England Ashes Batting Averages

The England batsmen were spectacularly poor at Headingly and there will be pressure to make changes. Past experience tells us there will be few and they will, magically ensure that England play their first Test in South Africa with: Cook, Strauss, Pietersen, Bell and Collingwood. In other words the same set of suspects it has been for years. The batting averages for the Ashes series are:

Strauss 344 at 49.14
Prior 239 at 39.83
Collingwood 225 at 32.14
Cook 203 at 29.00
Bell 64 at 21.33 [2 tests]
Bopara 105 at 15.00

Not looking good for Bopara then although everyone’s figures except Strauss are poor. Collingwood, Cook and Bell’s averages are well down on their mediocre career figures. It is worth remembering for all the shouting that Bopara ‘is not a Test number 3’ that he has scored three consecutive Test centuries this year. They were against the West Indies and their pop-gun attack but he still made them.