Michael Carberry: England's Ashes Solution at No. 6?

Michael Carberry has begun England’s Ashes tour of Australia in good form and is in a good position to secure the No. 6 spot for the tourists in the first Test at Brisbane on Nov. 21.

The 33-year-old Hampshire left-hander began this tour with 78 runs against the Western Australia Chairman’s XI in England’s first warm-up game and followed that up with 153 not out against Australia A.

With another potential game against an Australia Invitational XI, the man who has just one previous Test cap against Bangladesh in 2010 could find himself adding to that tally at the Brisbane Cricket Ground thanks to a number of factors.

No Established No. 6

Since Paul Collingwood retired from Tests after the last Ashes series in 2010-11, England have tried a number of players in their troublesome No. 6 position and have yet to find a true replacement.

Joe Root has perhaps been the only batsman to truly enjoy any sustained success at No. 6, but the Yorkshire man was then promoted to open in the previous Ashes series and looks set to stay in that position.

During the Ashes, another Yorkshire player, Jonny Bairstow, was the man in possession of the No. 6 spot but scored just one half-century in four Tests and found himself replaced at The Oval by Chris Woakes.

England are therefore looking for someone to assert themselves in the position and make it their own, with Bairstow included alongside Gary Ballance and Ben Stokes to compete for the chance to play at No. 6.

Through weight of runs, Carberry could make the position his own and provide more experience to an England batting order that has looked decidedly brittle in recent matches.

Previous Experience

An experienced campaigner in first-class cricket, Carberry began his career in 2001 and moved to Hampshire when he became frustrated at a lack of opportunities.

Now, he is one of the senior professionals at the Ageas Bowl, as his 147 first-class matches and average of 43.62 will testify, per ESPNCricinfo.com.

Last summer, Carberry had a poor run of form in the ODI series against Australia but showcased his ability and experience with 63 at Cardiff.

After the game, he stated that it was his vast experience in county cricket that helped him overcome his low scores and show his skills on the international stage.

Per ESPNCricinfo.com, Carberry said:

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Sometimes that is the beauty of having played a lot of first-class cricket. Yes, it's only your fourth one-day international, but you're not totally fazed by someone bowling very well.

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While playing in Australia will be a very different challenge, Carberry will have plenty of experience to draw on from a long career filled with ups and downs.

He will therefore be in a better position to avoid being distracted by the Australians’ sledging and the barracking of the crowd than some younger batsmen might otherwise have been.

Flexibility

An opener by trade, throughout his career Carberry has shown an ability to play anywhere in the middle order, a trait that could serve him well in Brisbane if he is called upon to bat at No. 6.

Therefore, if he continues to score runs as an opening batsman, he should have few problems if asked to come in down the order and help solidify that No. 6 position.

Carberry himself relishes the opportunity to slot where needed into a batting lineup, regardless of the position.

He told ESPNCricinfo.com:

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Across my career I played in quite a few strong batting line-ups. When I was a young pro making my way I've had to slot in where there's been a space. I've made first-class hundreds batting at five and six over my career, so I don't see that being a hindrance, especially when you've got the likes of Pietersen and Root and these kind of guys before you. It's a nice position to be in following those guys.

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Given his experience, Carberry will have few problems slotting into the batting lineup, and captain Alastair Cook should have few qualms about asking him to do so wherever he is needed.

As such, the Hampshire man is in a perfect position to fill England’s needs at No. 6, especially if he continues to score runs in the upcoming warm-up matches.