This posted in April
http://www.cricketweb.net/article.php?NewsIDAuto=1639
The list in order of probability of appearing at the World Cup and where those playing in todays game rank. Note that Bresnan was not even in the top 40 two months ago.
3) Marcus Trescothick
The hefty Somerset opener has become a crucial part of England's ODI side in recent years - his powerful cutting and driving at the top of the order is a great asset to his side. He is also England's vice-captain, and will take over should Vaughan get injured - more on that later...
6) Steve Harmison
Three Geordies, a Welshman, a Lancastrian, a Yorkshireman, three South Africans and a pseudo-Australian in the Caribbean - it sounds like the opening line of a joke, but it's a reasonable guess at the makeup of the majority of the England World Cup squad. Harmison is the biggest name and the biggest frame of the three Geordies, having been ranked number one bowler in the world for a time and measuring approximately seventeen feet tall. He is a threat in ODI cricket, his pace and bounce making him the ideal complement to the accuracy and penetration of Flintoff.
9) Andrew Strauss
Likes playing Bangladesh (doesn't everyone?), but has so far struggled as an ODI opener against other opposition. Born in South Africa like Kevin Pietersen and Matthew Prior, he will be looking to prove his credentials over the next year, or he could find himself slipping down the ladder quickly. Can usually be relied upon to get out bowled, either through the gate or played-on to a cut shot.
10) Geraint Jones
Unfortunately for Chris Read, Jones chose to play for England, despite having heritage from roughly ninety-two other countries. He was born in Papua New Guinea, and rumour has it was approached by both Bulgaria and Argentina before making his England debut. Well, okay, that last bit was made up, but he was brought up in Australia, and has the personality to go with it - tenacious and committed, and showing no little flair in his batting. He has yet to back up his ability with runs, though, and given his debatable keeping skills - despite recent improvements - could find himself under pressure from one or two others should he not begin to deliver soon.
11) Liam Plunkett
The youngest and least aurally comprehensible of England's Toon Army, Plunkett showed his promise with 3-51 as a SuperSub on debut against Pakistan last year. He followed that up by scoring a fighting 56 from number nine in the order in his next game - a medium-fast bowler capable of extracting bounce and seam movement, Plunkett has shown promise in the 5 ODIs he has played so far, and it appears he will be somewhere in or near the first-choice XI come March 2007.
15) Ian Bell
Yet to really be granted the opportunity to impress at ODI level, Bell is a nippy runner between the wickets and strong fielder, even if he lacks the ability to find the boundary with regularity. Do not be fooled by his ODI bowling average of 3.00, however - he is not, in reality, the single greatest bowler ever known to mankind, as that average would suggest.
16) Kabir Ali
No-one in England actually thinks he's any good. We're not even sure he does. The selectors do, though, and that means he'll be in contention when they're considering the seam-bowling unit for the tournament. More so than either of his cousins, Kadeer and Moeen, anyway.
17) Vikram Solanki
Highly talented but also highly infuriating, Vikram Solanki used to be England's go-to guy whenever they needed a batting spot filled - he has batted in every position apart from seven, nine and eleven for England, even scoring 39 not out from number ten against Pakistan as SuperSub. However, he was dropped from the original squad to play India, mostly because of his amazing ability to choose the worst possible shot to play in any given situation at any time.
22) Alistair Cook
Has a poor average in one-day cricket for Essex, but following his stunning Test debut at Nagpur, in which he scored 164 runs for once out, cannot be far from the selectors' minds. If he learns to rotate the strike to better effect, he will be a solid ODI player in years to come. Hopefully his early success at Test level will allow the tabloids to get all their ridiculous puns on his name out of the way soon. There's only so much 'Ready, Steady, Cook' a man can take.
30) Jamie Dalrymple
An unfamiliar name, but one who has performed usefully in domestic one-day cricket for a while now - bowls nifty off-breaks, is a handy late-overs batsman and an outstanding fielder. A good 2006 could see him shoot up the ladder. Is always known as Jamie rather than James, to prevent sounding like a character from a Jane Austen novel.
I know there have been a lot of injuries but it shows that the selectors have no idea about consistency or their best team.
