. Everyone has bad games but if you chop and change, which happened under previous regimes, no one is ever playing their best cricket. The first time I got dropped, I had been the man of the series, the best I’ve ever played, then got dropped two games later, but those two games went badly. Especially at that time, if you had a couple of bad games you felt something could happen,” Foakes said in an interview with the Telegraph.
Foakes bears no sour-grapes towards the decision makers at England cricket
Foakes also emphasized that he holds no resentment towards his omission from the Ashes squad. Instead of being “furious,” he expressed feeling “gutted.”
“The guys who got picked have done well too. There’s no sour grapes, it’s just a weird head space. I’ve had quite a topsy-turvy career, then you are where you want to be, performing, dropped. It is selection, people had a decision to make. Regardless of the way it went, I can understand the decision they reached. I am not furious. I am gutted. It’s happened before, and it’s how you deal with it. In the past it’s thrown me, and maybe this time it’s thrown me the most, because I was doing well.” the Colchester-born cricketer further added.
Foakes admits that watching the five-match series was a difficult affair
Foakes admitted that watching the five-match series was a difficult affair following his exclusion. Bairstow, despite his errors with the gloves, had an impactful series. His keeping improved as the series progressed and he finished with 322 runs in nine innings, which included three fifties.
“Watching was difficult, but I’ve spent the majority of my career watching, from the outside looking in. The last year was the first time I’d felt like an England player, rather than a county player occasionally coming in, and feeling like you playing your last game at any time. That was the first time that I felt part of a team, from a backing point of view,” Foakes concluded.
