Selectors' Surprise Could Prove Wright Move

Sorry, couldn't resist.

A sub-headline on the BBC Sport website declared Liam Plunkett's inclusion in the Test squad a "surprise recall", but the prize for biggest surprise of all surely goes to Luke Wright being handed a pair of full England whites.

To be honest, I hadn't even considered it as an option, and at first assumed it a misprint born of a desire to break news of the squad before anyone else. It wasn't, and I'm coming round to the conclusion, why not?

For a start, he seems to have replaced Tim Bresnan in the curious replacement-for-Flintoff-but-won't-actually-play role, which is fair enough. Bresnan had a weak West Indies at his potential mercy during his only two Test appearances back in May. He did fine, and has since impressed in 50-over cricket, but for a bowling all-rounder, he's failed to convince that his primary skill offers enough threat in any form of the game. Does Wright's?

It remains to be seen, and probably won't be answered during the four Tests in South Africa. Unless England are battered into changing the make-up of their side, this tour is likely to be fruitful only in terms of experience. The following tour of Bangladesh seems more likely for a potential debut.

He made the right noises, as anyone not named Chris Gayle tends to do, in an interview with Spin Magazine back in September last year, saying: "Ask any young cricketer what their dream is and I would still like to think that it is about playing Test cricket for England. For me, Test cricket is the ultimate goal."

Wright has yet to forge a relationship with the middle-ground in his 25 ODIs and 14 T20Is so far; he's been all or nothing. From big-hitting, high-pressure batting and tight and bright bowling, to the briefest of contributions, he's been in and out of the team, shunted up and down the batting order and used at the death here, discarded there, with the ball. Throughout though, he's shown signs he belongs.

He bowls at 85 mph, can swing the ball, took 21 wickets in eight Championship matches (div 1) this season, hits big when needed, but also has seven first-class centuries from 57 matches, and has shown glimpses of stickability in the 50-over game. He fields brilliantly too.

No doubt he'd relish the opportunity to play eye-catching innings for his country, without a constant battle against time, overs remaining, and the need to resort to the sort of innings-ending shot which saw him clean-bowled by Peter Siddle during his impressive 48 against Australia last Friday.

In a word, or four, he's worth a chance. And more importantly, I didn't end on a pun. Just couldn't find the Wright one.

England Squads For South Africa Tour Announced

The squads for England's Test, ODI and T20I tour of South Africa were announced at midday today, ending weeks of speculation and signaling the side's post-Ashes direction. They are:

Test Squad: Strauss (c), Cook (vc), Anderson, Bell, Broad, Collingwood, Davies, Onions, Pietersen, Plunkett, Prior, Rashid, Sidebottom, Swann, Trott, Wright

One-day Squad: Strauss, Anderson, Bresnan, Broad, Collingwood, Cook, Denly, Mahmood, Morgan, Onions, Pietersen, Prior, Rashid, Swann, Trott, Wright

Two of the most notable omissions are Steve Harmison and Geraint Jones, for Plunkett and Davies respectively, leaving Andrew Strauss the only survivor from the previous Test tour of South Africa.

The consensus is that this move has ended the international career of these 2005 Ashes stalwarts. That's probably true in Jones's case - there are plenty of promising young wicketkeeper-batsmen on the England radar at present. Harmison though, rightly dropped for Plunkett, can still offer something different on his day. We all know the black marks against his name - the inconsistency, the bad travelling - but his uniqueness has the power to scrub them out once again in the future. If he really wants it. A very-nearly-31-year-old, father of four, two times Ashes winner, he's known for his talent, not his determination. I suspect we've seen the last of him, but if he marries the two, he could yet prove us wrong.

That said, there was an ODI recall for a man who can - on his day (a too frequently used phrase regarding England seamers) - match Harmison's hostility; Saj Mahmood. He and Plunkett have enjoyed brief success for England in the past, and it is hoped that, as with James Anderson, time away from the international scene will have enhanced their maturity, readying them for a renewed challenge.

Two men about to experience the international wilderness again, are Monty Panesar and Ravi Bopara. Ravi will surely benefit from the time off. He seems to struggle with the mental side of top international cricket, and should remember the start of the summer, when he was, along with KP, England's chief Test and one-day batting threat. He's sure to come again, Panesar less so; though he's recently spoken about his intentions to rectify the situation.

SA Tour: Jones In, Bopara Out?

England are set to recall Geraint Jones as back-up wicketkeeper, and discard Ravi Bopara for the winter tour of South Africa, according to Scyld Berry in The Sunday Telegraph.

Berry points out that Jones, who would replace Tim Ambrose as back-up to Matt Prior, has hit five first-class hundreds this season - more than any England gloveman in the past 25 years.

Bopara's struggles with the bat seem likely to see him dropped from both touring parties, with Berry claiming that "Joe Denly probably needs only one good innings in South Africa this week to become the reserve Test batsman in place of Bopara."

No light was shed on the selectors' thinking regarding the fifth seamer role - billed as a tussle between Durham colleagues Liam Plunkett and Steve Harmison.

Vaughan's England Blueprint

Under the sub-headline, "Mission: win the Ashes in Australia", Michael Vaughan offers his England blueprint for success in an interview with Scyld Berry in today's Sunday Telegraph.

He has interesting views regarding the make-up of the team, championing a three, four, five of KP - "because your best player should bat there" - Bell and Trott. He wants England to stick with Alastair Cook, introduce Rashid at number eight and take Bopara to South Africa. When pressed on bowling names he lists Broad, Anderson, Onions, Harmison and Plunkett as potential dangermen for the winter tour, and Chris Woakes and Steve Finn as ones for the future.

Sound as these comments are, Flower, Strauss and the selectors have given us plenty of reason to trust their current thinking regarding selection policy. One day, Vaughan may well find himself part of that process, but for now, this interview represents no more than the informed view of an interested bystander. Where one wishes Vaughan had a more hands-on role, is with regard to his comments relating to the structure of the English game.

Michael Vaughan is a universally liked and respected figure. He was an England weapon as a batsman and captain, and, despite recent retirement, could still be now - if only the ECB could find some sort of consultancy role for him. Even reading his newspaper column would be a start.

Vaughan is acutely aware of the fixture congestion faced by international cricketers today, and laments the lack of resting opportunities: "The players are going to get niggles in the next few weeks [during the upcoming T20I and ODI series' against Australia] and we wont go to the Champions Trophy with our best team in the best shape. It will be another tournament where we don't give ourselves the best chance of winning."

Vaughan understands the needs and necessities of both the county and international games. He excercised logic and diplomacy on the pitch, and could bring the same to an administrative role. He knows only too well that Ashes success can be wasted as a platform on which to build, and is perfectly placed to help avoid mistakes being made this time around.

Berry goes on to quote the Schofield Report, commissioned two years ago by the ECB. In the light of the recent decision to ditch 50-over domestic cricket, it makes damning reading: "The First Class Counties' One Day programme should mirror, wherever possible, the current ICC competition rules, regulations and formats. A reduction in the amount of cricket played at domestic First Class level county championship games played is essential in order to alleviate fixture congestion and allow for better preparation of the players. The domestic programme must aspire to quality and not simply to quantity and the 40-over discipline may be deemed surplus to proper requirement."

Vaughan's reaction? "It's just greed."