England's Top 25 Cricketers After The Champions Trophy

England win the Tests, lose the ODIs, and blow the Champions Trophy. The Root ascent continues, leaving Compton and David Warner in his wake, and James Tredwell is England captain.

On the bubble – Ben Stokes, Steven Davies, Michael Lumb, Danny Briggs, Gary Ballance & Chris Tremlett

25 (16) – Chris Woakes – On the face of it, England are right to stick with a 24 year-old with a FC batting average of 37 and a bowling average of 25. But those in the know say the ankle injury he suffered a winter ago has left him a much slower bowler than the hugely promising prospect he was and could still be, and was putty in the hands of international batsmen.

24 (20) – James Taylor – Unlucky not to play in the Tests against New Zealand, and he has responded in exactly the manner he needed to, with huge runs for Nottinghamshire. Renowned already for mental strength, Taylor will hope to be the next cab off the rank if there is an injury this summer. But if England don’t pick him in this form, when will they?

23 (18) – Alex Hales – After 2012, where Hales showed he was ready to face international bowling in the shortest format, 2013 should be the year to break into the ODI side. He hasn’t, despite the need for a player in his mould, once again because of poor off-field behaviour after it was revealed he broke curfew on the Lads Lions tour of Australia. That’s three black marks in the past twelve months, and it’s holding this highly talented player back.

22 (23) – Jade Dernbach – Dernbach seems to stroke the kind of hatred in England fans that precludes any sensible debate on him as a bowler. Whilst the criticism of him being smashed in the first two ODIs was right, his critics overlooked the fact he was often asked to bowl in the powerplay and subjected to overs at the death which Woakes was lucky to duck. He’s not ready for a full-time ODI role, but he is important to the t20 side and until someone else can do what he can, he will keep on playing.

21 (19) – Luke Wright – Excellent in the first t20, Wright’s global experience continues to show its worth. However, suffered consecutive kicks in the teeth when first Bopara was selected for the Champions Trophy, and then Tredwell was captain over him for the second t20.

20 (22) – James Tredwell – As uninspiring as he looks, every time he pulls on an England shirt he does his job. An interesting choice as captain for the second t20, but it shows how highly England rate his work ethic and he fully justified his selection ahead of Swann in the Champions Trophy. There could be a lot of mileage in playing Swann in Tests and t20s and Tredwell in ODIs as a way of extending Swann’s career.

19 (NE) – Boyd Rankin – In the squad for the Ashes warm-up against Essex, England clearly feel they need some back-up for the height of Broad and Finn. Rankin possesses international experience from his time with Ireland, and may prove to be a smart pick, given the away Ashes tour this winter. England however may face a problem if Chris Tremlett returns to form and fitness.

18 (24) – Graham Onions – After the disaster that was the tour of New Zealand, Onions is back to what he does best, which is baffling county batsmen with his swing. Well up on the wicket charts yet again, and back with the England squad for the Essex match, Onions international career both refuses to blossom or die.

17 (14) – Jos Buttler – One vicious assault aside, Buttler’s international career doesn’t seem to want to get started. Part of this is due to the little time he’s being given to bat, but the selection of Bopara shows England don’t trust him at six in ODIs yet, and Steven Davies is beginning to start banging on the door. However, Buttler’s keeping has been better than advertised, and he’s in England’s strongest t20 side without competition.

16 (NE) – Ravi Bopara – He’s back, and showing why. Clean striking of the ball, decent bowling, and good fielding, Bopara is one of those players capable of altering the game in all three disciplines. The problem is he’s been here before. We’ve seen promise from Bopara several times, but now is the time for actual delivery. Every previous England chance has seen him drift away from the side in poor form, but Flower loves his potential, and he has the physical attributes to do it. He now has to show he has the top six inches.

15 (15) – Monty Panesar – He hasn’t really hit his best form for Sussex, but he should be seen as ahead of Tredwell for the Tests. Will there be a pitch that allows a side to pick two spinners in the Ashes? If so, will England pick him?

14 (11) – Nick Compton – Awful at home to New Zealand, seemingly paralysed by the pressure, and dropped for the Essex match which suggests that Root will get at least the first two Tests. Responded well for Somerset, and will play for Worcestershire against the Australians showing England are still keeping him in the loop.

13 (13) – Tim Bresnan – There and there abouts, elbow fully healed. Bowling was off-colour in the Champions Trophy, but still the most likely selection should one of the three main seamers, although Rankin provides a new element of competition.

