"If He Can Play Against Ashwin And Get A Double, He’s Good Enough For Me!”- Darren Gough On Dom Sibley

Dom Sibley has made a good case for himself as England’s Test opener courtesy gritty performances in the ongoing Test series against the West Indies. Sibley, who started the series with a duck, has gone on to register two half-centuries and a hundred across five innings.

One of the criticisms that have been levied against Sibley from some quarters is his ‘inability’ to push the tempo against the spinners. But Darren Gough, former England fast bowler, is of the opinion if he can smack a spinner of the quality of Ravichandran Ashwin in county cricket, then he is good enough for him.

“People keep telling me he can’t play against spin. I got told the other day that he got a double hundred against Ashwin,” Darren Gough said on ‘Sky Sports’.

“Ashwin is one of the best spinners in the world, if not the best, and he got a double against him and smacked him to all parts apparently. So, if he can play against Ashwin and get a double, he’s good enough for me!” he added.

Also Read: Stuart Broad: The Talisman Who Follows Ben Stokes’ Footsteps

Dom Sibley can make an impact at the top of the order: Darren Gough

“I like him, he hates getting out and that is what we’ve been crying out for! We talk about wanting batsmen like Atherton or Cook at the top of the order, well we’ve got him,” Gough said.

“Dom Sibley has shown that he can bat time and if he can bat time at the top of the order, we’ve got the players down the order to accelerate the scoring rate. We just need someone to get a partnership with the new ball, we’ve got two guys there who are capable of doing it in (Rory) Burns and Sibley. Let’s just stick with them and stop looking for problems,” he added.

On Sunday, Rory Burns and Dom Sibley became the first English opening pair to rack up a 100+ stand in Test cricket on home soil since the start of 2016 summer.