Where now for England?
The England management, beginning with Andrew Strauss have been very careful to highlight that the Ashes win is only one milestone along the road to Test domination. And rightly so. So how do England continue to build from this point onwards? Where can they improve? And how do they cope with the loss of Flintoff?
The bowling attack is currently in quite a healthy condition, with Anderson, Swann and Broad all in the top 15 in the ICC rankings. There are still problems here – Anderson still looks very ordinary when conditions are against him, and Swann and Broad are still relatively junior members of the team – but these three represent a solid foundation for moving forwards. Add into the mix Graham Onions, Ryan Sidebottom and Monty Panesar, and there is a reasonable core to select from.
Steve Harmison has given an indication that his England career could be about to draw to close – he has said that he will not go to Australia in 2010/11, and I would anticipate Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower deciding to build without him from now on.
Then there is Adil Rashid. He has been included in the Twenty20 side to face Australia, having impressed at the World T20. With Panesar’s struggles this season, it would not be a surprise at all if Rashid went on tour to South Africa in November as backup to Swann.
What of Flintoff? It is vital that England forget about trying to replace him. English cricket spent years trying to replace Botham, and never could. Which, in hindsight, is fairly obvious. Similar logic should apply to Freddie. Whilst he didn’t match up to Botham in terms of longevity or statistics, he brought the same presence to the England team.
Whilst we talk about whether Stuart Broad can make the step up to number 7, and become the team talisman, we shouldn’t be getting carried away – it was only two Tests ago that he was the media’s favourite to be dropped.
Add to this the problems with England’s batting order, and the potency of the South African bowling that they will face this winter, and I would be inclined to revert to a traditional lineup of six batsmen, wicketkeeper, 3 seamers and a spinner, at least for the time being.
Matt Prior is now established, having banished any doubts over his keeping during the Ashes. It would make sense to look long term when considering a backup – Steven Davies is perhaps the best candidate, although Craig Kieswetter will make a strong claim once he has completed his qualification period next February.
And so to the batting lineup. Perhaps the only run-getters without question-marks against their names are Strauss himself and Pietersen. The rest struggled against Australia, with the exception of Trott at the Oval. Trott will undoubtedly be in the side for the foreseeable future, having impressed so much on his debut.
Alistair Cook will remain in the side, but he will need to address the technical problems he has outside the off-stump. Ravi Bopara should also be given further opportunities despite being dropped during the Ashes. He has the ability to enjoy a long international career, and cannot be written off after one bad series.
There has been a lot of speculation over the future of Paul Collingwood, but I suspect that he will be around for a while yet. He seems to always be the first to be written off whilst in bad form, but has proved himself on numerous occasions in the past. The emergence of Trott may mean that he is no longer an automatic selection, but he is certainly worth a place in the squad.
Ian Bell flatters to decieve like a politician’s promises. He did score runs during the Ashes, but again could not produce a match defining innings, getting out once in and looking scratchy whenever the pressure was on.
What about younger players? Joe Denly made an impressive start in the ODI against Ireland, and will be given a chance against Australia and probably in the Champions Trophy. That he is an attack minded opener is in his favour, and may offer England the opportunity to resolve the number 3 position and give a better balance to the top of their order. There are not many other names in the frame, although Hampshire’s Michael Carberry springs to mind.
So, who would I pick against South Africa? They are now the number 1 ranked team, and boast an impressive lineup. Dale Steyn is probably the worlds best pace bowler, and Morne Morkel and Makhaya Ntini are capable backups. Wayne Parnell is an exciting prospect and will make his Test debut sooner or later. The batting lineup is far more reliable than England’s, featuring Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers. So this is my 17 man squad to face them:
Strauss, Cook, Denly, Pietersen, Trott, Bopara, Bell, Collingwood, Prior, Davies, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Onions, Sidebottom, Bresnan, Rashid
The final seamers position is difficult to fill if we assume that Harmison is out of the frame. England will want someone who can provide cover for Broad’s all-round ability, which is why I have plumped for Bresnan. Broad continues at number 8, with six batsmen and Prior ahead of him. Number 3 has long been England’s achilles heel, and so Strauss takes responsibility for the position himself, with Denly given a chance to open with Cook.
Bell and Collingwood act as experienced backups to the young players, who are all given a chance. Trott’s debut proves he has the ability to slot straight in, and Bopara returns to number 6 to re-ignite his career. Onions is the 3rd seamer ahead of Sidebottom, and the likes of Trott and Bopara can offer a few overs of medium pace if required.
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