12 (12) – Eoin Morgan – I’ve written about Morgan’s struggles previously, and the need for England to give him longer to bat and less pressure to score quickly. He will be very glad to see the return of Pietersen to both the ODI and t20 sides to ease the pressure but the vultures will circle if this poor run continues.

11 (17) – Jonny Bairstow – Bairstow arrested the negative traction he had over the winter with some decent performances in the Test series, and now looks likely to start the first Ashes Test. His long term role is no clearer, but he looks to have the mettle for the longest game and the power for the shorter formats. Buttler does not want his poor form to continue.

10 (9) – Steven Finn – Figures against New Zealand flattered him, and whoever started messing around with his run-up needs to have a look at the career of Jimmy Anderson next time they start altering a young players technique. The England attack now looks fairly settled, and Finn will most likely keep it that way. May not play every Test in the home Ashes but will be crucial in the away series.

9 (7) – Ian Bell – Bell struggled in the Tests, although having had tonsillitis myself; I wouldn’t fancy playing international cricket with it at all. Extremely safe in the Test setup, but Trott’s form in ODIs mean he is now most likely to make way for Pietersen later in the summer.

8 (10) – Joe Root – The astonishing start to his career continues. He’s scored 900 runs in 5 first class games, this summer, including becoming the first Yorkshire player to score his maiden Test century at Headingley, all in Yorkshire’s 150^th anniversary. Blameless in the Warner altercation, a slightly disappointing Champions Trophy followed, but now he’s been promoted to Test opener. Root versus Starc and Pattinson could be a sight to get used to over the next decade.

7 (8) – Stuart Broad – A glorious afternoon at Lords saw Broad take seven and the first Test, and was a reminder of however out of form he looks, Broad is capable of suddenly finding top gear and producing match winning performances beyond most of his teammates. He continues to bowl at inopportune moments for England in white ball cricket, which is testament to his character, and having missed the last Ashes injured, will surely have extra incentive to perform this summer. His batting however continues to flounder.

6 (5) – Graeme Swann – His performance at Headingley, where he took ten wickets in the match, will be an achievement to stand the test of time and highlighted how good a bowler he is. Lost his ODI place during the Champions Trophy, but that could ultimately be of benefit to Swann. One worry, and this goes for Broad too, is not only the poor form with the bat over the past 12 months but the manner of his dismissals, continually swishing outside off-stump. Whilst he is in the side for his bowling, one of Swann’s attributes is that he can bat and England will want more in the Ashes.

5 (6) – Jonathon Trott – It’s not exciting, it’s not very pretty but he just scores runs. The finest number three I’ve seen for England, Trott soaks up pressure and lays the perfect platform for the middle order. The Champions Trophy would have been hugely satisfying for Trott, as he barely registered a failure, and he’s now scored over 1,000 international runs in 20 innings in 2013. England do not want Trott to lose form or fitness during the Ashes.

4 (4) – Alistair Cook – Good hundred at Headingley, and captaincy was better than the away series. ODI form is a little worrying but Cook has so many runs in the bank he could continue without this becoming an issue for some time. The one worrying facet in his game continues to be his struggle against left-armers, with the Australians armed with two of international standard.

3 (1) – Matt Prior – After a mighty fine winter the start to the summer was underwhelming, with no real runs during the Tests and hasn’t really shown a lot of form for Sussex. However, there are no worries over this man for the Ashes other than his replacement should he get injured.

2 (3) – James Anderson – Outstanding with both red and white ball so far this summer, Anderson returned to his very highest standard after a slightly flat series in New Zealand. His ability to swing the ball both ways cut New Zealand’s top order to ribbons at Lords, and it was he, not Broad, who was chief architect behind New Zealand’s collapse. Australia look set to try and try a different opening combination but whoever it is will have their hands full with Anderson.

1 (2) – Kevin Pietersen – They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and whatever your opinions on the man, when England were scoring at two an over during their first Test innings of the summer, you could see England were missing something. Pietersen is indispensible to the team because he is their sole batsman who can destroy sides. Cook, Trott and Bell are fine Test players, and Root will soon join them, but they cannot destroy a side like Pietersen. The rate at which he scores, the manner, the body language, is hugely dispiriting for a fielding side.

