There may be troubles ahead: England selection issues.

[Robert]

If Downton has told Morgan that a place *could* be available *if* he scores runs for Middlesex, then fair enough. But there shouldn't be any promises being made. It should all be on the condition of scoring runs in the Country Championship and showing that he has the game to play the long innings and the moving ball.

Maybe, but I suspect a place in the team is only conditional on him scoring county runs, not necessarily on outscoring others.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Moeen is going to the WI now, so Kerrigan and Borthwick should get a bit more bowling.

[Durhamfootman]

With a dearth of decent spinners, we may see all test pitches prepared for seam this summer. We don’t have to play a spinner.

and I don't think we will, at least not against SL. 4 seamers plus Stokes, with Root and/or Moeen providing the spin options. Might be different against India if we have another hottish July/August, so all potential spinners (but probably Monty) will need to take a lot of domestic wickets

[Durhamfootman]

Do we think Moeen has a good chance of making the test side in June? He only has short stuff between now and then to stake a claim. Perhaps that depends on Trotty?

[Arthur Crabtree]

Trott hasn't gone on preseason with Warks. Maybe that suggests he won't be back.

This is the team for SL.

Cook


Bell

Stokes


Broad

Anderson

[Arthur Crabtree]

You can't even look at the last game and suggest selections based on consistency, because we lost 5-0, Flower has gone, and there is a new lead selector. And we don't know who is the coach (Giles).

My team right now:

Cook
Carberry
Root
Bell
Taylor
Moeen
Stokes
Prior
Woakes
Broad
Anderson

Might change tomorrow.

[DiligentDefence]

You can't even look at the last game and suggest selections based on consistency, because we lost 5-0, Flower has gone, and there is a new lead selector. And we don't know who is the coach (Giles).

My team right now:

Cook
Carberry
Root
Bell
Taylor
Moeen
Stokes
Prior
Woakes
Broad
Anderson

Might change tomorrow.

I'd pick Onions for Woakes but other than that, assuming all have a reasonably good start to the season, that looks OK.

[KipperJohn]

If Trott doesn't return Bell should bat at 3. Root should open. Otherwise it's square pegs in round holes, which does nobody any good in the long term.
If they are rebuilding the side Root has got to go back to batting in his proper position. He's got plenty of time to get over being 'shot'. Bell is our only experienced No.3 at Test level. Must have been like a slap in the face when he wasn't first chosen to replace Trott in Oz.

[Alviro Patterson]

You can't even look at the last game and suggest selections based on consistency, because we lost 5-0, Flower has gone, and there is a new lead selector. And we don't know who is the coach (Giles).

My team right now:

Cook
Carberry
Root
Bell
Taylor
Moeen
Stokes
Prior
Woakes
Broad
Anderson

Might change tomorrow.

3 front line bowlers and Prior at 8?

[Alviro Patterson]

Bresnan dosen't pick himself at all, not anymore.. I hope they give Borthwick an extended run..... (because then we can have Monty at Chelmsford

If Bresnan doesn’t pick himself, it’s almost certain that the selectors will pick him.

Not a truer word said D/L, look how Bresnan got into 3rd Ashes starting XI on the back of a lengthy injury.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Yes there's a lot of batting. i'd play a specialist spinner, but will they get a lot of bowling early summer? If there's help for the spinner, leave out Moeen. I'd suggest Monty in those circumstances, but he's probably out of the picture. Stokes isn't a part timer though. He's being picked as a proper all rounder, so he's a fourth bowler. He did better in Aus than Bres, Rankin, and Tremlett. Some players seem to get downgraded just because they are all rounders these days, as if it's impossible that they should be more effective than a specialist.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Bresnan's just been dropped. He can't be a shoo in. Hopefully Finn will be available by the main part of the summer. I'd rather see CJ ahead of Bresnan too. I really think Bresnan won't start the summer, but wouldn't be surprised if he resurfaces at some point as a steady Eddie, if other players fall short.

[Alviro Patterson]

Yes there's a lot of batting. i'd play a specialist spinner, but will they get a lot of bowling early summer? If there's help for the spinner, leave out Moeen. I'd suggest Monty in those circumstances, but he's probably out of the picture. Stokes isn't a part timer though. He's being picked as a proper all rounder, so he's a fourth bowler. He did better in Aus than Bres, Rankin, and Tremlett. Some players seem to get downgraded just because they are all rounders these days, as if it's impossible that they should be more effective than a specialist.

That line up does a dis-service to a lot of players, Taylor down to Woakes are at least batting one place too low. Stokes at 7 despite performing with the bat in Australia whilst the top 4 failed defies logic, whilst Woakes at 9 is wasted for a player who nearly averages 40 in 1st class cricket.

Bresnan's just been dropped. He can't be a shoo in. Hopefully Finn will be available by the main part of the summer. I'd rather see CJ ahead of Bresnan too. I really think Bresnan won't start the summer, but wouldn't be surprised if he resurfaces at some point as a steady Eddie, if other players fall short.

Wouldn't read a lot into Bresnan getting dropped for the final Ashes test, more so when he has just returned from a serious injury. If anything Bresnan is the man in possession after being named in the West Indies and World T20 squads.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Surely that just shows Bresnan is in possession in limited overs? Which he probably is.

Yes, all those players could bat a place higher. Later in the summer, that would be fine if we play a specialist spinner. But by all means, leave out Moeen, push up the all rounders, and play a spinner. My team was for the first Test. Put Stokes at six and Moeen behind him. There's nothing wrong with having batters down the order.

[Durhamfootman]

Trott hasn't gone on preseason with Warks. Maybe that suggests he won't be back.

This is the team for SL.

Cook


Bell

Stokes


Broad

Anderson

I'd imagine that Bresnan will be in at 8, Prior back at 7, Morgan in at 5 (as an experienced international)
Perhaps Jordan at 10

I have no idea who will partner Cook, but I think Bell probably shouldn't move up to 3 if it means we expose newbies at 4, 5, and 6 (Stokes is still a newbie, atm). Root will be in there somewhere, but bugger knows where... it'll likely change from one match to the next.

Not sure why I don't think Carbs will be there, but I just don't (that's not a criticism of him). If Root opens, then we need a number 3 bat (Moeen for me), If Bell does move to 3 and Root goes in at 4, then we need an opener, but who that will be, I have no idea, which is why I think they'll go back to Root as opener.

perhaps by the India series, Finn will be back in the mix, but I guess there is a lot of work that has to be done before then

so in my bumbling way, I suppose my team for SL would be............

Cook
Root
Moeen
Bell
Morgan
Stokes
Prior
Bresnan
Broad
Jordan
Anderson

(not my team, obviously, but the one I think they might go for)