A Call for Changes.

With the abysmal performance at Lord's we examine those who are under threat, and their likely replacements.

First on the chopping block is Darren Gough. He burst onto the scene and gave the side a big lift, and his superb one day performances earlier in the summer seemed to demand a return to the Test arena. The selector's obliged, but Dazzler hasn't. He's looked a lot slower than prior to his injury, and no longer gets the crowd going when he runs in to bowl.

For those reasons, he is first to go.

Who replaces him?

There's a number of quick bowlers who could fill this supposed Gough role (which seems a little undefined - the Gough of old was the strike bowler, the man the captain could always turn to, this year's vintage is more a stock bowler)

Richard Johnson

Injuries delayed his International debut by 7 or 8 years, and when he finally made it against Zimbabwe, he was a success. Of course success against Zimbabwe is nowhere near as hard to come by as success against higher quality opposition, but you don't know if you don't try.
The one big black mark against his name is his record of injuries - he's been ruled out of the first 2 Tests, so is he likely to be fit?

James Kirtley

England's perennial 12th Man will be no doubt selected in the squad again, and with the problems of the past 10 days, he has a better chance than ever of making his debut next time out. He's been full of wickets despite the calls this year, but not as economical as some.

James Ormond

Played 2 Tests without much success, and has been the target of many comments about his weight. Back bowling as well as ever for Surrey this summer and he couldn't have picked a more high-profile County Cricket occasion to shine than the Twenty20 Final. Another one who's leaked a lot of runs though, and do the management really trust him after the last time he was involved?

Chris Silverwood

Played 6 times previously with moderate success - he's been one of the county circuits more consistent performers for a number of years now, and is picking up wickets again this year. Again, though, he is an injury-prone player.

The Decision

After a lot of thought, Richard Johnson gets the nod for the 3rd Test, since he hasn't done a lot wrong just yet.

The next seam bowler to miss out is James Anderson. His entry into International Cricket was every bit as spectacular as Gough's and he had fast become the great hope of English Fast Bowling with some super displays against Zimbabwe and in the Natwest Series.

Then came Edgbaston... Unable to sort his run-up right early on, he was warned for encroaching on the danger area, and no matter what he tried, he could not get it right. At Lord's he's had the same problems, and maybe he'd be better suited to having a spell against weaker opposition to regain the rhythm and confidence he had in abundance just 6 months ago.

Who replaces him?

For this spot, we're looking more for a character with a bit of something extra who can open the bowling and do something.

Steve Kirby

2001 belonged to Kirby. Plucked from Leicestershire Seconds, he was a revelation with 47 wickets at an average of 20.85 in 10 matches which went a long way towards helping Yorkshire to the title. With Yorkshire's relegation last year, his stock fell, and he was disappointing, but he's back this year almost to his best. He's also a highly competitive player, and isn't afraid to have a word with the opposition if the situation dictates.

Matthew Hoggard

The forgotten man, Hoggard has missed the first 2 Tests with injury, but has stated that he hopes to return in time to be fit for the Third Test. As a holder of a Central Contract, he will automatically return to consideration, and as someone who has played a number of matches so far with a fair bit of success, his record is certainly in his favour. The obvious drawback is his lack of wickets this season, but in English conditions, he remains a potent threat.

Ryan Sidebottom

Yet another Yorkshireman comes into consideration because this year it's been his bowling and not his hair that’s caught the eye. Another victim of a chop and change policy that saw him play just one Test 2 years ago, when with Gough and Caddick at their best in taking 16 wickets to condemn Pakistan to an Innings defeat, he failed to take one. Hoggard’s return from injury saw him back in the side for the next match, and Sidebottom has yet to return.

Kabir Ali

At 22, Kabir is having a great season for Worcestershire, scoring runs and taking wickets with regularity. He has represented England before, as he was selected for one of the Natwest Series games against Zimbabwe. Unfortunately for him, rain ruined the game, and he didn't get a chance with bat or ball. He is hungry for success, and his spell at the Academy last winter earned him a call-up to the VB squad, where he didn't make it into action.

The Decision

The extra batting offered by Kabir Ali makes him a tempting choice, but Hoggard's experience at Test level will be crucial in an attack lacking Gough and Caddick for varying reasons. That has just swung it his way, but he must be aware of the challenge from his county colleagues as well as from Anderson.

The bowlers who are saved for now

Of the 4 specialist bowlers in the side, only Ashley Giles and Steve Harmison have escaped the axe.

