Bess taken out of the firing line as England look to 'nurture' spinner

Dom Bess taken out of the firing line as England look to ‘nurture’ spinner in a bid to help him come back stronger as Moeen Ali returns for second Test against India

• England will ‘nurture’ Dom Bess in a bid to help him come back stronger 
• The spinner has enjoyed success this winter against Sri Lanka and India 
• However, Bess was inconsistent at the end of the last match in Chennai
• Moeen Ali comes in for the Yorkshire star for the second Test this weekend

England will ‘nurture’ Dom Bess in an attempt to help him come back stronger, after leaving him out of Saturday’s second Test.

Bess has enjoyed success this winter against Sri Lanka, and in the first innings of the first Test against India, but has also been inconsistent and ended the last match with a worrying number of full tosses on its final day.

Now he has been taken out of the firing line, and replaced by Moeen Ali, in one of four changes to the side who got England off to a winning start before Saturday’s pivotal second of four Tests.

England will ‘nurture’ Dom Bess in as they attempt to help the spinner come back stronger 

The Yorkshire star has enjoyed a fine winter, playing a starring role in Sri Lanka and India

‘It was a tough decision but Dom needs a rest,’ said England spin coach Jeetan Patel. ‘He was starting to get a bit tired in the first Test and it was taking a toll on him. This gives him time to get back to where he was before the next Test.

‘Consistency is something you learn and it’s no shock that spinners take a long time to mature and get to where they need to be,’ added the former New Zealand and Warwickshire off-spinner. ‘Dom is 23 and we forget that because of what he’s done.

‘He’s still learning his trade. We’re going to make sure we nurture him because we want him to get better and hold that position for a long time, with Jack Leach.’

However, the 23-year-old was inconsistent on the last day in Chennai, bowling full tosses

Meanwhile, Joe Root insists he still wants to play Twenty20 cricket despite again being left out of England’s short-form squad for five matches against India next month.

The England Test captain has not given up hope of playing in October’s Twenty20 World Cup.

‘My T20 ambitions are still there,’ said Root. ‘I might have to take a different path from the rest of the guys but I really want to be involved in that team.’

The ECB yesterday announced a ‘multi-year’ deal to carry the name of car sales company Cinch on the shirts of the England men’s and women’s teams.

Moeen Ali will come in for Bess as England take on India in the second Test this weekend

Share this article

Source: Read Full Article