Alastair Cook 10/10
766 runs at 127.66
A magnificent series. By the end of last summer, Cook was clinging on to his place in the England side and, by his own admission, “couldn’t hit a beach ball.” He averaged just 26 in previous Ashes encounters and his troubles outside the off-stump had the Australian bowlers salivating in anticipation. His career appeared to be in the balance.
It’s not any more. Cook batted for more than 36 hours in the series – no Englishman has ever spent longer at the crease in a Test series – and scored an eye-watering 766 runs. Only Wally Hammond and Don Bradman have scored more in an Ashes series. He fully deserved his man of the series award.
How did he do it? He left the ball outside the off stump and waited for the bowlers to stray into his areas. Then he cut, pulled and flicked to his heart’s content. And, as his confidence grew, he even unveiled a surprisingly elegant cover drives. Aged just 26, he’s already scored over 5,000 Test runs and recorded 16 Test centuries: he’s going to break every English Test batting record in existence.
Credit, too, for the selectors who stuck with him and the coaches who worked with him. Their judgement and faith has been fully vindicated.
Andrew Strauss 8/10
307 runs at 43.85
A sound, if unspectacular, series with the bat. Bouncing back from his first over dismissal at Brisbane, he settled England’s nerves with their first century of the series in the second innings. He passed 50 three more times in the series, often helping his side steal the initiative, but failing to go on.
His greatest contribution, however, remains the captaincy. While he’s somewhat conservative on the pitch, his admirable calm head ans sensible disposition helped England regroup after a shaky start at Brisbane and the debacle of Perth. He’s now one of just three man (Hutton and Brearley are the others) to have led England to Ashes success home and away. There’s little reason to think he can’t go further and lead England to World Cup success and the top of the Test rankings.
Jonathan Trott 9/10
445 runs at 89
You have to go back a long, long time to find a better England No. 3 than Trott. His sound technique, calm head and relentless hunger for runs have created a wonderfully consistent Test batsman who is equally proficient coming in at 0-1 or 200-1. And he seems to love batting against Australia: before his duck in Sydney he averaged more than 100 in the Ashes. Don’t forget that run-out of Katich at Adelaide, either. Trott was superb and has now answered every question about his technique and temperament.
Kevin Pietersen 7/10
360 runs at 60
1 wicket at 16
A somewhat perplexing series. Magnificent at Adelaide – he scored a match-winning double-century and took a crucial wicket – he only passed 50 once more in the series. For a player with as much talent as Pietersen, that’s slightly disappointing. Some of his off-field comments – such as the swipe at Peter Moores – hardly helped team unity, either. Even if there was more than a grain of truth in them.
Paul Collingwood 3.5/10
82 runs at 13.83
2 wickets at 36.50
He took several wonderful catches and a couple of useful wickets but, from a personal perspective, this was a bitterly disappointing series from Collingwood. He rarely looked comfortable at the crease and, while all his colleagues flourished, often looked as if he were struggling to cope with the pace of the Australian bowlers. His retirement was inevitable. It was the right decision, too. For all his determination and all his positive contributions behind the scenes, it’s runs that define a batsman’s worth and Collingwood simply hasn’t scored enough.
Ian Bell 8/10
329 runs at 65.80
If there were still doubters before this series, they are surely silenced now. No-one on either side timed the ball as sweetly as Bell and his century at Sydney, an innings that ensured his side of a series win, was the coming of age of a man who has promised much for a long time. Batting at least one place too low, he was often obliged to sacrifice his wicket in the search for quick runs and the feeling persists that, with more opportunity, Bell might have gained many of the plaudits that have gone to Cook. It is surely telling that, in the first innings at Brisbane and Perth, with all his colleagues struggling, Bell top scored. The next few years promise much.
Matt Prior 7/10
252 runs at 50.40
23 catches
A much improved ‘keeper, Prior was very good against the fast bowlers and, the odd indiscretion apart, reliable against the spinners. His six catches in an innings at Melbourne equalled an Ashes record and he finished with an admirable 23 victims. With the bat, he improved after a shaky start (he was part of Siddle’s hat-trick in Brisbane) and scored a maiden Ashes century at Sydney. To underline the selfless nature of his play, it was the fastest Ashes century by an Englishman since Ian Botham in 1981.
