A measure of the crisis is clear from the fact that the selectorial triumvirate of Duncan Fletcher, David Graveney and Geoff Miller were meeting yesterday for the third time in a week to try to hammer out squads for the tour and its warm-up act, the ICC Champions Trophy in India.
They were unanimous on possibly this alone: that for Australia they were seeking 16 players plus five reserves, who will be located at Paul Terry’s highly respected academy in Perth; and for India 14 players.
“We’re pretty near finally making up those squads,” Fletcher said, “but some decisions still have to be made.” These were the choice of captain and which semi-fit players should be risked. Those who have been injured or haven’t played much will have asterisks by their names indicating that they will tour only if they continue to make good progress with their rehabilitation. Asked how many of these there might be, Fletcher quipped: “Sixteen.”
In reality, there may be about four: Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles, James Anderson and Liam Plunkett. Everybody will undergo medicals at Loughborough tomorrow, but all the recovering players appear to be making good progress.
England are looking at Anderson and Plunkett playing in the final round of County Championship matches, Anderson as a loan player with another county (possibly Glamorgan, one of the few teams not involved in promotion or relegation issues) as Lancashire don’t want to compromise their title challenge by fielding somebody coming back from a six-month lay-off.
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It would perhaps be insensitive to put an asterisk next to Marcus Trescothick’s name, but there has to be a question mark over whether he will be well enough to tour Australia after it was revealed last week that he would miss India to continue treatment for stress. Presumably selectorial fingers are crossed that Steve Harmison, a notorious victim of homesickness, remains in good spirits ahead of his longest winter on the road.
A great deal of interest has centred on whether Flintoff or Andrew Strauss gets the captaincy. There are arguments on both sides, but Flintoff remains favourite, if for no other reason than potentially the most disruptive course of action would be to pass him over. He desperately wants the job and would have to be placated.
“We’re very confident of Flintoff being available as a batter (for India),” Fletcher said yesterday. “In a week’s time we’ll be more clear on where he stands, but there’s a very good chance he’ll be bowling in the nets there. We haven’t decided on the captain, but we’ve got a very good idea who we want. Leading England in Australia is a very difficult job but a fantastic opportunity. It’s the hardest tour you can go on.”
The argument against Flintoff is that it is another burden on an already overworked cricketer. But if Michael Vaughan is fit to return in January, Flintoff’s burden might be only temporary. Until a line is drawn under Vaughan’s career, England are not picking a long-term captain but a short-term deputy. Easy, then, to plump for Fred.
England are trying to cover for every eventuality by locating a group of back-up players inside Australia. The facility developed by Terry, the former England batsman, is excellent and will allow the group to enjoy bespoke training in the driest climate in Australia.
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The Australians will leap on Vaughan’s presence in Perth as evidence that England lack faith in their appointed captain, but he can dispense advice in the lead-up to the first Test in Brisbane, a gladiatorial occasion that could leave everybody feeling stressed.
Others may include two spare fast bowlers (possibly Stuart Broad and Chris Tremlett), a spare batsman (preferably an opener to cover for Trescothick, so perhaps Robert Key, who has toured Australia before) and a spare spinner (probably Jamie Dalrymple).
Giles, who expects to be playing again soon, looks set to continue his rehab with the Champions Trophy squad next month, and England appear eager to get him back in the Test side with all possible haste. His name could be the biggest surprise/risk in the 16 for Australia.
“Ashley’s pretty confident,” Fletcher said. “He’ll be right on the edge (fitness wise). He’s started to walk-through his action today, but we might need him in the Ashes.”
Given that Australian pitches outside Brisbane are less favourable to fast bowling than they used to be, and England harbour doubts about whether their fourth seamer will prove potent (Sajid Mahmood, Plunkett, Anderson and Broad are the candidates) they are giving serious thought to fielding Giles and Monty Panesar in the same side should the opportunity arise.
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If Flintoff’s all-round talents are indispensable in the Ashes, Trescothick’s presence is not far behind. If he doesn’t play, England have a two-fold problem: they must compensate for his exemplary catching at slip; and Strauss and Alastair Cook must forge a successful opening partnership, because England have rarely won in Australia without one (take Geoff Boycott and John Edrich/Brian Luckhurst in 1970-71 and Chris Broad and Bill Athey in 1986-87). Optimists may point out that England won in Australia without Graham Gooch, their most experienced opening bat, 20 years ago, but pessimists can counter with the fact that the 1974-75 side could not withstand Boycott’s absence.
Fletcher conceded how tough the problems of the past 12 months have been. “It’s been very difficult. Everyone (who played in the Ashes) was 30 or under. You’d have thought for four years we could have been up there with the best. But we’ve had so many injuries to star players, real world-class players such as Flintoff, Vaughan, Trescothick, Harmison and (Simon) Jones. It’s a huge loss.”
The Trescothick situation is a big test of Fletcher’s appetite for continuing to renew a team he has managed for seven years. Fletcher, who gave Trescothick his full support, has picked him more times than any other player and has yet to drop him. That option could soon be upon him if Trescothick’s form slump continues.
Significantly, he has looked a diminished player since he rejected the captaincy role that was his for the taking by walking out on the team in India. For a normally selfless man, that must have been hard to come to terms with; perhaps he has yet to do so.
In a clumsy, roundabout way, he had finally chosen to do what was best for himself, an act he has repeated by accepting his therapist’s advice not to go to India. His meetings since March with psychiatrists may be teaching him to re-examine and reappraise his motivations, and perhaps they are lessened as a result.
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He seems to struggle to concentrate as well as he once did. Often he has played himself in, only to get out to a loose shot. At The Oval he allowed himself to be sledged out by Pakistan’s short leg, Faisal Iqbal. The Australians will spare him nothing. The danger is that a couple of low scores in Brisbane, and his tour could unravel fast.