Selection conundrum
Send in your views on who should be picked for the third Test
Last updated: 21st July 2008
Morne Morkel gives Freddie a send-off
South Africa handed England a humiliating 10-wicket defeat at Headingley to open a 1-0 lead in the four match series.
The third Test starts at Edgbaston on July 30 with plenty of selection issues to be resolved.
Should there be any changes to a batting line-up that underperformed twice at Headingley. Are Tim Ambrose and Andrew Flintoff in the right place at six and seven in the order? Is there a case for Paul Collingwood to make an immediate return?
The bowling also struggled in Leeds with the decision to select Grimsby-born, Australian-raised 29-year-old Darren Pattinson failing to bear fruit.
Should the selectors persist with Pattinson or would England be better served by recalling one, or more, of the 2005 Ashes winning trio Stephen Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and Simon Jones.
Let skysports.com know your thoughts by using the form below.
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Comments
David Goldie says...
An interesting thought on the England team for the 3rd test. Michael Vaughn commented before the match that he was glad to have Paul Collingwood back in the team. Included in his reasoning, was the fact that Collingwood could come on to bowl to assist the 4 man attack if they needed that 'breakthrough'. But Collingwood had been picked, one assumes, for his batting. So I read with interest comments stating that although Stuart Broad has done well with the bat, he has been picked as a bowler and not done well enough. What would have been the problem with Broad fitting into the role that Collingwood was brought back for? Let him bat at 6/7/8 and support the other four bowlers. He topped scored for England in the second innings of the last Test and was unbeaten on 76. He farmed the tail end to score over a hundred runs. He now has back to back test 50s against South Africa and is closing in on a batting average of 40. Yes, he may be picked primarily as a bowler. But if you have already picked your first choice attack, and the only decision to be made is a right-handed batsman/bowler against a left-handed bowler/batsman, surely current form must count for something. Come to think of it, did Australia drop a young Brett Lee every time he failed to get wickets in a match?
Posted 16:52 31st July 2008
Jack Stenson says...
I think this should be the team at Edgbaston: michael vaughan , andrew strauss , alistair cook , ian bell , kevin pietersen, , tim ambrose , andrew flintoff , james anderson , ryan sidebottom and monty panesar. I also think the one day side should have bopara and james foster in it i saw them last night on the tv there good. steve harmison or simon jones should get a chance in the 4th test. i`m going to edgbston on wednesday come on England!!
Posted 13:00 29th July 2008
Ryan James says...
I was very suprised at Patinsons selection. I not going to get on the guys back as he was on a hiding to nothing. He tried hard and actually bowled ok. I couldn't understand the logic though. Moores and Vaughan wanted somebody who could swing it and pitch it up to the bat - Isn't that what Mathew Hoggard has been doing for the past 4-5 years? 200+ test wickets doing exactly that. This might not be popular but I also question Montys selection week in week out, sorry but he isn't shane Warne or Murili and he doesn't make things happen on flat pitches, he doesn't have the fear factor or warne or murili and he certainly offers little else in terms of batting or fielding. I also hope England carry on with Broad, although his bowling needs greater viarety he could be very useful batting lower down the order and with experience his bowling will improve.
Posted 10:33 24th July 2008
Phil Oakley says...
Lets get realistic, the selectors will make very few changes. Sidebottom to return for Pattinson is a certainty, providing he is fit. The other discussion points will be the balance of the side and possibly choice of keeper. Inevitably they will play it safe and, apart from Sidebottoms return, stick with the same team. Personally I think Flintoffs return, especially performing at his current level, has created a bit of a dilemma with respect to Broads place in the team. I'm not sure the side can accommodate both. In fact being controversial they could both be left out to allow Collingwood/Shah and Harmison/Jones to return. Accepted that Broad is batting splendidly but has nobody noticed his ineffective bowling and isn't he actually being selected as bowler? No doubt his time will come but can we afford to carry a bowler at the mement? Nor should we forget Flintoffs shear presence but he's well below par at the moment and the record books suggest even at his best not the most prolific wicket taker or reliable run scorer. This isn't a criticism but are we expecting too much of him too soon?
Posted 09:15 24th July 2008
David Free says...
