The Reverse Sweep

County Championship 2012 Preview: Division 1 - Surrey

Promoted on the final day of the season last year, how will County Cricket's equivalent of Manchester City fare back in the top flight?

Strengths

In most cases, it is all about survival for teams in their first season after promotion from Division 2. However, given the strength of Surrey's squad, this may not be the case here. The bowling stocks appear to be as good as any with new signing Jon Lewis making it a quartet of England seam bowlers along with Chris Tremlett, Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker. Murali Kartik looks a good choice of overseas player as does Jacques Rudolph who will fill in until Kartik arrives after the IPL. The batting looks just as strong with the evergreen Mark Ramprakash, Rudolph and Zander de Bruyn joined by some tremendously talented young batsmen such as Jason Roy, Tom Maynard, captain Rory Hamilton-Brown and keeper Steven Davies. All in all, Surrey look to have a formidable side on paper.

Weaknesses

The lack of a genuinely top-class opening batsman - although Rudolph can fill in for the first couple of months - could mean Ramprakash and de Bruyn are exposed to the new ball too frequently. The England selectors could come calling on a regular basis, which could test the depth of the squad as could likely injuries to the likes of Tremlett.

Main man

Whilst Tremlett (if fit) is likely to play more games than last season given his likely slip down the pecking order of England seamers and Maynard looks a great prospect, it's harder to look further than Mark Ramprakash. Injuries and a subsequent meagre return of runs (by his lofty standards) may have plagued him last season, but the challenge of scoring runs in Division 1 is likely to revive him.

Look out for

Some partcularly quick, green and bouncy Oval tracks - with a seam quartet like this, it would be silly not to play to their strengths. 

Prediction

3rd - They could go all the way and will certainly go close to lifting the title, but not quite this year in our view.

Where next?

Read our Division 1 previews: Durham, Lancashire, Middlesex, Notts, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire and Worcestershire

Division 2 previews: Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Northants and Yorkshire

Mark Ramprakash: English cricket’s great lost talent

2011 County Cricket Review: including Heroes of the Season, Best and Worst XIs, and a whole host of other nonsense

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Rory Hamilton-Brown

County Championship Preview 2011 - Surrey 

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Who should England pick to face Pakistan?

It's been a long time since England played a Test match - 22nd August to be precise when they completed a resounding 4-0 victory over India at The Oval. 

Since then every other Test playing country - even regrettably Zimbabwe - have been in action whilst the likes of Andrew Strauss have taken to their sofas, inserted their pipes and caught up with the first series of Danish sensation Forbrydelsen (that's The Killing to you and us) on BBC 4. 

England's next assignment as they look to cement their position as the number one ranked side is in the unlikely surroundings of the United Arab Emirates where a three Test series with a rapidly improving Pakistan starts on January 17th in Dubai. 

Whilst there is a whole host of mince pies, mulled wine and other festive delights to negotiate before then, the encounter with Team Misbah will come closer into view with the announcement of the touring party this Friday. 

The selectors don't have any injuries of any significance to worry about but they will need to factor into their deliberations what make-up will be required for the slow turners that will likely be prepared for the 'home' side and their wily spinner Saeed Ajmal. 

England will have to make serious consideration to foregoing their usual six batsmen policy to play two spinners in each of the three Tests. Either that or they retain a four man attack of either three seamers and one spinner or two seamers and two spinners. The squad they name will need to cover each of these eventualities.

With the six frontline batsmen picking themselves, the discussions will centre on identifying the spare batsman, back-up keeper to Matt Prior, two spinners to accompany Graeme Swann and whether to pick four or five seamers.

The spare batsman will probably be Ravi Bopara, although we'd opt for James Taylor. The keeper will be one of Steven Davies (back-up Test keeper in the last touring party, but who hasn't been seen since), Craig Kieswetter or Jonathan Bairstow (who could double up as the spare batsman) with Davies getting our vote as he is the best keeper of the three. 

The choice of seamers will likely be in order of preference James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan and if a fifth quick is required Steve Finn with Graham Onions next to step in. 

The most interesting decision will be in the spin department. Monty Panesar is by some distance the second best spinner in the country and also has experience on his side, but the selectors seem to like Scott Borthwick and it cannot be a coincidence that Samit Patel announced only a few days ago that he was withdrawing from the IPL auction to concentrate on securing a Test spot.

Borthwick is a big spinner of the ball, can bat and has the added bonus of being a leg-spinner. If England play a second spinner instead of a sixth batsman than Patel could slot in at seven behind Prior. But both are probably not quite Test class yet, so Panesar plus Patel seems the best option to us. 

Of course this could have been the tour to blood Adil Rashid, but he has fallen out of favour with the selectors and had an erractic season with Yorkshire last summer, so once again he will have to sit on the sidelines.

Make no doubt, Pakistan will be a tough proposition for England - as they were in 2005 just a few weeks after that famous Ashes triumph - and the selectors will need to ensure that Strauss and Andy Flower have the requisite resources and flexibility in the squad to combat the steely Misbah and his rapidly improving Pakistan side. 

Our 17 man squad: Strauss, Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Taylor, Prior, Davies, Swann, Panesar, Patel, Bresnan, Broad, Anderson, Tremlett and Finn.

Where next?

Andy Flower and the curse of autobiographies

Spot-fixing: What should the ICC do next?

Is this the greatest England XI of the last 30 years?

England v India: England series marks out of 10

The England cricket team's newest recruit from South Africa

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

County Championship Division 2 XI of the season

 
Rory Hamilton-Brown (Surrey, Captain) – 1039 runs at 37.10: We’ll probably get it in the neck for this pick, but in our view the boy king (and one of our ten to watch in 2011) had a tremendous season. He took on the challenge and added responsibility of opening the batting with gusto and led his charges back into the top division. Chris Adams reckons his young skipper will captain England one day – we’re not sure about that, but he pips Stephen Peters, Alviro Petersen and the resurgent Joe Denly to an opening berth in this XI.

Sam Robson (Middlesex) – 885 runs at 59.00: His season’s entry was delayed by the presence of Andrew Strauss, but the 22 year old more than made up for the wait with a string of impressive performances to lay a solid foundation for his side’s climb back into the top flight.

Chris Rogers (Middlesex) – 1286 runs at 58.45: His runs propelled Middlesex’s title success and once again left this observer scratching his head as to how the Australian selectors only gave the Victorian just the one solitary Test cap.

Zander de Bruyn (Surrey) – 1383 runs at 55.32; 15 wickets at 39.26: Proved a canny acquisition with four hundreds and nine fifties to be the leading run scorer in the division. Having taking a risk in dropping a division when moving from Taunton, he is now back where he belongs. If that wasn’t enough, he chipped in with some useful wickets too.

Tom Maynard (Surrey) - 1022 runs at 40.88 There’s certainly a Surrey flavour to our batting line-up, with Maynard immediately fulfilling his promise at The Oval following his acrimonious departure from Glamorgan. Of his three Championship hundreds, none would have given him more pleasure than his maiden first-class ton, which came at of all places – Cardiff. Beats Chris Taylor, Will Durston and James Taylor (who despite being the best number four in county cricket was generally a bit below par in the Championship) to the final batting slot.

James Foster (Essex) – 931 runs at 46.55: Stephen Davies and Mark Wallace may have scored more runs, whilst John Simpson also impressed, but Foster’s superiority with the gloves and a decent tally of runs gets our vote.

Will Gidman (Gloucestershire) – 51 wickets at 21.33; 1006 runs at 45.72: Topped the Gloucestershire averages with both bat and ball and was the only player in either division to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 50 wickets. Gareth Berg, Darren Stevens and Andrew Hall also impressed, but it was Gidman who was head and shoulders above the pack.

Stuart Meaker (Surrey) – 44 wickets at 22.56: With the other seamers we’ve picked, we needed a pace weapon and Meaker was anything but mild. His team-mate Tim Linley may have taken more wickets (73 at 18.34), but Meaker’s came from only 10 matches at a strike rate of 38 and it was his devastating spell at Northampton that gave his side the vital initiative in a must-win game. Born in Durban, so seems to have all the qualifications required to play for England too!