In Giles' case there's 2 reasons - firstly his bowling this summer in the Tests has been praised by a lot of experts, the same experts who were writing him off in the One Day Internationals. He has contained the batsmen as effectively as anyone else, and his bowling to the man of the moment, Graeme Smith, has been impressive. No other bowler has troubled the South African captain so often, even when he was well past 200, and in addition to this, his batting at Edgbaston to save the follow-on was intelligent enough to suggest he should make the number 8 spot his own.
The second reason is the lack of competition from other spinners. The most recent spinner to play for his country before Giles was Richard Dawson, and he cannot even make his county side now. The other names mentioned with regards to being England prospects consistently appear to be Gareth Batty and Jason Brown, both of whom are performing admirably this season. The case against Brown is twofold. His batting isn't worthy of being called batting, and selecting him would require the new look team to have Richard Johnson at 8 rather than 9, and then 2 rabbits and the ferret Brown. Secondly, he's had a good season this year, but in 2002 he took 28 wickets at 40.64 and in 2001 it was even worse with 28 at 50.25!

Batty is much closer to selection, as he is now in a second consecutive good season, and is a far better batsman than Brown. However at this stage of his career, he may need blooding against slightly weaker opposition, so the Bangladesh tour appears to be the occasion for him to make the step up.

Steve Harmison is much maligned for his scattergun approach to bowling, but in recent times he has begun to get more accurate in his line of attack. He is a frustrating bowler in that he has shown he can be brilliant at times, but at others he can be ordinary. A key example of this is his superb working over and dismissal of Herschelle Gibbs at Lord's. After a superb over and a half, Gibbs was getting frustrated on 49, and the slight width tempted him into attacking shot, which he mistimed and played on with.

Harmison does add potency to an attack with his extra pace, and with the only other English bowler with that pace currently laid up injured, Harmison retains his spot for now.

The Wicketkeeper.

Although he is a national treasure, our most-capped player and still a very fine player, Alec Stewart announced his forthcoming retirement just prior to the Edgbaston Test, and with the big changes in this side, I feel it is time for the selectors to look to the future and put him out to pasture.

At the start of this season, there were 2 men battling to replace him, but this season has seen a third potential challenger emerge.

James Foster

When Stewart ducked out of touring India in 2001/02, Foster was the somewhat surprise selection to replace him. At that point, everything looked good for the young Essex man, and he appeared to be the heir apparent when the Gaffer finally hung up his gloves. However, his performances have not been that impressive recently, and an average of 26.15 this season despite being pushed up the order quite regularly is not enough to convince this selector.

Chris Read

In 1999 Chris Read was promoted into the Test side somewhat prematurely, and he lasted just 3 games before thoughts returned to the old faithful. 4 years later though, he got his chance when Stewart announced that he felt they should pick someone younger for One Day Internationals, and the selectors turned to Read. The fact that even when he damaged a finger they didn't call up a replacement speaks volumes for the selector's thoughts as to who was winning the race between him and Foster at this point, and his successful spell when in the side suggests they had made the right choice.

Geraint Jones

While Read was making a name for himself in the Natwest games, a 26 year old born to Welsh parents in Papua New Guinea was doing something similar in County Cricket. His aggressive batting this season has seen him hammer 864 runs at an average in excess of 60 and at a rate that is Gilchrist-esque! The one problem in selecting him at this stage is that this is in effect his first season in First Class Cricket, and although he's scoring runs, his keeping may not quite be up to the standard of his competitors.

The Decision

The selectors mind is clear in that they see Read as next in line, and with that in mind, he steps into the side in place of Stewart, coincidentally returning to the side on his home ground. The one change is that Read will bat at number 7 in the order, whereas his predecessor batted at 6.

The Openers

This is the one spot in which there can be no argument. As captain, Michael Vaughan must play (aside from the fact that he is one of the top batsmen in World Cricket and a more than useful, if underused, off-spinner)
The retention of Marcus Trescothick is again a certain with the volume of runs he has made and also with the fantastic partnership he has built up with Vaughan.

First Drop

Another man to retain his place is Mark Butcher, a fixture at number 3 now for 2 years, in which time he has averaged just under 45 and given the top of the order a very solid look indeed. He is also a very handy part time medium pace bowler when the conditions are just right (admittedly only once or twice a year).

The Middle Order

Traditionally the key slots - these men have to bat in any sort of situation, be it 2-2 or 250-2. They have to sit for hours and watch then go in and be on the button immediately. Yes, theirs is a hard job, but the showing in this series from Nasser Hussain and Anthony McGrath has been disappointing.

I am loath to criticise Hussain after all he's done to revive England's Cricket over recent times, but I feel that to I have to use the opening lyrics from a song that perhaps sums up his time at the helm of the National side - "And now, the end is near". The dropped catch early in South Africa's innings was not only a poor piece of fielding from one so good, but also threw away England's chance of keeping up with South Africa in this Test. Add that to the fact that it is always difficult for the new man in charge to have to lead when the man he replaced is still in the side and I have to say sorry Nasser, but your dream of 100 Tests is gone.