Stuart Broad 3/10
0 runs at 0
2 wickets at 80.50
A bitterly disappointing series. A muscle tear forced Broad out of the series after the second Test, by which time he’d claimed just two wickets and suffered a first ball dismissal. He had bowled somewhat better than the figures suggested, however, conceding just 2.3 runs an over and ensuring his captain a measure of control in the field. The pitch at Perth would surely have suited him ideally bit, with Tremlett, Finn and Bresnan now all pressing for inclusion, Broad can no longer consider himself an automatic selection.
Graeme Swann 6/10
88 runs at 22
15 wickets at 39.80
It was presumed before the series that if England were to win, Swann would need to enjoy a big series. It didn’t turn out that way. Swann failed to find much help from the Australian pitches and found Hussey one of the toughest opponents of his Test career to date. Swann didn’t always look comfortable against Australia’s quick bowling, either. Still, when conditions suited, at Adelaide, he played his part with a five-wicket haul that helped his side to victory, while his excellent bowling at Melbourne went largely unrewarded. He remained cheerful on and off the pitch, too, and certainly contributed to the relaxed and happy mood in the England camp.
Chris Tremlett 9/10
19 runs at 6.33
17 wickets at 23.35
A breakthrough series. Seemingly in the cricketing wilderness just 12-months ago, Tremlett build on his excellent season in county cricket with a performance that announced him as one of the most fearsome fast bowlers in world cricket. Casting off his reputation as injury prone and small hearted, Tremlett bowled with pace, bounce, hostility and skill. In such form, he is as fearsome as fast bowler as any in the world.
Tim Bresnan 8/10
39 runs at 19.50
11 wickets at 19.54
Called into the side for the final two Tests, Bresnan responded with two highly impressive performances. Maintaining an excellent, nagging line and length, Bresnan gained movement in the air and off the pitch and generated surprising pace. While the highlight may have been the superb spell in Melbourne that accounted for Ponting, Hussey and Watson within 18 balls at the cost of just two runs, his batting at Sydney will also have reminded the selectors of his all-round ability.
James Anderson 9/10
22 runs at 4.40
26 wickets at 26.04
The series that established Anderson’s reputation as one of England’s finest post-war bowlers. Answering all the questions, Anderson swung the new ball conventionally, reversed the old ball, gained movement off the seam and, throughout, maintained excellent control and a wonderfully probing line and length. There are very few better fast bowlers in world cricket.
Steve Finn 7/10
3 runs at 3
14 wickets at 33.14
Started the series well, with six wickets in an innings at Brisbane and a brave performance in Adelaide. But he seemed to tire in Perth and paid the price for conceding more than four an over by losing his place for the final two Tests. It was a brave decision from the selectors, however, as, at the time, Finn was England’s leading wicket-taker in the series. Aged only 21, Finn remains one for the future.
Tags: Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, chris tremlett, George Dobell, Graeme Swann, ian bell, James Anderson, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, matt prior, paul collingwood, SPIN cricket magazine, steve finn, Stuart Broad, The Ashes, Tim Bresnan
No-one ever remembers the first half of The Titanic’s voyage, do they? The punctual departure; the excellent catering or the smooth progress.
All anyone talks about is that unfortunate incident with the iceberg.
It could prove the same for England in Australia. While the first few weeks of the tour could scarcely have gone much better for England, all that will count for nothing if they are unable to retain the Ashes.
England hit their iceberg on the second day at the WACA. It appeared in the unlikely form of Mitchell Johnson who produced an incisive spell of fast, swing bowling to precipitate a spectacular batting collapse.
Steaming along merrily at 78 without loss, Johnson persuaded Cook into a loose drive and sliced a catch to gully. From there, England proceeded to lose all ten wickets for just 109 runs, leaving Australia with a first innings lead of 81.
Perhaps it seems harsh to criticise Cook. He has enjoyed a prolific series, after all, and must be excused the odd moment of fallibility.
But his dismissal, somewhat self-inflicted as it was, should serve as a reminder of the danger of complacency. England had an opportunity to build a substantial lead, but Cook’s departure gave Australia – and Johnson in particular – fresh heart and exposed the middle-order to the swinging ball. It could prove to be the turning point of the series.
Johnson’s part in the carnage was six wickets for 38 runs. Bowling with pace, hostility and, most crucially of all, swing, Johnson ripped through England’s top-order with worrying ease, turning this series on its head in the process.
This was quite a different Johnson to the confused trundler witnessed in Brisbane. Running in straighter and with more purpose, he found the swing that has eluded him for so long and, as a consequence, had England’s batsmen, so dominant in Adelaide, suddenly appearing all at sea. Whatever remedial work Troy Cooley and co have applied in recent weeks, it appears to have done the trick.