David Masters (Essex) – 93 wickets at 18.13: The highest wicket-taker in the country despite playing in a struggling side and an absolute master of line and length, as well as miserliness. Leicestershire’s batsmen must still be having nightmares about his eight for 10 against them in July – one of eight times he took five wickets or more in an innings.

Tim Murtagh (Middlesex) – 80 wickets at 20.98: The primary weapon in Middlesex’s arsenal had a magnificent season taking a wicket every 36.4 deliveries and clearly enjoyed bowling with the Tiflex ball. Will he be as successful next summer with the Duke ball against Division 1 batsmen? Other seamers considered included the wily old Chaminda Vaas (70 wickets at 21.44) and David Balcombe (33 wickets in five matches for Kent at just 17.81).

Pragyan Ojha (Surrey) – 24 wickets at 12.95: What would have been a close battle between Dean Cosker (49 wickets at 33.67) and James Middlebrook (43 wickets at 30.39 as well as 644 runs at 42.93) became no contest after Ojha’s devastating four match spell for Surrey. Four wins , 24 wickets and one promotion later, one has to ask how Amit Mishra was preferred to Ojha in India’s Test squad this summer.

Where next?

County Championship Division 1 XI of the season

10 reasons why neutrals should be glad Lancashire won the County Championship

Ten to watch in 2011: Half-Term report - Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

County Championship XI of the week: Division 1 Half-Term XI

County Championship XI of the week: Division 2 Half-Term XI

Read our 2011 County Championship XIs of the week

Read all our County Cricket coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

County Championship XI of the week #17

Andrew Strauss (Middlesex) - A daddy hundred - a career best 241 not out - for the England skipper on his return to county cricket. A case of anything Cook can do ...?

Jimmy Adams (Hampshire) - Compiled a second career double hundred to leave Somerset's title hopes in ruins at Taunton.

James Cameron (Worcestershire) - Defiant 98 was worth at least a hundred runs more in a game where no one else reached 50. Its value to his side was priceless as it could yet preserve their Division 1 status.

Michael Carberry (Hampshire) - The inspirational feegood story of the summer is Carberry's successful return from a life threatening illness. His 182 at Taunton increased his tally to 639 runs from just seven Championship matches.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul (Warwickshire) - Second Championhip hundred in a week against Yorkshire and an unbeaten fifty to secure the draw for his side in the second innings. 

Gary Ballance (Yorkshire) - First hundred for Yorkshire saved his side's bacon at Edgbaston and provides some hope in what appears to be a forlorn battle to escape the relegation trap door.

Steven Davies (Surrey) - England's forgotten man has run into form at just the right time. His 81 and 156 helped Surrey to a big win over promotion rivals Northamptonshire and guaranteed his place in our XI for the second successive week.

Stuart Meaker (Surrey) - Devastating four wicket burst changed shaped of crunch match with Northamptonshire. Another fast bowler to add to long list of England hopefuls - and as he was born in Durban, Meaker ought to be at the head of the queue!

Pragyan Ojha (Surrey) - Recorded second innings figures of six for eight from 18.1 overs at Wantage Road to leave one bemused that the impotent Mishra was picked ahead of him in India's Test squad this summer.

Alan Richardson (Worcestershire) - Derailed Lancashire's title aspirations with a second innings six for 22 to take his season tally to 62 Championship wickets. Effigies of the 36 year old veteran are probably being burnt all over the Red Rose county.

David Balcombe (Kent) - How did Hampshire let such a fearsome fast bowler go out on loan? Balcombe destroyed Essex with a ten wicket match haul to outshine the country's leading wicket taker David Masters at Canterbury. 

Where next?

Does anyone actually want to win the County Championship?

Cricket XIs: Cricketing Criminals

Read all our County Cricket coverage

See if you agree with our other County Championship XIs of the week

Ten to watch in 2011: Adam Lyth, Jade Dernbach,  Rory Hamilton-Brown, Samit Patel, Alex Hales, Danny Briggs, Ben Stokes, James Harris,Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

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County Championship XI of the week #16

Circumstances have dictated that we haven't been able to post a County XI of the week for the last few rounds of games, so without further ado...

Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire) - A great week for one of our ten to watch in 2011. In a tight match with Durham, his 115 (only one other player from either side passed 50 in the 1st innings) set up a win for the reigning champions - much to the delight of Lancashire supporters. A good week for Hales was capped off with a call-up to the England T20 squad for next week's match with India.

Rob Newton (Northamptonshire) - The young opener struck a composed century against title rivals Middlesex at Wantage Road.

Vikram Solanki (Worcestershire) - On a treacherous Rose Bowl surface where only one other batsman scored a fifty, Solanki's patient 79 not out looked to have given his side a decisive advantage in the basement battle until the rain gods and some suspect covers cruelly intervened on the final day.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul (Warwickshire) - Memories of his lacklustre debut against Hampshire the week before were quickly forgotten as a typically epic seven hour and twenty minute 193 set up the title challengers for an emphatic win over Yorkshire.

Dawid Malan (Middlesex) - Stroked a brilliant ton to put Middlesex in control of the top of the table clash with Northamptonshire - alas rain washed out the final day.

Steve Davies (Surrey) - England's forgotten man opened the batting and helped Surrey to a comfortable win at Grace Road with a 1st innings 121.

Keith Barker (Warwickshire) - Put in a fine all-round performance with four wickets in each innings and 85 with the bat to ensure that even with the absence of Woakes, Clarke and Rankin Warwickshire's title charge continued.

Andre Adams (Nottinghamshire) - Another to enjoy success with bat and ball as three wickets in each innings and a characteristically agressive second innings fifty helped derail Durham's title hopes at Trent Bridge.

Tim Linley (Surrey) - Excellent season continued with career best match figures of nine for 79 to help Surrey storm back into contention for promotion from Division 2.

Imran Tahir (Hampshire) - The pitch at the Rose Bowl may have offered him considerable assistance but there was no doubting Tahir's quality as he ripped through Worcestershire with five for 29.

Chris Wright (Warwickshire) - He can't get a game with Essex in Division 2, but the on-loan seamer starred for Warwickshire to take seven wickets against Yorkshire including a second innings five for 31.

Where next?

Read all our County Cricket coverage

See if you agree with our other County Championship XIs of the week

Ten to watch in 2011: Adam Lyth, Jade Dernbach,  Rory Hamilton-Brown, Samit Patel, Alex Hales, Danny Briggs, Ben Stokes, James Harris,Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Who should make the England Lions XI to play the Sri Lankans?

 
The England selectors will meet in the coming days to pick their Lions squad to face the Sri Lankan tourists in a game starting on 19th May at Derby.

They will have their work cut out as one of the features of what has been a fascinating start to the County Championship is the number of impressive performances by young English cricketers.

We’ve had a go at naming our XI:

Varun Chopra (Warwickshire) – The former England under-19 captain has started the season like a runaway train and deserves an opportunity to see whether he can flourish against an international bowling attack.

Adam Lyth (Yorkshire) – Whilst the young opener still needs to turn more of his fifties into big hundreds, he is still probably at the head of a queue that also includes Stephen Moore and Jimmy Adams. But for injury Alex Hales and Michael Carberry would also have come into the equation.

James Hildreth (Captain, Somerset) – Has had a bit of a slow start to the season after a phenomenal summer in 2010 and impressive performances for the Lions over the winter, but is still on the shortlist for the vacancy created in the Test side by the retirement of Paul Collingwood.

Ravi Bopara (Essex) – With Eoin Morgan opting for the riches of the IPL, Bopara is Collingwood’s probable replacement in the Test squad. He is running into form with the bat as an unbeaten match-winning ton in his last Championship match Glamorgan testifies. Underrated bowler.

James Taylor (Leicestershire) – Supremely talented and gutsy too, if his batting against a fiery Surrey attack on a lively Oval pitch last week is anything to go by. It is a case of when, not if, Taylor plays Test cricket. Other middle-order batsmen that could come into contention include Samit Patel, Andrew Gale and Ben Stokes.

