Who Would You Pick For The First Test Of The Summer?

Well Stokes at 5 suggest an immediate problem.

Bell is unlikely to get back in and I think Halo will be given another bite at the cherry.

Roy? Surely that is a joke.

Moeen will be persevered with but Adil is a genuine option as he is no mug with the bat but not as good as Mo. Adil, like Bishoo, can be a genuine match winner.

This is not a bad 11

1.  Chef
2.  Halo
3.  Compton
4.  Roooot
5.  Bairstow
6.  Stokes
7.  Mo
8.  Adil
9.  Broad
10. Anderson
11. Finny

It is unlikely they will play both Adil and Mo and since Taylor has been forced  to retire they would probably opt for another batsman in the middle order.

Pretty much in full agreement with you, Mail.

My XI for the first Test:

Cook (c), Hales, Compton, Root, Ballance, Stokes, Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Broad, Anderson, Finn

Losing James Taylor is a blow, especially against Sri Lanka as he is arguably England's best player of spin and like a whippet between the wickets which helps to rotate the strike.

Bell has averaged 30 in Test cricket over the last 4 years. Time to move on.

I would give Ballance another look. Yes, his footwork was exposed against the left-arm pace bowlers of Australia and New Zealand but he had got off to a great start to his Test career and has gone back and scored runs again in county cricket. I'd also argue he is a not a true number 3 but better suited to the middle-order.

If not Ballance, next in line for me would be James Vince, who coincidentally put together an extremely gritty century yesterday against Yorkshire.

Although Hales struggled against South Africa, I would give him another series. You can't keep chopping and changing openers after every series. Give him an extended run in the side as there is a big jump up from county cricket to Test cricket. Jason Roy still has a lot to prove in first-class cricket for me before he would get anywhere near the team.

Robson is keeping his name in the hat with over 300 runs in the match against Warwicks.

I am not a Balance fan. On a flat track, he would bat you senseless but when the ball is doing something, he is all at sea.

I would be happy to give Vince a shot.

Tragic about Taylor, just as he was cementing his spot.

You might even see Jos playing as a batsman and Jonny given the gloves. However Jonny is not as good a keeper as Jos, but he manages both roles well. Jos possibly needs to just focus on batting. The Coach seems to like innovation, a more adventurous mode of play and prepared, as management before him, to give lads a good run.

As I said before the World T20, the entire outfit has an aura about them.

I have been through far too many years of hurt so they are taking pity on me now....lol

Paul Newman has an article in the Daily Mail today implying that James Vince and Nick Browne are both in line for a Test debut should Hales and Compton fail to score runs in the next two county championship matches.

While I am a big fan of James Vince and believe he has earned the right to play Test cricket, I am loathe to keep chopping and changing players. Giving players one series to prove themselves creates a revolving door cast of characters that makes it hard for a team to gel. I'd also argue that it leaves players looking over their shoulder for fear of one bad series leading to them being dropped. That puts added pressure on an already pressurised situation.

The biggest surprise to me is the implication that Browne would replace Hales at the top of the order and not Robson. It also appears that Ballance will indeed be recalled to the side but batting lower down the order.

Paul Newman's suggested XI:

1. Cook 2. Browne 3. Root 4. Vince 5. Ballance 6. Stokes 7. Bairstow 8. Moeen 9. Broad 10. Finn 11. Anderson

I do not expect drastic changes and I think they will stick with Halo.

In terms of openers both Robson and Lyth are doing very well so not sure, if  a change is deemed necessary, why they would opt for a completely new man except both Lyth and Robson has been shown to have weak techniques at times.

As said, I do not really feel Balance is the man but we will see.

Daniel Bell-Drummond is off to a fast start this year with a century, double century and two scores of 80+ to his name. He is currently averaging a gaudy 168 in 5 innings - albeit in Division Two.

He is still very young, and though touted as one for the future, if he continues at this rate, he may well end up forcing himself into the conversation by the end of the year, especially if Hales struggles against Sri Lanka.

Cook is off to a blistering start to the season with three centuries to date and an average of 130.

There seems to be a growing contention that James Vince will take James Taylor's place in the side. Rather interestingly, Nasser, Athers and Paul Allott feel that England should play both Bairstow and Buttler with the latter being given the gloves.

England should pick James Vince to bat at number three in the first Test against Sri Lanka

As it seems certain that Vince will take James Taylor's place in the side, does that mean you would drop Compton? If so, who would you replace him with, Ballance or play Buttler, give him the gloves and move Stokes and Bairstow up the order?

Vince with a very gritty 39 not out from 147 balls against a strong Lancashire attack today. It seems a foregone conclusion that he will be named in the team to face Sri Lanka.

This article in the Daily Mail today suggests that Nick Compton may well be replaced in the team by Tom Westley. That would be an out of the box surprise for me. I still think the selectors will stick with Compton for one more series.

Jake Ball is another name that keeps popping up in articles suggesting he will likely be named in the 13-man squad. One of my biggest concerns right now is the form of Steven Finn. He has really struggled since returning from injury and for England to be a real threat this year, they need a healthy Steven Finn to provide a three-headed monster attack with Anderson and Broad.