England Ashes Squad

It's being announced on Monday. Predictions? I reckon Ben Stokes and Boyd Rankin may sneak in there, and Compo will go as the reserve opener. The other spot open for debate is the reserve keeper. Bairstow might be better off batting at seven with more freedom to play his shots, but he has some clear technical deficiencies. Another option would be to recall Steve Davies, who has had a pretty consistent season for Surrey.

I reckon they'll go with-

Batsmen-

Cook (c)
Root
Trott
Pietersen
Bell
Compton

Keepers/All-rounders/mummy's boys/bad boys/boggle-eyed redhead rabbits/gays-

Prior
Bairstow/Davies
Stokes

Quicks-

Anderson
Broad
Finn
Rankin
Onions

Spinners-

Swann
Panesar

Shadow Lions squad-

Taylor
Bopara
Chopra
Vince
Ali
Lees
Foakes+
Buttler+
Jordan
J.Overton
Meaker
Woakes
Topley
Kerrigan
Borthwick


Thoughts?

If Bairstow's only there as reserve keeper (or not at all) and Compton as reserve opener, who bats at 6 in the first choice side? The 5 bowler experiment won't be seen again for a while, that's for certain.

I wouldn't take Monty, carrying drinks in Australia won't do him any good whatsoever. Even if they're of the non-alcoholic variety... not really sure who I would have as backup spinner though, in any case it will be "hope we don't need him".

Bresnan will go if he's 70% fit, rightly or wrongly.

They'll pick all the predictable safe selections in the Ashes party and throw the interesting options into the Lions squad and pick and choose as the tour goes on.

Outside of IX of the first XI (Cook, Root, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, A Batsman, Prior, Broad, Swann, A Bowler, Anderson) I don't think England have a clue who to go with.

They'll want Bresnan fit, they'll hope Tremlett's fit and they might be stuck with Rankin and end up picking Finn as the least worst option. Onions won't take wickets in Australia.

Bairstow will tour as the back up keeper.

F*ck knows who'll bat at six. If James Taylor or Chris Woakes are the next cabs off the rank - as suggested by developments in the last series - then the well is dry, the cupboard is empty, the hope is no more.

You missed Barry Gallance from the Lions' squad, Trev. He's one of the first names on the list.

Is Tremlett injured still?

[quote="Paul Keating"]Is Tremlett injured still?[/quote

]No, he's fit and was in the squad for the last two tests, but the suspicion lingers that he's not quite the bowler he was.

We need to sort out the question of next batsmen in line. KP is getting closer to the end of his Test career, which could come any time in the next two or three years and perhaps without much warning. Trott's only a year or so younger, and only one more poor series from having serious questions asked about him. We're not that far away from having a top six containing four very inexperienced players.

Is Compton at 30 capable of stepping up and being any better than the player we saw last winter and this spring? Will he be considered as a candidate to bat lower down the order? If not then maybe he's not the man to take.

Tredwell can't get a crack in the shadow squad?

You missed Barry Gallance from the Lions' squad, Trev. He's one of the first names on the list.

Yeah, I'd actually typed him into the main squad, then I thought about it and realised that it's very un-England unless the guy's name is Joe Root, and I forgot to switch him over to the Lions squad. Balance MIGHT be the spare batsman, but will more likely tour with the Lions.

beamer wrote:We need to sort out the question of next batsmen in line. KP is getting closer to the end of his Test career, which could come any time in the next two or three years and perhaps without much warning. Trott's only a year or so younger, and only one more poor series from having serious questions asked about him. We're not that far away from having a top six containing four very inexperienced players.

Is Compton at 30 capable of stepping up and being any better than the player we saw last winter and this spring? Will he be considered as a candidate to bat lower down the order? If not then maybe he's not the man to take.

Ballance is the guy who looks to have the goods. England should have played him in the Jamodis against Australia. Why not? It would have given him a taste of playing international cricket in front of big crowds before they potentially threw him into the number six position at a full house in Brisbane.

Compo went back to Somerset after his axing and did pretty well. He needs to remind himself to keep playing his shots. There's a bit of a Ramprakash over-intensity to his batting at times and he forgets about the game situation and it becomes about him clinging on to his wicket for dear life. If he remembers to enjoy batting he'll be fine. He had a bit of a sook after his axing though and I'm not sure that would have gone down too well with the likes of Flower and Cook.

