England's next test side
This month's All Out Cricket magazine (essential reading for the rain-swept beach of Nice, I felt, last week) has a poll of 4 staff members for the next test side. 7 players (Strauss, Cook, KP, Trott, Prior, Broad and Anderson ) are common to all three, leaving 4 gaps.
Carberry, Collingwood, Harmison, Bell, Bopara, Blackwell, Saj Mahmood and Key get only one mention each between the 4 journos but Swann and Onions get more support.
Depending on pitch conditions and assuming KP is fit I'd expect to go with Bell, Key, Swann and Onions and also take Collingwood,Carberry, Swann, Rashid and Foster.
1 comment:
I think Onions is suffering from "Hoggard" syndrome. He doesn't bowl at 90+mph so he seems not to be thought of as highly as the others but for me he's earnt his right to be a regular now that Flintoff is no longer around and with Harmison being so up and down.
Swann is a given too for now, no discussion. But I'd like them to take Blackwell (along with Rashid) to Bangladesh where the wickets will suit spin.
The batting is tricky because there are so few challengers. Cricket Burble readers won't be surprised that I would take Collingwood every time. I think England will take him and Bell and one to cover the top 3.
I'd like it to be Key but there seems to be something amiss between him and the England management so Carberry could get a look in. Cook repeatedly gets selected because of a lack of openers and his young age.
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