Johnson gained good support from his pace colleagues. Siddle and Harris bowled with excellent pace and hostility, while Hilfenhaus bowled without luck but ensured the pressure was maintained at both ends.
England’s batsmen looked mightily uncomfortable against the barrage. Though Strauss and Cook set a decent platform,it was not without some fortune. Strauss was missed, for example, on just 16 when Haddin inexplicably failed to attempt to catch a regulation outside edge.
When the damn was broken, the water poured through. Trott, unsettled by a fast bouncer, was then trapped by the next delivery, a full ball that swung in fractionally, before, three balls later, Kevin Pietersen was punished for playing across an inswinger.
Collingwood, whose form is now causing some concern, was also beaten by one that swung in and could really do with a sizable contribution in the second innings if speculation over his place in the side is not to return.
Strauss finally departed to an outside edge, before Prior was bowled off the body as Siddle peppered him with short deliveries. Perhaps Prior can count himself somewhat unfortunate: a seagull flew right in front of him at the moment of delivery and cannot have helped his concentration.
Swann, unsettled by the bounce, fell to a timid outside edge, before the tail – longer than is comfortable in the absence of Broad – were swept away with ease.
Only Bell emerged with much credit. Timing the ball beautifully, he dealt with the short ball – and there were many – with more comfort than anyone and also produced a number of sumptuous drives and pulls. His dismissal, attempting to force the pace with only the tail for company, underlined the impression that he is wasted batting as low as six. A swap with Collingwood is surely overdue.
England had an opportunity to hit back in the last session. Phillips fell to an indeterminate prod, Ponting was unfortunate to be caught off the glove down the leg side and Clarke mis-judged Tremlett’s bounce and played-on.
But, despite those three relatively early wickets, Watson and Hussey combined to snuff out any English fightback. Watson, with an immaculate forward defensive, also put away the poor ball – and there were several – with power, while Hussey ran swiftly, found the gaps well and deals with Swann with dispiriting confidence.
England weren’t at their best in the field. Swann bowled uncharacteristically short, while Finn also struggled to maintain a consistent length.
So, at the end of the second day, Australia lead by exactly 200. It’s worth remembering that South Africa scored 414-4 to win in the fourth innings here just a couple of
years ago, but this pitch bears little resemblance. England will do very well to score 400 in the fourth innings.
All of a sudden, a series that seemed to be heading England’s way is wide open again.
Tags: Alastair Cook, George Dobell, Graeme Swann, ian bell, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Michael Hussey, mitchell johnson, peter siddle, shane watson, SPIN, The Ashes
It is testament to England’s dominance in this Test that the first substantial obstacle to their progress has come, not from an Australian player, but from the weather.
Heavy rain that arrived at tea and prevented any further play was the home nation’s only response to another day of dominant batting from England.
It will encourage the hosts to know that more rain is forecast over the remaining days of this Test. England already lead by 306 and the pitch is providing increasing assistance to bowlers of all types. It’s unthinkable that the likes of Swann and Anderson will not use that assistance better than the likes of Doherty and Bollinger.
For the first time in many months, it was Kevin Pietersen who led the way for England. Pietersen has endured a tough time since being sacked as England captain: he’s suffered serious injury, gone 20-months – and 27 Test innings – without a century and suffered the indignity of being left out of both his county and country’s side.
But here he gave a powerful reminder of his substantial talents with a double-century of rare class and dominance. This was a great player at his magnificent best. He drove with power and skill and whipped perfectly respectable deliveries through mid-wicket with a style that perhaps only Viv Richards could hope to match. Pietersen became the fifth Englishman to score an Ashes’s double-century in Australia and his treatment of Doherty, the spinner who increasingly seems destined to be playing his only Test, almost amounted to bullying.
His celebration upon reaching three-figures spoke volumes. This was an innings that meant much to Pietersen.
“I do love big occasions, and to challenge myself against the biggest players in the world,” Pietersen said. “It’s been pretty tough the last 18 months, but I love the fact that it’s all going so well for me. I have high standards, so to get 80/90/99, it does my head in.The state of the game was one where I needed to play with a level head. We knew we had to bat all day today.”
Pietersen waited a long time to get back to the crease after his first innings at the Gabba, eleven hours in fact. “I have never waited so long to bat before,” he said, “and it showed when I came out. I think I was trying to get 50 in 5 balls! But it has been brilliant to watch and see, long may it continue. It was more tiring waiting the other day to bat than it was to bat all day today.”
