Mark Butchers Brendon McCullum and English management for Ben Stokes' replacement vs Sri Lanka

Former England opener Mark Butcher has criticized the selectors for not picking a like-for-like seam all-rounder to replace injured captain Ben Stokes for the Sri Lanka Test matches.

Butcher said that the lack of a seam-bowling all-rounder leaves the team unbalanced for the upcoming Test matches.

England announced their playing XI for the first Test against Sri Lanka. Stokes is ruled out of the series due to a hamstring injury sustained during The Hundred 2024.

Matthew Potts replaced the injured Ben Stokes, and Chris Woakes is set to bat at No. 7. Ollie Pope will lead the England team for the first time.

England wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith moved up the order to No. 6 for the first Test against Sri Lanka.

The home team will go with four specialist fast bowlers, and Shoaib Bashir is the only spinner in the attack. Chris Woakes has batted above No. 8 only ten times in his career and never after August 2020.

Decide To Once Again Unbalance The Team - Mark Butcher

Speaking on the latest Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast, Mark Butcher highlighted the lack of a genuine all-rounder in the England playing XI for the first Test match.

Butcher said that the team management opted for an unbalanced team without a like-for-like replacement for Ben Stokes.

"The only question is the decision to replace Ben Stokes with a like-for-like type player and decide to once again unbalance the team with three out-and-out seam bowlers and one spinner. Not having that fallback position of having a genuine all-rounder in the side,” Butcher said.

That Would Be Sam Curran - Mark Butcher

Mark Butcher suggested that England should have selected Sam Curran, who has Test match experience. The former England cricketer said that Curran can bat at No. 6 and provide useful overs with the ball.

“There's a certain bloke who with Test match experience behind him seems to have rediscovered the Midas touch that made him Player of the Tournament in that World Cup not so long ago,” Butcher added.

“I think in a standing role he would have done a perfectly good job replacing Stokes as a like-for-like batting at six and bowling a handful of overs per innings when they were needed and that would be Sam Curran but they've decided not to do that," he continued.

Sam Curran hasn’t played for England in Test cricket in the past three years. He last played a Test match against India in August 2021. Curran has represented England in 24 Test matches. He has scored 815 runs at an average of 24.7, including three fifties. He has taken 47 wickets at an average of 35.51.

The Thing That Worries Me Is Mark Wood - Mark Butcher

Mark Butcher also expressed concern about England overusing Mark Wood, who is injury-prone. Chris Woakes and Mark Wood are experienced players in the England playing XI, while Gus Atkinson and Matthew Potts have only nine Tests between them.

“Regardless of whether they go with the extra all-rounder, the thing that worries me is [Mark] Wood,” Butcher said.

Also read: Sunil Gavaskar slams BCCI for lack of preparation for Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25