There's a rock-paper-scissors thing going on. Broad is a better choice than Collingwood, because he's performing better with bat and ball. But Harmison is a better choice than Broad because of his bowling, and Collingwood is a better choice than Harmison because we desperately need a proper batsman at 6.
So it boils down to what shape the team should be. I guess the selectors are scared of Flintoff/Ambrose at 6/7, whoever comes after. But since Collingwood wasn't good enough to keep them at 7/8 at Headingley, I don't see why he's the man for the job at Edgbaston: if we aren't prepared to call Flintoff or Ambrose a batsman, then we should pick someone in form for number 6.
Then again, I like all-rounders anyway, so I want to give Broad every chance to turn into a good one, even if it does mean Flintoff at 6. If he really is fatigued, fair enough, we have to rotate him. Since we don't have another Test all-rounder it's a tricky choice. I'd understand replacing him with either a bowler (Harmison) or with a batsman (Shah? Ramprakash!), but having sent Collingwood away to find form, declaring that he's done so less than two weeks later because he had a good one-day knock is just bizarre.
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Date: 2008-07-30 05:33 pm (UTC)So it boils down to what shape the team should be. I guess the selectors are scared of Flintoff/Ambrose at 6/7, whoever comes after. But since Collingwood wasn't good enough to keep them at 7/8 at Headingley, I don't see why he's the man for the job at Edgbaston: if we aren't prepared to call Flintoff or Ambrose a batsman, then we should pick someone in form for number 6.
Then again, I like all-rounders anyway, so I want to give Broad every chance to turn into a good one, even if it does mean Flintoff at 6. If he really is fatigued, fair enough, we have to rotate him. Since we don't have another Test all-rounder it's a tricky choice. I'd understand replacing him with either a bowler (Harmison) or with a batsman (Shah? Ramprakash!), but having sent Collingwood away to find form, declaring that he's done so less than two weeks later because he had a good one-day knock is just bizarre.