Vaughan Series
Vaughan Series
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If you were Chairman of selectors for the ECB who would you pick for the rest of the SA series???
I'd go for
A.Cook
A.Struass
M.Vaughan (C)
K.Pietersen
I.Bell
A.Flintoff (ALL)
T.Ambrose (WK)
S.Harmison (OBW)
S.Jones
M.Hoggard (OBW)
M.Panesar
Yep the '05 Ashes attack with Panesar instead of Giles
Asian King
Since he's been living in england for 4 yrs, been playing for them since NZ last winter
Everyone has said how well England did to win home and away against the New Zealanders, but that was not really a stiff challenge for a team that wants to win back the Ashes next summer, so I think the whole set-up needs a bit of a shake up.
I can't say for the rest of the series, but for the Headingley Test I would pick....
Cook
Strauss (c)
Pietersen
Shah
Bell
Prior (wk)
Flintoff
Sidebottom
Hoggard
Anderson
Panesar
No space for the two weakest links in the batting line-up, Vaughan or Collingwood. I accept that Vaughan is a good captain in the field, but his day job is to bat No.3 and score runs, something he's failing to do more often than not now. His career average has steadily dropped by about ten runs over the last five years. Strauss was very able at captaining Middlesex, and should have been captain instead of Flintoff on what turned out to be a disastrous Ashes tour of '06/'07.
Pietersen is easily England's best batsman and so should bat at No. 3.
Shah is so good it beggars belief that he isn't already an established player, he also would improve the fielding immensely over Vaughan. I'd also put him above Bell because Bell has performed particularly well down at 5 and 6.
Bringing in Prior and batting him at No. 6 allows the extra bowler, because Prior could command a place as a specialist batsman anyway.
Flintoff at No. 7 takes a bit of pressure off his batting, which isn't his strongest suit, and with four other bowlers the workload is shared, so no concerns about aggravating old injuries. Also having him in at second slip, at least to the other seamers, strengthens the slip cordon as well.
Maybe not right now for the Second Test at Headingley, but certainly in a couple of weeks I could be convinced to drop Anderson for Simon Jones at Edgbaston in the Third Test if I could be convinced of Jones' fitness. Though having got rid of Collingwood, who is admittedly a top class fielder, I may also be tempted to keep Anderson because of his ability in the field; it's a tough call, especially as neither can bat, but more often than not I would pick Jones for the Third Test if fitness is proven.
Harmison has done nothing to suggest he is worth a place, and for me, Stuart Broad loses his place because, good as his batting was at No. 8 on Saturday, his day job is to takes wickets, and his average is the wrong side of 45, with a strike rate of nearly 90!
I accept that this lengthens the tail, but the bowling attack is so much stronger that most of the time they wouldn't need the extra runs from Broad at No.8, especially as the top six is now significantly stronger too.