The ECB announced their sixteen man squad for the pre Ashes camp. Not surprisingly, former England captain Michael Vaughan and fast bowler Steve Harmison find no place.
The England team have decided that with the front runners, Stuart Broad and James Anderson, the likes of Graham Onions, Tim Bresnan and Ryan Sidebottom, who appears to have recovered from injury, would do well with the attack. Steve Harmison, who was at one time England’s strike bowler with pace to match, has not found a spot in the camp. Harmison though has an opportunity to perform for the England Lions that take on Australia in a tour match.
Instead the England team will also have the likes of Adil Rashid joining the indifferent Monty Panesar and current England lead spinner, Graeme Swann in the pre series camp.
As for Vaughan, his form has not supported him and his long knee injury lay off appeared to have put off the ECB. Unable to break the shackles in the domestic set up, Vaughan now missed out the spot that has perhaps gone in favour of the out of favour Ian Bell. With Andrew Flintoff making the much anticipated return from injury, the team has only been strengthened for skipper Andrew Strauss who takes over from Paul Collinwood who briefly held the reins but in vain during the ICC World Twenty20.
Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook complete the picture as the gloves are handed back to Matt Prior from James Foster. While the ECB has stated that the fringe players could still earn a recall, it is hard to imagine that unless an injury occurs, how any player in this pre Ashes camp can or should be bumped off. The final eleven though will tell the true story.
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