Test Match Special - England’s Ashes squad 2027

Episode Date: August 4, 2023

Daniel Norcross is joined by a selection panel of Sir Alastair Cook, TMS stats guru Andy Zaltzman and the chief cricket writer of the BBC Sport website Stephan Shemilt to try and predict what England���s Ashes line-up could look like when the series is next played in England. Will Ben Stokes still be leading the team in 4 years, who will be the replacements for Broad and Anderson and which current young county players could be Ashes series starters in 2027.

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We are going to select the England men's test team for the 2027 ashes. And I don't think we've got much better people here to help us do that. We've got Andy Zaltzman here. We'll be crunching the numbers. We've got Alastair Cook, who's playing county cricket at the moment in the first division. So we'll have seen many good young players out there and played against them. I've no doubt. And me, who's obsessed with Surrey, so this side is going to contain most of Surrey's current first 11.

And Stefan Schemald, who, is our chief cricket writer on the BBC Sport or website. I'm going to pick a squad of 16, by the way, because I think the team is a fool's errand. We're going to pick a squad of 16 players. We've made it harder for us. No, we haven't. It's made it easy, actually,

because it means we don't have to... We can add a few more batters in there. Okay. And what have you? Who's chairman of selectors here? I'm chairman of selectors. Okay, because I've sat in selection meetings. Yeah?

And the chairman kind of doesn't give his ideas. He just sits and writes down the notes and then announces the team at the end. Well, I will help the conversation moving the right direction by making suggestions. That's what I wanted you to throw all the suggestions than I could just cross or tick them. But no, your chairman, you're older, that's fine.

Yeah, all right. Is this what these selection meetings really like? Is this what Alex Bencer had to put up with back of the 80s? What I suggest we first do is just take a look at our huge names in England cricket. and ask ourselves, will they be here in four years' time? So, question mark over the captain. How old is Ben Stokes currently?

32. So with his knee and everything that's got to go on over the course of the next four years, is he still captain? But Stokes would be 36. Be 36. With his knee. So younger than Broadies now.

Yeah. And a talismanic character that's on a mission that could be his last series. could that be his farewell? The problem is, the problem is, if we in this box now are going to say

that Ben Stokes is not in that squad, I don't want that getting back to him. Let's put Ben Stokes here in here as captain. Skipper for six years. It would have been a long time as captain.

Six years, five years, only last year, only started last June. How long were you, Skipper? Four and a half. And Rudy?

Five. Five. I suppose, and it's the end of a natural cycle. The difference for Ben Stokes, I guess we can throw in there and not for one second, am I writing Ben Stokes off, but his options

as a cricketer are going to be relatively large, knee or no knee, and let's think, let's be optimistic and hope that Ben Stokes can get his knee sorted over the next six months. Let's err on the side of optimism. He will have lots of options towards the end of his career

which may make test cricket less attractive. I think we can throw that into the mix. Ben Stokes could be one of the first cricketers given a multi-year central contract by the ECB he would be the ideal candidate if you ask me for what he's done for the team in the last 15 months 14 months

let's put him in let's put him in his last final he'd have made 170 test matches by then but that would be his last arrive looking at Anderson and broad we talk about natural cycles the whole time if we're picking a 16 month squad we've got space for ben stoaks haven't we

absolutely okay ben's done but he's setting the tenor now the next one Obviously I need to ask about, is Joe Root. How old will Joe Root be at this point? Joe Root is currently 32 and seven months. So surely, as a batter, 36 years old, going out on a high at the Oval. I'm not writing Joe Root out for the, writing him off for the 2013 one, I shes. Joe Root is in the side.

Do we agree with that? Well, no, hang on. Maybe he asked the Cox's about to give us a scoop. No, I'm not giving any scoop. I'm thinking about how hard it is to maintain that. the pinnick to be at the pinnacle for as long as root he would have been if he's playing in 27 yeah he's 15 years he's beaten tendoka oh yeah absolutely and that's what's motivating him fine so he didn't motivate you you just wanted 10,000 you told us yesterday but root

he won 16,000 yeah I let's put him in let's put him in I don't but I think both of them will be there but let's let's let's try it yeah let's try it and he gets to his 16,000's run at the oval and then announces his retirement and walks off the oval it walks off at the oval. Yeah, we like that. Okay. But it'd be like Bradman and Bagwood. I'm really looking forward to... We might have a lot of people wandering off the oval in 2027. So we're waving to the crowd. Also, I'm not looking forward to this coming

back out in five years' time. And we'd are going to look like, right, idiots. I'm looking forward to this match. I think it's going to be super the oval in four years, judging by this. Two greats of the game, walking off, hand in hand. So we've got Stokes and Root. Who else? Anderson, no. Yeah, I think we can safely say that.

Yes, Anderson, no. Wokes, no. Wokes, Wokes, no. Wood, no. would no would know for more years now johnny is the other one to discuss he is isn't he how old's johnny now almost 34 yeah i think i think it's a no to johnny and again i don't want anyone

to tell johnny bearsstone no you do stephen because then i'll want to prove you wrong and that's making more likely to make it but also you know he will have wonderful whiteball options right in johnny bears stay huge whiteboard and that's something we have to factor in i've done predictions on where there will be T20 leagues during the 2027 summer and they include Venezuela, Mongolia

Senegal, Antarctica and Mars. I'm just going to turn into an absolute debacle. Like every other selection, meaning. North Korea, I suppose that's also a possibility. Right. So, how many other members of this team have we not yet discussed?

We've got the opening. We've got Crawley and Duckett. I'm going to put these on the side here for discussion in a moment. We've got Brooke, of course. who else have we got we got leach that we need to put up here got pope who's 25 obviously but well yes you're talking about the squad from this year well he's a shoeing moeen moeen's gone noein's gone there were josh tong and

a josh tongue yes matthew pots matthew pots dan lawrence yeah another good surrey player rayan armid has been a member of the ashie squad this summer that's an unbelievable dig that's a low blow i'm sorry about that but you know So what did you say the last one? Ray and Arbid. Yeah, sorry. Robinson. Ollie Robinson?

How old's Robbins? Yeah, he's got time on his side. He is 29 and a half. So it could be touch and go. I don't mind with a questionable fitness record for years. It might be a stretch. Just quickly, just gets on to Zoltz, quickly. How, what is the longest opening partnership, like, lasted?