The case in point – when England were struggling to knock off 129 in 20 overs to win the Champions Trophy, Pietersen was playing his first innings since the tour of New Zealand for a struggling Surrey against a Yorkshire attack consisting of three internationals and an England Lion. Four hours later Pietersen had 177 off 188 balls, in an innings of artful violence. Australia will respect several of England’s players, but Pietersen is the one they fear.

Hales The Solution To Morgan's Problems

After his failure against Australia, for the first time since 2010 Eoin Morgan's ODI average for England dropped below 40. In 2013, he now has scored 218 at 21.80 and has gone 12 games without a half century, having previously averaged one every four games. This is a worrying loss of form for possibly England's most important ODI batsman, particularly at the start of a tournament.

Yet I don't think it's his fault.

In 2009 & 2010, Morgan averaged 45 at a strike rate of 90. Those are fantastic numbers for a middle order player and helped England to a much more successful period in their ODI form. From 2011 onwards he has averaged 34. Natural logic would dictate that when a player's average drops, so does his strike rate. The higher a player's average, the more runs that player is scoring. The more runs that player scores, the longer they've batted, and the longer they've batted, the quicker you should be scoring. Essentially you would expect a positive relationship between average and strike rate, and this is shown throughout cricket history. Except in this case, where since 2011 Morgan's strike rate in ODIs is 95.

So Morgan is scoring quicker but less runs. The reasons behind this are the change in England's top three in the two periods. In 2009 and 2010, England looked to use a pinch-hitter with Andrew Strauss, mainly Steven Davies and Craig Kieswetter. Since 2011, given Kevin Pietersen's almost permanent absence, England have had a settled top three of Alistair Cook, Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott.

The move away from the pinch-hitter has certainly worked for England in terms of the success at the start. Bell as an opener looks an ODI player reinvented, and Trott is averaging over 50 for ODIs. Cook has replicated Strauss' form over the period, which is that of a decent ODI player without being spectacular. But England are starting much slower, and this is heaping the pressure on Morgan. In England's current side he is the only player with the potential to clear the ropes regularly in the top five, and this pressure has badly affected his form. Compared to pre-2011, he now finds himself having to score quicker with less time to play himself in, and this is reflected in his numbers.

The first question is whether this is actually a problem for England. They are still roughly winning the same number of games in both periods, and England can afford to score slowly when they have the bowling attack they possess. But this top three leaves England an extremely one dimensional side. Excellent in home conditions where they can keep sides to 250-270, but away from home on flat tracks or with foreign balls, England are simply incapable of setting competitive totals or chasing anything in excess of 300.

So what's the solution? A very simple answer is "Kevin Pietersen". Had he been both fit and available after the 2011 World Cup, Pietersen would have been given the chance to open and Bell and Trott left to compete for the three spot. But in his absence, England have taken the soft option and kept the experienced Bell and Trott without opting to take a risk by selecting a young player or by dropping either player. My view is replace Trott with Pietersen when fit, and in Pietersen's absence, Alex Hales.

Hales has performed better than competently for the T20 side, and is now up to number six in the world rankings. He hits a far longer ball than the other options for the top three, and would release Morgan from the pressure of being the only big hitter. It would give England a more aggressive look, and would take the pressure also off the bowling attack, given the poor form of those players replacing our first choice seamers.

My side for the Champions Trophy - Alistair Cook (c), Ian Bell, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler, Peter Trego, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn

Classic Matches

Before a fairly meaningless Champions Trophy after a fairly meaningless Test series, here are a couple of my favourite Test matches you might not have heard of:-

New Zealand v Pakistan 24-28^th November 2009 – New Zealand won by 32 runs.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/423778.html

Not exactly the most enticing match-up, given this was pre-Misbah days for Pakistan and New Zealand were moving merrily towards the dysfunctional mess they became under Ross Taylor. Pakistan won the toss, chose to field, and then tossed the first over to 17 year old Mohammed Amir ahead of Mohammed Asif and Umar Gul. If didn’t raise eyebrows, then the sight of Tim McIntosh shattered wicket first ball of the match did. The first day was nip and tuck, with Pakistan’s well balanced attack testing a resilient New Zealand line-up, with Ross Taylor scoring 94 and Martin Guptill 60.