Personally I cannot see why Panesar was picked for the Headingley test. You should play your best bowlers and Panesar proved in the last test match he doesn't know anything about bowling spin well. That coupled with his poor batting and fielding. There's no point playing a spinner for the sake of playing a spinner, especially not at Headingley. Understandable Vaughan has been below par for a while but nobody else is going to captain england as well as him. As for Pattinson!!! It was a crime that Hoggard was ever dropped and should have been right in there with Sidebottom injured. Jones deserves a run too. Anderson is good but not consistant enough. My team for the next macth would be: Cook, Strauss, Bell, Pietersen, Vaughan(cap), Collingwood (or someone who can bat and bowl spin like Rashid), Read (wk), Flintoff, Broad/Jones, Anderson/Sidebottom, Hoggard
Posted 20:26 23rd July 2008
Adam Searle says...
Totally agree with Al on the Sidebottom issue, our most consistent bowler for over a year and people are talking about dropping him, don't understand the logic behind some people's thoughts! If anyone is to be dropped is has to be Anderson and Pattinson and replace them with Harmison and more definately Simon Jones who is massively missed. I still believe the quartet of bowlers that won us the 2005 ashes, Harmison, Hoggard, Jones and Flintoff are our top bowlers when on form and fit and with Stuart Broad and Monty it's even better now. The difficult issue is with Vaughan, is he worth a place in the side based on his capaincy alone? I wouldn't like to suggest a name that could do nearly as good a job as him so I would say he needs to be picked, my side would be:- Cook, Vaughan, Bell, Pietersen, Flintoff, Broad, Ambrose, S. Jones, Sidebottom, Harmison and Panesar.
Posted 18:42 23rd July 2008
Paul Malyon says...
Englands batting lineup for me is nearly in place for the ashes. drop vaughen whos had millions of bad scores and bring back colly and make him test captain. With cook, strauss, bell, pieterssen, colingwood, flintoff we have a batting line up thats decent. For me I would keep ambrose in as he isnt in the team to score runs. Any score of around 20-50 is helpfull but we must pick a top keeper. And for me he is still the best. Now the real big problem we have is bowlers. We need to have a balanced bowling attack that has pace, swing, reverse swing and spin. Also a bowler to turn to to get a wicket, a bowler to turn to with the spinner to dry up the runs. Frankly we dont have that bowling attack. Id have anderson or sidebottom not both. panasar, flintoff, broard and jones.
Posted 14:57 23rd July 2008
Al Preston says...
Sorry! But I can't believe there are folks picking an England team without Sidebottom in. This guy came in last year to a load of sniggers and 'He won't be any good on the sub-continent' and here we are. A year on 16 tests and 73 wickets later and you want to drop him. If we have so many great bowlers why haven't we been rolling sides over since 2005. Freddie as captain? This is the guy who lead us to a 5 nil ashes thrashing. For heavens sake, don't we ever learn anything from our mistakes. Botham captain, disaster. Loses captaincy, wins ashes! Stewart never did anything as skipper. All-rounders are not captaincy material, end of chat!
Posted 14:53 23rd July 2008
Andy Davies says...
Need for a new keeper and vaughan can't play for captain's role only. My squad for next test (13) Cook, Strauss (c), Denly (or Key), Bell, Shah, Pieterson, Foster (or Prior), Flintoff, Broad, Sidebottom, S Jones, Anderson, Panesar. Probably Denly and Anderson to drop out. The problem is if strauss doesn't start making runs who will be captain?? Freddie can't captain england again (not unless pedalo's are removed from the world)
Posted 14:01 23rd July 2008
Michael Winstanley says...
I think we should give Vaughan one more chance to perform and if he doesn't then we should bring in Key, who has refound his form and his captaincy has been brilliant for Kent. Get rid of Ambrose and bring in Jones or Mustard and bring in either Harmison or Simon Jones for Broad. Broad is only been doing good batting and we dont need another all-rounder because they are wasted. Look at Collingwood, he was only really used as a slip and at number six. He only bowls about 5 overs in an innings.
