Sort it out

Throw your hands up and scream hallelujah!

Was I mistaken, as I believed the England selectors said there selection was correct. What a surprise! All fickle and arrogant, a disturbing image.

I am under the presumption that they watched the game that South Africa call Cricket and England called not much.

Sorry Darren Pattinson, you may be a useful tool in a pub quiz later. There will be no doubt that his name and one cap wonder will be entangled in a question. Congratulations on taking two wickets but, mate; it is back to the drawing board.

The selectors who come together should initially decide on a team that reflects in everyone’s manner. It seems largely that Michael Vaughan was anything but, disgusted in the team selection. It seemed obvious that it was not his call.

The first three days on the first test was England at their sublime best but tinkering, is often a word for football, and should not be involved in cricket, especially the test side. These eleven players have to play along each other, all day and for five days.

Are they professional? Yes. Are they Human? Yes. I completely supported the dropping of Paul Collingwood and bringing Andrew Flintoff to bat at seven. They got that correct. Flintoff is, arguably, our best player and the heartbeat of a rigid England team.

However with Pattinson coming in against a team of the stature of South Africa, the second ranked test team in the world, is preposterous.

Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard or Simon Jones should have been elected to take the gap left by the unfortunate injury to Ryan Sidebottom.

This is not a twisted fantasy to see relive those lucky Ashes days in 2005 but Harmison has taken the most wickets in county cricket this season with Hoggard close behind him. Jones has the best wickets for balls ratio. It makes sense does it not?

Tim Ambrose always blows hot and cold, a wicket-keeper batsman should be that. Ambrose has failed to reach any sort of form at the present but if they are generally looking for the sixth batsman I cannot see any other person than Phil Mustard to take his place and play at six, leaving Flintoff at seven. Ambrose cost the side crucial wickets with his failure to take a catch up high, he is constantly moving back as he likes to take a catch that is going down. Many edges have failed to carry to the slips and Vaughan should have noticed this. Adam Gilchrist was good at being close to the wicket at take a catch as soon as possible.

The batting line up simply failed to find form but it does not mean they will not. They are fine batters as shown in the first test; it is the bowling unit that is the concern.

I will start to introduce Simon Jones when he is getting the pace back and he would be competing with Sidebottom and Harmison for the spare slot. James Andersen played brilliantly against New Zealand’s in the last test but that has been the highlight in a long while.

Having played the same side in six consecutive matches shows a glimmer of stability, but in retro style we tried to change that radically. We need a squad of sixteen players and all of them used within the England set up. Those sixteen should be selected constantly until one of them fall completely of reckoning or are simply injured.

My team for the third test: Strauss, Cook, Vaughan, Pietersen, Bell, Mustard, Flintoff, Broad, Sidebottom, Harmison, Panasar.

Rest of the squad: Collingwood, Jones, Hoggard, Ambrose, Trescothick (if he wants to be selected) if not Shah.

So selectors, is it not about time you sorted a team out?