The following day was cut short, but Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori shared a crucial stand of 164, with the later showing resolve before being cruelly dismissed for 99. The third day saw New Zealand’s innings end at 429. Pakistan’s reply began against the return of oft-injured Shane Bond, who didn’t fire in his first spell. At 74-2, he did, with Mohammed Yousuf, Fawad Alam and Shoaib Malik dispensed with in quick succession. Pakistan’s Akmal brothers, Umar just 19 and on debut, launched a stunning counter offensive, with Umar blazing 129 and Kamran 82. Bond returned dismiss Umar before the close, and the flimsy Pakistan tail was rolled over the following morning, ending the innings at 332. There was enough time for Bond to complete a 5-for.

A lead of 97 for New Zealand and the game well into its 4^th day with rain forecast, leaving a draw the most likely result. Guptill choose to swap with McIntosh and take the first over. Amir waited until the fourth ball of the innings to demolish his stumps. New Zealand fell apart against the high skill of Amir, Asif and Gul, with only McIntosh, Taylor and Grant Elliott making double figures, Asif ending the match with eight wickets in the match. 147-8 at the close became 153 all out in the morning, and Pakistan needed 251 to win.

As since the retirement of Saeed Anwar, Pakistan’s openers fell away against the pace of Bond and the accuracy of Chris Martin. Enter Umar Akmal, at 24-3, playing with the same freedom as the first innings, and despite the loss of Yousuf, the score became 161-4. Iain O’Brien removed Malik, but the Akmal’s took the score to 195. With 56 needed and 5 wickets left, the game reached its nadir. Vettori turned to Bond and O’Brien, both players whose careers were cut short by injuries, Bond’s physical and O’Brien’s mental. Here, they bowled New Zealand to victory. Bond removed Umar for 75, O’Brien Kamran for 27 and then Umar Gul. Vettori ended the game with two late wickets and New Zealand had won a game where all three results had been the bookmaker’s favourite in the final two days.

 Bond won the man of the match award. It would be his last Test match. O’Brien’s anxiety attacks ended his international career at the end of the series. For Pakistan, the post match debate focused on the two teenagers, Amir and Umar. One remains a talent unfulfilled; the others career may have ended at 18. But for one day, it looked like these teenagers would lead Pakistan in the future, whilst New Zealand bowlers had one final day in the sun.

 West Indies v Australia 26^th-30^th March 1999 – West Indies won by 1 wicket

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63839.html

Not as well hidden as the other games, it’s in the list because it is the best Test Match I’ve ever seen. Better than watching Onions and Panesar saving games, better than Atherton’s last stand, better than Astle’s explosion in the Basin and better even than anything produced in the 2005 Ashes. It was a game of relentless quality, fluctuation and the final great battle between a side falling away from being the best side in the world and another climbing towards it.

The background of the game starts the story. Steve Waugh had taken over from Mark Taylor as Australian captain, and was keen for a signature win as captain. For the West Indies, Brian Lara had been chosen as captain over the elderly but loved Courtney Walsh for the tour of South Africa. Before the tour, the board and the players had a pay dispute which furthered the divide between Lara and Walsh, with many players feeling Lara had been weak in negotiations. They lost 5-0.

The West Indian media, already seething after this humiliation, sensed blood. A divided dressing room, a superior opponent. The first test began promisingly but ended being bowled out for 51 and despair, with McGrath and Gillespie bowling at the height of their powers, and West Indies reliant on only one batsman and two bowlers. The media hammered into the coaches, the players, and in particular Lara, for splitting the dressing room, whilst others claimed he was never as good as made out.

The 2^nd test in Jamaica (Walsh’s home island) began in the same fashion as the 1^st – The Australians made 256, before McGrath and Gillespie decapitated the top order. But Lara remained, and on the 2^nd day, he and Jimmy Adams put on 340 without loss. Adams grinded, Lara soared on his way to an unforgettable 213, which led to two pitch invasions for each landmark. The following day, for one stunning day, Nehemiah Perry became a world class spin bowler and suddenly it was 1-1.

This brings us to the Test in question, the third in Barbados, with the 4^th to come in Antigua. Waugh won the toss, and chose to bat. Many felt that Waugh had taken the defeat in the previous Test as a personal failing. He arrived at 36-3 with Ambrose and Walsh, the last two great West Indian quicks, at their best. He was out, for 199, with the score 429-7. A young Ricky Ponting chipped in with 104, and Australia carded 490. Waugh was lauded for his innings, seen as one of the great innings by an Australian. It wasn’t even the best innings in the match.