Posted 13:59 23rd July 2008
Hassan Khan says...
every one is saying that ambrose should go ut so should vaughn he cant bat his average in the last few tests is like 7 and all he can do is captin . In modern cricket there cant be a plaer who is just a captin mybe a few years back in mike bearslys days but not in modern cricket especially against south afric when we are fighting with them to be the second best test nation in the world behind our rivals australia if we want to win the ashes then we must have some consistency in the squad and results . I think vaughn and ambrose out prior and colingwood in and also sidebootom in an pattison out
Posted 13:29 23rd July 2008
Jordon Marden says...
they need to play the players who play well for the counties and drop the players like vaughan / ambrose/ pattison/ keep filntoff and bring in some fresh talent like foster bring back collingwood and bring back harmison who s speed is getting back to his farstest
Posted 13:26 23rd July 2008
Ashton Robbins says...
I think this whole debacle is helping South Africa, the cricketers minds are on anything but cricket. I do not why they would choose a 29 year old with 12 first class matches under his belt to play.Especially when England has the likes of Harmison, Hoggard and Jones to call upon, seems daft as Boycott would say. Anyway I hope South Africa clobber England again at Edgbaston, couldn't happen to a nicer side except the Aussies of course.
Posted 13:25 23rd July 2008
Paul Antonio says...
Typical English people when u lose in any sports people say sack this person,get rid of so and so thats why you will never progress to wining anything if you continue chopping and changing all the time when will you English people learn? Look at Spain they won the Euro's because they didnt chop and change even when they didnt win anything they stuck with manager. And it seems to me that the English think they have a certain right to win things or qualify for tournaments well you don't the quicker you learn that you have to earn the right to do so maybe u may surpass the 1966 team because the whole world is tired of listening to your past glories or should i say glory...time to move and oh leave Micheal Vaughn alone hes the most innovative and best captain you've had in years.
Posted 13:17 23rd July 2008
Craig Snead says...
im getting wound up with the amount of chances that ambrose has bin given and the players waiting in the wings are equally as rubbish wicket keepers need to be able to bat get foster in and bring back collingwood he is our best player and has bin for a long time and we need the swing king jones back and picking pattinson was disscusting when the likes of harmison and hoggard are getting back to there best
Posted 11:36 23rd July 2008
John Douglas says...
Appreciate England went 6 tests unchanged but the opposition were not top drawer. Vaughan is completely out of touch and Ambrose is not the answer. Why cant England play two allrounders, Flintoff and Graham Napier. I would also make Strauss captain. Team for the 3rd test would be: Strauss, Cook, Bell, Pietersen, Napier, Flintoff, Foster, Broad, Simon Jones, Anderson, Paneser. Cannot do any worse than in the last Test. Plus the first 8 can all score runs!
Posted 11:23 23rd July 2008
Michael Garrett says...
Simple,Vaughan out Shah in, Freddy as captain,Jones as strike bowler, Ambrose out Jamie Pipe of Derbys in behind the stumps(he's scoring runs and taking catches).
Posted 10:51 23rd July 2008
Wade Ashley says...
David Mckeowen calls De Villiers a creep for his claimed catch , what about Vaughns? Have a look at yourselves buddy . Well done AB!
Posted 07:34 23rd July 2008
Paul Hodgkinson says...
David Mckeown, De Villiers is no cheat and one of the most honest guys in the SA team. For your info he did let his captain know that it was a 50/50 catch. As if England have not had dodgy moments in the field in the past. England are past masters at resting bowlers until the law changed. Vaughan is in the same position Mark Taylor of Aussie was in the 90's and if he does not score this series will not make the next one. England must play their best bowlers and that means Hoggard and Harmy must be in the squad. KP needs to check his ego, the rest have to apply themselves. Guys remember this same gruop of batsmen has made 593. There is no reason it cannot be done again. Shot selection is key against the SA attack.
Posted 07:32 23rd July 2008
Thomas White says...
This is pathetic...can no one see what the big problem is here. We are struggling with our top 3...strauss, vaughan and cook should all be thinking long and hard. Bring in Shah and Key and probably keep strauss or cook...then keep the team the same. Also id really like to see simon jones and hoggy back in the action!! Englands team should be: Key Cook Shah Pietersen Bell Flintoff Prior Broad Sidebottom Jones/Anderson Panesar BEST TEAM EASY!!!! COME ONE SERIOUS THATS THE BEST!!
Posted 06:02 23rd July 2008
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