I think we should hear what the other selectors have to say about the opening bowlers before moving on. Last year Lewis and Harrison were the opening bowlers. Lewis is medium and Harrison is fast medium. Here is the speed description of this years candidates:

Collingwood [10] - medium - 14 overs per match
Mascarenhas (1) [4] - fast-medium - 24 overs per match
Davies (4) [10] - medium - 24 overs per match
Tremlett (1) [9] - medium-fast - 30 overs per match
Sidebottom (1) [3] - fast-medium - 30 overs per match
Plunkett (1) [7] - medium-fast - 30 overs per match
Kabir Ali (1) [5] - medium-fast - 29 overs per match

The number in () brackets is the number of times picked as a key player. The number in [] brackets is the number of times appearing in the selectors XI.

The overs per match figure indicates whether they were opening bowlers, first change or part-time bowlers. Tremlett, Sidebottom, Plunkett and Kabir Ali were obviously opening bowlers for their clubs.

Soarce http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_bo...f_fast_bowling

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Ern

Based on CricInfo's bowling types and speeds of players mention in this article I think these speeds are a fair representation:

I 'think' I agree.
Speeds of players have been classed wrong for ages, and no account is made for slowing down.

Flintoff is at last classed as fast http://stats.cricinfo.com/guru?sdb=f...ass=testplayer up until near the Ashes, he was FM.

But look at 'Tremlett' can bowl at 90mph I believe, yet he is only classed as MF the same as 'Mascarenhas', that can't be right.
I also find interesting 'Sidebottom' FM in the 90mph class, faster than Tremlett.

I think my MF is more accurate than yours Mike, Hoggard bowls in the late 70s, and is classed as MF.

I think the minimum for opening bowlers with a new ball is, one to be FM and one MF at least, or the attack will have no teeth, in particular if that team has no decent spinner for the later overs.

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Ern

BBC Cricket
Mahmood and Jones are rated as fast-medium by CricInfo. That means my figures are closer to the mark.

I'm surprised that Mascarenhas doesn't open the bowling being rated fast-medium.

Mascarenhas is fast-medium - same as Simon Jones and Sajid Mahmood. Tremlett is slower apparently.

By a couple of miles an hour, and by both our figures, at 93MPH Mahmood could be rated as fast.
IMHO Mascarenhas could just well be one of those players, not long ago Flintoff was rated fast-medium.

Stranger still-how STAT rates Mahmood who can bowl at 93.6mph at Med Fast

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Ern

But Glenn McGrath has never been the fastest and he has opned the bowling for a long time.

My bowlers were Mascarenhas and Tremlett as the all-rounders and then Davies and Plunkett leaving me with a place for a spinner (Panesar). I do accept that while I feel Plunkett and Davies are better long term prospects, Sidebottom perhaps had a better season and could be swayed to including him. I picked my side not necessarily of the best eleven that are under 30 but, the players most likely to become England players.

ps Do we need to consider who will captain the side?

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Steven

A degree of allowance for that makes sense... but on the other hand... spots like this ought to be earned through performances on the pitch... and performances on the pitch ought to be rewarded. I'd also suggest that a genuine 'A' team would be improved by a bit of experience.

With all that said... and despite inclining towards Sidebottom over Plunkett.... I'd rather take Panesar or Loudon than Batty or Swann.... and Cook than Key!

Whether they came from Cricinfo or not, these figures are codswallop. Cricinfo rates Gough as Fast - when did you ever see him, or Harmison for that matter, bowl regularly at 93mph+? Likewise, when has Fast Medium bowler Matthew Hoggard ever operated in the 87-93 MPH region? Cricinfo really can't be relied on these things - Sajid Mahmood was rated as Medium for ages, likewise Tremlett is a shade quicker than Medium-Fast.

Fast Medium, as I have always known it, tends to hover around the low 80s (typically 82/83 mph - see Hoggard and McGrath in the Ashes). Furthermore, in reality, there is a caregorisation above merely "Fast" which is never actually denoted, something like the following:

"Express" 93mph+ (Lee, Akhtar, Bond)
Fast 85-92mph (Best, Harmison, Flintoff, Jones)
Fast-Medium 79-85mph (Hoggard, McGrath)
Medium-Fast 73-79mph (Collingwood)
Medium 0-73mph (Bell)

Based on this, the bolwers under discussion fall into the following categories (some of these I'm not certain on):

Collingwood - medium-fast
Mascarenhas - medium-fast
Davies - medium (not sure, haven't seen him bowl)
Tremlett - fast-medium (was seen bowling around 83-84mph in the one dayers)
Sidebottom - fast-medium
Plunkett - medium-fast (again not sure)
Kabir Ali - medium-fast

My chosen 3 man seam attack was Plunkett and Tremlett opening with Bresnan first change but obviously there's no support for Bresnan and Davies has already taken that spot. Tremlett seems to have plenty of the support and the argument is between Sidebottom and Plunkett as his opening partner.

My vote is with Plunkett & Tremlett to open.