As in, like, through history, because we're kind of writing down, crawling. I'm just quickly thinking while we're naming names. How long has a partner, like Hayden Langer, how long did they go for? It's a good question. How long did we go for? Just because we're kind of right in Crawling Duckett and then that's four and a half years

of international cricket for them still too doing it. It seems unlikely in terms of... With Duckett potentially a three-format player for England as well. Because I would have them as a shooting as in mentally now, you say, not a shoe into it. Before I came up here and we talked about that this might be on. the cards. There's an argument to say that England's

top five, regular top five, if Pope is here instead of Ben Stokes, might not be any different. And there's an argument to say you... That never happens? Yeah, of course. You know, at the moment there's no debate over the place in the team of any of those five players

and time is on their side, but we know that cricket doesn't work like that. And I was trying to think, out of those names, who's the most vulnerable? And I was coming up with the guy who might be the next captain. I was I was of those five. If I had to stick my neck on the line now to say,

who is most first out of the England team, it might be Olly Pope. It might be. I'll tell you what. We're going to just go back to first principles first. Sorry, we just jump to. This is exactly how I select your meeting starts.

You just go everywhere. Good. Well, at least we're replicating it. That's exactly how it goes. Just need the bottle of wine. What I want is, I think... Do we have a budget for that? We have 16 players to select,

and we need one. keeper and possibly a reserve keeper but of course that could be duck it, it could be Pope, it could be Jamie Smith, we'll see. I want one specialist keeper, right? And I've just seen one that

very well could be that man I mean a specialist keeper we need eight batters of which two are openers. Yeah, maybe an all-rounder seven batters. Seven batters an all-rounder, so let's put one-time's keeper

seven out-and-out batters of which two are openers at least one all-rounder one all-rounder and then we've got seven bowlers to select of which at least one should be a spinner

I mean it's in England so we'll probably only be one spinner play okay although if we're making a squad we should probably have two spinners we should have two spinners do have two spinners

and six seam bowlers Matt Butterworth has been in touch and I'm good I'm glad we got a suggestion And I like this suggestion because I think for me he's the hopeful shoe in for four years time because we're investing a lot of time and effort

in this band. James Rue of Somerset five first class centuries already he's not even 20 yet. And I think actually it's where your list of types of cricketers might be a little bit rigid there down. Okay. Because I'm going to just throw a couple of rounder? Well I'm going to

James Rue, Jamie Smith Olly Robinson, the other Ollie Robinson, the Durham. We can also keep. Yeah, so we're looking at keepers who can potentially play as specialist batters. We might be in a little bit of a

Johnny Bearstow, Joss Butler situation with some of these guys. They could even just be in the side of specialist batters. So I think they could be certainly around the squad, Rue, Smith, Olly Robinson. And you're all around... And Ben Folks. Who, how...

A little bit older, isn't he? We've also... I mean, because we've got Ben Stokes as captain James Rue doesn't quite fit into the his mould of playing yet

yet he is a phenomenal player in terms of the statistics he has delivered as a night I'm going back to 19 when I play to score 5 hundreds in the first division and quite often this year he's got one last six

five this year sorry and quite often he's been coming in at 80 for 4 so he's delivered like crucial runs for so one of those hundreds was against Lancashire who bowling their keeper and their thing at the end so but that's not

that's not ruling and so he is a phenomenal player but yet doesn't quite wouldn't fit the Benstoke's mould of taking the opposition on it's just he he is what you'd call a classical batsman you know seems like he probably has more shots

than he's shown but he just scores runs doing nicely so So on that basis, would Josh Bowhannon also perhaps have to be overlooked? Well, I love Josh Bowhannon. He's been very consistent. He's one of those players who, probably this year, like if we get his stats at his start, he got a lot of starts, doesn't he? Lots of 40s, 50s.

I think he can play more aggressively than he does, but he's quite short in stature, so he's quite compact. I like him. I do like him, I think, and he's gone on a couple of. lines, tours and done pretty well. There's another name I think who could come into the middle order and churning out runs for fun in all formats. I think that's Sam Hain.

And he's not a basball at all. Like he's not a he is a you know he hasn't based his game you know when I first saw him he was Jonathan Trott's manners as well it's less so now but very absolutely his statistics

you know are very good certainly like I think in one day cricket he's averaging over 50 in one day cricket but He's not a, he is like the rock you'd build a traditional, like middle order around, like the consistent thing, but not, again, not a player who you would stand up. So even in one day cricket and go, well, he is going to win a game for me outright. And I think, you know, that's what Owen Morgan's theory was when he was picking the one day squad, wasn't it?

I want my top six that if it's their day, they win the game of cricket for them. And that's how he's selected side. Hence why his stats would say he would have been in and around those squatters. and they'll definitely talk about it, but he didn't get any, didn't get the selection nod because of that. We've had a whole squad suggestion, which I'm just going to run through to give you an idea of just how difficult this task is going to be, because Ellie Porter has been in touch, clearly not a Surrey fan. I would suggest, I don't know, she may not be a fan of any particular county, but she's got a moderate Essex buyers. She's gone for Crawley and Hayne and Duckett, top of the order, Stokes as captain, Root Brook, Dan Lawrence, Olly Pope,

James Rue Sam Curran Josh Tunn Rehan Ahmed Jack Leach Joffra Archer that's going to be the elephant in the room

we need to discuss Sam Cooke Are you sure it's Sam I wondered but you ruled out a comeback yesterday There's no SRA there So I'm just checking

It could be you It could I hope it's not batting down there You ruled out Well just in case It's shorten the tail And Ollie Robinson

I presume Ollie Robinson The bowler Now my object objection to that squad is that it doesn't take into account two of the people. Well, there's at least one of these two, I think, is an absolute nailed uncertainty to be playing cricket for England in four years time. Can we clip that? Yes, we can. I want that clipped. Jamie Smith. I'm just pointing out how difficult this is going to be because we've got

Will Jackson and Jamie Smith both not in that squad of 16. And yet that was a pretty incredible squad that Ellie came up with there. So, First thing to say is that from where we're sitting at the moment, English cricket has got quite a healthy-looking group of youngsters and developing cricketers. Peter Jennings in Cholten has been in touch. Eddie Jack of Hampshire is a great prospect. There's a fast bowler who bats.

He's 18 now. So will be 22 in 2027. He could be the future of England's bowling attack. 22 might be a little young, but actually what England are lacking with the... We're anticipating here. No broad. No Anderson.

and no wokes and no wood is a completely changed pace bowling attack. So perhaps, because the batting is going to be pretty contentious, maybe we start with our fast bowling resources

and you as an opening bat and no man better else to cook having been around the county circuit this year to let us know who have been the most dangerous bowlers you've been facing on that circuit. Well, Carl Abbott,

Mohammed Abbas, they gave me a bit of trouble last week. Okay. Jimmy Anderson got you out twice. Jimi Anderson got me out twice. Dan Wall? None of them around. Yeah, Dan were horrible.

Well, he's actually qualified to play for England next year, so. Yeah, he didn't get me out this year. Well, I tell you, well, Gus Atkinson, I like. Did he get you out as well? He did get me out. Twice? Well, you obviously know the answer to that because you want to set it so smugly. But I did have 50 in the first.