Craig Kieswetter (Somerset) – It’s a borderline decision between the Somerset keeper and Stephen Davies, but Kieswetter has made the more impressive start to the season. Jonathan Bairstow may also get a mention in dispatches.

Adil Rashid (Yorkshire) – Presumably the selectors know all they need to about Monty Panesar, so the game against Sri Lanka offers another opportunity to take a look at the young Rashid - still the pick of an ever-growing list of young English spinners that also includes Danny Briggs, Scott Borthwick and Simon Kerrigan.

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire) – Not many have started the season better than Warwickshire’s bowling all-rounder, who has 24 wickets in the Championship at 18.54 and 262 runs at 52.40. A real candidate for further England honours after demonstrating he had the temperament for international cricket in Australia over the winter.

Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire) – Has now been on the fringes of the England Test, ODI and T20 sides for a while now and deserves his chance to show what he can do against the tourists. Alex Hales’ jaw will vouch that Shahzad has fully recovered from the injury that saw his World Cup curtailed early.

Steve Finn (Middlesex) – With Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan and Stuart Broad likely to be in a three-way race for two spots in the Test XI, the selectors will probably want to take a look at next cab on the rank Finn in a Lions shirt.

Jade Dernbach (Surrey) – The surprise late call-up to the World Cup looked the real deal against Leicestershire last week and will probably pip the likes of Steve Kirby, Stuart Meaker, James Harris, the returning Graham Onions and 17 year old Reece Topley to the final spot in the XI.

Where next?

County Championship XI of the week #5

Our ten to watch in 2011: Adam Lyth, Jade Dernbach,  Rory Hamilton-Brown, Samit Patel, Alex Hales, Danny Briggs, Ben Stokes, James Harris, Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid

An England under-23 XI - the future looks bright

2010 County XI of the season

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County Championship Preview - Division 2: Surrey

 
Finishing seventh last summer would have come as a severe disappointment after heavy investment the previous winter. Surrey have again welcomed several new recruits for 2011 in Tom Maynard, Yasir Arafat, Kevin Pietersen and Zander de Bruyn so will the forthcoming summer see an upturn in fortunes?

Strengths

A top six comprising Mark Ramprakash, Pietersen, de Bruyn, the immensely promising Jason Roy, Steven Davies and head prefect Rory Hamilton-Brown looks impressive, although Surrey fans shouldn’t expect to see too much of KP.

The bowling looks good too with Chris Tremlett, Yasir Arafat, Jade Dernbach, Gareth Batty and Stuart Meaker plus having Chris Jordan back from injury will be like having another new player.

Weaknesses

Can this collection of individuals be gelled into a team? Tremlett, Pietersen and possibly Davies and Dernbach are likely to miss several games due to international duty.

Main man

If his back holds up expect the imperious Mark Ramprakash to continue his astonishing exploits with the bat. Enjoy it whilst you can, because even this evergreen 41 year old cannot go on much longer. Surely?

Look out for…

KP getting lost en route from Chelsea to The Oval and heaven forbid if he has to get to Guildford – that’s nearly in Hampshire!

Prediction

3rd – A hugely improved season but just missing out on promotion

Where next?

County Championship Previews - Division 2: Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire,  Kent,  Leicestershire,  Middlesex,  Northamptonshire

County Championship Previews - Division 1:  Yorkshire,  Worcestershire,  Warwickshire, Sussex,  Somerset,  Nottinghamshire,  Lancashire,  Hampshire,  Durham

2010 County XI of the season

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County Championship Preview - Division 1: Worcestershire

 
Against all odds Worcestershire were promoted from Division 2 last summer despite having lost the likes of Gareth Batty, Steven Davies, Stephen Moore and Kabir Ali before the season even began.

Strengths

Vikram Solanki is a loyal servant and regular runs contributor and Saeed Ajmal looks a good choice of overseas star for the second half of the season, but the rest of the squad has a distinctly journeymen look about it.

Weaknesses

Worcester are very good at getting promoted, but very bad at not immediately getting relegated back to whence they came - in fact they are the ultimate yo-yo county. And this squad appears to be significantly weaker than the one that failed to escape the trap door last time.

Main man

Solanki apart, Moeen Ali appears to be a talented batsman and now has the stage in Division 1 to try and fulfil his promise.

Look out for…

The gap between Worcester and the rest at the bottom of the table. It should be significant.

Prediction

A distant 9th – Worcestershire have less chance of survival than Bob Willis has of being given a Mr Happy award.

Where next?

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Sussex

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Somerset

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Nottinghamshire

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Lancashire

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Hampshire

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Durham

2010 County XI of the season

Read all our 2011 World Cup posts here

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Steven Davies' brave decision to come out of the closet

 
Frankly we couldn’t give a damn about who professional cricketers (or anyone else for that matter) prefer to get jiggy with between the sheets.

However, Steven Davies’ decision to come out is a pretty momentous one and warrants comment.

As far as The Reverse Sweep is aware, Davies is the first professional cricketer to openly admit that he is gay.

That’s a brave enough move in itself, but the fact he is only 24 and on the precipice of a potentially promising career makes it even more courageous.

Team sports – particularly men’s team sports – are almost the last bastion for gay participants to remain firmly in the closet. The few that do decide to come out – footballer Justin Fashanu and rugby star Gareth Thomas to name but two – tend to do so in the autumn of their careers.

But Davies has done it at the start of his career.  

No doubt the less enlightened will give him some serious sledging every time he ventures to the crease.

And he’s left himself open to an endless supply of ridiculous questions from the press – the first of which has seen Davies already being asked whether he thought his sexuality had any bearing on the late decision to replace him in the England World Cup squad with Matt Prior.

He played that one with a straight bat – something he will have to get used to over the coming months and years.

Davies deserves the support of all cricket lovers for taking this bold step and hopefully everyone will judge him solely on how he performs with bat and gloves. We certainly will be doing just that at The Reverse Sweep.

Where next?

Andrew Strauss' Indian Masterpiece

Read all our World Cup posts here

Why Kevin Pietersen opening the batting in the World Cup is a very good idea

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ODI Series: England marks out of 10

 
Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss are probably as pleased as we are here at the Reverse Sweep that the ridiculously elongated one day series is over. Never again, must England agree to play a seven match ODI series especially straight after a long and tiring Ashes series.

Not only has morale been sapped by a 6-1 caning at the hands of Australia, but injuries to several key players means that their World Cup hopes potentially lie in tatters.

England used a mind-boggling 19 players over the course of the series. Here's how they rate out of ten:

Andrew Strauss (179 runs at 25.57, 2 fifties, SR 82.48) - 5: Reached 63 twice but other than that the captain had a poor series with his muddled thinking in the field indicative of England's malaise.

Stephen Davies (42 runs at 21, SR 102.43) - 4: Hit a streaky 42 in the first match and was promptly then dropped from the World Cup squad to make room for Prior. Must be wondering what he has done to offend the selectors.

Matt Prior (138 runs at 23.00, 1 fifty, SR 90.19) - 4: England's obsession that their wicketkeeper has to open is doing Prior a dis-service as he would be much better employed down the order. Fell cheaply to the pace of Lee three times. 

Jonathan Trott (375 runs at 62.50, 2 100s, 1 50, SR 81.69) - 9: The leading run-scorer in the series scored over twice as many runs as any other England batsman. His 137 at Sydney in the sixth match was a great one day innings and proved that he could change gears when required.

Kevin Pietersen (185 runs at 30.83, 1 50, SR 90.24) - 5: Started like a dream in the first match at Melbourne before being run out by Mitchell Johnson's passable imitation of Wayne Rooney. Thereafter, KP disappointed getting out to a hopeless shot on more than one occasion.

Ian Bell (154 runs at 22.00, SR 70.00) - 3: Looked a million dollars when scoring a hundred against the Prime Minister's XI in the warm-up as an opener, and was then promptly moved down the order for the entire series.  Should open in the World Cup.

Eoin Morgan (106 runs at 17.66, SR 80.30) - 2: Was understandably rusty at the start of the series after three months of twiddling his fingers and carrying drinks, but failed to get into nick before breaking a digit to put his World Cup spot in jeopardy. Another who found some truly horrible ways of getting out.

