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My Wednesday’s post – “England deserve number one Test ranking” – evoked a wide variety of responses. Some asked: could ‘soft’ Alastair Cook and Ian Bell get into a current Australian Test XI? This gave me an idea: why not select the best Anglo-Australian combined XI based on recent form?
First let us look at the England Test XI which is making the once strong India look so vulnerable.
In batting order: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Jimmy Anderson.
All are in form, the team working like a well-oiled machine.
On current form, how many Australians can replace players of this team? Australia has started the ODI leg of their Sri Lankan tour with a flourish; a seven wicket win with 71 balls in hand. And that too against the current World Cup runners up!
Man of the match Mitchell Johnson was at his best with a 6-31 spell. But how long will he wear the Dr Jekyll lab coat and when will he switch back to Mr Hyde’s horns?
Shane Watson started off in a frenzy of five fours and six sixes, belting 69 runs off 51 balls. Former captain Ricky Ponting and new skipper Michael Clarke scored 50s and added 101 for the third wicket.
This is the question. How many of the Australians will get into a combined Anglo-Australia XI?
Watson has done well in all forms of the game and deserves to be included.
But not as an opener as Strauss and Cook have performed consistently as a pair in 2010-11. I can see Watson come in later in the order to replace Morgan.
Who else in the batting line-up? Trott can make way for Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey or Ricky Ponting. But none of them have shown the spanking form of their yesteryears.
If only Simon Katich can be resurrected.
I cannot see Brad Haddin or Tim Paine replacing the in-form Prior behind the stumps. Nor any Aussie quickie can take over from the efficient and focussed English seamers Anderson, Broad and Bresnan.
I am talking of current form and not potential.
Swann has been a disappointment so far against India but he is still ahead of Australian rooky tweakers Xavier Doherty, Nathan Lyon and Michael Beer and the inconsistent Steven Smith.
So here is my combined 2011 Anglo-Australian team in batting order:
Strauss, Cook, Katich, Pietersen, Bell, Watson, Prior, Bresnan, Broad, Swann and Anderson.
Sadly for us here down under, only two Australians, Katich and Watson, make it to the combined XI. And more sadly, thanks to our selectors, Katich cannot make it even to an Australian squad!
The irony of it!