Tom Hartley’s nine-wicket debut confirms his rigged selection

There have been far worse first balls in Test cricket than Tom Hartley’s. Straight line, proper length: the type of ball that is returned to the bowler 99 percent of the time.

Indian batting’s latest sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal had other ideas and made a statement by pushing for a six. Hartley became the third man in Test cricket to hit a six off his first ball. Later, Jaiswal did it again. Hartley bowled nine wicketless overs for 63, including several no-balls.

It was a bruising first bowl in an environment where many thought he wasn’t ready. His first-class record (40 wickets in 20 matches) hardly warranted selection, but England’s policy of selecting only spinners tall enough to stand alongside Ben Duckett during the national anthems won him the job. While Hartley was bowling, the public demanded the selection of Liam Dawson quicker than you can say “high debut”; It was a Hartley presence that drew comparisons with India’s Axar Patel, who tormented England on the 2021 tour.

None of this was mentioned that first evening when England briefed them on the day’s play. What was in question was another tough knock from Hartley, a fine knock of 23 off Ashwin, one of the greatest off-spinners in the history of the game, in what was a classic piece of blue-sky thinking from the England management. Veteran spinner and spinner Jack Leach, who took the only wicket of the day, took Hartley under his wing, sitting with him for dinner and chewing his fat.

“We talked about the six goals he kicked,” assistant coach Jeetan Patel said. “It wasn’t long before he hit his first Test cricket. Jack was the one to go around him, and he was right. He is his bowling partner.”

Late on the fourth day, heading into the final half hour of extra time, last man Mohammed Siraj came down goal to deliver a terrific lunge to Hartley, who missed and was stumped by the ever-safe Ben Foakes. He had completed a famous win and a seven-wicket haul; this was the first debut by an English spinner since the great Jim Laker in 1948.

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Hartley’s remarkable return was a testament to the viability of the England management’s decision to select him, but also the careful handling of him and the spinners in general this week. As Kevin Pietersen observed in commentary: “Baseball has nothing to do with batting or bowling, it’s all about the mind.”

Patel said he saw a “nervous Tom Hartley” on the first day. He added: “but rightly so. “He is bowling against Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma, who are looking to beat him in his first Test match.” But it was Hartley’s reaction that stood out. “After 10 minutes of ‘it was hard’ it was back the second morning and it was amazing. “He said ‘Let’s go’ and went straight in.”

Although he was gifted a few wickets on the second day, on the fourth day Hartley was bowling beautifully; He admitted that the fact that he had batted even better gave him confidence. He may have come to terms with the fact that by then the pitch was very similar to the pitch England had prepared for this series in Abu Dhabi, turning sharply but not being consistent. England batsmen say he is a difficult player to come across in the nets; India found the same situation. He was a player who troubled both right and left-handers by playing long, steady bowlers.

England captain Ben Stokes has very specific tactics for his spinners. He hates covering at the fence and rarely gets them out after a bad over, desperately trying to get them a wicket. On the first day, he was prepared to pay an almost absurd price to get one for Hartley; his criticism stings and keeps him on the offensive even when it looks like he’s about to melt down.

Both Hartley and Stokes learned from this experience. Hartley slowed down, operating at a low speed of 50 mph. He found the jump and the sharp turn. In return, Stokes offered him more cover in the deep, which pushed Jaiswal to try something different. There was the odd switch-hit attempt, followed by a tame short-leg poke. Stokes also waited three overs before bringing Hartley into the attack, rather than asking Hartley to bowl the rock-hard ball, which he had never done in his short first-class career before this match.

Hartley praised a “great locker room” for welcoming the new kid. He is the last player to shine, especially in the first match where the spinners did well. Two other players who made spin-bowling debuts in Pakistan in 2022, Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed, also played five wickets for the first time. Stokes’ method may be challenging, but it works.

While Hartley struggled in the first innings, some unkind comparisons were made with Simon Kerrigan, another Lancastrian who had a tough Test baptism but was never seen again. When Hartley celebrated victory by clutching a stump, a more apt comparison was made with Bangladesh’s Sohag Gazi, who was hit for a six on his first ball in Test cricket, but finished the match with nine wickets. Hartley had learned a lot very quickly.