McGrath was a surprise selection at the beginning of the summer, and in his first 2 matches he became the first Englishman since David Gower to score consecutive fifties in each game. He also ripped out 3 Zimbabwean's in a 6 over spell and everything was good. Unfortunately things haven't progressed quite how he would've liked since then, and with the big changes afoot, he too is left out for someone else.

Who replaces them?

Replacing a number 4 and number 5 gives us a lot of options to consider. Some of them are obvious, some of them less so, but all are worthy of consideration to a degree.

Graham Thorpe

Thorpe will undoubtedly be one of the first names discussed now that he has decided he is available again for selection. On pure Cricketing reasons, he is a certain selection, with his tremendous record for county and country, and his dependability with the bat.
Mentally though, it is a different story. On more than one occasion in the last 18 months or so, he has let his side down badly, as he has suffered terribly with his divorce and the love he has shown his children. As I have said, he has now said he'd like to return to the set-up, yet it has been reported this week that he was asked to be put on standby for the Second Test in the event of a batsman pulling out through injury. He declined to take this up, on account of a bad back, yet it can't have escaped the notice of the selectors that he was fit enough to represent his county in a crucial game that started a day before the Test did. The question of whether to select Thorpe is as much an enigma as the man himself.

Robert Key

After England were turned down by Thorpe, they reverted to the Kent man. Key is a real battler, and refused to be subdued by the Australians, notching a maiden half century at Melbourne. Unfortunately he has been way below par this season, and it is unlikely that we will see him in the side until he makes some runs in County Cricket.

Ed Smith

The name of Ed Smith has been on everybody’s lips this season, as he has had an amazing run of scores. After 2 years where he averaged around the 40 mark, he has exploded in an avalanche of runs this time, notching century after century in a manner reminiscent of his now captain David Fulton a couple of years ago. As the runs continue to flow as much as the plaudits for his recent book, he will continue to knock on the door until it's either opened or slammed in his face. I expect the former.

Vikram Solanki

Solanki returned to the One Day side reinvented as an opener after his Worcestershire coach Tom Moody suggested the switch during the winter. His performances were sporadic, with some great knocks, and a lot of small scores. His performances this year have been solid rather than spectacular, but now he's a part of Team England in one form, he remains a possibility for the Test side.

Jamie Troughton

Another member of Team England, he was somewhat surprisingly called up to the One Day squad after a fairly mediocre start to his County One Day career, but a splendid first season at First Class level. He hasn't suffered from the traditional Second Season Blues that a lot of other players have done, continuing to score good runs for Warwickshire in 2003. His less spectacular One Day International form may count against him, but in the light of the spate of dropped catches at Lords, his energy in the field may count in his favour.

Usman Afzaal

As he's been called up before, Afzaal is another man around who may feel he's worthy of another go. 3 Tests against the 2001 Australians included a half century in his last match, but since then has not featured, and it's unlikely Duncan Fletcher will forgive him for the condition he turned up in New Zealand in 18 months ago, when the excesses of Christmas appeared to have taken their toll. His occasional left arm spin offers an option, but with the presence of Vaughan as back-up to Giles, that option is unlikely to sway the selectors.

John Crawley

It was a toss up between "2 men of equal ability" in Crawley and the aforementioned Robert Key. Key got the nod as he was the younger man, and supporters of Crawley will argue that his results so far suggest that Key was not on an equal level to their man. Crawley remains one of these batsmen that flatters to deceive for England, and at 31 going on 32, his time at the top is limited and his poor county form this summer suggests that Crawley won't be adding to his 37 caps in the near future.

Andrew Strauss

The South African born captain of Middlesex has been in fine form since ascending to that role, scoring over 1200 runs last season, and already getting to 1000 this season, at an average in excess of 50. His left-handedness is an advantage over others, and at 26, his best years are yet to come. The one problem he does have in competition with the other names here is that he opens for his county, and those spots are not up for grabs at the moment.

Mark Wagh

Mark is often in the shadow of his county team-mates Troughton and Ian Bell (more of whom soon), but in spite of that, he was selected for the initial Academy squad 2 winters ago, on the back of his massive 315 against Middlesex. A lean summer last season followed, but he is back in form this time round, although conversely his promising off spin in 2002 has dried up this year. Unlikely to figure yet though, although he is still only 25, so don't completely rule him out.

Owais Shah

Another man that has been called up many times for One Day Internationals, yet many feel is more suited to the longer game. Shah seems to have been around for a long time, yet is still only 24. A fine stroke player, he is unfortunately not enjoying his best of seasons this year, and has infuriated his supporters with lapses when seemingly settled throughout his career. These lapses will obviously count against him at a time when concentration is the watchword for the new side.