It must have been a dodgy Lbw. Tell me about Gus Hackinson, because people have raved about him. I've seen a fair bit of him. He's quick. Does he do anything with the ball as well? Yeah, what surprised me about Gus Hackenskis. We saw him a couple years ago where he did just run in and bowl. So Stuart Meeker like

No he's taller He's like Stuart Meeker We remember him Skiddy Skidded it through Gus Saxons Definitely You know

Without using too much A cliche Hit the pitch And hit the bat hard bowler What I Look at him When I see him In bowl

I You feel there's a lot more In the tank Because he doesn't look Like he uses That much effort To get the ball Down there

A decent lick Apparently talking to him That is At the moment He is He is one of those players is it just, it looks easy, but actually he is striving for as much pace as he can get. But I do think that if looks like there's a bit more untapped pace there, so I like him.

And he did have, you know, raw skills in terms of the ability to move the ball. A bit like when I first saw Mark Wood, you know, obviously everyone was raving about this guy from Durham, but genuinely quick, got him in the nets in England, and he had the ability to swing and move the ball. I think he's improved his skills dramatically since. But, you know, so I like him. you don't know how these players are going to develop. I do like Gus Atkinson,

and I think, you know, if he develops on the upward curve, I think he could be there or thereabouts. I think with my, I'm going to be biased like you, your Surrey hat on my Essex hat, and I think Sam Cook should be one of our first names. What's holding him back at the moment? Because his wickets numbers are brilliant. Yeah, I mean, what's holding you back is he's been trying to get into the team

of Broad and Anderson and who and now Chris Wokes who do his role you know that's who that's his role he's not an express pace bowler I do think you know we've seen him in the hundred click 83 84 miles an hour so he's got that ability

to to bowl quicker than he can do in country because as we know it is a grind but he has done the hard yards he has done the he's bowled the donkey over he's bowled you know incredible amount for overstress We have a slightly smaller squad

than the rich boys at Surrey so he has to play he has to play more so his body is accustomed to that he's got good skills he's got the out swings he's got the in swing and the wobble seam he's an intelligent bowler

and I think just being around the England set when he will take him a little bit of adjusting just to the intensity of test cricket because I think that is a difference when you you almost have to bowl 85% to get through the season but in international cricket

there is none of that you have to be operating higher than that and I think that would be a little of adjustment but I think he is one of the replacements for when Broad and what Broaden has now gone but when Anderson and works go he is your holding bowler the one who doesn't miss length the one who finds something out of the pitch

and bowls and bowls and bowls for him well I know that he's a different type of bowler from Ollie Robinson but Ollie Robinson bowls at 81 miles an hour and has been hugely effective in test cricket So we know that anyone who could get late movement, late nip, if you're bowling it, look at one of your nemeses, what was his name, Mohammed Mdazif. Or Stuart Clark.

Or Stuart Clark. Terrific bowlers who bolt 78 to 80. Well, you know, Muhammad Dazir bowled 78 miles an hour, and yet the late movement is what matters. I don't think, I would doubt to see both Olli Rob, the bowler and Sam Cook in the same team. I would say, unless it's really, you know, I do think you'll need a slight difference,

but, you know, we're picking a squad of 16, 17. We are. And we've seen bowler rotation. William Robinson has chucked a couple of names into the mix. Bryden Kass, who of course played for England in that coat. It was because of COVID. He came into the one-day side and had a lot of pace and also very handy with a bat.

And he's better than a number nine. And we've got to think about our tale a little bit. And Hasib Hamid, who's not had a bad season and he's tried to add a bit more aggression to his game. game. Andy Zaltzman's crunching various numbers. Which ones are we looking at here? Well, looking at Sam Cook, who I've looked at championship cricket, including the Bob Willis Trophy in the summer of 2020, since the start of the decade. He's taken 167 wickets, average 16, with an economy rate of 2.3. Only Simon Harmer has more wickets in the championship

in that time, and only Ollie Robinson has a better average of bowlers who've taken 20 or more wickets. So he has been alongside Robinson, the standout seamer in county cricket. the last four seasons. The stats are very strong. So you'd expect him to get a go at some point in the near future. It's quite hard to select four years ahead.

We're looking at the other bowlers I'm sorry about that, but that's what we're doing. He's looking at the other bowlers who've done very well in county cricket. Craig Overton has done tremendously well in county cricket. It did all right in a few games for England. It seems to have been jettisoned from contention over the last year. And then you have

his brother Jamie, who has proved to be a fantastic batter, and he's got the one opportunity to play for England. It's called 97. on debut and then got injured and he gives a bit of pace as well I'm going to throw another name in there if and when and hopefully he gets fit after making quite an impressive start to his England career

Saki Mammu Well he's he's on my list here Saki Mammud Well look I'm going to give you Sam Cuk Have we got any just out and out like Because no one has said Arnid Red Armid would have played Test cricket this time last year

Have we got anyone And I don't know anyone So I'm just seeing a bolter A bolter of a pace bowler who I've got one I've got a I've got a I've got a spinning bolter. Shoeb Bashir of Somerset. Off spinner, tall.

I like the look of him. But we're talking about scene bowlers, please. All right, see. You want me to go back to sea bars? We can go on to sit. I'm going to scene bowling bolter, but actually, maybe here's one. Listen to TMS at the moment, will someone please ask about George Scrimshaw? Quick bowler at Derbyshire, says Jason Rowland.

Yeah, I mean, I've only seen him on, on the TV. Because you don't get the chance to play against the second division. Not for a while, we haven't. for a while, no. So he wasn't around when we used to. He looked pretty rapid from what I saw. He's in the 100, isn't he? I think he's been picked up as a wild card or something in 100.

So he looks, I mean, so now I've seen him once on things. But yeah, he's got some, he's definitely some raw attributes. So I can't comment on him. A couple of other bolters we could throw into the mix. Sonny Baker, young bowler at Somerset, who did a, he made an impact in the One Day Cup when he played for Somerset made in his first campaign last year. He's been injured since then.

Henry Brooks at Warwickshire who's got pace but he's been struggling to get a game there in front of the likes of Rushworth Hannan Dolby, Liam Norwell and Mitchell Stanley who made an impression for Manchester originals in the 100 last year, but all the real pace.

