With the selection of the side for the First Ashes Test, the English selectors have shown that they are willing to stick to their convictions and bet on the nucleus of the side that they have built since the start of the English summer.
If I was an English supporter, I would be in two minds. I would be happy that they have kept the team that has been the one that Andrew Strauss, Andy Flower and the selectors have been grooming for this series.
It is a side that has a good mixture of experience and youth – youth that has not suffered any scars of losing to Australia.
Importantly, it is a side that is in form which is a lesson that they have learnt from their Australian tour in 2006/07.
All that said, I would have been so tempted to throw in Steve Harmison for the Cardiff game. He bowled very well against Australia in the warm up game in Worcester and rattled the Australians in a similar vein as he did at Lords four years ago.
How tempting would it have been to throw him in and see if he couldn’t repeat the going-over he gave Phillip Hughes?
If he succeeded, it would have been the ideal start for the English – bearing in mind that they have to win the series to take the Ashes.
It does show however, that there is complete faith in James Anderson to lead the attack and along with Stuart Broad, try and exploit the apparent weakness discovered in Hughes, the vulnerability Ricky Ponting has shown early in his innings, and try and cause havoc to the Australian middle order.
My main fear is that Australia will underestimate the great improvements that Anderson has made since he first played against them. He has been their most consistent bowler in recent times and he will be keen to make his mark from the first ball.
The key, as always, will be Andrew Flintoff.
They will be looking at him to contribute significantly; particularly with the ball. He inspires with his performances which if he is successful, he will drag the entire side along with him in his slipstream.
Conversely, if he fails to fire there may well be a lot of sideways glances in the rooms wondering if it is all in the past.
One other thing that this side shows is that the Cardiff pitch will not turn square from the get-go, as many, many English predicted since the itinerary was announced. The inclusion of Graham Onions definitely is a case of hedging bets in case there is more than a tinge of green on the track.
It is a bell-weather that Australia should not ignore.
England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior, Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Monty Panesar, Ian Bell, Graham Onions.
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