“The Ashes has not been a particular target for me to get back to form,” he continued. “But you get up in the morning as an England player and you think ‘this is what it’s made of.’ It’s gets the juices flowing. I remember being at Heathrow airport to fly out here and thinking ‘this is going to be amazing’.
Pietersen won good support from each of his colleagues. Though his excellent partnership with Cook (worth 175) ended when Cook (148) was superbly caught by Haddin off an inside edge, both Collingwood and Bell looked in fine touch.
Collingwood, with his highest score in five Tests, attacked judiciously, while Bell produced a series of elegant drives and cuts on the way to an unbeaten 41 by the time the rain arrived. The sense remains that, given more opportunity, Bell’s form would see him pulverise this Australian attack. It bodes well for England that he has hardly been required as yet.
Australia, inevitably really, wilted in the field. Harris and Siddle charged in, but did nothing to dispel the suspicion that they are honest, rather than inspired seamers, while Bollinger lacks the fitness, accuracy or skill to flourish at this level. Doherty, sad to say, is simply out of his depth. He’s the ninth spinner Australia have turned to since the retirement of Shane Warne and, clearly, he’s not the answer.
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, who picked up the wicket of Collingwood, admitted that a great challenge lies ahead for Australia.
“We are going to have to bat unbelievably well over the next two days to save the game,” he said. “But we only have ourselves to blame. We have been totally outplayed.
“It hurts to be in this position,” he continued, “whether on our home turf or anywhere in the world. What we’ve been doing hasn’t been good enough. We haven’t taken enough wickets and we haven’t made enough runs. It’s as simple as that.”
It wasn’t, perhaps, quite as shocking a start as we’ve seen in previous series, but England still ended the first day at the Gabba facing an uphill fight to avoid going one-down in the Ashes.
From 197 for four, England collapsed to 260 all out as Peter Siddle claimed career-best figures and Australia’s first Ashes hat-trick since Shane Warne in Melbourne in 1999. On a pitch offering the bowlers some assistance, England’s total isn’t, perhaps, disastrous, but may still prove to be about 100 below par.
There were some bright moments. Cook resisted with characteristic obduracy, Pietersen flourished for a while and Bell batted with the calm authority that suggests a prolific series beckons. This was his fifth half-century in 11 Test innings in Australia. There will surely be many more to come.
But, on the whole, this was a disappointing performance from the tourists. While Siddle, in particular, bowled admirably full and straight, too many of the English batsmen (Cook, Pietersen and Collingwood) were drawn into pushing at balls outside off stump, while others (Swann, Trott, Broad and Prior) played around or across full, straight balls. Yes, it was good bowling, but every one of England’s batsmen will reflect that they paid a part in their own dismissal.
No-one more so than their captain. Strauss, in prime form coming into the series, continued England’s habit of starting poorly by cutting the third ball of the day straight to gully. No doubt Strauss’ positive intent was admirable, but the ball was a little close for the cut shot he attempted and only served to hand the early initiative to Australia.
Siddle deserves credit, though. Controversially preferred to Doug Bollinger, Siddle vindicated the selectors’ faith in him with an intelligent, skillful display of bowling that earned him figures of 6-54 and Australia’s first Test hat-trick since Glenn McGrath’s against West Indies in Decemeber 2000.
Appreciating that there was surprisingly little pace in the pitch, Siddle bowled a fuller length at a sharp pace. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But he also gained just enough movement to trouble the batsmen and stuck to the game-plans Australia had for each of the batsmen. The dismissal of Prior – bowled, not for the first time – by a full, straight ball, was a case in point. It was the perfect delivery for the new batsman.
Prior was the second wicket in the hat-trick sequence. The ball before, Cook had reached for one outside off stump – always his Achilles heel – and sliced to slip, while Broad, struck on the foot by a perfect yorker, completed the trio. Siddle later had the grace to admit it wasn’t the ball he intended to bowl (“I was aiming for the top of off stump,” he said), but it was high-quality fast bowling nevertheless.
Siddle apart, this was an anodyne display from Australia’s bowlers. Johnson, in particular, and Hilfenhaus were largely ineffective, while Trott will chastise himself for his lazy drive at an innocuous, full length ball from Watson. Doherty, meanwhile, the ninth spinner Australia have tried in their Test team since Warne retired, was somewhat flattered by his figures. He claimed the wicket of Bell, caught in the outfield after he was left with only the tail for company, and Anderson, ambition exceeding ability, when he missed a reverse sweep. England need have no nightmares over his inclusion, however. A first-class bowling average of 48 doesn’t lie.
