One last chance

With the first Test of the summer starting at Lord's on Thursday week, the England selectors have a final round of county matches to look over the contenders for the first XI before announcing their squad of 13 a week today. By my reckoning, nine names are inked in already:

Strauss, Cook, Bell, Pietersen, Collingwood, Flintoff, Hoggard, Harmison, Panesar.

Yes, all nine were in the side walloped in the Ashes, but that series defeat was more about the strength of Australia than the weakness of England. Harmison has bowled well this season for Durham and deserves another chance after a horrid Ashes; Panesar did not impress in his first game for Northants (not with the ball - but he held two catches and made 33 with the bat) but is still the best spinner in the country. The batsmen pick themselves, especially in the likely absence of Vaughan. Cook, Strauss and Hoggard are in good nick. The only question mark may be over Bell, who has not yet played for Warwickshire.

So the selectors will be keenly watching this week's matches to identify four more names: a wicketkeeper, an extra batsman (preferably one who can bowl a bit) and two quicks.

Wicketkeeper: With Paul Nixon and Matt Prior named in a training squad of 25, you would expect them to be at the front of the queue (although any squad that has Ashley Giles still in it, even though he will miss almost all the summer, has little credibility). Nixon surpassed expectations in the World Cup but surely now is the time to build towards the future. Peter Moores is known to like Prior, but the Sussex man's best score in five innings in the championship is 35.

Of the other contenders, Nic Pothas is batting well for Hampshire (not dismissed yet), but Geraint Jones (60 runs in three innings) and Steven Davies (21 in four) are struggling. James Foster is not keeping or batting well enough for Essex. Chris Read keeps on being solid, with an average of 40, but will Moores like him more than Duncan Fletcher? Two other names have flung themselves forward: David Nash, the former England Under-19 wicketkeeper, and Tim Ambrose, who was displaced at Sussex by Prior. They have 764 runs between them this season, with Nash scoring three hundreds to Ambrose's one big innings of 250. But are they good enough with the gloves?

Batsman: Is Flintoff batting well enough these days to merit a place in the top six? If he slips to seven, then England will select a wicketkeeper in the top 6 (which favours Prior) or go in to the first Test with only four frontline bowlers, including Flintoff, which could mean Read batting at No 8. It would be a brave move and would mean the inclusion of a No 6 batsman who can bowl a bit. There are growing demands for Adil Rashid to be thrown into the Test arena, and with 18 wickets (joint second with Harmison) to go with two fifties in five innings, he could be an inspired choice.

But Rashid is only 19 and England selectors are not known for such boldness. Samit Patel is batting well for Notts and can bowl a bit of off-spin (five wickets at an excellent strike rate this season), while Owais Shah and Ed Smith are scoring heavily for Middlesex and have Test experience, but don't bowl. I'd like Shah to be given another chance, with Flintoff seven and Read eight (Bell, Collingwood and Pietersen can supply some extra bowling), but suspect the selectors will go for better balance.

Fast bowlers: One or two fast bowlers are called for to supplement Hoggard, Harmison and Flintoff in the squad, with only one of them, at best, playing. Jon Lewis would be my first choice, especially at Lord's, but he is injured. Kabir Ali, Ryan Sidebottom and Charlie Shreck are all doing well this season and I would like the latter to be considered alongside Graham Onions, of Durham, but expect that Liam Plunkett will probably get the nod.

All in all, I think the 13 will be: Strauss (capt), Cook, Bell, Pietersen, Collingwood, Flintoff, Prior, Shah, Harmison, Hoggard, Panesar, Plunkett, Onions, with Shah and Onions missing out on the XI. What do you think?

Comments

[Simon David]

I think you're probably spot on.

Although personally I would love to see Shah play at his home ground, I think Flintoff has really lost the right to a top 6 batting spot.

[Peter McGuinness]

For God's sake!

This is the Emperor's New Clothes - 'ECB Style'.

Chris Read is acknowledged by the world's best glovemen from other countries as the best technician behind the stumps from England in a generation. Who better to judge?

What a laugh.

Great entertainment for people who aren't English, I must say. Not quite so amusing for the erstwhile Pom cricket tragic though. Less amusing still for Read, who must wonder if he ought to work on wanky mannerisms and dinky reverse sweeps in addition to his blatantly superior keeping skills.

As we've often observed...something is 'up' here. Read's non-selection smacks of intrigue. His exclusion could not - absolutely could NOT - be for pure cricketing reasons. That is clear to even the most casual observer.

What's the story Patrick? There's a sub-plot here mate...

[Jeremy Freeman]

You've probably got it spot on.

I'll be rather annoyed as Middlesex will be weakened by Shah not playing and wasting his time as 12th man!