He's not made his first class debut for Worcestershire I need to find out why but he's only played 10 T20s but he's very quick Well it's nice to name those three I don't think they're getting in the squad yet They're not. There are bolters though I'll just throw in a bit around you know yeah

Daniel Cooper says he'd love to see Jack White in the England set up class act as Sir Alastair knows all too well well I've actually got a bone to pick with Jack White have you? Yeah well so we played them last year

in the last game of the season where there was nothing on the game and you know as in I mean nothing on the game as he played in good spirit anyway he walked out to bat with he didn't have a sponsor Jack White didn't have a sponsor

so he had different gloves Remind us all who we was playing for. No, thanks. So he, a decent opening bowler. He's probably got me out a couple of times. That's why he said, remind him, but, like, does, just does enough. Good try. He's a bit older.

So I think, I think he's mid-30s and kind of come back with a, just kind of being given his second chance. I think he was, I think he was a gamekeeper up on a Grousemore, actually. And then he's come back and played a bit of cricket. Great character. One of the old-school characters in terms of, like, it wasn't an academy product. He was played club cricket, given the chance, a real good tryer. Anyway, so the end of the game, end of the last game of the season,

go into their dressing and have a beer and staff and chat away. Anyway, I gave him my pads and gloves. And I don't know if I gave him about or not, so he was now grey nickels through and through. Right. Other equipment manufacturers are available. Anyway, so I was like, right, there he was, he now looks like a proper group.

Anyway, this year, first game of season, not using any of them. Oh, we come out without pads and gloves? I don't know. He just wasn't using the make I can't say. So I then text him and he didn't have my numbers. So I found his number. Text him saying, what's going on?

No reply, no nothing. So for that, Jack, Jack, I can't get in my squad. He's not playing. It'll also be 35 and a half years old then. And I don't think we've got a strong enough body of work to get him into this party yet. I want to go back to Saki Mahmood because I've got a lot of time for Saki Mahmood. And he's had a couple of strong. stress fractures, but he seems

to me to be somebody who's got quite a high ceiling, if things go right for him. You'll have faced him a few times like him, really. Not as much as I should have done that, I feel. He's been injured a lot when we played Lancashire. Now, I think I might have just faced him once in a red ball game.

Hopefully Zaltz is either going to... He played for England in the West Indies, didn't he? He alongside Matt Fisher, who we haven't mentioned, but he's sort of tailed off a bit, really, for Yorkshire. What, it's just like, just the injury prowness of him. Isn't he got a strange fact about how he's not managed to do more than four first-class

games running? He's like the English Ryan Harris, isn't he, in terms of, like, got a lot of, you know. He got very good Ryan Harris. He bowled a lot quicker than Matthew Fisher. But that kind of like just can't get a good enough run to get the numbers up. When he does play, he is good. So, Sakiba, I think we all like there's a huge amount of, like, potential isn't there to unleash, but unfortunately, there's.

It has to. That's why Sam Cook, in my opinion, kind of that, that, whether it's natural resilience or whatever, you've got to get that as a bowler to be performing out there regularly. It's like Mark Wood had to go through kind of tough periods in his career to be able to get out there. Yeah, he hasn't got the same robustness as a Stuart Broad or James Anderson, but he's got as probably as robust as he can do. And then it also puts, you know, a summer together where I'm not saying he has to play every game for Lancashire at. all because that doesn't do him any good, but... Yeah, but sort of 40 wicket summer, perhaps. Yeah, and playing, you know, 60% of the games managed really well. You know, of course the danger is when you're a county coach or a county team

where you've got the ability of someone like him in your side, you then, you want to play him. He has a good game. It's very hard then to leave him out of the next one, and that's... And that is what can happen. I'm just looking at our list of definites, and it's currently Stokes Root and Sam Coo. We're getting there. We're getting there. That's what happened with these select chairmen.

All right. I'm going to give you another definite in the squad, and it is the bowling Olly Robinson. I think in four years' time, I think I was surprised that he didn't play a larger part in this ashes, but that back spasm might have been part of the reason. He picks up wickets even when he's not bowling very well, which is a fantastic sign for a bowler. He picked up 10 wickets, wasn't it, the first two games? And we scratched our head to work out how he'd come away with that bowling performance with 3 for 78 again, but he does. I'm happy to have that Yep he's on

Sam Cook and Ollie Robinson So far we haven't got above 81 miles an hour But you know we're getting there But I think we also need to put a few more Definites in just to jump around a bit Because that wouldn't be a proper selection meeting We didn't jump about a bit So stuff like Ollie Pope

We need to get him in there He's in the squad He's in the squad Olly Pope's up here in the squad And I think James Rue is definitely in the squad And James Rue I'm giving you James Rue He's down here as a wicketkeeper

Need to nail these openers Well do we Well we're going to need some I want to get back to our fast bowlers first. Okay. Robert Jackson says, how about Liam Norwell of Warwickshire if he can become consistently fit? I like Ian Liam Norwell.

But yes? His stats are good. He's not played a huge amount of Red Bull cricket this decade, 18 matches, but 80 wickets at 17, a wicket every 39 balls of England qualified bowlers with 20 or more wickets in that time. Is that Liam? He's 31.

Yeah, he's 31, but he's 31, but. Only Robinson, Sam Cuck, Jimmy Anderson are ahead of him in terms of averaging the championship since 2020. I think he's too old and too injury prone for me to be in a squad of 16 now. He might get there if he has a couple of good seasons, but from where we're sitting here in 2023, nice suggestion, don't get there.

WG Rumble Panser, ever present on Twitter, suggests Jacob Bethel. Ian Bell described him as the best 17-year-old he's ever seen. Left-hander from Warwickshire. I have played a couple of times. against him and without doubt a lot of talent there so that that it that would be in the bolter that'll be in the bolter that'll be like if we have we get just got to 14 you know and then you think you've got to throw a couple of wild cars in there which

we he he without doubt he could be one of those are we still looking for pace bowlers I am I want to talk about Joffre Archer what do you want to say I want to say I want to say that I want him to be in this team we all want him to be in this team and because we really want him to be in this team if fit he gets in it doesn't he? Absolutely if fit

I just like we're talking another four years on from a person who is bowled so little in red ball cricket over the last two years when he has come back and tried to play red ball his elbow has flared up quite badly

so how good I'm not making a statement about anything about eating any hats or anything. No. But I would be very surprised in the next year or so if he's not just a T20 bowl. I think it's hard to disagree with what. In a really sad way and I hope I'm totally not only proved wrong. The only thing you could say about Jopra's injury struggles is that he hasn't bowled many deliveries in all forms.

Well, like Pat Cubbins had a long time out of the game, didn't he? came back stronger, faster, fitter, better. So that we'd all... He wasn't as fast, because I played Pat Cummins in 2010, and I think just in one-one-day game at Lords before he got injured again, and that was genuinely quick. Genuinely, like, quick. And he has definitely slipped from a 91-92-mile-hour bowler

to an 87 consistent. So I wouldn't say he's kind of had to evolve himself to be able to play like the part he does now. And is he a deaf? in our 16-man squad. And on talent, absolutely. We're definitely saying he's going to be around in four years' time.

