25 – James Taylor – Seems a long time ago that he played
those two Test matches, but Lions captaincy and dropping of Morgan and Patel
means he’s still in the picture.
24 – Stuart Meaker – Good red ball part of the India
followed by a poor white ball part, but offers England something different.
23 – Luke Wright – T20 only, but hugely important to England
going forward both with the runs he scores and his global knowledge of T20
players.
22 – Samit Patel – Had his chance in India, and failed to
take it. Remains a part of the white ball set-up, but the emergence of Root
means he’s under pressure.
21 – Jade Dernbach – Out of sorts in India, and expensive
even when bowling well. In his defence he is another bowler offering something
different but needs a good run this summer.
20 – Alex Hales – England’s highest T20 run scorer in 2012,
2013 is an opportunity to push on and pressure players in the ODI team.
19 – Tim Bresnan – Dropping fast, England have kindly
offered his elbow as an excuse but there is perhaps a feeling that opposition
batsmen have worked him out. Performance in last ODI gives him something to run
with though.
18 – Chris Woakes – Going to New Zealand against
expectations having lost a lot of his pace over the past 18 months. However, can
bat better than any of England’s over bowlers and if he can get back up to
85mph he’ll take Bresnan’s white ball place without much resistance.
17 – James Tredwell – Full credit to Tredwell, he always
looks an uninspiring choice but he has done the job every time in an England
shirt. The likes of Kerrigan and Briggs will have to wait.
16 – Jos Buttler – Keiswetter’s dropping means the pressure
is now on Buttler, no longer the young man in the side learning the game but
now expected to produce. He has the ability to do so.
15 – Jonny Bairstow – Rough tour for Bairstow, who played
only one Test, was passed by Root and then headed home due to a family illness.
Still a part of all three set-ups, needs to show he’s the man to keep wicket
and not Buttler.
14 – Monty Panesar – Excellent in India but remains behind
Swann in the Test pecking order, and his white ball international career is
over. Could force England to play two spinners in the Ashes next summer on the
right pitch.
13 – Nick Compton – Quietly impressive in India, but
unlikely to break into the white ball sides and the feeling is he is merely
keeping the opening spot warm for Root. Runs in New Zealand might dispel that
until the Ashes.
12 – Graham Onions – Extremely unlucky not to be selected for
the final Test in India, but New Zealand is the big moment for Onions. Bowl
well and he can take Broad’s place, but bowl poorly and that might be it. More
likely the former than the latter.
11 – Eoin Morgan – Test career looks in tatters, but is
crucial to both England white ball teams. Decision over the IPL this year will
give a strong indicator of whether he feels he can get back in the Test team.
10 – Joe Root – Debuts in all three formats, an impressive
batsman, an impressive tourist and looks to have a massive future. Off-spin and
fielding are both extremely handy.
9 – Stuart Broad – Probably the worst tour of his England
career, but he’s still T20 captain and still our best quick bowler with the
white ball. Would like to out-perform Onions in New Zealand to re-affirm test
hierarchy.
8 – Ian Bell – Fair to describe India as an up and down tour
for Bell, although test performances can be excused for obvious reasons. Would
be higher but England have a fair amount of top-order batting currently.
7 – Jonathan Trott – Talking of top order batting, Trott
remains integral to the Test side and is probably the most natural number 3
I’ve seen for England. Expect a tussle with Bell for the opening spot in the
ODI side this summer.
6 – Steven Finn – If he can have 12 months of fitness and
lose this habit of kicking the stumps or make it so the umpires don’t single
him out, then he might well end the tour of Australia as England’s best bowler.
5 – Graeme Swann – Hugely important to all three sides,
although performances of Panesar and Tredwell highlight he is not as
irreplaceable as others above him. Elbow remains an injury concern and if
England want him at the 2015 World Cup something has got to give.
4 – Kevin Pietersen – Fully re-integrated and remains England’s
only batsman who you would fear across all formats. Has to be given time to
make big innings in both white ball formats and that means staying at 3 in the
ODI side and opening with Hales in the T20.
3 – Matt Prior – White ball career is over, but Prior is the best
wicket-keeper batsman in the world and when Broad was injured was the
vice-captain to all intensive purposes. Anyone doubting his performance needs
to think about who would replace him if he got injured.
2 – James Anderson – Outstanding in the Tests in India, and
missed in the ODI series. England right to keep him fit for the Ashes as the
Australians remain highly suspect against high quality swing bowling.
1 – Alistair Cook – His batting was truly brilliant in
India, and his relentless discipline an outstanding example to his younger
teammates and some of the others as well. Must keep his ODI scoring rate above 80
this year to alleviate the pressure on KP but there are no Australians looking
forward to bowling at him.
