Except that would give us even odds on winning the series. Even before the series started Australia were favourite. Given the status of the series, and the way England are playing... well... you know the score.

I don't see Fletcher dropping Harmison for Perth. Given Fletcher's current record of decision making, it just doesn't seem likely. I hope he proves me wrong.

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I dont think Fletcher is in a position to prove you wrong. captain gets the final say.

"Hey Fred, i want to drop your bestest pal"

Dont see it happening.

Which ought to be a true test of Fred's mettle as captain of England.

It also exposes the problem with the selection process - it sounds like Fred has been given a squad, and told to make a team out of it. I don't confess to knowing exactly how it works, but I've heard that Strauss, G Jones and Harmison all have something to do with it. How did that happen?

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Basically, when england are at home, the selctors will pick the team, with input from the captain. Captains input varies from near-total control (Vaughan) to having views listened to (Hussain) to not-a-lot (Strauss). the selectors are Graveney, Edmonds and Fletcher.

Away from home, the selectors pick a squad. This squad is then what the coach and captain will pick from, with input from the management committee (Strauss, Jones, Colly) with the captain getting the final say. After all, if he is given a bowler he doesnt want, he just wont bowl him (e.g Vaughan with anderson, Atherton with just about anyone illingworth picked).

The trouble is, this can lead to inexperienced captains picking their mates. Watching England against Sri Lanka in the test fred captained, it was obvious how much he bowled himself, and how little he bowled panesar.

The general consensus seems to be that (Hoggard and S.Jones aside) Fletcher has never been too popular among the bowlers, Fred included. He developed a good working relationship with strauss over the summer, and, whilst by no means being pally, a fantastic one with Vaughan, despite never being as close to him as he was to Hussain and Trescothick. Mostly, Fletcher leaves the bowlers ot the bowling coach (although he has been seen spending endless hours getting Monty to pitch it on a sixpence to G.Jones recently) and gets on with tactics and plans for field settings and dismissing opposing batsmen (rather famously, Fletchers 'dismissal board' in 2001 still had a question mark next to adam gilchrist's name during the last test).

Most people argue that Flecthers main strength is in identifying players capable of making the grade in test cricket. He rather famously ear-marked Tresco to Atherton (response "the chubby hopeless Somerset guy?") and also picked Vaughan when averaging 37-odd in County Cricket. Other Fletcher picks included Collingwood, Key, Jones S, Jones G, Anderson, Monty (after a bowl-off with Louden in practices) Harmison and, strangely, James Foster.

Fletcher also has picked some stinkers. (Anthony McGrath, an umpteenth recall for Crawley and Dawson the alleged spinner stick out) He also had little time for Rod Marsh and his oft-far-too-early-ballyhooing of his acadmey boys (as did Hussain and Vaughan) with only Ian Bell (and pietersen, obviously, but a blind man could notice him) being given serious consideration (even then he was only picked when Marsh left).

The side for the next Test will reveal whether or not Fletch and fred can put their egos aside and pick the strongest team possible. Fletcher is definitely the half-wit obsessed with batting to eight, but it seems Fred may be the anti-panesar chap. Both of them should cut it out.

I still can't fathom how a "management committee" charged with picking players for a team, can possibly ever consist of people actually in the damn team! It's ludicrous.

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Usually the players considered for selection are known to the senior players who have watched them in the nets and may have played with or against them in domestic cricket or A teams. That's the easy part. Choosing Panesar to play is easy because he is the best finger spinner England has. The tough part for the senior players is how to drop a player that Panesar would replace? I don't think the senior players are in a position to act rationally and objectively because of mateships with players like Giles and Harmison who would need to make way for Panesar.

I think the only person that can tell Giles or Harmison that they are out is a selector. Therefore, the selector should listen to input from senior players and the coach but have the final say because someone has to make a tough decision and drop players if necessary.

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Tresco was an inspired pick. Vaughan had been mentioned by the papers many times before he was selecetd. Rob Keys selection hardly took any thinking as he was scoring loads of runs. Most selections are fairly obvious and straightforward, GBH was touted by the press and IT Botham well before he was selected.

I also understood that the selction committee was Fletcher, Graveney and Geoff Miller (though Brian Bolus used to be involved). I wasn't aware that Phil Edmonds was involved?

The public were first made aware of the selection committee by Atherton in The Telegraph who was also surprised that players would have a say in selection. Players that have been on the selection committee at various times and not only on tours -

Trescothick
Strauss
Collingwood
Giles
Flintoff
Vaughan
Jones
Butcher
Thorpe
Hussain

All batsmen. Giles is also thought of as a batsman nowadays.
There was something in one of the papers recently that the committee had changed to Fletcher, Shine, Maynard and Flintoff so someone got their wires crossed. I think Fletcher should make the decision on his own but he has said that he is more of a consultant.

In my world, that moreorless equates to a complete waste of space.

(Though I wonder if he'd still be saying that if England were winning?)

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It seems he did prove me wrong but not in the way I anticipated. I'm so pleased for Harmi, it's been painful to see him in the first 2 games, so to see him bowl like he did today was a very welcome change. Fingers crossed he can keep it up, and adelaide and brisbane were just him warming up...

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