Paul Collingwood (53 runs at 17.66, SR 86.88; 4 wickets at 20.75, ER 3.32) - 6: Started the series on the sidelines, but the break didn't do his batting much good. His bowling though was a revelation, being the only man on either side to have an economy rate of less than four runs per over.

Luke Wright (56 runs at 28.00, SR 86.15; no wickets, ER 5.36) - 2: Not even a bits and pieces player and how he can be in the World Cup squad ahead of Bopara defies belief.

Tim Bresnan (4 wickets at 27.00, ER 5.68; 47 runs at 23.50, SR 87.03) - 5: Broke down after two matches to join England's walking wounded and may now have lost his spot to Collingwood for the World Cup.

Michael Yardy (5 wickets at 60.20, ER 5.57; 137 runs at 45.66, SR 84.04) - 3: A couple of useful knocks with the bat could not hide the Sussex captain's ineffectiveness with the ball. A weak link in England's World Cup armoury.

James Tredwell (1 match, 16 runs and 0/44) - 1: Has Samit Patel's love of chapatis to thank for even getting one match. England effectively have a 14 man squad for the World Cup given Tredwell's presence in the squad. Maybe it is better to have someone who eats pies rather than bowls them?

Graeme Swann (1 match, 1/42 and 4 runs): 4: Another to fall victim to the injury curse and how England missed Swann's potency and control with the ball. Hopefully, he will now be rested and raring to go for the World Cup where England's fortunes are likely to improve of Swann fires.

Chris Woakes (7 wickets at 21.28, ER 5.65; 20 runs at 10.00, SR 50.00) - 5: Experienced the highs and lows of international cricket with 6/45 at Brisbane before being walloped for 73 runs in 9.2 wicketless overs in the next match at Sydney. One for the future.

Liam Plunkett (1 match, 2/49 and 20 runs) - 5: Plunkett came from a galaxy far, far away (i.e. the Caribbean) for the final match in Perth and defied jet lag to put in a creditable performance.

Ajmal Shahzad (6 wickets at 40.50, ER 5.15) - 3: Bowled excellently in Hobart, before fading away and then becoming another to pick up an injury. Shows promise but is maybe not as good as many are saying.

Chris Tremlett (6 wickets at 33.50, ER 5.20) - 5: Left out of the World Cup squad and then promptly bowled brilliantly at Hobart to take 3/22. Yet another England bowler who picked up an injury.

James Anderson (7 wickets at 34.00, ER 5.95) - 4: Was given a break back home for the first three matches and must have wished he'd have stayed there after being smashed for 91 runs at Sydney, before bouncing back with 3/48 at Perth.

Steve Finn (3 wickets at 56.33, ER 5.63) - 4: Bowled better than his figures suggest and really enjoyed himself with the bat in Brisbane.

Where next?

Reaction to England's World Cup Squad

An XI of cricketers that died young

Zeroes: Salman Butt

The best Test XI of 2010

The worst Test XI of 2010

4-0 to Jonathan Trott 

Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes

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The Quest for the Holy Gilchrist

 
With all due reference to Romesh Kaluwitharana, Adam Gilchrist is to blame.

Ever since Gilchrist combined keeping wicket and opening the batting with quite devastating effect in ODI, pretty much very other country has tried to replicate the formula. However for the most part, the selectorial alchemists have only managed to make fool's gold.

The missing ingredient is that they all conveniently forgot that Gilchrist was brilliant enough to be picked for his batting alone. Instead. all manner of wholly unsuitable glovemen have been elevated above their station in a mostly forlorn quest to find a new Holy Gilchrist (see full list here).

Not many have been a success. Brendon McCullum has done reasonably well and the regal Kumar Sangakkara managed to score four hundreds in 19 ODI before returning to the middle order. Alec did it in 76 ODI and managed to average 35 - albeit at a pretty sedate run rate of 69.50.

But that is pretty much it. Australia have tried to shoehorn Brad Haddin and Tim Paine into the role since Gilchrist departed with limited success - surely Haddin in particular would be better suited to coming in at six and blasting some boundaries in the latter overs (especially when Australia has Shaun Marsh in reserve).

That serial underachiever Kamran Akmal has opened in 57 ODI and averages under 27 (as well as no doubt dropping numerous chances behind the stumps). Even Ridley Jacobs did it 26 times and three Kenyan keepers have combined to open in over a century of ODI.

Indeed only South Africa - never ones to follow the latest trend – have not joined in, perhaps sensibly concluding that Mark Boucher offered much more down the order than he would atop it.

But England are perhaps the worst offenders. Matt Prior, Stephen Davies, Phil Mustard, Craig Kieswetter and Geraint Jones have all been tried and none has convinced. They have 51 ODIs between them at the top of the order and the grand total of zero hundreds – Kieswetter’s hundred against Bangladesh came when Prior was wearing the gloves.

Yet, England seem rooted to the belief that their keeper – whichever misfortunate has been handed the task – should open the batting.

Prior is an excellent strokemaker down the order. But he isn’t an opening batsman and England should stop trying to make him one.

In the absence of a Marcus Trescothick type – a proper opener who could hit the ball over the top in the powerplay overs (Alex Hales is a long-term prospect here), one of the other batsmen (probably Ian Bell) or a pinch-hitter (Graeme Swann could be a good bet for the sub-continent) should be given the job.

Whatever, England’s quest for the Holy Gilchrist seems doomed to failure like that of pretty much every other team heading to the World Cup.  

Where next?

Reaction to England’s World Cup Squad – Prior the victor

Heroes: Adam Gilchrist

Zeroes: Kamran Akmal

What Cricket can learn from Football in staging a World Cup

All-time Australian Ashes XI - Wicketkeeper

All-time England Ashes XI - Wicketkeeper

Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes including amongst others Graeme Swann, David Lloyd, Channel 9, Charles Colville, Bob Willis and David Gower

Follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Reaction to England's World Cup squad - Prior the victor

 
Unsurprisingly, the fifteen names chosen by England today for the forthcoming World Cup differ from those we picked in our World Cup XV earlier in the week.

We can understand leaving out Chris Tremlett on a horses for courses basis given that on the pitches of the sub-continent he would be unable to generate the bounce that made him such a dangerous proposition during the Ashes. Moreover, with Tremlett’s chequered history of injuries, perhaps it is best that he be wrapped in cotton wool ahead of the summer tests against Sri Lanka and India.

England will regret only picking one specialist keeper if Matt Prior falls victim to injury or Delhi Belly during the tournament. That said, we applaud the selection of Prior ahead of Stephen Davies, who hasn’t convinced us either, but we would have taken the Surrey gloveman or Craig Kieswetter ahead of Jonathan Trott for insurance purposes.

The omission of Davies and selection of Prior also makes the selectors look a bit foolish for not including the latter in the squad for the current seven (yawn) match series with Australia. The selectors hadn’t put a foot wrong this winter, but they erred on this occasion.

That said, both of these decisions were borderline and don’t cause us too many grumbles. However, the selection of Luke Wright and James Tredwell do.

Wright may look uncannily like Shane Watson, but it is Steve Smith that he most closely resembles as a player. Neither are good enough with bat or ball for international cricket, and surely Ravi Bopara would have been a better choice. Bopara could even have opened with Andrew Strauss, leaving Prior to fulfill the role down the order, which he is probably best suited to.

Like Wright, Tredwell is out of his depth in international cricket and whilst we never expected the selectors to go with our choice of Samit Patel, surely there are better options than Tredwell. Adil Rashid for one comes to mind.

Will this squad win the World Cup? Probably not. But England fans should expect their team to put in its best performance at the World Cup since 1992 when they were beaten in the final by Pakistan. We tip them to make the semi-finals at least.

Where next?

Watch Luke Wright breaking his cricket bat

Adil Rashid should go to the World Cup

Zeroes: Steve Smith

Luke Wright is the shit Shane Watson

What Cricket can learn from Football in staging a World Cup

Follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Who should England pick for their World Cup XV?

