MARCUS TRESCOTHICK
Age: 30 Tests: 76
(2 as captain, W1, L1)
Batting: 5,825 runs at 43.79
Bowling: 1 wicket
Highlight: Making 219 and 69* as England beat South Africa at the Oval in 2003 and drew series
Low point: Having to leave England’s tour of India last winter for a combination of stress and illness
ANDREW STRAUSS
Age: 29 Tests: 31
(4 as captain, W3, D1)
Batting: 2,597 runs at 46.37
Highlight: Pick any of his ten hundreds, including one on debut and three in four Tests away to South Africa
Low point: Only 44 runs in four innings in Pakistan last winter
ANDREW FLINTOFF
Age: 28 Tests: 62
(6 as captain, W2, D2, L2)
Batting: 3,127 runs at 32.91
Bowling: 186 wickets at 31.32
Highlight: His first-innings hundred in the Ashes at Trent Bridge last summer that set up a crucial win
Low point: A pair and no wickets in his second match in 1998 led to him missing the next ten Tests
ALASTAIR COOK
Age: 21 Tests: 9
Batting: 761 runs at 54.35
Highlight: 60 and 104* on debut in India last winter. Two more hundreds against Pakistan this summer
Low point: Edging behind when in sight of his hundred at Lord’s against Sri Lanka
KEVIN PIETERSEN
Age: 26 Tests: 18
Batting: 1,597 runs at 48.39
Bowling: 1 wicket
Highlight: His Ashes-winning innings of 158 at the Oval last year
Low point: Dropping six catches during last summer’s Ashes series
Advertisement
PAUL COLLINGWOOD
Age: 30 Tests: 15
Batting: 1,027 runs at 41.08
Bowling: 1 wicket
Highlight: His 134* at Nagpur in the first Test against India last winter
Low point: A gap of 23 Tests between his second and third appearances for England
IAN BELL
Age: 24 Tests: 18
Batting: 1,287 runs at 47.66
Bowling: 1 wicket
Highlight: Three centuries in four innings against Pakistan this summer
Low point: 171 runs in ten innings during the last Ashes, 124 of them at Old Trafford
CHRIS READ
Age: 28 Tests: 13
Batting: 325 runs at 20.31
Fielding: 37 catches, 5 stumpings
Highlight: Making 38 and 55 on his return to the England side at Headingley Carnegie last month
Low point: Ducking into a slower ball from Chris Cairns at Lord’s in his second innings and being bowled
GERAINT JONES
Age: 30 Tests: 31
Batting: 1,109 runs at 25.79
Fielding: 119 catches, 5 stumpings
Highlight: Making 85 in a stand of 177 with Flintoff at Trent Bridge last year
Low point: Contributed just 81 runs in ten England innings before being dropped
SAJID MAHMOOD
Age: 24 Tests: 5
Batting: 63 runs at 15.75
Bowling: 15 wickets at 33.2
Highlight: Taking six wickets at Headingley Carnegie as England beat Pakistan this summer
Low point: Being hit for 173 runs in 21 overs by Sri Lanka in the one-day series this year
Advertisement
MATTHEW HOGGARD
Age: 29 Tests: 58
Batting: 414 runs at 7.81
Bowling: 222 wickets at 29.76
Highlight: 12 wickets at Johannesburg in 2005 as England won series v South Africa
Low point: Match figures of nought for 164 in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane in 2002
STEPHEN HARMISON
Age: 28 Tests: 45
Batting: 505 runs at 11.47
Bowling: 179 wickets at 28.81
Highlight: Seven wickets for 12 runs at Sabina Park in 2004 as West Indies are bowled out for 47
Low point: A miserable tour of South Africa in 2004-05 when he suffered from home sickness and an injured calf
MONTY PANESAR
Age: 24 Tests: 10
Batting: 51 runs at 10.2
Bowling: 32 wickets at 32.4
Highlight: His six wickets on a batting pitch at Headingley last month
Low point: Has made a couple of hideous fielding errors, including dropped catches at Lord’s and Bombay
ASHLEY GILES
Age: 33 Tests: 52
Batting: 1,347 runs at 20.72
Bowling: 140 wickets at 39.6
Highlight: His 100th Test wicket: a ripper that bowled Brian Lara at Lord’s, one of his nine wickets in the match
Low point: Being likened to a wheelie-bin by Henry Blofeld
LIAM PLUNKETT
Age: 21 Tests: 6
Batting: 69 runs at 8.62
Bowling: 16 wickets at 37.56
Highlight: Six wickets for 60 runs in the second npower Test against Sri Lanka this summer
Low point: Only 19 runs in his first six Test innings
Advertisement
JAMES ANDERSON
Age: 24 Tests: 13
Batting: 89 runs at 14.83
Bowling: 41 wickets at 33
Highlight: Being called up in 2002 for England after only three games for Lancashire, bowled ten overs for 12 runs in Adelaide
Low point: A string of injuries, most recently to his lower back at the start of this season
SCHEDULE
Nov 10, Canberra:
v Prime Minister’s XI
Nov 12-14, Sydney:
v New South Wales
Nov 17-19, Adelaide:
v South Australia
Nov 23-27, Brisbane:
First Test
Dec 1-5, Adelaide:
Second Test
Dec 9-10, Perth:
v Western Australia
Dec 14-18, Perth:
Third Test
Dec 26-30, Melbourne:
Fourth Test
Jan 2-6, Sydney:
Fifth Test
One-day series
Jan 9: Only Twenty20 International in Sydney
Jan 12 – Feb 6: Eight round-robin one-day matches between Australia, England and N Zealand
Feb 9-13: One-day finals in Melbourne, Sydney and
National Academy squad
Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Rikki Clarke, Jamie Dalrymple, Steven Davies, Ed Joyce, Robert Key, Jon Lewis, Graham Onions, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Tom Smith, Chris Tremlett, Michael Yardy
Advertisement
WORDS: Patrick Kidd