The visit of Australia may be a long way off but the County Championship is throwing up names for selection. The Cricketer employs its highly scientific and totally infallible top-secret analytics software to list the top 25 in the England frame...
1 (1) - Joe Root: The Test skipper has hit 73, 130 not out and 94 in three innings for Yorkshire in the County Championship, which makes him not only the best batsmen in the country but the form batsman in the country right now. If there was a number higher than one Test Tracker would have him sitting proudly at it. Even above it. But there isn't. So he is No.1.
2 (2) - Jos Buttler: If a year ago you had told Test Tracker that it would be listing this man as the second most likely pick at the start of the Ashes summer, it would have melted you in a breathful of firey laughter. Not today. Now Buttler is England's middle order spark, vice-captain and Mr X Factor. He's taking IPL attacks apart for fun, is among the most feared ODI batsmen in the world and will be coming to an Ashes Test near you very soon.
3 (3) - James Anderson: Back on the county grind - this time without peroxide blond hair (thank heavens for that) - and taking wickets at his favourite haunt, Lord's. A match haul of 6-70 against Middlesex helped Lancashire to victory. Indispensable, for as long as he chooses to last.
4 (5) - Ben Stokes: An immediate pick, regardless of form.
5 (6) - Stuart Broad: Rising a place after his performances with the ball in County Championship for Nottinghamshire. Plus, an Ashes series just would not be the same without the possibility of Broady top edging to midwicket and claiming a bump ball. This could be his last hurrah with Jimmy against the Aussies, too. No way is he losing his place.
6 (4) - Jonny Bairstow: Barely a failure in the IPL so far this season for the keeper-batsman. Test Tracker predicts we won't see him slipping outside the top six all the way through til August.
7 (9) - Rory Burns: Immediately picked up where he left off with Surrey in the Championship, making 129 runs for his county in their opening fixture against Essex. Depending on who you talk to, England need to change one, two or all of their top three, and right now Burns' place must be most secure.
8 (8) - Moeen Ali: Will he be a devastating offy who bats a bit or a lower-order wildcard who can't take a wicket when the Australians come calling? Test Tracker's eight ball says 'ask again later'... but it is confident he'll be part of the England side.
Joe Clarke of Nottinghamshire
9 (7) - Sam Curran: Scuzz has been busy dropping bombs in the IPL (of course he's already taken a hat-trick and deputised as opener for Chris Gayle... who expected anything else?) Whether or not that translates into first-class form is uncertain but it can't hurt his cause.
10 (10) - Mark Wood: Pure pace might be crucial in a summer when Dukes balls boast a narrower seam and are doing a lot less dancing than they ordinarily might. Mark Wood has pure pace. Test Tracker likes pace. Mark Wood gets the nod.
11 (14) - Keaton Jennings: Sure, he only made one half-century for Lancashire while others racked up more runs. Sure, his time in the England setup feels like it is drawing to a natural close, like the ageing feline huddling up beneath the hedge. But he's still the incumbent. And it's still his place to lose.
12 (13) - Ben Foakes: Runs for Surrey, assured glovework, that perfect coiffure... he's a ready-made superstar and Test Tracker will feel a little bit worse every time he is not included in the England Test team.
13 (12) - Joe Denly: An IPL adventure that has not gone to plan might not leave the Kent batsman in the best place to resume his role in the England top order, particularly given the form of others around the Championship.
14 (15) - Adil Rashid: It seems a tad improbably that England will turn to Rashid this summer, but Ed Smith likes to think up unpredictable plans behind his designer shades.
15 (16) - Jack Leach: In the opening sequence of Men In Black, Will Smith's character J chases down a cephalapoid on foot through the streets of New York, leading Tommy Lee Jones to say: "Boss, that's got to be good enough". Six second-innings wickets, for 36, by a finger spinner at Trent Bridge in April is cricket's equivalent. That's got to be tough enough. Get Leach a suit.
16 (18) - Chris Woakes: The nicest man in cricket, until you throw him the ball. Ruthlessly effective in home conditions - it must surely be him or Curran.
17 (11) - Jason Roy: Test Tracker looks back on how it was feeling last week when the first rankings of the season came out and concedes that it may have got a little over-excited about a batsman with minimal experience of opening against the red ball, with very few red-ball appearances to his name, coming out first up in the highest-profile Test series of them all. Test Tracker forgot its medicine. Test Tracker apologises.
Hampshire captain James Vince
18 (21) - Joe Clarke: The kid has got 14 first-class centuries and he's only 22. He's ready... it's just a matter of when.
19 (-) - Dom Sibley: Sneaking up on the rails. Warwickshire's opener has cracked five first-class hundreds in successive matches and, at a time when England have got their opener detector out to scour the beach for a new No.2, don't be surprised if the alarms start going off over Sibley's head.
20 (23) - Ben Duckett: Another possible opening option, which is why Test Tracker places him so highly despite a 0 and 4 return against Somerset.
21 (-) - Lewis Gregory: The modern-day Botham (according to Jack Brooks) is a one-man wrecking ball in both disciplines of the game. He might see his pathway blocked by Stokes, Woakes and Curran right now, but that shouldn't prevent Somerset's lynchpin from being handed a summons at some point.
22 (22) - James Vince: The James Vince: Opener project at Hampshire has not quite gone to plan. Fifty-six runs in three innings is not the return he would have hoped for.
23 (-) - Jofra Archer: It would be daft not to throw his name into the hat.
24 (17) - Ollie Pope: A half-century in the second innings against Essex but being a middle-order batsmen with England aspirations at the moment is like filtering onto an M25 slip road at rush hour, hoping to get home to catch the start of the football. Never going to happen.
25 (24) - Sam Northeast: Scoring runs for fun.
Posted by X Trapnel on 23/04/2019 at 10:03
Why are we even speculating about Archer? He's got to play.
Posted by Richard Hoare on 19/04/2019 at 14:16
I'm surprised you haven't at least mentioned Haseeb Hameed. A double century, admittedly against a university team, and a century, admittedly in Div. 2 but against a decent Middlesex attack. A great improvement on his woeful form in 2018 and we know he's got the temperament for Test cricket...
Posted by David Morrison on 19/04/2019 at 13:22
Isn't Haseeb Hameed a nailed on selection now he's demonstrated he can actually hit the ball off the square?
Posted by David Morrison on 19/04/2019 at 13:15
Haseeb Hamed not nailed on to open now he has actually shown he can hit the ball off the square?
Posted by Richard Knasel on 18/04/2019 at 07:11
Minor correction for James Vince above. Only three innings as Hampshire only had to bat once in their defeat of Essex. It was a good innings in fron of Ed Smith who attended the match. Agreed he failed twice against Yorkshire which will not help his cause.
Posted by Richard Knasel on 18/04/2019 at 07:08
Minor correction for James Vince. Only 3 innings as Hampshire only had to bat once against Essex. His best innings of the three in front of Ed Smith who was at the Ageas Bowl.
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