One game down and a combined XI is pretty easy to pick:

Langer
Hussey
Ponting
Bell
Pietersen
Clarke
Flintoff
Jones
Hoggard
Clark
McGrath

I'd not bet against most of that XI being in the team of the series when the 5th Test is over.

I think that Warne would be in there before Hoggard

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Bill Ponsford - The only one who could play in Bradman’s company and make it a duet.

Yeah I've gota ask how three English bowlers get in there when they had 600 runs belted against them...

I'd say.

Langer

Hussey

Ponting

Bell

Collingwood

Peiterson

Gilchrist

Flintoff

Warne

Clark

McGrath

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It's hard enough to remember my opinions, without remembering my reasons for them!
Nietzsche

its actually 10 wickets for 802 over the test.

Langer
Hussey
Ponting
Pietersen
Collingwood
Flintoff
Jones (will be switched with Gilchrist by the end of the series)
Lee (with bat as well as ball, even though he didnt bowl well. Still better than Hoggard, Harmison & Anderson)
Warne
Clark
McGrath

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Bill Ponsford - The only one who could play in Bradman’s company and make it a duet.

Well... we're two games in and the 2007 Ashes line up is looking pretty settled:

Langer
Hussey
Ponting
Clarke
Pietersen
Collingwood
Gilchrist
Warne
Flintoff
Clarke
Hoggard

Aside from Bell I'm not sure there's even a contest really: the other XI looks decidedly weak by comparison...

Strauss
Hayden
Cook
Bell
Martyn
Jones
Lee
Giles
Harmison
McGrath
Anderson

The time has come for some of these players to show they ain't passengers!

Langer
Bell
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
Flintoff
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Hoggard
Panesar

I would swap McGrath for Mahmood just because of Mcgraths age, and Mahmood's youth, and reasonable start to his TEST career.

Other than that your team I agree with, Lee can bat and get wickets - so can Mahmood.

Bell after 2005 has a lot to prove before getting into a combined 1X.

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Ern

We haven't seen Mahmood's bowling this series yet. Ok, some overs in the warm-up, but he looked as average as all the other England Bowlers. However, He can bat, i'll give him that, so maybe your right, McGrath is coming to an end and Mahmood has pace, swing and bounce on his side. He just needs the accuracy and hes there.

The rest of the team is agreeable, but I think Flintoff shouldn't be there andBell should. His captaincy has let England down.

The combined XI for the 2006/7 Ashes should be surely picked on the basis of performances in Test matches in the series to date... and on the basis of the first two matches... Mahmood and Panesar haven't got ANY basis for selection! In addition we've had nothing from Flintoff with the bat... rather less, in fact, than we've had from Warne... so at present... Flintoff has to compete with Brett Lee... and that's touch and go - and whilst not anything special... Flintoff edges that (Lee having bowled better in just one innings out of four).

Bell has done ok... but not quite well enough to displace Langer, Hussey, Ponting, Clarke, Pietersen and Collingwood: a top six of genuine merit on performances to date.

How can Mahmood possibly be considered when he hasn't played in any of the Tests?

I do wonder about you sometimes Ern.