Harmison’s exclusion correct decision in balanced squad
The announcement of England’s squad for the First Ashes Test contained few surprises in light of the recent cricket which has been played with only the exclusion of Steve Harmison of particular note. Ian Bell and Graeme Onions have been added to the side who played Warwickshire last week and now discussion turns to the balance of the XI who will aim to come out with a bang on Wednesday.
It seems unlikely that Bell will break into the team after failing twice against Australia for the Lions and with all the England batsmen other than Kevin Pietersen, who is untouchable in terms of selection, having scored runs in last week’s warm-up. The fate of Onions, who performed creditably for the Lions despite being outbowled by Harmison, lies with the groundsman and England’s reading of the wicket. They will think long and hard before deciding whether to go with just the one spinner in Graeme Swann which would accommodate Onions, or whether to play Swann and Monty Panesar in tandem as they did last week.
In making this decision, they will also consider whether Andrew Flintoff, destined to bat at 7 below Matt Prior, is able to take on the workload that would be required as part of a 3-man seam attack. Either way, his inclusion solves the dilemma over the balance of the side which the selectors faced earlier in the summer and means England’s batting has real depth with Broad and Swann at 8 and 9. Number 7 was one place too high for Broad but was necessary in order to field an attack that could take 20 wickets. Despite his recent batting travails, Flintoff’s return restores the balance.
Harmison’s exclusion comes in spite of his recent good form with the ball but is surely a reflection of the selectors’ misgivings about his fragile temperament. Whenever he has returned to county cricket he has taken wickets and caused damage but equally whenever he has been recalled he has once again looked like the mentally weak man who has caused such hand-wringing over recent years. He remains the great enigma of this generation of England cricketers.
Ricky Ponting’s contribution to the debate has been an interesting one. Harmison has long been a man admired by the Aussies but that most mentally-strong of peoples know a weakness when they see one and love a mind game or two. If Ponting really rated Harmison as highly as he does then he would not be calling for his inclusion by England and would not be labelling him a potential ‘all-time great’. Ponting knows that if England include Harmison and Australia get on top of him then his demeanour could damage the England side as a whole. It would also increase the load on Flintoff making it more likely that his fragile body will fail to last the distance. The England selectors are right to ignore his words and exclude Harmison.
If Harmison is the most frustrating bowler, Ian Bell holds that dubious distinction for the batsmen. 5 years into his test career, he still at times looks the lost little boy who struggled so badly in 2005. In contrast to many players in this era of improvisation, he is so technically correct that opponents can predict precisely where he is going to hit any given ball. He does not do the unexpected. This makes it very easy to set a field to him, dry up the runs and frustrate him. This explains why he consistently gets a start and then gets out as frustration and pressure get the better of him. He is a player from a bygone era and unless he addresses his limitations, he promises to join the dubious Hall of Unfulfilled Talents alongside Graeme Hick, Mark Ramprakash and Chris Lewis.
In reality, the team has largely picked itself. With Bopara now entrenched in the number 3 spot, the top order is settled although Collingwood could do with some runs (how often have we said that in recent years and how often does he deliver under the greatest of pressure?). Prior, despite his occasionally erratic keeping, is a shoo-in with his test average of 48. Anderson and Broad have led the attack with aplomb and Swann has made the spinner’s spot his own. The only decision then, is Panesar or Onions. Hopefully the selectors won’t get too carried away with the perception that we have the edge in spin bowling and make an objective decision.
Roll on Wednesday.
By Stuart Peel
