|
Ravi Bopara's
return to England's Test team will be confirmed on Sunday when he is
slotted in for the No. 6 role against South Africa. He will be the one
significant change from the team which took on West Indies earlier this
season by replacing Jonny Bairstow in the middle order.
Bopara's form in the ODI series against Australia, where he scored 182
runs and claimed four useful wickets, confirmed he is primed for a
return to the Test side after a frustrating period where injuries have
curtailed his opportunities. He was set to make a comeback in Sri Lanka
after Eoin Morgan was dropped but picked up a side strain which
prevented him from bowling and so Samit Patel was preferred over him.
Then, at the start of this season, he injured his thigh which ruled him
out of the series against West Indies.
That opened the door for Yorkshire's Bairstow, but he struggled in the
three Tests and made just 38 runs and has not had a huge amount of
batting since. He returned to Championship action this week and
collected a first-ball duck against Hampshire.
The other area of debate for the selectors will be who takes the role of
third fast bowler behind James Anderson and Stuart Broad. England's
new-ball pair missed the last Test against West Indies when they were
both rested but will return to spearhead the attack for the main event
of the season.
In the first two Tests against West Indies they were accompanied by Tim Bresnan
who was Man of the Match at Trent Bridge after a destructive spell of
reverse swing on the third evening sealed the series for England. He
currently has a Test bowling average of 26.09 (alongside his batting
figure of 40.22) and will be tough to dislodge, but Steven Finn's performances in the recent one-day matches have made a very strong case.
In the four completed matches against Australia, Finn took eight wickets
at 19.37 including 4 for 37 at Chester-le-Street. He played the final
Test against West Indies when Broad and Anderson were rested but was
out-bowled on that occasion by Graham Onions who is the other fast
bowler in contention. However, it may be that Onions does not even find a
place in this squad such are England's resources.
There are a couple of lingering injury concerns with Bresnan and Graeme
Swann having both recently been rested due to elbow problems. Swann missed
the last two ODIs against Australia, and did not play for
Nottinghamshire against Middlesex, while Bresnan has not played since
the fourth ODI at Chester-le-Street.
Earlier this week Andy Flower said: "Swann and Bresnan have ongoing
elbow problems. Our medical staff believe they will be fit and available
for selection for the first Test but it's a strenuous exercise being a
bowler playing international cricket.
"They play all three forms of the game so that's why Swann missed a big
part of the one-day series and why we rested Bresnan for the last match
at Old Trafford."
The impact of an injury to Swann is one area where this England side
have yet to be tested. His absence would leave a vast hole to fill as he
provides both attacking and defensive skills, which have been key to
England being able to employ a four-man attack with such success.
Should cover - or even a replacement - be needed at any stage it would
probably come from either Monty Panesar or James Tredwell instead of any
of the young spinners in county cricket such as Danny Briggs, Scott
Borthwick or Simon Kerrigan who are still some way short of Test
quality.
Panesar made a successful return against Pakistan in the UAE earlier
this year, but did himself no favours with a poor fielding display at
Galle and Tredwell, who took 2 for 23 in the last ODI against Australia,
may well be the preferred option. This, though, is not the series where
England want to test that theory.
Probable squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan
Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan,
Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn
Andrew McGlashan is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
Feeds: Andrew McGlashan
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
No comments:
Post a Comment