A real outsider for the main squad would be James Vince. He went to Aus on that disastrous Lions trip about six months ago but did pretty well. Might have made a hundred at the top of the order in one of the Lits A games and has been in great form in the latter half of the County season. If they rate his temperament, then he MIGHT sneak onto the plane like Root did to India a year ago.

No way that Monty will tour.

I reckon he will. He's shown an improved attitude at Essex, and there's a feeling that he will be easier to manage in the England squad than outside of it. He remains England's second best spinner.

Nath wrote:Tredwell can't get a crack in the shadow squad?

Well, averaging in the 50s in FC cricket this season, probaby pigeonholed as a one-day specialist not a long term Test prospect now although I suppose he would be considered one of the safer options for a stand-in.

beamer wrote:

Nath wrote:Tredwell can't get a crack in the shadow squad?

Well, averaging in the 50s in FC cricket this season, probaby pigeonholed as a one-day specialist not a long term Test prospect now although I suppose he would be considered one of the safer options for a stand-in.

I'm not sure how "safe" an option he is considering his record this season. The Aussies clobbered him pretty effectively in the ODIs, as well. A safer option, should Swann not be available, might be to play four quicks and Root as the lone spinner at Brisbane and Perth. At Adelaide they'll need a specialist, though.

Is Ollie Rayner an outside chance?

From what I've seen, Ollie Rayner's action stinks to high heaven. There's more than a hint of pinging about it.

Neil D wrote:From what I've seen, Ollie Rayner's action stinks to high heaven.  There's more than a hint of pinging about it.

This. My comment was going to be: Why not? He'll end up in Perth sooner or later with that action anyway.

Neil D wrote:From what I've seen, Ollie Rayner's action stinks to high heaven.  There's more than a hint of pinging about it.

And he still can't turn the ball.

I'd love us to have a chucker, for the rest of the cricketing world to get themselves worked up about...

We've only had James Kirtley. And he was so rubbish the rest of the cricketing world wanted us to keep picking him.

Derek Pringle thinks Gary Balance will be picked as well as Boyd Rankin. Anyway, I'll leave you with that cos I'm off to my bed.

Pringle is saying Ballance, Rankin, and Stokes "will" be picked. He's obviously got a tip.

Last time I checked, Pringle is a dick.

The squad is-

Cook Prior Anderson Bairstow Ballance Bell Broad Carberry Finn Panesar KP Rankin Root Stokes Swann Tremlett Trott

Performance squad-

Ali Briggs Buttler Chopra Foakes Harris Jordan Kerrigan Lees Mills Overton Robson Topley Vince Willey Wood

Henry wrote:The squad is-

Cook Prior Anderson Bairstow Ballance Bell Broad Carberry Finn Panesar KP Rankin Root Stokes Swann Tremlett Trott

The only partial surprise then is the return to Monty, despite pissomaniac tendencies. They must think the Essex Therapy has done the trick.

They weren't going to swallow their pride and return to Compo. So Carbs was the favoured one. And very lucky, in view of his calamitous autumn.

Bunny was always going to be a long shot - poor buggah.

PeterCS wrote:

Henry wrote:The squad is-

Cook Prior Anderson Bairstow Ballance Bell Broad Carberry Finn Panesar KP Rankin Root Stokes Swann Tremlett Trott

The only partial surprise then is the return to Monty, despite pissomaniac tendencies. They must think the Essex Therapy has done the trick.

They weren't going to swallow their pride and return to Compo. So Carbs was the favoured one. And very lucky, in view of his calamitous autumn.

Bunny was always going to be a long shot - poor buggah.

I'm actually surprised they went with Carberry over Compton. Three years older and less County runs this season. Not to mention two fewer test centuries. Compo was pretty outspoken when he was dropped. Flower and co don't like that sort of thing, it seems.

I think they were always going to go with Monty. They simply had to. There is no spinner even close to Swann and Monty at the moment, so they are gambling that Monty wont hit the bottle in Aus. I'm surprised they didn't pick Onions simply as back up for Anderson. He's lost a yard of pace, but he's reliable, bowls it in the right spot, and nibbles it about. If Jimmy gets crocked we have no one to keep it steady.

The performance squad is packed with quicks, plus dobber James Harris (why??? He hasn't even had a good County season, and it's there for all to see that he's 80 mph filth). But only the one spinner- Kerrigan. Behind Swanny and Monty the spinning cupboard is worryingly bare.