There may be troubles ahead: England selection issues.

[Making_Splinters]

Alex Hales has scored 2 hundreds and 2 x 90 in the last few games, if Cook is going to keep him out the ODI team for the rest of this year then I lose faith in good reason.

Maybe they ran out of darts in the selection meeting ? or didn't have a photo of him.

The only barrier people give to his selection in the ODI team is his county form.... when you average over 67 for the year, then that's no longer a viable argument

The barrier to entry for Hales, Vince or indeed Roy is Cook and Bell. Bell deserves a place in the team on merit, Cook is the captain. There is no real way in until Cook lets go of a captaincy he should never of really had.

[m@tt]

For the World Cup
Cook
Bell
Trott
Root
Morgan
Buttler
Bopara
Broad
Tredwell
Anderson
Gurney

Reserves Jordan Plunkett Ali Patel

Some people would be thinking of a batting order of
Hales Roy Carberry Vince Morgan Buttler Bopara

At the moment I'd be leaning towards...

01 Bell
02 Hales
03 Vince
04 Root
05 Morgan
06 Buttler
07 Bopara
08 Jordan
09 Broad
10 Tredwell
11 Finn (when ready)

12 Stokes
13 Ali
14 Gurney
15 Anderson

But even with a more powerful top order, I'm not sure we've got the bowling to restrict teams.

[Arthur Crabtree]

If Finn is ok, he's a must pick. I hope Rankin gets another go before then.

[Slipstream]

At the moment I'd be leaning towards...

01 Bell
02 Hales
03 Vince
04 Root
05 Morgan
06 Buttler
07 Bopara
08 Jordan
09 Broad
10 Tredwell
11 Finn (when ready)

12 Stokes
13 Ali
14 Gurney
15 Anderson

But even with a more powerful top order, I'm not sure we've got the bowling to restrict teams.[/quote]

Gurney is our death bowler and would be in the 11. Anderson is at number 4 in the ODI rankings. Broad is down at 37. Their averages over the last two years....
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine ... pe=bowling

[Making_Splinters]

I think it is unlikely that Cook will step down before the World Cup or that England will suddenly blood a lot of new players between now and next year.

Cook
Bell
Hales
Root
Morgan
Buttler
Bopara
Broad / Jordan
Tredwell
Anderson
Gurney

[shankycricket]

Hales
Bell (c)
Vince
Moeen
Morgan
Buttler
Bopara
Jordan/Broad
Tredwell
Gurney
Anderson

Two out of Root, Ballance and Roy + Finn.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I think it is unlikely that Cook will step down before the World Cup or that England will suddenly blood a lot of new players between now and next year.

Though Selvey was saying that there would be a lot of changes this summer, and that Cook was going to make way (though it may be he is only rested).

[Aidan11]

When is the squad for the first test announced?

[D/L]

Bresnan is almost certain to come back into the equation. It's difficult to see why Finn should be under serious consideration at the moment. The apparently automatic assumption that Broad should feature too, though he almost certainly will, is difficult to understand.

[Arthur Crabtree]

When is the squad for the first test announced?

says after the present CC matches finish on the ECB site. So I guess Thursday.

[Aidan11]

When is the squad for the first test announced?

says after the present CC matches finish on the ECB site. So I guess Thursday.

I thought I heard Sky say tomorrow but I could be wrong.

[Slipstream]

When is the squad for the first test announced?

says after the present CC matches finish on the ECB site. So I guess Thursday.

I thought I heard Sky say tomorrow but I could be wrong.

Tomorrow.
The big question is have the selectors found a specialist spinner?

[Arthur Crabtree]

I doubt they'll play one at TB. But it might be sensible to send one to the squad pre-match. To cover eventualities.

[D/L]

When is the squad for the first test announced?

says after the present CC matches finish on the ECB site. So I guess Thursday.

I thought I heard Sky say tomorrow but I could be wrong.

Tomorrow.
The big question is have the selectors found a specialist spinner?

A far bigger question is why, after Swann, we have had no front line spinner thought good enough to hold down a place in tests at home?

It is this situation that will lead to seam-friendly wickets for the series against India and almost guarantee that we will not field a spinner throughout the series.

[Gingerfinch]

I can see Ali, and Root backing up the four seamers as before. One change though. Stoles for Jordan. It seems like England's spinning cupboard is as bare as our world class Footballers cupboard.