West Indies soon slumped to the McGrath bowling-machine, before Gillespie removed Lara with a snorter. At 98-6, the game seemed over, before Sherwin Campbell, a player whose career was beset by poor shot selection, found a discipline that eluded him on so many occasions. He held the innings together, scoring 105 on his home ground. Ridley Jacobs slapped 68, and Perry, Ambrose and Walsh fought past the follow-on, ceding a lead of 161 to Australia. McGrath took 4-128, at that point his worst figures of the series.

Walsh and Ambrose, refreshed, launched into the Australians. Ambrose violent lift pushed Australia onto the back foot before Walsh finished them off. Pedro Collins provided much needed support, including the vital wicket of Waugh, and in two sessions the Australians had disintegrated to 146. West Indies had a day and a half to make 308 to snatch a game two days earlier in which they had seemed dead and buried.

Campbell and Griffith started superbly, nullifying the superb McGrath before building a partnership. But the final hour undid their good work, as 72-0 became 85-3 at the close. Gillespie dismissed Griffith and Carl Hooper early the following morning, and West Indies needed 203 with half the side out. But Lara was there, and once again aligned in a partnership, Adams surviving and Lara showing a whole new level of mastery against McGrath and Warne. The crowd sensed victory amongst high drama. McGrath struck Lara on the helmet with the new ball, and as Lara ran the leg bye, strong words were exchanged. McGrath’s next ball to Lara was also short, but disappeared through mid-wicket at the speed of sound to huge roars from the crowd.

West Indies slowly moved into a position of strength. The new ball was negotiated, only 70 was needed, and Lara had reached his hundred. But McGrath kept on coming, producing a 13 over spell, at the end of which he bowled Adams with a peach, and then took Jacobs and Perry in successive balls. The West Indies, 15 minutes earlier favourites, needed 60 with Lara to be joined by Ambrose (not a batsman) with Walsh (hopeless) to follow.

The period after tea is some of the most tense cricket I have ever witnessed. Lara manipulated the strike, Ambrose hung about as well as he could and the target reduced. A stunning drive from Lara off Warne meant less than 30 needed, which became 17 when Ambrose needlessly flapped at a wide ball, which then flew harmlessly in air between two fielders for four. With seven needed, Lara edged Gillespie to Healy, who put down a tough chance. This would be Healy’s final tour. Lara took a single next ball, giving Gillespie four balls at Ambrose. Ambrose once again flapped at the first, and edged to Matthew Elliott, the silence on the ground only broken by the sound of celebrations from the few travelling Australians.

So Walsh would have to bat. At 6’ 6”, and no natural athlete, Walsh tended to possess a comical air when he batted, appearing to be wearing children’s kit, and unmarked due to little use. He had three to face. The first was a no ball, bringing the target to five. Walsh then blocked a back of a length delivery, dug out a yorker and defended the last ball into the gully. Back to Lara and McGrath with five needed. A beautiful delivery from McGrath saw Lara edge in the air past an airborne Shane Warne, but as the ball rumbled towards the boundary it was brilliantly stopped by Stuart MacGill. 3 needed. McGrath reverted to bouncers to attempt to prevent Lara winning the game and giving Gillespie another shot at Walsh, but the first was a wide. 2 to win. The next ball Lara pulled and they took a single, levelling the scores but giving McGrath one ball at Walsh. Australia crowded the bat, but Walsh was able to leave the ball. 1 to win, Lara facing Gillespie. Waugh once again crowded the bat, and took nearly two minutes to set the field, leaving Lara plenty of thinking time, a tactic that would work spectacularly for Australia in the 1999 World Cup Semi-Final six months later. Gillespie ran in and bowled, Lara drove for four, and the villain of three weeks ago was a hero.

Australia would win the last Test, drawing the series 2-2, despite another glorious hundred from Lara. After this series Waugh would win the 1999 World Cup, and the decade of un-relenting dominance from Australia began. For the West Indies, this win was a final hurrah for Ambrose and Walsh, and led to decade of defeat and false hope only ended in the last year by a new generation of players under Darren Sammy’s leadership. Both of these futures were inevitable whatever the result of this series, with Australia having both talent and the perfect captain for the side, whilst the West Indies were an ageing side dogged by indiscipline and a lack of leadership. Lara was never a good captain, but for two innings that will forever survive his reputation as a captain, he held back the Australian war machine under the most incredible personal pressure, facing two of the greatest bowlers of all-time, one at his very best, and the other whom he reduced to a career low. It is considered by many the greatest innings of all-time, in one of the greatest matches of all-time.

