England's Preliminary CT squad

[TT Boy]

30 - Andrew Strauss (Middlesex), James Anderson (Lancashire), Gareth Batty (Worcestershire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Alastair Cook (Essex), Steve Davies (Worcestershire), Joe Denly (Kent), Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire), James Foster (Essex), Stephen Harmison (Durham), Ed Joyce (Sussex), Rob Key (Kent), Michael Lumb (Hampshire), Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire), Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hampshire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Graham Napier (Essex), Graham Onions (Durham), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Matt Prior (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Owais Shah (Middlesex), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Luke Wright (Sussex)

Squad will get cut down to 15 next month. With KP a serious doubt, the quota of South Africans has to remain, so Jonathan Trott and Michael Lumb () are in.

There is history between KP and Trott (Lord's final four years ago...), so it will be interesting if they can fit both men into the same XI.

 

[superkingdave]

Should have picked Tom Smith

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

No real surprises there, Lumb looked the part in the Twenty20.

 

[Bronx]

There are a lot of average cricketers in that squad:

Hopefully Trott makes the team though

 

[TT Boy]

So trust England to select him for the 50 over game...

Lumb like Batty, Mahmood, Bresnan, Napier, Key, is just there for numbers.

 

[TT Boy]

Should have picked Tom Smith

To open and not to bowl?

 

[Prince EWS]

Surprised Trott is there. Good to see though.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

So trust England to select him for the 50 over game...

Lumb like Batty, Mahmood, Bresnan, Napier, Key, is just there for numbers.

Yeah, I would have thought so.

Why do we have these preliminary squads? They seem a complete waste of time to me, IIRC you can select players not included in the shortlist for the final squad. Just give us 15 and get on with it.

 

[Manee]

So trust England to select him for the 50 over game...

Lumb like Batty, Mahmood, Bresnan, Napier, Key, is just there for numbers.

Napier is probably there for the numbers but he is a good all rounder in the limited overs game. Although he has not been in good form this year, he is still a good wicket taking option with the ball and a hard hitting batsman who has been hitting more runs as of late than before.

 

[TT Boy]

Napier is probably there for the numbers but he is a good all rounder in the limited overs game. Although he has not been in good form this year, he is still a good wicket taking option with the ball and a hard hitting batsman who has been hitting more runs as of late than before.

Never got a look-in at his prefered format, has no chance in the 50 over game. I'm surprised his former team-mate is so down on him. He should have played in the 20/20 WC.

 

[Prince EWS]

Napier is probably there for the numbers but he is a good all rounder in the limited overs game. Although he has not been in good form this year, he is still a good wicket taking option with the ball and a hard hitting batsman who has been hitting more runs as of late than before.

Yeah, I think Napier would offer a bit more than quite a few players in that squad. Not that I think he should be playing but he's not awful.

 

[Manee]

Never got a look-in at his prefered format, has no chance in the 50 over game. I'm surprised his former team-mate is so down on him. He should have played in the 20/20 WC.

The same ignorance that thought that he was primarily a batsman may cause the perception that his strongest suit is the 50 over game, you never know.

 

[_Ed_]

Batty? He was hardly a success at the international level. Is he really in the top 30 limited-overs players in the country?

 

[superkingdave]

To open and not to bowl?

His LO bowling record is very good, at least compared to the other options averaging 25.66 with economy rate of 4.65, his batting is just a bonus. Granted I wasn't being entirely serious, he needs another year, but given some of the others selected...

 

[Pothas]

No real surprises there, Lumb looked the part in the Twenty20.

Lumb is pretty decent in the 50 over game as well but would be amazed if he made the final squad, Suppose England have picked worse players in the past though

 

[GIMH]

Batty? He was hardly a success at the international level. Is he really in the top 30 limited-overs players in the country?

Not too many spin options around if Swann gets injured, with Patel being exiled

 

[S Chanderpaul]

Good to see Joyce and Trott included.

Hopefully they both get picked for the final 15.

 

[Richard]

Batty? He was hardly a success at the international level. Is he really in the top 30 limited-overs players in the country?

Undoubtedly so. Which really does show the absurdity of these 30-man squads. Though not quite as much as Michael Lumb's inclusion does.

 

[Bronx]

Is Matt Prior going to be the ODI keeper?

 

[Pothas]

Not too many spin options around if Swann gets injured, with Patel being exiled

Would have liked to see Patel in the 30, give him a target for improving his fitness for a certain date instead of just ignoring him. Personally I would have him in the setup regardless but I don't think the current policy is helping anyone.