That was the Provisional XI. I said I'd allow time for people to mount challenges: no-one has mounted a successful campaign.. so I've no problem signing that side off.

It's nice to see four of the side made England A-team's tour of Bangladesh.. though had we done as I suggested and picked Smith ahead of Mahmood that would have been 5/10

Those touring are:

Nick Compton (Middlesex)
Michael Yardy (Sussex, capt)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Stuart Broad (Leicestershire)

Of the remainder of our 2006 WAT XI... Joyce (rightly), Mahmood (for reasons that have yet to be explained given his dire performances) and Dalrymple (inexplicably ommitted from the Sydney Test) have been involved in the current Ashes tour.... Foster has suddenly re-emerged as a frontrunner for the England wicket-keeper's spot for the summer Tests... Tremlett has been the outstanding bowler in Perth and and is now in the ODI squad and only only old-hands Newman and Sales can complain that the powers that be have overlooked merit that we recognised.

Of the rest.... Ravi Bopara (Essex) is not a surprise inclusion.. and the same goes for Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire) and Steve Davies (Worcestershire). Will Jefferson (Notts) was in the 2005 WAT 'A' side... and if I recall rightly, Alex Loudon (Warwickshire) was also in that side. Graham Onions (Durham) and Matt Prior (Sussex) were mentioned in the 2006 discussions and the only included name overlooked by us was Amjad Khan (Kent).

ps. Good to see Key and Shah overlooked as we overlooked them