Check out who our experts have in their squads - then tweet your 15 to @SkyCricket
Saturday 20 December 2014 20:00, UK
It’s crunch time for England ahead of the Tri- Series against Australia and India and the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Our expert panel of Sir Ian Botham, Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton have convened to decide who should be on the plane come January 6 when the 15-man party flies out.
Check out the players our pundits have chosen – then tell us where they have cracked it, and where England could come a cropper by tweeting your squad to @SkyCricket #worldcup15 before the selectors reveal their hand at 11am on Saturday.
BOTHAM'S 15
"Going from 11 to one, you will have James Anderson and Stuart Broad back in to boost the bowling with Chris Jordan and Chris Woakes as the other two seamers as I think they have leapfrogged Ben Stokes for a starting place. Jos Buttler, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Joe Root, James Taylor and Moeen Ali then pick themselves – but everyone knows I wouldn’t haven't picked Alastair Cook, as I’ve been saying that for a year. It’s not personal – I think he should stay as Test captain for as long as he wants – but it's purely and simply on what I've seen in one-day cricket. I think Alex Hales is a far better bet for the kind of cricket we want to play in Australia, while I’d give the captaincy to Eoin Morgan.
"So that’s my 11 sorted and as for the others I think Steve Finn should go and perhaps come in for Woakes at some stage but obviously not bat as high as eight. You need the spin option of James Tredwell, who has bowled pretty well for England in one-day cricket for a while, and I would also take Gary Ballance as another batting option. He is the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year, yet can’t get a look-in with regards to the one-day side, which I think is a little odd.”
Botham’s 15: Morgan (c), Hales, Moeen Ali, Taylor, Root, Bopara, Buttler, Woakes, Jordan, Broad, Anderson, Ballance, Tredwell, Finn, Stokes
HUSSAIN’S 15
"The only debate for me when I came to pick my squad was who should be the spare batsman? Six months ago I would have picked a more dynamic player in the mould of Jason Roy or Luke Wright but at this late stage that might be a gamble too far because England will need some experience to fall back on. As a top three Alex Hales, Moeen Ali and James Taylor lack experience in Australian conditions, although Hales is out there at the moment in the Big Bash. You can have a lot of peaks and troughs as a young player so with that in mind I’d take Ian Bell as cover for his experience and because he’s got a pretty good record.
"All the talk about Alastair Cook’s position in the side over the last few months has masked more important issues affecting the side, such as Eoin Morgan’s lack of form. I’ve given him the captaincy because it looks like it lifts his game. If England are going to do well in the World Cup – and I still think they can do well – Morgan has to fire. I also want wicket-takers in my side, which is why I’ve gone for James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn – with the all-rounders Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes and Chris Jordan to fill in."
Hussain’s 15: Hales, Moeen Ali, Taylor, Root, Morgan (c), Buttler, Bopara, Woakes, Stokes, Anderson, Broad, Finn, Tredwell, Jordan, Bell.
ATHERTON’S 15
"It’s much easier to make bold selections when you aren’t involved in the process so I must stress that I haven’t picked my squad with the benefit of hindsight – nor am I just pulling names out of a hat now. When I saw Sam Billings four years ago, I said he should be playing in England's next World Cup side and was scoffed at. He's not far away now, but he would have been closer had his development been fast-tracked. Alex Hales, likewise, ought to have played more ODI cricket than he has, as I've said repeatedly since I saw him score 150 for Nottinghamshire years ago. Although Adil Rashid topped the Royal London One-Day Cup averages for Yorkshire last year (21 wickets @19.48) and took more wickets in the tournament than anyone else, his selection is a punt but with Moeen Ali bowling off-spin, he provides balance and wicket-taking capabilities. That said, it is tough on James Tredwell.
"On his best form, Alastair Cook would get in the side for his ability to open against two white balls on Australian pitches, but he seems a long way from his best form right now. This is a very inexperienced batting side but that's because of how the team has stalled over the last two years. England must be bold because they don’t have much to lose!"
Atherton’s 15: Hales, Moeen Ali, Ballance, Root, Morgan (c), Taylor, Buttler, Stokes, Woakes, Anderson, Broad, Finn, Rashid, Billings, Bopara
Watch England’s Tri-series against Australia and India – and the ICC Cricket World Cup – live on Sky Sports in 2015.