 
With England set to name their World Cup squad by Wednesday, we should probably be writing a long and serious piece on who should and shouldn’t be in the squad.

But like our current disenchantment with football - which has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the fact we support Liverpool (honest) - we are also none too bothered with any form of cricket that isn’t Test cricket.

It could just be a hangover from the Ashes, but with the unappealing prospect of a seven match ODI series between England and Australia, we don’t give two hoots about the World Cup at the moment.

And wasn’t one day cricket invented to provide a quick burst of enjoyment for paying public and couch potatoes alike? Seven match series’ are neither quick nor enjoyable – they are as painful to watch in full as The Phantom Menace. And don’t get us started on the length of the World Cup. Put it this way, our two year old will have graduated by the time it has finished.

So, we are going to name the XV we would pick if the Reverse Sweep was in the shoes of Geoff Miller, but we are not going to dwell too much on the reasons why we would choose these fifteen names.

Slow wickets, spin-friendly conditions, the heat and the risk of injury or delhi belly means that England should pick two wicket-keepers and three spinners in their XV, whilst ensuring that there is enough batting and seam bowling cover.

As such, we would go with the following:

Batsmen:

Strauss, Pietersen, Bell, Collingwood and Morgan

Wicket-keepers:

Davies and Prior

Spinners:

Swann, Yardy and Patel

Seamers:

Anderson, Broad, Bresnan, Shahzad and Tremlett

So that means no Trott, Wright, Woakes, Tredwell, Kieswetter or Bopara. In our view, Trott is too one-paced for one day cricket and Prior and Patel can fill in as the spare batsman if required. Wright is pretty hopeless with bat and ball and it is probably a bit too early for Woakes, who lacks pace in any case.

In terms of the third spinner, Patel is a much better bet than Tredwell as would be Rashid. Finally, although we believe Kieswetter was dispensed with too early and are not convinced by Davies at the top of the order, it is probably too late to go back now and the much improved Prior deserves another chance.

We desperately wanted to fit Bopara in as we think his multi-facted batting, excellent fielding and useful medium pace could prove a boon on the sub-continent. But including Ravi for one of the batsmen we've picked is unthinkable, so the only way to get him in would be to compromise on the second keeper or third spinner, or take only four instead of five quicks. And that's a risk we're not prepared to take.

Can England win? Probably not. The conditions are against them and they lack an opener who can hit over the top (a la Marcus Trescothick), a quality second spinner to support Swann and pedigree in recent World Cups.

But they could well be good dark horses to back – just as there were in the World T20 last year. And we all know what happened there.

Where next?

Shane Watson: Finally the bride and not a bridesmaid 

How England won the Ashes: Part 1 - Preparation

How England won the Ashes: Part 2 - Inspired selections

Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes including amongst others Andy Flower, James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Marcus Trescothick and Douglas Jardine

Follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Ashes 100-1: 22 - England Ashes Squad Profiles

 
With just over three weeks to go and England's first warm-up match against Western Australia imminent, it seems an apt time to look over the sixteen hungry men with whom rest England's chances of retaining the Ashes.

Andrew Strauss – A calm and collected head prefect who led from the front with inspirational gusto in 2009. Has a wonderful chance to consign personal nightmares of 2006/07 to the waste bin and write his name in infamy alongside other England captains who have won the Ashes on Australian soil like Jardine, Hutton, Illingworth and Brearley.

Alastair Cook – Had a disappointing summer his battling hundred at The Oval apart and has a poor record against Australia. Can expect to be on the receiving end of plenty of Australian verbals but seems pretty unphased in that department.

Jonathan Trott – England’s Mr Dependable at first drop over the summer. If he can maintain that form and unflustered approach, the naturalised South African could be set for a big series. Is sure to annoy the Australians with his crease fidgeting antics.

Kevin Pietersen – A big series for England’s key batsman. As the old adage goes, form is temporary but class is permanent. And KP is an undoubtedly high-class batsman. But the trough has now become a chasm save his man of the series performances in the World T20. Even so back him to deliver when it really counts.

Ian Bell – Finally seems to have added steel to his immense talent and could be finally set to deliver against the Australians, despite a wretched record. Our tip to be England’s leading batsman in the series along with Pietersen.

Paul Collingwood – Another who had a disappointing summer, but someone you would always want in the trenches when the battle is at its fiercest. Proof of that lies in his test average of 47 away from home. If England produce another great escape to rival Cardiff, Centurion or Cape Town expect the doughty Colly to be right in the frontline.

Eoin Morgan – Will likely start the series on the sidelines, but has all the ingredients to make an immediate impression should his unorthodox talents be called upon.

Matt Prior – England’s man with the gloves provides reliability behind the stumps and consistency with the bat. Will be full of confidence after a good summer and won’t be phased by the pressure of an Ashes series down under.

Steve Davies – Unlikely to feature, but at least will be able to mix an exquisite gin and tonic by the end of the trip. One for the future.

Graeme Swann – England’s mainman with the ball and perhaps the key to retaining the Ashes. Off-spinners don’t traditionally do well in Australia, but not many get the spin, turn or bounce of Swann and none have had his confidence and boundless enthusiasm.

Monty Panesar – Did well when belatedly called upon in 2006/07 and won’t let anyone down if a second spinner is required in Adelaide or Sydney. But, please let’s not have to rely on Monty’s batting again like at Cardiff.

Stuart Broad – Hundred in his last test at Lord’s shows he can be a genuine test all-rounder if he puts his mind to it. Should enjoy the conditions with bat and ball and could end up as England’s most dangerous seamer. Has a wonderful opportunity to emulate his father and be one of the main reasons behind England retaining the Ashes in Australia.

James Anderson – Can he produce the goods with the kookaburra on non-swinging Australian pitches? Anderson now has the opportunity to prove all the critics wrong and is a markedly better bowler than in 2006/07. Plus this time, he will have the new ball to exhibit all the tricks in his armoury.

Steve Finn – Strong start to his England career, but this is the acid test and five matches in seven weeks on the hard and unforgiving Australian pitches is a big ask. That said, has all the weapons to thrive on the quick and bouncy wickets down under.  

Chris Tremlett – England’s wild card has all the ability in the world and if played at the right time could prove to be the secret weapon that wins the Ashes. Frank Tyson came from nowhere to star in the 1954/55 series and the 2010/11 edition could be Tremlett’s turn. Could put Finn under pressure for a starting place if he performs in the warm-up matches.

Tim Bresnan – When a group of Englishmen go abroad, there is normally one fat lad in their number. Beer, barbecues and a free ticket to the cricket makes Bres one lucky man even if he won't see much action.

Andy Flower (Coach) - Has a chance to complete his transformation of the England cricket side from chumps to champs. Union with Strauss is crucial to England's progress.

Where next?

Read all the excerpts from KP's 2010 Ashes Diary

All-time England Ashes XI

10 things NOT to look forward to about The Ashes

Is this how England's World Cup squad should look?

So the Ashes squad was named yesterday and other than Shahzad for Bresnan, we were happy with the selectors choice even if the decision to omit Rashid from the Performance Squad was strange to say the least (see our reaction to the Ashes squad announcement here).

The battle for the little urn isn't the only major event that the England team will embark upon this winter. There is also the small matter of the World Cup and with the one day series with Pakistan having concluded this week (see our marks out of ten for the England squad here), then it seems an opportune time to pick our intrepid XV who will battle to lift a trophy that no England side has won.

Mike Atherton recently chaired a panel of so-called cricket experts comprising Darren Gough, Alec Stewart and Derek Pringle to name their England XV for the World Cup. They surprisingly left out Andrew Strauss, who promptly scored his 126 at Headingley in the hours that followed the transmission of the panel's choice.

As such we wisely chose to wait for the end of the series (no television deadlines for us). We do concur though with one of the views of the panel, who suggested that England should utilise an extended squad for the seven (oh no, not seven again) one day internationals against Australia that immediately proceed the World Cup.

This will enable England to rest key players and then make the borderline decisions that will be required to arrive at the final XV by picking players in form. As such, we will name 20 players, but highlight at the end the 15 we would choose now so no one can accuse us of sitting on the fence.

