England Are Ready For War

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

England’s Selection Threatens War

 

September 23^rd

 
 

[22:00 CEST] England have given a strong indication that they are ready for war this winter. The squad selected for Australia contains no fewer than four tall fast bowlers: Broad, Rankin, Finn and Tremlett. The inevitable conclusion is that if Australia produce fast, bouncy pitches, England will give them as good as they get and possibly better. They have also made a point by picking 90mph Ben Stokes and having the equally quick Chris Jordan nearby in the shadow squad.

A further statement of intent has been made by the selection of Sam Robson in the shadow squad that will be in Australia during the Ashes. Robson has been the subject of intense speculation with his British mother and Australian father, dividing his time between summers with Middlesex and club cricket in Sydney. He was not picked for the Lions matches against Bangladesh A, despite being declared eligible and, at the same time, Australia added the Robson Rule to the Fawad Ahmed Law, allowing duel nationals to play domestic cricket as Australians. One of the arguments that were offered why Sam Robson was not good enough to play for Australia was that he had never proved himself at First Class level (some Middlesex fans and Division 1 rivals of Middlesex might dispute that!) and that unless he played Sheffield Shield cricket he would remain unproven.

There has been some speculation, in the absence of a statement from Robson where his loyalties lie, that he was waiting for a firm statement from the ACB and might jump ship. However, the ECB has been in talks with him and will, apparently, release a statement about him separately but have received private assurances that his loyalties lie with England.

While there are no shocks, there are some surprises. One is that with only four matches that are not Tests on the tour, England will take an official squad of seventeen, plus Tim Bresnan, who is expected to be fit enough to be added to the squad later. How the selectors plan to give eighteen players enough cricket to keep them match fit is the one mystery about the squad. The young player is not Borthwick, but Balance (born in Zimbabwe), the all-rounder is Ben Stokes (born in New Zealand) and the second spinner is Monty Panesar (born in Luton ). The most controversial selection is the spare opener – Michael Carberry, who has had a relatively modest red ball season (602 runs at 40.1 in Division 2).

There will inevitably be remarks about the birthplaces of Stokes and Balance but, as one English cricket reporter said: “It's globalisation. Deal with it.” More people than ever are moving from one country to another and making their home there. No one complained when England fielded players such as Colin Cowdrey (born in India), Mike Denness (born in Scotland), Derek Pringle (born in Kenya), Norman Cowans (born in Jamaica), Paul Terry (born in Germany), Ted Dexter (born in Italy), Owais Shah (born in Pakistan), Phil Edmonds (born in Lusaka), or Dermot Reeve (born in Hong Kong). The England squad is reflecting the multiracial, multicultural melting pot that is the reality of the British Isles in modern times, where London has reportedly communities from 170 different countries living there (this was one of the arguments in favour of the London 2012 Olympic bid – it did not matter who won a medal in the stadium, the multi-cultural nature of London would ensure that there would be someone from that country in the crowd). Who wants the England cricket team to be picked on purely racial grounds?  

The shadow squad contains players such as Moin Ali and Varun Chopra who are banging hard on the door (Moin Ali will surely get a chance soon), but not James Taylor or Nick Compton. It may be that the England careers of both are now over. Less commented, but still notable, is the absence of Chris Woakes and Scott Borthwick.

All in all, it is an aggressive squad selection in all senses. The Australians are seething with injustice and eager for revenge. The squads look like a declaration that England will be up for a battle if things get ugly.