England First Test Team

My England team for the first test of the summer

 

Alistair Cook- The England captain is an obvious selection, and despite his weaknesses as a captain, he is a fantastic batsman.

Sam Robson- I saw his magnificent 163 v Nottinghamshire first hand last week. I was beginning to wonder what all the hype was about when he struggled to 15, frequently playing and missing at Peter Siddle and Luke Fletcher. However, I was impressed with the way he persevered and got through a difficult spell, even when he was put under pressure by two of his teammates falling early. After making 30, he looked completely at ease as did Eoin Morgan, but the fact that Robson went onto get 163 and Morgan 85 shows the difference between the two. Robson’s higher concentration allowed him to take Middlesex into a dominating position. With this a place very much up for grabs, Robson is the leading candidate for me.

Joe Root- He struggled throughout the winter in Australia but he is a big talent. I think Jonathan Trott’s absence leaves a huge hole in the side but I think Root is the man to fill that void. He has shown his class on occasion for England and I expect him to become more consistent as he adjusts to test match cricket.

Ian Bell- A fantastic batsman but I would rather leave him at 4 as I think that’s where the best batsman in the lineup should bat, don’t want him exposed to the new ball.

Moen Ali- Maybe a slightly left-field selection, but Ali is a very talented batsman. Added to this, with the quality of spin bowlers on offer in England, he is possibly one of the best options to bowl spin for England. With him batting 5 it enables me to get an extra seam bowler into this lineup.

Ben Stokes- Stokes enjoyed a very good ashes and at number 6, there is a chance for him to provide either a counter-attacking innings in difficult situations or accelerate the game from a position of strength. His bowling would still be useful on occasion but maybe not so much with 4 seamers

Matt Prior- He had a horrible 2013 but class is permanent and I believe Prior will be back to his old self this summer and his record shows he deserves another chance to bounce back from a bad year.

Tim Bresnan- I wasn’t shore whether to select an extra batsman or Bresnan but I decided on Bresnan as I think he adds something different to the England attack. His reverse swing and his famous ability to “bowl a heavy ball” make him a useful addition to the team. Bresnan is also capable of scoring runs, making his selection above that of Graham Onions.

Stuart Broad- Broad is one of the best in the world when he is at his best and is an automatic selection.

James Anderson- The leader of the England attack for a few years now, I have no reason to think that this should change.

Steven Finn- Finn had a horrible year last year, but he has started the 2014 county season superbly and this for me shows evidence of him getting back to somewhere near his best. I only saw him bowl 2 overs at Lords last week against numbers 10 and 11 but he did look to be getting it through at a high pace. In some conditions I might say that Graham Onions should be preferred.