Okay. Well, he's only 28 now, so he'd be younger than Mark Wood is during this series to remind people of his test figures. 42 wickets in 13 tests average 31, but that debut Ashes series, four tests over 20 wickets, a very good average.

Or does he go in out of optimism in the hope of what he is capable of if fit? Well, we're offering him this place in the team You're the chairman of selectors I'm saying Joffra You're in in four years' time, if fit Stick him on the list then

I want him I want him So badly I can't tell you And do we think Sam Curen's going to come again I'd like him as our all-rounder He gives us a left arm option England win way more games than they lose When he plays

Do you know what he is He's a player who makes cliches Sorry makes things happen I think Sam Coring gets in I will concur. I like San Curan. Here's a good suggestion from Rob Etl or Eatle. What about Rishi Patel at Leicestershire? He scored 179 a few weeks ago against Clamorgan

and I've seen he's got some good numbers this year, Rishi Patel. He came from Essex. Actually, he left Essex a couple of years ago to go and to go and play at Leicestershire. We're actually at Essex, we had quite a senior batting line up and still have. he certainly I mean I don't know that well but one thing when you watched him bat he he played shots which made you sit up and he's obviously gone away there

Leicestershire I think it's been a good place to bat isn't it this this year it's a big it's a big go from a second division an opener to a to an England opener but he's just signed he's just signed another I think he signed another couple of years at Leicester so whether whether he might might this is no Fred to Leicester might have to move to a first division side to push on to attract the eye of the chairman of selectors? Possibly. But I don't know. What's your view on the second

division and the first division? Are we picking from the second vision? Well, no, we can pick from everywhere, but I would say that there is a definite difference in quality of persistence of bowling is what I see. In the first division, I see that you don't get very much let up. If you play against Surrey, you've got

Abbott, Laws, Jordan Clark Laws is going on to him Dan, well, of course I was going to go out of it. Hampshire have got four great fast bowlers. Essex have got a relentless bowling attack. So if you score runs in the first division, it's a little different when you play against second division sides where they may have two very good bowlers.

I think their bowlers are more likely to come into contention than the batters because the bowlers can bowl objectively splendidly against anybody, whereas the batters I think they need to be tested against the relentlessness of bowling. So there's another all-round possibility. I was looking at Rishi Patel's championship average just under 36 this decade, just above him.

Not this year though, he's averaging 6 in the year. So these are the stats I said from 2020 onwards. Matt Critchley just above him who's 82 wickets in 43 games at 33 bowling leg spin also averaging 36 with the bat. You play with him at Essex? How do you see him as a potential? player. I hope he's not listening.

No, good old creepy. We love him. He's been a brilliant sign in for Essex. He bats at six and five. So that kind of lower middle order and player has the ability to score quickly. So would fit into the mould

of that attacking nature. I think he, his leg spin is probably underrated in as such that at the moment for Essex when we want to spin it to bowl, we tend to throw the ball to Simon harmer he's i don't know what he's picked up quite a lot of crucial wickets in his two or three overs he gets does he pick up wickets if you don't mind me saying so in that classic leg

spinners way with a surprise bit of filth or does he get it with with a lovely looping leg break that he's he's he's he's he's a he's a say more a cumbley in terms of he's not going to flatter and fast he's one day record and he's been picked up a cover times in the hundred and his t20 record is decent he he would be at what you'd call a second spinner you wouldn't pick him as an outright spinner. Do you think he could be as effective as Joe Root as a second spinner? Yes. Do you think it's a possibility then for the India tour in the new year?

If you were selecting a squad looking at the spin options. Would he get in front of Jacks? He's competing with Jacks for that spot. I think it's an interesting show. You know, the one thing he hasn't done, and not often now, certainly, even under this area, you've got to go on the England line. Did he go on England Lions last year? And just the white ball, I think.

I don't think he did the red ball stuff. But again, if you want a bit of balance in terms of options, you know, a badder who bowls a bit, and takes the ball away from the right hand. Yeah. But then we've got Ray and Armad, haven't you? And I think if we're talking, you sort of sent us down the all-rounders route

when we're talking about pace bowlers at Sam Courant. Ray and Armid's got to be a definite, I think, in this squad. They've groomed him for it, haven't they? Well, I think there's a reasonable chance he could be batting at number seven for England in four years' time. and giving them options from seven of having four seamers below him or another spinner below him as well.

So you could play Critchley at seven, as in like that kind of role in terms of... They're sort of in that same kind of role. You'd say that Armand has got probably a bigger spinning leg spinner than Critchley. And actually, I think this year Critch is the first year. He's got 200s in a year.

He's got, I think, seven or eight first last hundreds. But one on debut, I think. Derbys. So I think he's there's certainly an upward curve with him. That's what's hard about picking a squad four years ago

whether it continues on that real because coming from a derby to come into a first division side and the expectation and playing under pressure of the first division hopefully catching Surrey is runs in September

is you know it's big it's all that kind of stuff which you throw in the mix but I like it I think it's good cricket I like him a lot but I'm putting him do you know what he's been mentioned

in the selection meeting, but because I don't think we're going to play Rehan Ahmed and Critchley and it could be perfectly possible that as these next four years progress Critchie moves ahead of Rehan Ahmed, but Rehan Ahmed has taken five wickets on debut But Ahmed's going to get a win to this year

isn't he? He is. Critchley might be the sort of player that you've got to have an awkward phone call to tell him why he's not in. Well he won't mind that because I interviewed him at the beginning of last year saying in this interview we're going to try and make out that you're going to get in the England team so if you do I'm going to look brilliant and he was really happy with that

but he has the ability to be destructive batsman he scores naturally quickly and I think his development in the last year or so his ability to take bowlers down certainly in T20 and the hundred he's got picked up in the London spirit he has he has I know that because Dan picked him Dan Lawrence's captain said you come

but as in like you'll see some good clean strike make so that one the army critchley you're absolutely right They're kind of like level pick. Armid's ahead because he's played, but you don't quite know how legs been developed. At this stage in the meeting, I'm putting round armad stroke.