England's Top 25 Cricketers After New Zealand

Including less Ben Stokes than it should....

25 (22) – Samit Patel – After just two disappointing T20’s, Patel’s career is slipping away after his failure in India. In his defence New Zealand was never likely to offer him much but a strong start to the season is needed.

24 (12) – Graham Onions – This tour really was it for Onions, and in the only warm-up game, he was battered out of the England side. One (extremely) poor game doesn’t make him a bad bowler, but there are younger options who will get a chance in white ball cricket.

23 (21) – Jade Dernbach – Expensive as always, but really showed his value in the T20’s. Despite not bowling his best, he offers something that the other seamers really don’t with not only his variation but his confidence in trying it. Until a fast bowler comes along that offers something as varied, Dernbach will keep picking up caps.

22 (17) – James Tredwell – New Zealand was never likely to be favourable for Tredwell, and unsurprisingly he got battered in the T20’s. Drops down but can consider the winter a success overall.

21 (-) – James Harris – Ever since he burst onto the scene with 11 wickets in a match at just the age of seventeen, Harris has been marked for England. When he found out he’d be carrying drinks for the ODI series instead of playing for the Lions, he might have been a touch disappointed, but the Lions tour descended into a melee of poor discipline both on and off the field, and then the Test bowler he most resembles in Onions suffered an almost terminal tour. A move to Middlesex should give him a greater reputation and an opportunity should present itself this summer.

20 (25) – James Taylor – A good winter for the Lions in terms of runs and one of only two players (the other is Varun Chopra) to emerge from Australia with any credit. Bairstow’s failure in the last Test should push Taylor to back up batsman for the home New Zealand series.

19 (23) – Luke Wright – He remains T20 only, but produced an excellent series in New Zealand, bowling well and most importantly providing decent leadership throughout that section of the tour. After Pietersen and Morgan is England’s most important T20 player.

18 (20) – Alex Hales – A brilliant cameo in the Big Bash, and once again England highest scorer in the T20’s, Hales was unlucky not to get a shot on the ODI tour. Nottinghamshire’s decision to prevent him playing in the IPL will probably benefit his career too.

17 (15) – Jonny Bairstow – The final Test completed a fairly miserable winter for Bairstow, who had two opportunities and failed to take them, and watched Jos Buttler scoot past him as the white ball keeper. Batting does not look ready for a full-time Test role and isn’t getting the hours behind the stumps he needs to be Prior’s long term replacement.

16 (18) – Chris Woakes – Did a decent job in the ODIs, didn’t go on the Lions tour and thus avoided any reputational damage and by all accounts was a decent tourist. England definitely seem big fans of his batting which does he claims no harm whatsoever.

15 (14) – Monty Panesar – Another great escape completed, and whatever he achieves with the remainder of his career, will always be remembered as an England cult hero. Pitches offered him very little, neither did his captain (more on that later) and it was generally a struggle despite a couple of excellent spells of control. Might get another go in the home series but pitches will offer him little.

14 (16) – Jos Buttler – The ODI keeper for now, but the T20 keeper for a long time. He’s inventive and confident, and whatever he lacks as a keeper he makes up for with his batting. He is one player who could have benefited from going to the IPL.

13 (19) – Tim Bresnan – Sometimes not playing at all can do a lot for a player’s reputation, as Bresnan’s inactivity after his operation meant chances for other which they did not take. Woakes probably didn’t do enough to displace him long-term and England’s policy of resting players should mean plenty more caps this summer.

12 (11) – Eoin Morgan – He’s going to the IPL, which may well prove to be effectively a retirement from Test cricket. But he’s still a vital part of England’s white ball sides where he remains one of the best and most unique players in the world.

11 (13) – Nick Compton – There was a lot of bumgush spoken before the 1^st Test about Compton, beautifully answered by consecutive hundreds. This series was the polar opposite of India for Compton, with two big scores and three failures after a succession of middling scores in India. He has surely done enough to start the first Ashes Test but faces competition for his spot from not only Root but Chopra as well.

10 (10) – Joe Root – The ODI series was a real announcement from Root, particularly as England have struggled to find a four in ODI’s for a while, but the Test series may be more important in his development. He couldn’t possibly live up to the hype of the ODI series, and a struggle in the Tests, particularly in finding the right pace to score at, lowers expectations and relieves pressure.

