In the course of my travels over the last couple of days, I’ve watched Ravi Bopara and Alastair Cook get out for one and four respectively at Lord’s, seen Kent skipper Rob Key score an assured 90 only to miss out on a ton when he was lbw to a straight one at Northampton, and called in at The Oval to sit in on an interview with Mark Ramprakash, to hear him say he’d definitely play for England again, if asked.

What a week this is turning into for speculation, counter-speculation and player watching.

Once Bopara and Cook were dismissed at Lord’s, England selector James Whitaker sat in the media centre, glued to the television, awaiting news of Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott from Trent Bridge.

The skies were leaden and it wasn’t a good day for batting. Who’d be an England selector?

Wholesale changes aren’t needed for the Oval. Yes, England had a horrendous time at Headingley, batted and bowled abysmally, but you don’t become a terrible side overnight (or even in two-and-a-half days as the case may be). Read more…

Administrator Ashes Alastair Cook, Ashes, Blogs.CMDN.com, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Edgbaston, England, Headingley, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Kent, Kevin Pietersen, Leeds, Lord's, Mark Ramprakash, Ravi Bopara, Rob Key, The Oval, Trent Bridge

The England selectors will be forced to take a gamble in making a straight swap of Ian Bell for the injured Kevin Pietersen at No 4 in the order, simply because there is no one else of Test stature.

So, to Birmingham’s Bullring without one rather decent matador. Kevin Pietersen is out, and only the ill-informed xenophobes – and, goodness, haven’t a few of them reared their ugly heads recently! – will take pleasure in his premature departure from this Npower series.

England have experienced their Glenn McGrath moment: 1-0 up and calamity has struck. Unlike Edgbaston in 2005, when Australia’s beanpole quick stood on a stray ball moments before the toss, England have at least had prior notice of the absence of such an influential figure. But, still, it is some blow.

As England’s finest batsman by a country mile, Pietersen will be gravely missed. Even when incapacitated by injury, he still top-scored in the first innings at Cardiff, and made 32 and 44 (albeit in ugly fashion) at Lord’s. He has a presence and a game that the Australians fear.

And England’s problem is that his replacement, Ian Bell, doesn’t possess either. In 10 Tests he has not managed a century against the oldest enemy. As Australia had to in 2005 Read more…

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