Dom Sibley may have admirably covered flaws in his technique against fast bowling to make a gritty hundred and one fifty in the Test series against West Indies, but the chinks facing spin still remain. 

On Sunday (July 26), as England pushed for a safe declaration in the third innings of the ongoing decider in Manchester, Sibley was seen struggling to put the ball off the square, especially through the off-side, against Rakheem Cornwall and Roston Chase, which attracted criticism from a lot of people. 

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However, Sibley found support of his prowess against spin from Darren Gough, the former England pacer, who cited the example of his exploits in the County Championship, a double century against an attack featuring premier India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, to suggest what Sibley is truly capable of. 

Sibley, playing for Warwickshire, made an unbeaten 215 against Nottinghamshire last first-class season when Ashwin had went there for another county stint. 

"People keep telling me he can't play against spin. I got told the other day that he got a double hundred against Ashwin," 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!"

Gough stressed that Sibley may not be playing the most attractive shots in the world, but with his patience and determination, is exactly the kind of player this England side needs at the top of the order.

"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."

"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 concluded. 

(With PTI inputs)