You've talked to him, Cook, yeah. Can I say quickly one thing about James Rue? Yes. He has the ability to bat six as a, as the wicketkeeper. Right. So therefore it gives you a bit more of a flexible option with your seven and eight if that makes sense. And there is hands good enough to be keeper,

now and out keeper. Like all these things, at 19 you're not the finished article as the keeper but when I watched him keep I didn't notice it yet but there's a big big step up when you're put under pressure

and you've got us a lot talking about your keeping in front of all these people but he's 19 as a keeper it's to me keeping you can do it when you've got the basics he has he's just going to have to do the good old knuckle down and graph for a bit on it I think what this points to actually though

if you think of where England's strength there's a test team has been even going back to when Cookie was captain was that engine room of having a middle order of possibly Stokes, Bairstow, Moeen Alley. The future in that area of the team looks really bright if you think we could have a number

six wicketkeeper of maybe a Rue, a Smith or a Robinson followed by an Ahmed, followed by a Sam Cullen. Help that batting. Because when England were at their very best when they were number one of the world, it was when Stuart Broad was playing like an all-rounder and Graham Swan was actually playing almost like an all-rounder. Engine room looks strong. The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live.

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With your daily dose of World Cup analysis, debate and news. As we bring you all the action with some of the biggest names in the game. There's a lot more experience in here than what you think. The team I looked at in front of me, I was like, yeah, we can win this.

Join us for a Women's World Cup like no other. Listen on BBC Sounds. Now, back to your podcast. You're listening to the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. We're going to get back to selecting our 2027 Ashish Squad. We've had a suggestion from Rift Duvins, which is a terrific name, by the way.

Might I respectfully suggest both Dan Mousley and Rob Yates from Warringshire? Rob Yates's been scoring some runs. They've got some good figures right now, he's saying. Mousley's a good cricket. It's a hard. They like Mousley a lot. I know this. from listening to Clive Ekin and the team at Edgebaston

I know that he's very popular what have you done young pump yeah he's young isn't he as well is his same age to Jacob Bethel 22 he's a bit older What have you got for us on those two Andy Dan Mousley 15 first class matches this decade averaging 32 with the bat He probably feels more natural than the one day game

than he does the four day game at the moment What about Rob Yates top of the order because I take exactly what one of our selectors here, Stefan Shemort said, about Crawley and Duckett, that from where we're standing at the moment, they look, well, they've nailed their place in the team. I think we've got to have Zach Crawley as definite, because he will be 20, was he now 25 now? Come on, I'm giving you Zach Crawley, yeah.

Who would have thought that at the start of this season? Are we taking Duckett as a definite? Not yet. Not yet? No, no, no. So we're having Crawley, but not Duckett? We are at the moment, yes. Okay, fair enough.

Yes. I think we can put Ben Duckett, what, is he 28? There's a really important reason why Ben Duckett will still be in the England team for a little while, if not for those four years. Sparekeeper? No. Stuart Broad has handed on responsibility for organising the kickabout

in the warm-up. That is key. But are we saying Brendan McCullen is still going to be here in four years' time? They'll still be allowed to play football, though. Yeah, but they might have to do a warm-up. They may have to do a warm-up. So the new coach, I'd imagine, might like to go back a little bit and actually do a group warm-up,

which they might have a... coach and captain are obsessed with snooker and they just put a lot of snooker tables out on the outfield before play. So Duckett has to bring the cues? I think we have to... I'm torn here and I'll tell you for why because it was only about two months ago, namely just before

this Ashes series started, that if you canvassed almost everybody in the press box and all of the broadcasters one of the things about which everyone was certain was that Crawley and Duckett were going to struggle massively against Hazelwood and Cummins and Stark

and actually they've produced the best opening batting performance by England Openers in a Home Ashes series since Andy told us what it was yesterday but a long time ago and there's some pretty good competition including you and Andrew Strauss and whatnot. Yeah, well one thing Docket has in his favour is he's been for most of his career he's had a couple of fallow seasons but he's scored heavily in Red Bull cricket in a way that Zach Crawley hasn't pretty.

He's never had a big season for Kent and has come good for England this summer after over 30. test duck it since the start of the decade, averaging 51 in county championship cricket. So he's a regular run scorer and has done well in the test so far and how much he thrives might depend on the type of pitches

that England play on over the next few years and there's pitches that move more than they have this year and more like the pitches of three or four years ago whether he can adapt his game accordingly. But his stats from county cricket have been consistently good for quite a long time. And let's not forget that at some point

they're going to have to go to Australia, which ends the careers of a whole load of people. So I'll tell you what, I'm going to give you Duckett. So at the moment. I think the chances of actually both of those opening is probably not that high. But we don't know why. We don't know why.

But from what we've seen in this series, they've been superb. So there's no reason why at their ages and the way they play cricket that they shouldn't be here. I'll tell you what we're doing here. We are selecting a team on the information we have right now. Now, we're not gazing into a crystal ball.

We are selecting the team for 2027 as if, you know, the information we have now is all the information we've got. So what have we got? We've got. Duckett, Grawley, Pope Roots, Brook, and Stokes. So we've got the same top six. How long have we been talking about this? But we need a spare battle, don't we?

Well, we're having, I'm afraid, as chairman of selectors here. We've only got time. This is where Jamie Smith marches towards the conversation. You're going to need to do an awful lot of convincing that Jamie Smith is not in that. Stick him in. Jamie Smith is a generational talent in my view. When Surrey chased down 501 to beat Kent, the second highest run chasing county championship history,

it would have been even more if it went for the fact that Kent got out, setting them only 501 because they won it by about six wickets with overs to spare. Dom Sibley got his entry up in about 382 balls. Ben, folks got his at 198. Jamie Smith in 78. The man's a genius. He's in this team and he's our spare wicket keeper. I mean, again, we're talking about the same top five that it's very unlikely to happen.

It's very unlikely. So Jamie Smith, I think, is in our mix. We've got to get one, right, are we? So we've got six batters and two keepers. We're happy with that? Yeah, we don't need another keeper, do it? We've got seven batters. So we've got... So we need one more. We do definitely one more. Smith is a batters. We need one more.

And to me is between the likes of... And this is where it gets tricky. Dan Lawrence, Will Jacks, Jacob Bethel, Josh Bahan these are very different types of player any other batters out there we've had some suggestions

in but not sure they're quite getting it yet for sheer weight of runs Hamid is you know you're talking about Hamead is a spare keeper Tom Haines Ah now it's Sussex Sussex have got a bunch of good players

which you won't seem too much odd because again they're in second division but Stephen Finn on second division correspondent he assures me there's a couple of very good players Carson Carson

Carson when we talk. Should we talk about him now? Yeah. Let's talk about Carson. And he's also been around the England squad for the past two matches. They've had him bowling in the net at Old Trafford. They've had him here as well. I think Carson is very likely to go to India, actually. I think it's a decent chance he might be in the squad as well as journey. How many

spinners you take into India? But I think and also... You've got Leach go, you've got Raan Ahmed going. You've got Will Jack's going. You've got Joe Root already out there. But they might need that many. But you'd say not of them, like Jack Carson, again, I have not actually seen him bowl. I've only heard reports

A from Stephen Finn A couple from the England lads Who said he's been around I think he's very unusual In this day and age That he is actually more suited to bowling with the Red Bull Than he is the White Bull