Batsmen

With Strauss, Morgan, Pietersen and Collingwood probably assured of their places in the final squad, it will likely come down to two from Bell, Trott and Bopara. Each offers something different. Bell is the most talented batsman of the three and as he showed in the recent CB Final is capable of shifting through the gears to play a match-winning innings. Trott averages just under 50 in his 11 ODIs and whilst there is some concern over his strike rate, it is difficult to argue against the volume of runs. But if he doesn't bat in the pivotal number three role (where KP is arguably a better bet), can Trott fit in anywhere else in the middle order? Bopara would seem the best suited of the three to the number six role as he can repair, embellish and support a one day innings in equal measure depending on what is required. His medium pace could also prove useful on the slower sub-continent wickets.

Wicketkeepers

Davies would seem to be in pole position to open the batting with Strauss and wear the gloves in the tournament following a good showing against Pakistan. That leaves Kieswetter and Prior to battle it out for the second wicketkeeper slot if indeed England decide to pick a second keeper in the final XV (it could come down to a choice between a second keeper and a third spinner). In our view, Prior has had enough chances at one day level without ever really convincing so should be left to concentrate on test cricket where he has shone over the last 18 months. Kieswetter's ability to hit over the top may actually make him better suited than Davies to the wickets on the sub-continent, but he may complete his hero-to-zero 12 months by failing to make the cut.

Spinners

Two spinners will be needed in the XI in the World Cup, so three may well be required in the squad. Swann and Yardy are clearly in pole position, but the latter doesn't take many wickets and proved expensive in the series against Pakistan. Samit Patel is a better batsman and bowler than Yardy and in our opinion should be selected irrespective of his supposed girth. The other option is Rashid, but unless the selectors have decided to keep him as a secret weapon then his omission from the Performance Squad tells us everything we need to know.

Bowling all-rounders

Despite rarely taking wickets with the new ball and being regularly carted around for runs, the selectors seem set on retaining Bresnan in the XI. Wholehearted trier? Yes. Useful runs down the order? Yes, sometimes. Bowls the occasional good spell with the old ball. Occasionally. But surely England need a more potent option to open the bowling? The other permanent feature in England ODI squads is Luke Wright. We wouldn't take him in our XV, but hell why not give him the chance to prove us wrong in Australia.

Seamers

We actually agree with the selectors decision not to blood Steve Finn in ODI cricket and he should be left to concentrate on tests for the time being. Anderson and Broad pick themselves and to that illustrious duo we would add the names of Shahzad and Tremlett.

So, the Reverse Sweep longlist of XX for the one day series with Australia is (with our current choice for the World Cup XV in bold): Strauss, Trott, Bell, Pietersen, Collingwood, Morgan, Bopara, Davies, Kieswetter, Prior, Swann, Yardy, Patel, Rashid, Bresnan, Wright, Broad, Anderson, Shahzad, Tremlett.

England marks out of ten for Pakistan ODI series

 
Thank God it's over. We have never been so glad to see the end of an English summer of cricket than this one. This is a shame as the claim and counter-claim of corruption and match-fixing overshadowed what was actually a thrilling one day series. Pakistan's fightback at The Oval and Lord's saw some wonderful bowling from Umar Gul and the momentum seemed to be with Shahid Afridi's side as the tourists again produced brilliance from confusion.

But the toss proved crucial at the Rose Bowl yesterday and despite illness and injury besetting England's innings, another wonderful century from Eoin Morgan and an exhibition of off-spin bowling from Graeme Swann saw England home.

So with the World Cup on the horizon, how did the England players rate during the series and what are their prospects of making the cut for the XV who will travel to the subcontinent?

Andrew Strauss - 9.5 (317 runs at 63.40, SR 93.23, 1 100, 2 50s, HS 126): The captain continued his transformation as a ODI batsman and although he is not quite in the Marcus Trescothick league yet he is getting closer. Has expanded his repertoire of strokes and a strike rate of 93 together with the volume of runs shows that Strauss is consistently giving England good and fast starts. Showed great dignity and restraint in the face of Ijaz Butt's ridiculous accusations. Reverse Sweep WC rating - On the plane despite what Messrs Gough, Stewart and Pringle may think

Steven Davies - 8 (197 runs at 39.40, SR 105.91, 1 50, HS 87): The latest wicketkeeper off the production line impressed throughout the series with bat and gloves. Just under 200 runs at over a run a ball would seem to suggest that the Surrey keeper will pip Kieswetter and Prior to the gloves for the World Cup. However, with the revolving door of wicketkeepers in the England ODI side, Davies won't rest easy until he is on the plane.Reverse Sweep WC rating: Leading the race to the departure gate ahead of Kieswetter and Prior

Jonathan Trott - 6 (131 runs at 26.20, SR 72.37, 2 50s, HS 69): Continued to confound the critics who doubt his suitability for ODI cricket in the first two matches at least. Then seemed to get unsettled by what was happening off the pitch and went into his shell for the last three games. Would seem to have an alternative career as a wrestler if his spat with Wahab Riaz is anything to go by. Reverse Sweep WC rating: Incredibly for a batsman who averages just under 50 in ODI, Trott is likely to lose a straight race with Bell to the final batting place on the plane

Paul Collingwood - 4 (84 runs at 21.00, SR 65.11, HS 47): Judging by his migraine yesterday, Colly is just as worried about his dire form as England supporters are beginning to be. His 18 ball four at Lord's was just horrible. But typically, he returned from his darkened room renewed to resume his innings and make a crucial battling 47 in the decider yesterday to help resurrect England's innings with Morgan. Reverse Sweep WC rating: Needs to regain form and confidence in Australia, but it would seem unthinkable that Lieutenant Colly would not take up his seat next to the skipper on the plane to India

Ian Bell - 5 (55 runs at 27.50, SR 59.13, HS 28): Came back in for the last two matches and looked his usual classy self in difficult conditions for batting. But just like the old Bell managed to get out when he had done all the hard work. Reverse Sweep WC rating: Bell's class and ability to play in different gears would seem to put him ahead of Trott in the queue at the departure gate

Eoin Morgan - 9 (225 runs at 56.25, SR 94.14, 1 100, 1 50, HS 107*): Scored his third brilliant ODI hundred of the year yesterday to confirm his position as one of the best limited overs batsman currently operating in world cricket. Has bottle, skill and a capacity for the unexpected in abundance. Reverse Sweep WC rating: On the plane in one of the first-class seats

Ravi Bopara - 6 (58 runs at 29.00, SR 105.45, HS 35*): His 35* in the first ODI was just the sort of innings that Bopara should be playing at number six. Thereafter he struggled, giving his wicket away at a crucial time in the second match and getting bogged down when promoted to four at The Oval before being dropped for the final two matches. Reverse Sweep WC rating: Would seem the best suited in the squad for the number six role but could yet miss out to Trott and Bell or even Wright

Luke Wright - 7 (49 runs at 49.00, SR 70.00, HS 48*; 1 wicket at 34.00, ER 4.25 BB 1/16): Only played two matches but batted well in a losing cause at The Oval and then bowled a good spell in the decider yesterday to keep him in the mix for the final XV. Reverse Sweep WC rating: Has kept himself in contention but may be left behind at the Terminal in the final reckoning

Michael Yardy - 4 (3 wickets at 57.66, ER 5.96, BB 2/49; 27 runs at 13.50, SR 87.09, HS 13*): Held his nerve at Headingley to see England over the line in a tight finish but disappointed with the ball and proved expensive. Could be a liability at the World Cup. Reverse Sweep WC rating: Samit Patel is more likely to get wickets and is a better batsman, so Yardy could be a Weight Watchers diet away from losing his spot

Tim Bresnan - 5 (7 wickets at 36.85, ER 5.90, BB 3/51; 30 runs at 10.00, SR 111.11, HS 18*): Useful cameos with the bat at Headingley and the Rose Bowl. Bowled well at The Oval, but other than that was expensive. Only took one wicket in five matches with the new ball, which suggests England's strategy of opening the bowling with Bresnan needs reviewing before the World Cup. Reverse Sweep WC rating: An average of 52 with the ball and economy rate of 5.6 in 12 ODIs this summer should see Bresnan dropped for the World Cup, but the England selectors seem to like him...