Ian Bell

Earmarked as one to watch 2 years ago, he came very close to his debut in 2002 in New Zealand, with injuries hitting Hussain and Butcher. He didn't make it onto the field though, and his performances in 2002 led to others taking his place as the "next man to play". He still made a trip to the Academy last winter though, where he started to improve his bowling skills to the extent where Warwickshire are using him more as a bowler this summer, and while he has removed top quality batsmen just this week against India A, he is still only likely to be an occasional bowler at Test level for many years unless he puts in some serious work (and if he's touring with the full side, he won't have the time to do that). The runs are beginning to come again this year, and it's hard to believe he's still only 21.

Kevin Pietersen

Although not strictly an option now, since he has another 9 months before he qualifies, I feel obliged to mention the man who almost certainly will come into the side at the first available opportunity. He's amassed runs at an incredible average and strike rate so far, but we only hope he can carry this on into the International arena. Just hope he doesn't get built up and then knocked down like Graeme Hick.

The Decision

This is arguably the hardest choice to make, and it's taken a long time to plump for the 2 players that have been selected. The outcome of the one remaining slot (number 6) has had a great deal of influence in the selection of Graham Thorpe to bat at number 5, as will be explained. The other spot goes to Ed Smith, who warrants at least the rest of this series to cement a spot in the middle order. It is up to him to make sure he takes the opportunity, but it gives us a nice top order with left and right handers alternating.

The Linchpin

One place to go, and that is the number 6 spot.

You will notice that thus far, Andrew Flintoff has not had his name mentioned. That is because without Stewart, his position as a number 7 is non-existent (owing to the need to play a wicket-keeper as Anthony McGrath so ably demonstrated today)

As a number 6 player we need either an all rounder with enough ability to be a top 6 player and the bowling to be a reliable 5th bowler, or we need a batsman who would be good enough to bat higher, and who may or may not bowl a few overs as an extra option.

Of the batsmen previously mentioned, only Afzaal, Wagh and Bell fall into the latter category along with McGrath from the already dropped players, and none of those are really worthy of the chance at this stage.

That leaves us looking for an all-rounder to fill the space.

The Candidates

Obviously, Flintoff is a candidate for this. His batting thus far in International Cricket has been a bit of a disappointment in the main, mostly due to an inability to concentrate for long periods and playing rash shots to get out.

However, this all changed in One Day International Cricket this year, especially this summer when he was promoted to number 5, and played with a maturity never seen before from him. It is this correspondent’s view that the added responsibility is the main reason for this improvement, and as he showed in the First Test, when needed, he played a superb innings of 40 which gave the chance of avoiding the follow-on. For this reason I am proposing Flintoff to move up the order to number 6. He may still lose his head, but he must then realise that if he does, there is no place for him in the side any more.

Rikki Clarke

The young Surrey player has already played One Day Internationals, and although not over-successful, he has played reasonably well on a couple of occasions. He's in great form with the bat this year, but as yet his bowling is very weak, and is not really of a level to give him enough overs in Tests to make him a viable prospect. Add to the fact that he still isn't a guaranteed starter for Surrey yet, and he can wait a little longer before being elevated.

Adam Hollioake

Clarke's county captain is having another fine season, and has been selected in the past for England, notably as captain of the One Day outfit. Last year, he suffered the tragic loss of his younger brother Ben, who but for that would almost certainly be in this team now, and emerged a lot more powerful as a player with a new outlook on life. His weight of runs since then has been phenomenal, and have been scored at a tremendous rate. Rumours abound of a falling out with Nasser Hussain, but that wouldn't be a problem with Nasser no longer in the side. The problem would be that, like Clarke, he rarely bowls, and our number 6 player needs to do that.

Robin Martin-Jenkins

Such is the dearth of English All-rounders (to the extent whereby at 37, Phil DeFreitas is performing about as well as anyone else around this season), that there is only one other name that stands out to me. The son of journalist Christopher, Robin has forged a career in his own right with some good batting and bowling in recent times. Predominantly a batting all-rounder, he is averaging in excess of 40 for the past 3 seasons (including reaching 100 runs last season). Unfortunately his bowling is also averaging around 40 this year, although he has still taken 20 wickets. This is a far cry from his early career, when he struggled for runs, but was picking up wickets regularly and cheaply. If he could combine expertise in both at one time, he'd be a superb option.

The Decision

His bowling today has redeemed himself, and right at the last, Andrew Flintoff takes the final spot in my Eleven. It is hoped that promotion up the order will concentrate his mind more, but only time will tell.
This selection means that Thorpe is inked in at 5 to provide experience, and also means we can get away without the inclusion of Kabir Ali.

The Team for Trent Bridge?

M Trescothick
M Vaughan (c)
M Butcher
E Smith
G Thorpe
A Flintoff
C Read (wk)
A Giles
R Johnson
M Hoggard
S Harmison


Posted by Marc