As in he does Give it some air He has got the drift He does spin it hard And this is all secondhand If you think about England's squad In Pakistan Last year when they had

Leach Rayan Ahmed Will Jax and Liam Livingston It's a reasonable chance That Carson goes to India instead of Livingston I think

I like your thinking. I don't know if he's getting in this squad yet, though. Andy. Well, Carson's figures this decade in county championship, 75 wickets at 38, but we often talk about how difficult it is for spinners in the championship. So that's, yeah, not reasonably good for a spinner. They're reasonable figures for a spinner. I'm not sure they're forcing their way into his team yet,

because if we're going to talk about spinners, Jack Leach, is he feels head and shoulders above anybody, any other spinner in the country? He's 32. Spinners last a while I don't know but we're just talking I can't get my head around the longevity a bit of this. A couple of these guys are falling away because that is just the natural

element of it. I think a crucial thing to take into consideration here if Ben Stokes is still our captain as well is the loyalty that Stokes has shown to a lot of these players and if we're talking about Leach now these are two players who do have a very strong bond and arguably Jack Leach is someone

who has improved under the captaincy of Ben Stokes more than any other and has been relied upon by Stokes as a player. He's been a big miss for England in this series. And where are we up to? 14. I think that's 13. 13. I think you're going to have to put Jack Leach in. So look, we sorted out our batting line up. We need one more. We need one more. Have you jettisoned folks? Seven batters? Folks averaging over 50 in the championship this year. It's done well for England with the bat. It seems incredibly unfair, doesn't it? Jamie Rue is getting straight into this team on the basis of five centuries this summer and he's 19 years old because we're showing so much

hope and faith in him but ben folks will not be young then it'll be 30 34 in modern sport that's not as and he doesn't play whiteball cricket not as old as it used to be and also it slightly depends on the you know the captaincy and the coaching as it is then because you know we talk about the impact of players folks had a very big impact on a number of games with the bat just not in the basbalian style um but he was very he made six or seven quite important contributions over 10 games and his keeping was very good. But if you can't get in now, how is he getting in four years time? I agree.

The way he's... Well, because Berto's not there. Yeah, so he's not gotten now because of the need to balance the team for this series, particularly with the issue with Stokes' as... That might not be going away, though. But it might be that the team is better balanced with a player like him... I just think, James Rute... You can't just be a flash on the pan at 19 and five first class hundreds in the first division.

There are many people who've done that, are there? I mean, I doubt there's... I think there has been one, and it wasn't Dennis Compton, was it? Who was it? We'll find out. There might be Bill Edrich. Otherwise, we're just kind of picking the same team, and no one's aged at all. Apart from that, we're just throwing players out.

I think we've got to be a bit braver. I'm gutted about this, but I'm hearing from too many people that folks isn't going to play. I'm genuinely gutted. I expected to be back in the England team for India, incidentally. But I don't think he will be in the ashes decider at the Oval. So I'm... So if that's just the batters we're taking, Dan Lawrence, who's reserved now,

who's going to your county, you've got your seven. Yeah, Dan Lawrence as well. It's tough, isn't it? So you're saying that Jamie Smith has jumped over Dan Lawrence and... Yeah, we've got seven batters and a keeper. I don't see how we're fitting anyone else in. Fine.

Yeah. We haven't even talked about England's reserve bats from now. It's 25, it's average probably 40-odd 50 this year. I need the second spin bowler because we've got Rayan Ahmed plus. Now, is it Leach? Is it Carson? Is it Shoebashir? is it Liam Patterson White

no no okay sorry Liam no it's not him any other spinners Carson's the one who's been giving me the thing but you know we are looking into crystal balls the easy thing will just be say Jack Leach

because we can't get it's more fun to say Jack Carson let's put Jack Carson in there for no other reason that we want to have a bit of fun and throw it forward for years and if it's right then we'll come back to us we can't just keep picking the same same players that they've got here. No.

Afternoon, all, random suggestions for 2027 says Dan Hunt. Finley Bean, got to be picked through the name alone. Tom Hartley. Now, David Bumble Lloyd is a big, big fan of Tom Hartley. He thinks he should go to India because he bowls left arm, but quicker, slow left arm.

He's very tall as well. You're tall and into the pitch. He likes him as kind of action, but too. So I can see that, I can see that, but just watching when I when we faced him, last basement at Blackpool

and it didn't turn much. Dan Lawrence, like, it was, you almost felt sorry for Harley at the end. Right. And I didn't see enough, I didn't see enough then to go he's got something. It's hard to pick players and I think

quickly just on picking players. Selection is incredibly hard, but there's got to be, in my opinion, there has to be something which makes you stand up and take note and you don't know what the note is. Like, for example, Josh Butler, when I first saw him back

in a one day game, I was like, I know everyone said, well, that's obvious. Well, actually, he had something about him. Johnny Berstow hit the ball incredibly hard. Didn't seem to miss time a ball, crunch balls, and he made me stand up. Jamie Smith is that same thing. He actually got 30, 120 odd balls against us to save the game, to save your skin. You know, the rain saved you.

Cost us so much. I know, I'm so sorry about that. So the ability to do that and then play like the innings he did the other day against Kent. shows, you know, again, it just made me sit up and take notes. So Hartley didn't do that to me. Right. So that's what I can't, I can't add for, I can't say yes. And James Rue obviously has done that for me.

And so as Sam Cook. More of Dan's suggestions here. James Rue, we've got in. Tom Haynes, he's definitely been spoken about in dispatches. I like the look of him. He doesn't get into this side simply because we've picked much the same team. But also because Ollie Pope is young, Harry Brook is young, Jamie Smith is young

Joe Root we hope is going to be there and is an all-time generational great Ben Stokes is our captain because we don't want to drop him we're slightly scared but also I think it is actually feasible

to imagine that four-year cycle in which he bowed out I am going it's less than 50-50 that he's there it probably is especially with the knee isn't it I mean we would we would have to think about a slightly

different balance if he wasn't there if he was injured and then the captain it would probably be Olly Pope. I won on record that only four out of those seven batsmen will be playing. But I cannot tell us who they are. I cannot tell you they are. Well, I think that's probably true too.

And we've got Duckett and Crawley up top. So that's the problem for Tom Haines, I'm afraid. Rob Yates as well, a very fine player. Have we conducted a cowardly selection meeting? Let me just finish. Tom Abel. I'm afraid, destined to be the James Hildreth de no jour. Sam Cuck, we've got in here.

