Did himself or his selection prospects no favors in the domestic comp this season averaging 42, will most likely be struggling to get into the Australian A-Team which we are discussing now.

I've just seen Rashid's bowling record, and frankly a spin bowler with an ER of 3.8 is a liability. I accept that spinners are going to come in for a bit of stick nowadays, but good ones can at least restrict it to 3 or under, or even 3.1-3.2 (I think that's where MacGill is currently). But when all batsmen score at more than 60 off your bowling in first-class cricket, you've got some serious work to do.

I'd still like to see Sidebottom in the team, as he provides some much needed left-arm variety, and even more urgently, aggression, into England's attack. Broad I like, but he does need to add some pace to his armoury- get it from 130-132 to 138-140- then he can perform the same role that Harmison used to for England, and that Ishant Sharma does now for India. I'm not giving up on Panesar, he's young still and I think he can improve. Remember, it took Bill O'Reilly and Richie Benaud four years each to perfect the googly.

Finally, I think Collingwood's really underbowled. He always gets results, he's got some ability with the ball, but in 30 Tests he's only taken 10 or so wickets, when a bowler of his type could easily have taken 50. He's also a rock at no. 5, and still a brilliant fielder, so I don't see what he's got to prove.

Nobody doubts that Rashid is far from the finished article... with either bat OR ball... and he's certainly not ready (yet) to be picked as one of four specialist bowlers... but he's only just turned 20 and has already become a key member of both the Yorkshire 1st XI and the England Lions.

Check outhis domestic form for last season: with the bat he just about matched Younis Khan... and if you look at how MUCH he's bowled in the last season... it's pretty clear that he's not being protected: he bowled over 400 overs in last year's county championship.... and was Yorkshire's leading wicket taker!

See Yorkshire in LV County Championship - Division One 2007 - Averages - Stats - ECB

Sadly, I can't locate any stats for this winter's Lions tour.. but I'd not be surprised to find Rashid is 2nd / 3rd in the batting list (which will be headed by Carberry). He's struggled with the ball... but so did Shane Warne when he first played on slow and low INdian wickets which negated his bounce!

you guys all rate Broad hey ! he aint that good actually.....

Better off fixing Simon Jones ! lol

Not as impressive as you make it sound, if his bowling stats are anything to go by. Yes, he topped the wickets list- but 40 wickets at 39? With that run-rate of 3.8? and from 15 matches to boot.

I can see Rashid doing a Cameron White- starting out big with the ball, but his bowling starts to atrophy, and he has to rely more and more on his batting to break into the England side. We'll see if I'm wrong.

I disagree. I think he's accurate enough, will generally be economical and has good natural bounce. Not to mention that he's already a genuine no. 8. The main problem with him is that he isn't fast enough yet. Well, apparently Sidebottom wasn't 6 years ago. He's got plenty of time on his side- at the moment, he's 21 going on 15!

Actualy, Rashid got his big break because Yorkshire had a batting crisis: he was playing as an all-rounder for the second XI... started scoring well... then scored a 2 centuries in 3 games just as the first team suddenly found they were a man down.

Rashid came in that way... but then started taking a stack of wickets as well.

The batting is not anything sophisticated: he's got a great eye for the ball and can manage clean hitting... but there's no real subtlety about it as yet. IS he a Test no 6 right now? No, but he's more of a test number 6 than Flintoff was at the same age... and one way or the other, the coaches should be able to turn him into a no 6 or no 7 bat in due course.

The bowling? If he was bowling seam up or finger spin you'd be VERY concerned about the economy rate... but until Warne and Kumble started raising the bar, a 1st class economy rate of 3.8 from a 19 year old leg-spinning 5th bowler with Edgbaston as his home ground would have been considered pretty impressive over here!

I'd agree that the selectors need to give him another full season of 400+ overs in county cricket and review the matter then... but as England coach I'd still be watching his progress VERY carefully.

ps. How many overs has Cameron White bowled this season? And what proportion of the overs?

Pretty far out to make clear cut team selections, but here goes.

One man i would pen in would definitely be Nathan Bracken. Australia suffered badly last tour due to a lack of a Alderman/Flemming type swing bowler. History shows those type of bowlers are crucial in England.

If Bracken is fit, he must play in every test. Same with Johnson.

Clark, Lee we will have to see but if fit and in form they should play.

Unless McGill is bowling really well, i would forgo him for Symonds and Clarke.

The batsmen will select themselves.

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Who cares about the Ashes in 2009? This, for me, is one of the biggest problems with english cricket. This preoccupation with the Ashes. All we do is bang on and on about the Ashes.

I'm more concerned about how England are going to get themselves out of this mess against New Zealand and then push on against NZ (again), South Africa and then India (I think) and the Windies next winter. Yes, that's right, we have four further Test series before we play the Aussies again. Let's pay these other nations some respect and treat those series seriously. If we don't get those right we haven't a hope against the Aussies.

I can't remember the exact figures, but I can tell you that he played in more matches than he took wickets. As I say, his bowling's atrophied to the point where it's virtually an afterthought- his main job now is as Victoria's no. 5 batsman and captain. He still bowls some overs, but the most you can call him is a batting allrounder.

As to Rashid, thanks for the background- the first I heard of him was when he took 6-67 very early (maybe even on debut). And I don't think England should try to manufacture a strength out of their past weaknesses. If Rashid is better than Panesar as a bowler, then by all means play him, but if an ER of 3.8 and and average of 39 is his level, then I doubt it would come to that. Finger-spin has always been England's strength, and I think it would be a mistake to abandon that in favour of trying to capture something else. I'd think the selectors had learnt that lesson after Schofield. So as it stands, Rashid's best chance seems to me to lie in the no. 6 slot as a batting allrounder.