England to use all 16

England’s first three-day tour warmup on their tour of Australia could feature all 16 of their squad members, after they made a request to Cricket Australia to that effect. Concern at the tour’s proximity to the Champions’ Trophy in India led to fears about a lack of game time for England’s players, and hence they intend to use every man at their disposal against New South Wales.

England’s first match of the tour against a Prime Minister’s XI comes just five days after the final of the ODI tournament in India, and with little time in which to schedule any first-class cricket before the first Test begins on November 23, an agreement has nearly been reached that suits England.

England used 14 players in warm-up games for their tours of Pakistan and India last season, so such an occurence would not be a break from the norm – however, the match against NSW would undoubtedly lose its first-class status, just as the others featuring more than 11 players had.

England’s bowlers, in particular, will be grateful for some extra overs, with Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles, James Anderson and Liam Plunkett all short of match fitness following recent injuries.