Why are young English batsmen failing in Tests?

England's recent success in the Test series against South Africa signified their strength in Test cricket but it also exposed some gaping holes that exist in their team.

One of the major concerns for English cricket is their fragile middle order. Joe Root's terrific form has overshadowed the failures of their middle order while the trio of Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow have bailed the team out on several occasions repairing the blunders committed by the middle order.

From 2014, 23 players have batted in the middle order for England. In the same time span, South Africa tried 16 players in the same slot while Australia had 21. India, on the contrary, had 18 players.

Since the retirement of Andrew Strass, England is struggling to find a batting partner for Alastair Cook while apart from Joe Root the middle order has looked vulnerable for a long period.

The likes of James Vince, Garry Ballance, and Ben Duckett have been offered their chances but their limitations have been exposed mercilessly.

So what is the issue with English cricket's new recruits? Why are they failing consistently? What is ailing them?

Here is an analysis of the reasons behind their failure.

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#5.Players disinterested

Compared to Tests, the limited overs format provides more incentives for players and hence players in current era have prioritized ODI and T20 cricket.

The situation is same in England.The current crop of players knows that T20 skills can earn them a massive amount of money while Test match skills provide heavy admiration and little money.

The choice is simple and it has resulted in England's Test cricket looking doomed in future. There is nothing in return for young English batsmen to hold on to Test cricket and hence they are switching on to other lucrative options.

Test cricket has few patrons left in England and this fact has prevented young English cricketers from taking up Test cricket and excelling in it.

#4. Lack of quality Test bowlers in domestic cricket

Consistent bowler James Anderson makes limited domestic appearances

One of the key reasons for the failure of English batsmen in international cricket is the lack of practice they have of playing quality bowlers.

Until the 21st century, county cricket had world class bowlers in abundance. But the advent of T20 leagues in various parts of the world has offered players lucrative options and hence they reduced their participation in county cricket.

This has impacted the growth of Engish batsmen. The lack of overseas bowlers in domestic cricket has hampered the growth of batsmen as they are devoided of proper challenges.

The duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, the two best bowlers in England are featuring in international cricket consistently and hence have made limited appearances in domestic cricket.

Most of other quality bowlers have turned their attention to limited overs cricket and hence there are very few genuine good bowlers left in England's first-class setup.

#3. One-dimensional cricket

England's Gary Ballance is talented lacks intent in his batting

England's first-class cricket hasn't been updated according to the changes that have happened in Test cricket.

The modern Test cricket has multiple facets and batsmen have evolved themselves to stay in the contention. However, the English batsmen have remained old-fashioned and are batting with an approach which cannot neutralize the modern weapons of today's bowlers.

James Vince and Garry Ballance are quality batsmen but they lack the intent which is the core element of contemporary batting style in Test cricket. Keaton Jennings, a solid opening batsman, has an effective defense but he has a habit of getting stuck in a cocoon. His inability to rotate the strike frequently has resulted in his downfall on several occasions.

To excel in Test cricket, a batsman must be flexible in his approach, something which Root does to perfection. Root can play aggressive cricket when the situation demands and can also block one end when the going gets tough. Importantly, he switches from one mindset to the other smoothly.

Unfortunately for England, Root is the only batsmen in the current lot who is capable of delivering such an act.

#2. Lack of exposure

During the grand home Test season of 2016, India handed debuts to several players. Karun Nair proved his mettle by slamming a triple-hundred. Jayant Yadav bowled decently but he scored a hundred as well and Kuldeep Yadav picked four wickets in his debut innings.

All these players were playing Test cricket for the first time, but they had behind them plenty of experience of playing days cricket during their stay in domestic cricket.

Apart from India's domestic tournaments, these players participated in several 'A' game that honed their skills and exposed them to diverse conditions.

Such luxury is unavailable for English cricketers.Their domestic set-up offers them limited practice while there are hardly any 'A' tours that help them in gaining exposure of days cricket.

This lack of exposure is seen in the abysmal performance of English batsmen in overseas tours. In India and Bangladesh in 2016, they were pulverized by the spinners while during the 2013/14 Ashes in Australia, England returned home after accepting a white-wash.

#1. Focus on ODI cricket

ODI success has cost England their strength in Test cricket

For most years, English cricket remained loyal to Tests and embraced the shorter format of the game with suspicion. In 2015. came Andrew Struss and England's ODI cricket was rejuvenated.

Two years after their drubbing in 2015 world cup, England has become a world leader in ODI cricket and has remained in the forefront at playing a popular and exciting brand of aggressive cricket.

The renaissance happened because England took drastic steps for improving their limited overs set-up. The domestic cricket was channelized in a way to produce attacking and fearless batsmen and conditions were altered to boost development of skills that are required to excel in ODI cricket.

The results of this changed approach are seen in the staggering improvement of England's ODI and T20 team, but this development has come at a cost. England's Test match set-up has suffered significantly due to the focus on ODI cricket.

English batsmen in these days are now focusing on excelling in the shorter format of the game and have turned a blind-eye on Tests.

Hence, there is a shortage of Test playing batsmen in England and the ones who are playing Test cricket do not have requisite skills.