In case you didn't notice in the wake of the 'other' England's
glorious victories over the mighty Andorra and Macedonia recently,
England's squads for the Champions Trophy - and the small matter of
the Ashes - were announced last week. The next few months will see
England compete in 'the mini-World Cup' in India in October, before
moving on to Australia to recommence hostilities on November 10th. As
this is the only cricket they'll play before the World Cup in
February, I find it hard to swallow suggestions of 'burn-out' and
over-touring, but that's another issue. Let's have a look at the
squads for those all-important winter matches, starting in reverse
chronological order with the Ashes series.

The Ashes

The Ashes series will be the biggest tour of our
lives
- Paul Collingwood, England all-rounder

The biggest decision the selectors had to make was that of the
captaincy, Flintoff getting the nod over Strauss. Of course, the
Aussies were quickly in with a bit of mind games, skipper Ponting
claiming 'I did think Strauss would get the nod. We will have to wait
and see what sort of job Flintoff does', and Warne paying a wonderful
back-handed compliment with the comment that 'they remind me a bit of
Laurel and Hardy - in that they are different characters who
complement each other nicely'. I doubt very much that either would
think their comments could be taken out of context, but both make
quite valid points. Strauss seems a fairly astute tactician in the
mould of Michael Vaughan, but without a doubt the choice of Flintoff
is far more likely to strike fear into Australian hearts. The key to
captaincy is in the field; giving the ball to the right bowler at the
right time, reading the game and placing the right fields for the
batsman. Vaughan has the knack of not only knowing which bowler to
bowl, but also when to bowl him; let Harmison stew until he's so wound
up that he can't fail to take a wicket when he comes back. While
Flintoff undoubtedly has the qualities of an excellent captain, taking
the decision over when to bowl himself out of his hands would surely
increase his effectiveness. Strauss, not being a bowler himself,
would be in a more effective position to do this and not take on the
burden himself. England fans must hope the two communicate well and
justify the selectors' decision here.

Perhaps the oddest aspect of the squad is its balance. Only six
specialist batsmen have been selected, compared to seven bowlers. This would suggest that England will open up in Brisbane with five batsmen (Bell and Collingwood fighting it out for inclusion), Flintoff
and Read, then three seamers and a spinner. To consider playing six
batsmen with the Academy squad an awful long way away in Perth in case
of injury is just tempting fate. So even from this far away, it looks
like Panesar – England's best spinner – will miss out, as the tail
would just be far too long without Giles batting at eight. The injury
situation with the bowlers looks pretty dire, but to have Mahmood,
Anderson and Plunkett all competing for one slot looks excessive. Why
not take an extra batsman or two, even if only to keep the Australians
guessing? As it is, apart from the no 5 batsman and third spinner,
England's team, barring injury, already looks decided.

Champions Trophy

With all eyes on the Ashes, England can get away with using the
competition as a training exercise in advance of the World Cup. The
English are notoriously unappreciative of the one day game, and it's
probably a good job. Injuries and indecision have conspired to ensure
that few debutants have come into a winning team for a long time, and
each must instantly become a matchwinner without having chance to
settle into the rigours of international cricket.

One or two, however, have done extremely well. Michael Yardy's 3-24
off ten overs against Pakistan was probably the best performance of an
England bowler in the short game this year, and I have to say I'm a
fan of his left arm spin, bowled at speed, that simply cramps the
batsman for room every delivery. Less consistent, but no less
impressive, has been Jamie Dalrymple's contribution with both bat and
ball. If only Rikki Clarke could transport his domestic form into the
one day arena, England could suddenly find themselves with some
genuinely good one-dayers on their hands. Jon Lewis has shown enough
promise with the new ball to hopefully shove the Gough debate under
the carpet for good. Paul Collingwood not only looks sturdy, but on
current form looks the most accomplished fielder in world cricket. And while unspectacular, Ian Bell has shown enough this summer to suggest that he might just be able to provide the all-important glue to hold the batting line-up together at number three - as well as being a wonderful 'flea in the ear' while fielding close to the batsman. I have to say, I doubted both Bell and Collingwood's temperaments initially; both have done more than prove me wrong, and both look virtually undroppable. It is a measure of their stature that Trescothick has taken over as the man under most pressure, at least in the eyes of the press.

So, the nucleus is there. England have shown in flashes this summer
that they can get on with things at the top of the order, push on in
the middle and take wickets not just with the new ball, but tie up
both ends after 20 overs too. If a couple of the key men – Strauss,
Collingwood, Harmison, Flintoff – can get into the game as we know
they can, who knows? Despite recent form, the odds at some bookies
for England to win the World Cup at 12-1 seem good value, and I think
at this stage there is enough potential for them to be contenders.
The conditions will suit both English batsmen and bowlers, along with
those of Australia, and I can see some big scores and exciting matches
– especially if India and Pakistan bat second at any stage. An Englishman, actually excited about the one day game and - worse
- thinking England might go close in it?

Remember, you read it here first.

The Absolutely Plumb
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Skankyrich

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