9 (6) – Steven Finn – I will state straight off that I am no fan of his new run-up, because whilst it should stop him running into the stumps, I’d rather have a good bowler who kicks the stumps than a mediocre one who doesn’t. His 6-for flattered him and generally looked down on pace for the series, bowled too short and was worryingly erratic, although the improvements in his batting are as pleasing as they were unexpected.

8 (9) – Stuart Broad – Excellent in T20’s, where he deserves credit in particular for being prepared to pit himself against McCullum despite the need to perform to ensure his Test place. Suffered at McCullum’s hands in the ODI’s, but fronted up in the Tests. His batting however has gone backwards and that plays into Bresnan’s hands.

7 (8) – Ian Bell – Reasonable in both series, the next 12 months are crucial for Bell. He’s in a place where he’s secure in both sides, and he can start to think about his legacy. New Zealand don’t have a world class spinner, and neither do Australia (although Lyon is better than people think), which has always been his major weakness in the past. There are a lot of runs for him there to score, he’s protected from the new ball in the Tests, it’s a huge chance for his scores to live up to his technique.

6 (7) – Jonathan Trott – I don’t often agree with Bob Willis, but he did score too slowly in the ODIs and should be replaced by Pietersen come the summer ODIs, despite the incredible volume of runs in that format. When it came to the Tests, he looked in fantastic touch, and despite averaging over fifty would have been disappointed not to score bigger having reached at least 27 in all five innings.

5 (5) – Graeme Swann – Was somewhat of a plaything for McCullum during the ODI series, and if his elbow was going to fail, he couldn’t have picked a better time for it to happen. Panesar was never going to take enough wickets to push him out of the side, and he remains one of the world’s best spinners. His slip catching is also crucial to England.

4 (1) – Alistair Cook – I’ll start with his batting, where Cook played more loose shots than in the previous 24 months, but he got a ton when it really mattered, and there doesn’t appear to be a technical weakness at the moment for bowlers to work him on.

As for his captaincy, he was completely outshone but the inventive and energetic McCullum. The abiding memory of this series should be Cook, silent, shoulders shrugged at fine leg as Monty desperately looked to him for inspiration, before he turned to Prior. I have nothing against quiet captains, mainly because Steve Waugh, one of the finest captains of our era, barely said a word. But whereas Waugh always projected an image of defiant control, Cook’s body language was one of passive acceptance, particularly during Peter Fulton’s assault in the final Test.

Cook is a young captain, and has time to learn and improve. He’s been touring for six months, always as captain, but the sight of him passing every tactical decision through Prior was troubling for England and gold-dust for Australia, who having suffered a miserable tour of India, will have spotted a potential area of weakness in England.

3 (2) – James Anderson – Not his greatest series against a side he has always had great success against, but bowled so superbly in India that he’s got a huge amount of credit in bank. His skill in bowling reverse swing with the ball hidden in his left hand until right before delivery showed a bowler of the highest skill, although he would like to know the secrets of how Southee and Boult got the ball to hoop in the final Test where he could barely make it move.

2 (4) – Kevin Pietersen – Injured for the entire tour even when he played, and clearly struggling. But it was his absence from the ODI series that most hurt England, where the lack of a dominant player hurt England. The highlight of this summer may well be the first time him and James Pattinson face-off for the first time.

1 (3) – Matt Prior – In his autobiography, Justin Langer talks of the 1995 Australia tour of the West Indies, who hadn’t lost a series for 15 years. 1-0 up entering the 3^rd Test, the Aussies were reduced to 18-3 with Curtly Ambrose bowling fire on a pitch best described as jagged. Vice-captain Waugh came to the crease, and in an innings of sheer defiance, made an unbeaten 63 that got the Australians to 128. They lost the Test, but Waugh’s bravery in the face of Ambrose inspired the Australians to win the final Test, in which Waugh got 200, and with it the series. It marked the end of West Indian dominance and the start of Australia’s.

Langer said, from that innings onwards, despite the fact that Mark Taylor was captain for another three years, that Waugh was the leader. He was the example that was followed, the player the team looked to. I was reminded of that story twice in the final Test, where firstly Matt Prior led the riot act in the England team huddle before New Zealand’s 2^nd innings, and then when he scored a simply magnificent hundred to save the final Test. Whereas Cook’s reputation as a leader fell this series, Prior’s has soared after his performances, and it was noticeable the respect from his teammates for his efforts in the series.