Graeme Swann - 9 (11 wickets at 19.00, ER 4.44, BB 4/37):Was once again England's star with the ball and was sublime in the last two matches with the balls to bowl Mohammad Yousuf and Fawad Alam at the Rose Bowl worthy of the maestro Shane Warne himself. England's key weapon for the World Cup. Reverse Sweep WC rating: On the plane in one of the best two seats with Morgan

Stuart Broad - 7 (11 wickets at 22.63, ER 5.41, BB 4/81): Took wickets regularly throughout the series and was England's leading wicket taker along with Swann, but was expensive at times especially at Headingley. Bowled beautifully in the decider yesterday to hand the momentum back to his side. Reverse Sweep WC rating: On the plane and in the XI

James Anderson - 8 (6 wickets at 29.50, ER 3.93, BB 3/26): Transformed from the hesitant and unhappy Anderson of earlier in the summer and whilst he didn't get the volume of wickets he deserved, Anderson kept things tight and had the best economy rate of the England bowlers. Reverse Sweep WC rating: On the plane and in the XI 

Our England Ashes and Lions squads for Australia

 
No doubt in between the latest news from Darlington football club and an exclusive from the Blue Square Premier league, England's Ashes squad will be announced on Sky Sports News tomorrow afternoon.

Most pundits have already had a go at picking their squads and it seems an opportune time for us to update the XVII we selected a couple of weeks ago (see Is this how England's Ashes squad should shape up?).

The retirement of Ryan Sidebottom means that we have to change our squad and we've also reconsidered our earlier decision to drop Eoin Morgan from the party in favour of Michael Carberry. Our reasoning that we were worried about the form of Alastair Cook still stands but it would be too harsh on Morgan and in any case Paul Collingwood's form is just as much a concern as Cook's so Carberry can be on hand at the Academy should he be needed.

Talking of the Academy or the Lions or whatever other name they will be called, we have also selected our shadow squad who will be in Australia should injuries or form necessitate changes within the Ashes party. Given what happened in 2002/03 and 2006/07 it will be no bad thing to have additional English cricketers on hand if and likely when the need arises.

Ashes party

As we wrote a couple of weeks ago, the squad pretty much picks itself with the XI from the Pakistan series plus Ian Bell an additional wicket keeper (either Kieswetter or Davies), a second spinner (Panesar, Tredwell or Rashid) and two or three extra seamers (Shahzad, Bresnan and Tremlett).

If reports are to be believed then Davies, Tredwell, Shahzad and Bresnan will make the cut. We've got no problem with Davies, who seems to have supplanted Kieswetter as Prior's deputy or Shahzad, whose pace and ability to reverse the old ball could be a useful option on the dry Australian pitches.

The selection of Tredwell though would surely be a mistake. He is less likely to take a bagful of wickets then Rashid or Panesar, isn't as good with the bat as the young Yorkshire leg spinner and doesn't have the experience in Australian conditions of Monty who did reasonably well on the 2006/07 tour. Two spinners may be required at Adelaide and/or Sydney and Panesar's slow left arm complement to Swann, experience and wicket taking ability would seem to be the best option. Tredwell would likely be cannon fodder to the Australian batsmen.

As for the extra seamers, we stand by our choice of Tremlett ahead of Bresnan. The former has had an excellent season for Surrey (48 championship wickets at 20.18), seems finally free of injuries and is far more suited to Australian wickets than the ineffective Bresnan who to be frank is out of his depth at test level.

With Sidebottom retired, we now go for a squad of XVI rather than one of XVII with our first XI for the Brisbane test in bold:

The Reverse Sweep's Ashes Squad: Strauss (C), Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Collingwood, Prior, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Finn, Morgan, Davies, Panesar, Tremlett & Shahzad.

The Academy / Lions party

We'd opt for an extended group here with a mixture of reserves for the Ashes squad (Bopara, Carberry, Rashid and Bresnan) and the next generation of England youngsters. We'd also select Simon Jones and Samit Patel. Yes, we know that Jones only played one match for Hampshire this season, but where better to monitor his rehabilitation from a string of injuries then the Academy? It would also be a useful fillip for his confidence. 

We'd also take Patel. Forget the weight issues, Patel should arguably be in the England ODI team for the World Cup ahead of Michael Yardy. The selectors would be able to monitor Patel's progress at the Academy and then make a final decision about his form, fitness, attitude and suitability for a recall based on first-hand evidence. Again our first-choice XI is highlighted in bold.

The Reverse Sweep's Lions/Academy squad: Carberry, Alex Hales, Adam Lyth, James Taylor, Bopara, Andrew Gale (C), James Hildreth, Ben Stokes, Samit Patel, Kieswetter, Jos Buttler, Rashid, Samit Patel, Luke Wright, Bresnan, Chris Woakes, James Harris, Toby Roland-Jones, Simon Jones  

England aim to complete World Cup jigsaw

Whilst the Pakistan cricket team descends further into chaos after more corruption allegations this time involving Wahab Riaz and two heavy defeats in the Twenty 20 internationals (even Shahid Afridi admits that captaining the side is ‘very hard’), England will be looking to put the final pieces of their World Cup jigsaw in place today when the one day series starts.

It is sometimes hard to believe that it is only a year since England reached their nadir in one day cricket when they were smashed to kingdom come by Australia in the Nat West Series that followed the Ashes. Since then of course, England have adopted a more positive and aggressive approach, which has paid off in spades. An improved performance in the Champions Trophy was followed by series wins in South Africa and Bangladesh, before revenge was gained against the Australians in the Nat West Series earlier in the summer.

However, there is still some work for Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss to do as evidenced by the poor defeat to Bangladesh at Bristol and the two dead rubber losses to Australia when a 5-0 whitewash had looked on the cards. Flower and Strauss also need to put the finishing touches to their first choice XI and doubts still remain over who will open the batting with the captain, who bats at six, who will keep wicket, who will be the second spinner and which seamer will join Stuart Broad and James Anderson in the attack.

Who opens with Strauss?

The rags to riches to rags again story of Craig Kieswetter means that the selectors have decided to opt for Surrey keeper Steven Davies for the five matches against Pakistan. Presumably Davies will open the batting with Strauss, so he could prove a like for like swap with Kieswetter. Davies is arguably a better keeper than Kieswetter, but whether he is the aggressive opener that will be needed for sub-continental pitches is another thing. Ravi Bopara is another possible candidate to open the batting, but may be better at number six.

The middle order

Assuming that either Davies or Kieswetter will eventually win the selectors vote to partner Strauss, that means the four middle order places can be filled by batsmen. The decision to drop Kevin Pietersen from the squad gives Jonathan Trott, who currently averages over 70 in ODI, another chance to nail down the number three spot. It is hard see England going without Pietersen in the long-term, so with Eoin Morgan and Paul Collingwood probably also racing certainties for the World Cup XI, that leaves Trott, Bopara, Ian Bell and Luke Wright battling for the final batting spot. Bopara is arguably best suited to the number six spot as he can bat in several gears and is also a useful medium pace bowler, but if Trott keeps getting the runs (if you pardon the pun) then he will be hard to ignore.

Second spinner

Michael Yardy seems to have the vote of the selectors for the second spinner position and his batting adds another string to his bow. He is not a great spinner of the ball, but his darts have proved pretty effective. Two spinners will be required on sub-continental pitches, so maybe the selectors have missed a trick by not blooding Adil Rashid (maybe at the expense of Wright?) to provide them with another option here.

Broad and Anderson, but which other seamers?

With Graeme Swann, Broad and Anderson nailed on certainties for the World Cup XI that leaves one spot open. Given that the selectors have chosen not to give Steve Finn a try in the 50 over format, it would seem that the choice boils down to Ryan Sidebottom, Tim Bresnan or Ajmal Shahzad. The latter would seem best suited for sub-continental pitches but he is also the least experienced of the three and the selectors seem to like the whole-hearted but limited Bresnan.