Afterwards Bell, by far the pick of England’s batsmen, said he thought England’s total was “not a million miles away” from a competitive total. He’s probably right but, the manner in which Katich stroked Swann’s first two deliveries – a long-hop and a half-volley – to the boundary was ominous. Neither Anderson or Broad found a hint of swing, either. This was, without question, Australia’s day.
Are England out of this game? Of course not. But have they given themselves a mountain to climb? Damn right.
Form
On the face of things, England go into the series as the form side. They’ve won five of their last six Test series (they drew the other) and seven of their last eight Tests. Australia, meanwhile, have not won either of their last two Test series (they drew against Pakistan and lost against India). In all cricket (Test, ODI and T20), Australia have won only two of their last 11 matches. They’ve even slipped to fifth, one place below England, in the Test rankings.
But touring Australia is notoriously tough. England have not won an Ashes series there since 1986-87 and have lost the last five series heavily. Of those 25 Tests, they’ve lost 18 and won just three.
Australia also have an awesome record at Brisbane, the venue for the first Test. They remain unbeaten at the Gabba since 1990 and have won 16 of the 20 Tests played there.
On this tour, however, England have left little to chance. They’ve enjoyed a longer – and more successful – warm-up period ahead of the Tests and do not have the injury concerns that hampered them on recent Ashes tours.
Crucially, they also know that their opponents – sans Warne, Gilchrist, McGrath, Hayden, Langer et al. – are a pale shadow of Australian teams of old.
Batting
Not since they were weakened by the Packer exodus of the late 1970s has Australia’s batting appeared more brittle. Their line-up contains three 35-year-olds (Ponting, Hussey and Katich) who appear to be on the wane, while Marcus North is also under pressure to retain his place. In the first innings of the recent round of state games, their top eight batsmen managed just 41 runs between them.
It would be unwise to under-estimate the class of Ponting and Hussey, however, while Australian lower-order, including the likes of Mitchell Johnson and, perhaps, Steve Smith, is more than capable of scoring valuable runs. On flat pitches, they will remain very hard to dislodge. It’s worth remembering that England have not taken 20 Australian wickets in a match in Australia when the Ashes have been at stake since December 1986.
England’s batsmen, meanwhile, have been in fine form. Of the top order, only Trott has failed to record a half-century in the warm-up games, with Strauss and Bell batting superbly. This series could well define Bell’s entire career: all the evidence suggests he is ready to blossom.
Questions remain, however. Strauss and Cook both struggled against Pakistan’s seam attack (they averaged 25 and 23 respectively in the summer’s Test series) while Kevin Pietersen is enduring the most prolonged spell of poor form in his career. England’s lower-order – bolstered by the likes of Swann, Broad and, perhaps, Bresnan – will have to contribute with the bat if England are to prosper. England’s lack of a reserve specialist batsman is also a concern. If injury – or poor form – strikes Cook or Struass, England will be obliged to open either with Trott or send for support. Neither option is ideal.
Fast bowlers
England’s attack has enjoyed a good year. The swing of Anderson, the probing hostility of Broad and the steadiness of Finn have combined to overwhelm all visitors during the summer of 2010, with the first two now rated among the top 10 bowlers in Test cricket.
Perhaps, however, England were flattered this summer. The Bangladesh and Pakistan batting line-ups were woefully weak, while it is unlikely England’s seamers will stumble upon conditions so favourable to them in Australia. It is unthinkable that the host batsmen will roll over so obligingly.
In particular, there are question marks over the effectiveness of James Anderson in Australia. His record in the country – five Test wickets at a cost of 82 apiece – is ugly and it remains to be seen if he can swing the Kookaburra ball. If he does not strike with the new ball, England are overly reliant on tall, hit the deck seamers and their attack will lack variation. Anderson is a much improved bowler, however, and will surely improve that grim average.
Steve Finn is very much a work in progress, too. While he is admirably accurate and gains bounce, Finn’s bowling may still lack bite and this series will demand a sharp step-up in class. Chris Tremlett, who has more pace if less consistency, may challenge for Finn’s place before the series is over.
In Stuart Broad, England have a potential player of the series. Blessed with pace, height, bounce and the ability to move the ball in the air and off the seam, Broad is a far more rounded cricketer than the last time he played Australia. The one concern is over his exact role, however. Is Broad a strike bowler or a containing bowler? Should he be aiming for the top of off stump, or the badge on the Australian helmets? If he is not clear exactly what is expected of him, it could prove costly.
