A welcome luxury

The two key warm-up matches against India A and Mumbai A were designed for two things: to let the batsmen bat and the bowlers bowl.

So we find ourselves at the point where the next time that England take the field in a competitive sense, it will be in the first test of the four-match series against India in Ahmedabad. The question everyone is asking is; who will be in the England XI? Flower and Cook would have been hoping that the first two warm-up matches would have given them a better idea of the team they'll pick, but in my opinion, it has given them more of a headache than when they started.

Samit Patel did wonders in the warm-up games, scoring 104 and 60 and taking 5 wickets. You simply cannot drop him in this form. A good option at number 8 and a genuine spinning option; he must play for me.

As I see it, there are two key decisions; Morgan or Bairstow and Root or Compton?

Morgan or Bairstow?
Both middle-order batsmen, both inexperienced, both only played against Mumbai A, only one of them can bat at 6. They joined each other at the crease last week at 66-4; when Morgan fell for 76, the score was 222. Bairstow went on to make a brilliant 118. Neither player made this decision an easy one for captain and coach, but I'd opt for Bairstow. He has the ability to adapt his game to the situation and is tighter than Morgan early on in his innings. A real talent for the future and has earned his call-up. Morgan can feel extremely hard-done-by, but he'll be waiting if Bairstow fails and will have plenty more opportunities. My prediction is that Jonny Bairstow will come of age this series.

Root or Compton?
I alluded to this in my last blog, and it still hasn't been resolved! The 21-year-old or the 29 year-old? Debutants at 21 you think of Trescothick, Vaughan and Cook and what they went on to achieve. Then at 29 you think of Mike Hussey and Jonathan Trott, can England find another already established cricketer that is finally ready to step-up to the test arena? I'm going to put my current view across here, but my opinion on this changes like the wind! In the first test I'd go for Compton. I really like Joe Root and he has a very bright future as an England opener. So why go for Compton? There are two main reasons; firstly, India is a tough place to play and Compton's added experience is vital, and secondly, Cook will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders during that first test as captain and the last thing he wants to be doing is worrying about the guy at the other end. Usually, the latter would be a weak excuse, but in this case, there is precious little difference between Root and Compton, so it's a win-win really. I just fear that Cook might have one eye on the welfare of Root, rather than doing what is most important for him and the team, which is scoring runs.

For what it's worth, my team for the first test would read: Cook (c), Compton, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Bairstow, Prior (wk), Patel, Broad, Swann, Anderson.

With Finn's injury, claims could be made for Onions or Bresnan, but I feel that Anderson and Broad as the seamers, Swann and Patel as the spinners, and Trott and Pietersen as the part-timers gives England enough balance.

Steven Finn's injury is a massive blow for England, I genuinely believe that he would open the bowling for any other test nation, including South Africa. The sooner he's back taking the new ball for England, the better.

Claims for Onions, Bresnan, Panesar, Morgan and Root are all valid, which is why Flower and Cook have a good selection headache before the first test in 9 days time.

Who would your XI be?