Our prediction for the Pakistan series

Pakistan’s current problems mean that they are unlikely to cause England too many problems during the series. However, it should be interesting to see how the 6’10” (or 7'1" depending on which PCB press release you believe) fast bowling giant that is Mohammad Irfan fares. With Umar Akmal, Afridi and Saeed Ajmal all being excellent one day players, Pakistan should win one game despite the chaos enveloping their party. So we go for a 4-1 series win for England.

Is this how England's Ashes squad should shape up?

The test series with Pakistan may have come to a chaotic and potentially earth shaking end (if the allegations against Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif are proved), but the England selectors certainly seem to have kept their eye on the ball. Just ask Kevin Pietersen.

Whether you agree or not with the dropping of England's best batsman from the Twenty 20 and one day squads to face Pakistan, no one can argue that Andy Flower isn't afraid to take drastic action in order to get Pietersen's form, confidence and swagger back. At first we weren't sure, but we believe that come Brisbane in November this may prove to have been a canny move from the shrewd Flower.

Like at least ten of the eleven who played in the test matches against Pakistan, Pietersen is assured of being named in the squad that will aim to retain the Ashes. The only possible doubt concerns Eoin Morgan, who with Ian Bell to return may have to compete with Michael Carberry for the spare batsman slot. Morgan will probably get the nod, but with doubts still remaining about the form of Alastair Cook, England will at least want Carberry close at hand with the Academy should a change of plan be necessary. It may be controversial and a little harsh on Morgan, but we'd opt for Carberry on a horses for courses basis and send Morgan to the Academy.

Depending on whether England opt for a 16 or 17 man squad, that leaves four or five positions available. One of these will go to the spare keeper, where it seems that Stephen Davies has jumped ahead of Craig Kieswetter in the pecking order. That leaves a second spinner and either two or three pacemen (or two plus an all-rounder).

The second spinner, who may well play at Adelaide and/or Sydney will be a straight fight between three players - James Tredwell, Adil Rashid and Monty Panesar. Tredwell is the safe but hardly adventurous option, although in some ways is the man in possession following his participation in the Bangladesh tour earlier this year. Rashid is the wild card choice, but he has snared 51 championship wickets at 31.60 and hit 679 runs at 52.23 this season, so has more than one string to his bow. Sooner or later, England are going to have to give him an opportunity, but maybe the Ashes is not the best testing ground (unlike Bangladesh, where Rashid should have been included).

Panesar has recaptured some of his best form since moving to Sussex and has 44 championship wickets at 26. He has also toured Australia before and performed reasonably well when he was belatedly picked for the last three tests in 2006/07. So, it's Monty for us with Rashid held in reserve at the Academy.

With Graham Onions injured, England will pick two or three from Tim Bresnan, Ajmal Shahzad, Ryan Sidebottom and Luke Wright to complete the squad. We'd opt for three names but also add Chris Tremlett to the mix. Some people may laugh, but Tremlett did well in his three tests against India in 2007 and troubled all of the Indian batsmen. He seems to have finally shaken off a catalogue of injuries and is having a good season for his new county Surrey, where he has 40 wickets at 21.25. Unlike Bresnan for instance, Tremlett has the attributes to do well in Australia with his height, accuracy and bounce.

To our surprise inclusion of Tremlett, we'd also add Shahzad, whose pace and ability to reverse the old ball will be useful. Finally, against our better judgement, Sidebottom would be the last name. As a left armer he offers balance and variety. That means no place for Bresnan, but can anyone really see him taking wickets in Australia (or even at test level, for that matter)? We can't and that's why he misses out.

The Reverse Sweep's Ashes squad (starting XI for Brisbane in bold): Strauss, Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Collingwood, Bell, Prior, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Finn, Carberry, Davies, Panesar, Tremlett, Shahzad and Sidebottom 

England ODI healthcheck - how are things shaping up for the World Cup?

5-0 would have been quite a statement, but given England won the first three matches and Australia had an under strength bowling line-up, 3-2 to England probably left honours even. That said it is quite a turnaround for England having lost 6-1 to the same opposition less than a year earlier. Following on from the improved display in the Champions Trophy and series wins in South Africa and Bangladesh, England have certainly made a Lazarus like recovery in the 50 over format.

 

But, just how healthy is the England line-up ahead of the big one - the World Cup next spring on the subcontinent? Dr Reverse Sweep casts an eye over the team below and provides the possible remedies where necessary.

 

The openers

Andrew Strauss quashed the murmurs before the series that he wasn’t worth his place, but there is still a slight question mark whether his favourite run-getting areas will allow him to flourish in a World Cup on subcontinent pitches. But he will be there and will probably open with Craig Kieswetter, who had an inevitable fall after a meteoric start to his international career. Surreykeeper Steven Davies and young Alex Hales of Nottinghamshire (an opener in the Marcus Trescothick mould) are perhaps the unlikely alternatives here.

Verdict: healthy, but caution is required.

 

The middle order 

Kevin Pietersen’s position as the star of the side has now been usurped by the quite remarkable Eoin Morgan. The Irishman’s hundred at the Rose Bowl was one of the best ever scored for Englandin the one day game, and he should do well on the slow pitches of the subcontinent. Pietersen had a poor series and is maybe suffering a hangover from starring in the World T20 and becoming a new father. But as he normally does, Englandfans can be confident Pietersen will raise his game for the big one. Sandwiched between them in the batting order is the irrepressible Paul Collingwood, who just seems to get better and better. This is a middle order that rivals the best in the one day game worldwide.

Verdict: in a rude state of health.

 

The number six spot

This is the main worry in the side as Luke Wright is a place too high at number six and arguably is not worth his place in the side with bat or ball. If Kieswetter opens, then there is merit for having a specialist batsman at number six in the order especially as Collingwood and Pietersen can provide sixth bowler duties if necessary. We’d also argue that Englandcan not accommodate Wright and Tim Bresnan in the same side with the latter’s batting impressing far more than what is supposed to be his strongest suit with the ball. The candidates here are Ian Bell (back in the side for the Bangladeshseries to replace the injured/rested [take your pick] Pietersen), Matt Prior (who could also take the gloves, and who is impressing for Sussexin the FP t20), Ben Stokes (probably too young) and our choice Ravi Bopara. Bopara is a good batsman who can rebuild or embellish an innings in one day cricket and his bowling adds another string to his bow.

Verdict: in need of some medicine from Bopara

 

The spinners

Graeme Swann’s remarkable success story continued in the Nat West series and he will be the key man if Englandare to repeat their Caribbean success in the World Cup. Mike Yardy did a good job in the World T20 and was England’s most economical bowler in the Nat West series. His left hand style complements Swann and as an opener in domestic cricket, he adds batting strength to the lower-middle order. The only doubt concerns his lack of wickets. James Tredwell has come into the squad for the Bangladeshseries in place of the rested Swann, but surely Adil Rashid is the next best option to the two incumbents.

Verdict: in excellent health, but  Rashid should be held in reserve in the First Aid box

 

The seamers  

Stuart Broad returned from his strength conditioning in fine fettle and was England’s leading wicket taker in the series, whilst putting a marker down against Ricky Ponting in particular ahead of the Ashes. James Anderson was his usual hot and cold self – brilliant at Old Trafford but woeful at Lord’s. Tim Bresnan only took one wicket for 255 in the series and one wonders whether he will be even more ineffective on the subcontinent. A more potent opening bowler is required as early wickets are crucial in one day cricket. Steve Finn should probably be kept just for test cricket at the moment, which means that Ryan Sidebottom, who would probably survive a nuclear explosion such is his ability to stay in the mix, comes back into the equation. Ajmal Shahzad is also worth a look.

Verdict: Mixed. Broad looks in good health, but maybe Anderson could also do with some extra vitamins and strength conditioning? A new opening bowler is urgently required otherwise England could quickly get sickly on the subcontinent.

 

Conclusion

Things are looking pretty healthy with eight or nine spots looking nailed down. A new number six is required with either Wright or Bresnan (or both) dropping out. And a more potent opening bowler should also come into the mix. As it stands, England must be amongst the favourites and who thought we’d have been saying that just ten months ago?