The Australian fast bowling attack is decent rather than daunting. In Doug Bollinger and Mitchell Johnson, the hosts possess two hostile left-armers, though Johnson’s inconsistency must worry Australia. He endured a poor 2009 Ashes and has claimed just 11 wickets at 43.45 in his last two Test series. Siddle, too, is honest and impressive rather than inspiring. Ben Hilfenhaus is dangerous, however. He took more wickets (22) than anyone else on either side in last year’s Ashes campaign and his late swing and sharp pace and could cause England’s top-order substantial problems.
Spin
England look stronger in this department. In Graeme Swann, England posses the bowler rated second in the world in the Test rankings and a man with 105 Test wickets in 22 Tests since January 2009. Shane Warne has recently called him “probably the best spinner in the world”. Monty Panesar, bowling better than he has for several years, remains a capable reserve.
There are a couple of reasons for concern, however. For a start, Swann did not enjoy a particularly successful Ashes series in England last year (he claimed 14 wickets at 40.5 apiece), while he yet to take a Test wicket in Australia. History is against him too: English off-spinners have tended to struggle Down Under, though a willingness by umpires to grant more LBW appeals (thanks to the influence of Hawkeye) should help him. Still, overseas spinners have taken their wickets at an average cost of 49 (the figure rises to 56 when considering only Englishmen) apiece in Australia since 2000, which must be a cause for concern.
Australia’s Nathan Hauritz is an under-rated bowler, too. Though unremarkable, he is canny and tidy and out-bowled Swann in at least two Tests last summer. Australia also have several contenders to exploit Kevin Pietersen’s apparent weakness against left-arm spin.
Still, this is an area where England should excel and Swann has the character to revel in the expectation.
Team spirit
Hewn in adversity and tested in times of triumph and disaster, England have developed an excellent team spirit over the last couple of years. When Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss took over the team management, England were in decline. Their first series ended in an embarrassing defeat in the Caribbean, but they battled back to win the Ashes in 2009 and the World T20 in 2010. England have a settled, balanced side who, generally, know their roles and what is expected of them. They also have decent strength in depth in most departments. They have proved united in adversity – just think of the Leeds debacle of 2009 or the tensions of this summer’s series against Pakistan – and have enjoyed eachothers’ success in times of victory. Such spirit will serve them well over the coming weeks.
Australia are less settled. Ponting has won more Tests – as a player and captain – than any man in the history of the game (the country has had three Prime Ministers while he has been their Test captain), but the sense is of a man coming to the end of his reign.
Such is their uncertainty over their best XI, that they named a 17-man squad ahead of the first Test. They even sacked one of their selectors – Merv Hughes – recently. They have injury worries, form worries and a fear that Ponting’s long-reign as captain may be coming to an end. While home advantage is usually a big advantage, it could also prove to be a mixed blessing if home supporters lose patience with their team.
Prediction
England to win and win handsomely.
England have unveiled their squad for the first Ashes Test, starting at Cardiff on Wednesday, with Ian Bell and Graham Onions added to the XI that drew with Warwickshire in the three-day warm-up game at Edgbaston earlier this week.
Steve Harmison’s six wickets for England Lions – including twice removing Aussie prodigy Phil Hughes – have not earned him a recall. Monty Panesar has kept out a strong challenge for the second spinner’s slot from Adil Rashid.
National Selector, Geoff Miller said: “We were delighted with the way in which the team performed in the warm-up match at Edgbaston and it was very encouraging to see Andrew Flintoff bowl so well on his return to the side.
“We were keen to show consistency in selection and retain the nucleus of the side that performed so well against West Indies in the npower Test series earlier this summer. Graham Onions has made an excellent start to his Test career and gives us a different option when we consider the make-up of our bowling attack and the type of conditions we will encounter.
“ Ian Bell has performed well in county cricket this summer and he will act as cover batsman for this Test match should any of our established batsmen be unavailable through injury.
“There is healthy competition for places in our starting line-up at present and the strong performance by the England Lions against Australia at Worcester demonstrated that we are starting to develop a larger squad of players who can compete effectively with international class players.”
Squad Andrew Strauss (capt) Middlesex; James Anderson; Ian Bell; Ravi Bopara; Stuart Broad; Paul Collingwood; Alastair Cook; Andrew Flintoff; Graham Onions; Monty Panesar; Kevin Pietersen; Matt Prior; Graeme Swann
