England v India, 4th Test, The Oval, 18-22 August, 2011

England v India, 4th npower Test, The Oval

Tremlett available but Trott still injured

Jonathan Trott will not make it back in time for the fourth Test against India, so Ravi Bopara will have another opportunity in the England side at The Oval. England have named the same 13-man squad as they did for the Edgbaston Test, and Chris Tremlett is available for selection, leaving England with the dilemma of whether to replace the impressive Tim Bresnan. "Jonathan Trott is making steady progress in his rehabilitation from his ongoing shoulder injury but he requires further treatment and won't be fit for the fourth and final Test match," Geoff Miller, the England national selector, said. "As such Ravi Bopara retains his place in the squad.

"Chris Tremlett is available for selection following continued treatment for his back injury and he and Steven Finn are included in a broader 13-man squad for the last Test match of the summer." Trott sustained a shoulder injury while fielding on the second day of the Trent Bridge Test, and, though he batted at No. 7 in England's second innings there, missed the third Test. Bopara was hopeful of securing the No. 6 spot for England this summer after choosing county cricket over the IPL, but the selectors favoured Eoin Morgan for the series against Sri Lanka and India. Bopara was handed a chance through Trott's injury but did not make the most of it at Edgbaston, where Morgan scored a century. There is little at stake for England in the final Test as they have already sewn up both the series and the No. 1 ranking. England squad Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Steven Finn, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett

Bops will be spiking his fellow-Eagle's drinks.


No, no, for cricketing reasons.

Drop Bopara and play Bres and Tremlett? Keep Bopara and he scores a career saving 401*?

England will be unchanged, I suspect. Unless they use this test to experiment with 5 bowlers. Unlikely to happen, though. If it aint broke, don't fix it etc.....

Is Stokes still broke?

Will be a bit hard on "Knee" to leave him out.

I'd do as has been said - 5 bowlers. Batting's good enough. Will be a belter, ergo....

Tremlett can do the same job as Bopara has done with the bat.

And he won't be weighed down with all the bling in the field.

Exactly. This Indian batting line-up is likely to fire once on tour - may as well let the bowlers share the load, keep them fresher so they can put more into shorter spells.

They'll never deviate from 4 bowlers under Flower. One day it will cost them, they'll be down to 3 bowlers in some stifling heat and get murdered.

But Flower will probably quite rightly say that it might happen once in 30 tests. So what when my evil formula is trouncing the opposition by an innings in most of the other 29?

So, Mr L: Trembles or Brezzy Lad?

Yeah, it'll never happen. It will be Bopara. The point being 'continuity' and (I suppose rightfully) giving him a fair go.

I'm an Essex boy through and through but the selection of Bops irks me quite a bit considering he has no form at all outside of a hundred at Southend. And especially with James Taylor in top notch form.

Almost as though Rav is getting a 'reward' for turning down an IPL contract. Nonsense...

PeterCS wrote:So, Mr L: Trembles or Brezzy Lad?

Brez, as the incumbent. Unless they want Tremletts bounce at the Oval.

I don't believe in the axiom "Never Change a Winning Side" (depends on other factors as well - pitch, conditions, opposition, sometimes also returning players), but the other old folk wisdom - "if you are going to give a player a game, at least give him two" - is generally sound, I think.

Yeah, I agree with Lever that he shouldn't have been picked in the first place, but now he has been it's only fair that he gets another go.

Taylor has surely to be given a nod he is in the next squad.

At least that'd be good man management. The sort Flower seems to be good at, and Fletch and Capello seem weak at. Proactive messages, encouragement, clarity.

What England is a batting allrounder as opposed to bowling allrounders, which they have a few of. I suppose if Trott is fit ne can get through a few overs.

That is where Patel should come in. But after quite a lot of gym work, I fear.

For what position, though? 7? I don't know. I don't really rate his bowling. Suppose he is in that category though.

He is a natural #6.Or should be.

I take your point there is no vacancy at the mo.

But if there were conditions of a dustbowl pitch, he SHOULD be in the frame. That he is not at the moment is his own lookout, as has often been observed.

PeterCS wrote:That is where Patel should come in. But after quite a lot of gym work, I fear.

Why? Does Swanny need someone to carry his kit for him?

It looks as if it will be an unchanged side which is a fair shout given, after an innings and 242 run-victory, anything else would border on eccentricity. Bopara should be given another chance and I think would have been, irrespective of the state of Trott's shoulder. Taylor should be included, along with Bopara, in the ODI squad. Trott's injury may mean that he is not available for the one-dayers either so there will be a space to fill there.

The only bowler that Tremlett could replace as a like-for-like is Broad not Bresnan and given that the former is the series' leading wicket-taker that is highly unlikely. Although the selectors do not appear to consider him a one-day bowler it might be worth bringing both him and Finn into the ODI squad and giving Anderson a rest.

PeterCS wrote:He is a natural #6.Or should be.

I take your point there is no vacancy at the mo.

But if there were conditions of a dustbowl pitch, he SHOULD be in the frame. That he is not at the moment is his own lookout, as has often been observed.

Who, Sam Patel?

If it's a dustbowl of a pitch, surely you'd want your best two spinners in the team. Patel's a part time spinner who is little better than a slightly more fashionable Michael Yardy.

If Sam's the second best spinner in England - or even in the top 10 - then all this talk of us having great strength in depth will be exposed as a lie.