Kieran Carlson, I think, talented player he gets in there Jamie Smith we've already got so I like some of those suggestions down there well I like all the suggestions and I particularly like Finley Bean because it's a terrific name just had our second division correspondent on the phone oh yeah he's brave enough to say that

Ben Stokes is no way making 2027 yeah well we haven't he's brave because he's no way he's not here to like he's just doing on text Smith certainly much braver than us yeah let me give you a few that have come through on my Twitter account. Jack Morley at Lancashire worth a shout, 22 years old, 23 wickets in seven first-glass games.

The Tom Price of Gloucestershire. Sounded like a nice idea. I quite like that. Dan Moriarty of Surrey I don't, I mean, Surrey aren't picking him so it's hard to see how he's going to get a game really. But if Ben Stokes isn't

making it, and if he doesn't give us a little bit more of an option because we have Ollie Pope in there and then suddenly we got the option for a couple of um yes a couple of different options in the middle order and then here's a name I do love because I saw him playing here at the Oval I thought he's very good Tawanda Mouyei he's 19 20 year old originally from Zimbabwe did his schooling in England he is a beautiful pattern to watch yeah and actually just

moved up the top of the order he's been a middle order player and due to Kent's like a few injuries or and whatnot he's he's gone to the top of the order I actually really want him in Well, you've got to drop Duckin' or Crawley. I think we've got to be brave here and say Ben Stokes isn't making it. Okay. But just for the fact, I don't. Let's do it.

Okay, that's painful. It is painful. It's not what we want at all because we'd love to see him there, but I don't think he's making it. So I think we've got one wild card. We need one wildcard bowler and one wild card batter because we've got a wild card keeper in James. I want to end her as our wild card.

If you're having to under me, yeah, yeah. Is he, okay, this is when it caused chaos? He's not, you know, I'm having him, because I've forgotten about it, and he is that, you know. But then we're saying, Dan Lawrence, we haven't even, like, spoken about Dan Lawrence. We haven't, it's not fair. But if he's not getting in now, is he getting in four years? Well, well, he might do because we play for Surrey then. Well, exactly, it's a bit like the end point.

When you get your new, when you play for New South Wales, exactly, you get your value green at the same time. We haven't got any bowlers. It's fine. We get a lot of runs. What I would say about me, yeah, yeah, is it, you know, when you do these, when you go around and you watch this thing, and he thinks he looks like a well-organised batter and then he check his numbers and they look okay

he's got the something yeah yeah it's certainly certainly he has got the one thing he plays a couple of shots which has made me go yeah he's got something so that he does fit into that category which I said the other day I'm having him in because it makes us look brilliant when he's there so I think we've got our batters sorted one two three four five six seven batters we've got I'm sorry Dan Lauren Armead and Jack Carson

I'm going to have to apologize to Dan but say there's extent I was out voted Sam Coke Olli Robertson Joffra Archer

and now we need two fast bowlers Potts tongue no goes Atkinson so I think we've got we got because our three

currently includes Joffra Archer so I don't think Joffra's there if we lose Joffra we can have Potts Atkinson and Tong

yeah we're going to be realistic okay so have we got enough pace there Atkinson gives us some pace

Potts tongue gives us some pace Is it enough pace for England? Have we got any swing? Can we just write him down? Oh, that's Sam Curen. Gus Atkinson, Matt Potts, Josh Tong at the moment

that leaves no place for a rejuvenated Sakimamamud. Do we need to be brave and pick another bolter for a bowler? Or do we think Gus Atkinson's another Volta? I think he's, you know, as a guy who's...

He's quite balty. And not a great deal of experience at the top level yet. Yeah. He's very... Will Jacks is missing out here. So Olly Robinson and... Olly Robinson's leading the attack. Right.

This is my... And Josh Tong's just a banker. Is he gone from... Has he gone, Josh Tongue, from the beginning of this summer, to a surprise selection... To a banker. To an absolute banker playing two test matches? Well, out of all of the current England seamers,

is Josh Tong the most likely to be... playing the first test in India? It's a good question. Because of how he bowls and what he does with the ball and what might be required in those conditions. He did he pretty well on the Lions Tour, didn't he, in the subcontinent? He could be the most, or certainly one of two. Yes, he could.

Wood might, I suppose. Or if England can get Wood to India because there's a lot of cricket for Mark Wood between now and then when you think it's a World Cup. You know, maybe Tongan Wood, a pace for one of them in the 11, in the India series, I think Josh Tong could be a very, very good shout to be lining up in that first test in Hyderabad. Now, let me run you through, because I think we've actually got 16 here.

But don't, they normally do, is they just pick a, put a few more in there just to cover their backs. We need some with travel in reserve. Well, we can have a spare batter, because sometimes you do go away with 17, so Dan Lawrence can get in that way. Yeah. And he gives us a spinning option. He does. But we've got quite a few spinning options. But we have, preposterously, we've got at the moment.

amongst our batters we've got Ben Duckett Zach Rawley and Tuanda Mouyei as our openers we've got three openings there quite right to

Ollie Pope Joe Root Harry Brooke and Jamie Smith that feels like a strong seven batters we've done well we've got some bankers

we've got a wild card we've got to have a wild card because Finney text me said we've been so pathetic we haven't been brave enough I think we've just suddenly changed the last five minutes

how dare he we've got we've got yeah we've got Got Raan Ahmed, Jack Carson and James Roo. There's plenty of youth there. We've recalled Sam Curran. Do we need to revisit that? But I think we need some leadership.

And he'll give that. I think I like the selection of him in the squad. I think he could be England's white ball captain after Josh Butler. So therefore not play Red Bull? Not therefore, but. I like him in the squad. I think he's. So those are our seven batterers.

Our all-rounder is Curran. Our keeper is Roo, but we've got plenty of options if he breaks down in the form of Smith, Pope, and Duckett, for that matter. Our spinners are Rayan Ahmed and Jack Carson, so we're saying that Jack Leach isn't there, partly because Ben Stokes isn't there, partly because he's 36, and partly because Jack Carson has come bounding to the fore and Rayan Ahmed also. Our fast bowlers are Sam Cooke, Olly Robinson, Matt Potts, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, I don't really see a swing bowler, but what do we reckon, team?

We need a captain. Ollie Pope. Not Harry Brooke? No. Ollie Palmerch, I've chosen the captain. It's Ollie, he's the infallible Pope. There's our wicket keeper. Ladies and gentlemen, I now need to sign it, don't I hear it at the bottom?

There we go. I refuse to put my name to it. And that is our 16. Thank you very much, Andy Zaltzman. Stefan Schemelk and Alison Cook. We got there in the end. Hi, I'm Hannah, and I'm very excited to be hosting What in the World a new daily podcast from the BBC World Service, where we try to help you make sense of the world around you, of the big things that are happening,

the small things that are happening, and everything in between. Just search for What in the World, wherever you get your BBC podcasts, and hit subscribe. Thank you.