Tendulkar's Playing A Different Game

Sachin Tendulkar scored his 44th one-day hundred yesterday, as India defeated Sri Lanka in the Compaq Cup. This nudged him one century ahead of the entire combined total achieved by the all-time England ODI side chosen by Mike Atherton in The Times last Thursday.

It would be easy therefore, though entirely pointless, to concoct unflattering comparisons with England batsmen past and present. A fruitless venture; Tendulkar has been blessed with a rare talent and one which has graced an ODI pitch on no less than 428 occasions.

Only one England player in history can boast an ODI century count in double figures. Only one. And although Marcus Trescothick's career tally of 12 is dwarfed by Tendulkar's exploits, his games per century count is comparable: one in every 10.25 games, compared with the Indian's one in every 9.7.

Mind-boggling though Tendulkar's numbers are, the fact that Trescothick stands alone as the only Englishman to score more than eight career hundreds is the stat that should most concern England. Pietersen, on seven, must have him in his sights. A rejuvenated Strauss, on three, must be looking to double that at the very least. The likes of Trott, Denly, Bopara, Morgan, Kieswetter (from February), even Bell should be looking to share the load and inch as close to membership of the double figures club as is humanly possible.

None will get even close to the Little Master, but to match his sublime achievement as a collective unit would represent a marked improvement. Tendulkar deserves the adulation of a billion people, but what England need to build is a team of Marcus Trescothicks.

Denly Targets Opening Berth

Having made a promising start to his international career on Thursday by top-scoring against Ireland, Joe Denly has been enjoying some positive press attention. His score of 67 enabled England to post a just about competitive 203, though rain reduced the Ireland chase to 116 from 20 overs. They fell three runs short, despite the match again highlighting D+L's inability to manufacture a fair reduced target in heavily rain-affected games - something England discovered against the West Indies in the World T20.

The Telegraph described England as "underwhelming", which they were, but such games against the Associate Nations are essentially no win (defeat leading to heavy criticism, victory seen as no more than expected). After posting a sub-par score (only two batsmen achieved strike-rates of above 100), England did well to contain the Irish batsmen, who at one point needed just 57 from 12 overs - but not much can be read into most aspects of the performance. After all, Owais Shah claimed three wickets in as many overs with his part-time offbreaks.

However, Denly was able to make an impression, rising above the mediocrity to play an innings described by The Telegraph as "probably England's best performance by a new boy since Marcus Trescothick announced his arrival against Zimbabwe nearly a decade ago."

Nick Hoult's report went into further detail, and included another flattering comparison: "Only one England player truly coped. Joe Denly provided encouragement for the future with an innings of patient accumulation worth 67 off 111 balls. Tall and an elegant driver of the ball, there is a passing resemblance to Michael Vaughan and Denly made a strong case for keeping his place when Andrew Strauss returns for the one-day series against Australia."

No doubt mindful of Alastair Cook's quiet Ashes series, this successful first taste of international action has prompted Denly to target a place in the Test team.

Squad For Third Test Named Tomorrow

Ian Bell for Kevin Pietersen is widely expected to be the only change. And whilst Bell would be my choice, events this week have highlighted a dearth of viable alternatives. Here are the names which have been banded about the media:

Ian Bell - Averages 40.59 from 46 Tests. Scored 199 v South Africa last July, but has one 50 from 12 Test innings since. Dropped during last winter's Caribbean tour. Has always shown promise at international level, but questionable temperament and frustrating inconsistency. Prolific as ever in county cricket this summer. Superb fielder who made an underrated catching contribution in 2005.

Rob Key - Has a Test double century (a feat which only Collingwood and Pietersen can match) and made his international comeback in the recent World T20. Made his first double century in County Championship earlier this month, and has hit form after a wretched start to the season. Has a sub-standard international average, and is unlikely to figure for England again at this level though.

Stephen Moore - Opening batsman, which all but puts him out of the reckoning. Was the highest scorer in domestic first-class cricket last season and made a century against the Australians for the England Lions prior to the first Test. One to keep an eye on.

Joe Denly - Another opener - not what England need. Made 66 and 36 against Australia for England Lions in June, but this Ashes series is a year or two early for him. One for the future in Tests, and the present in one-day cricket.

Owais Shah - Good player, and one I championed for the Test team prior to his run in the Caribbean, but suffers from nerves and didn't seize his chance. Would be too much of a risk on the biggest stage of all.

Marcus Trescothick - Wishful thinking. An unsung hero of the 2005 Ashes series, and still one of the best openers around. Australians respect him, but his England days are sadly over.

Hopefully a break from international cricket has cleared Bell's head and increased his hunger, because we know he has the talent required for this level. I have always thought he'd return to Tests and enjoy sustained success, but I wouldn't have picked mid-way through this series as his reintroduction period. However, given the choice above, and with the exception of Tresco, I believe he represents our best option for the rest of this Ashes summer.