sport news Picking Matthew Potts and Harry Brooks would point to a brave new era of ... trends now

sport news Picking Matthew Potts and Harry Brooks would point to a brave new era of ... trends now
sport news Picking Matthew Potts and Harry Brooks would point to a brave new era of ... trends now

sport news Picking Matthew Potts and Harry Brooks would point to a brave new era of ... trends now

So, how bold will they be? What statement will England’s new-look interim selection panel send out when they name their squad for the first Test against New Zealand on Wednesday?

Are England really going to try to blast their way out of the basement of the Test world as we all buckle up and enjoy the ride, as Rob Key suggests we should? Will there be a return to Joe Root’s all too brief ‘total cricket’ policy that, for a while, looked as if it would herald an aggressive new dawn for English Test cricket?

There certainly should be more substance this time to the style that briefly flickered in England before they were undermined by the ECB’s neglect of the red-ball game, the demands of the pandemic and the struggles of the Root-Chris Silverwood partnership.

Brendon McCullum (L) and Ben Stokes (R) will look to stamp their marks on the team from early

Brendon McCullum (L) and Ben Stokes (R) will look to stamp their marks on the team from early

With Key, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum in charge and Matthew Mott set to be confirmed today alongside Eoin Morgan leading the all-powerful white-ball sides, England will rarely take a backward step from now on.

And, with Stokes determined to surround himself with selfless cricketers and McCullum keen to introduce the ‘no d***head policy’ that has worked for New Zealand rugby and cricket, it will be fascinating to see which players fall by the wayside.

For now a panel of Key, McCullum, Stokes, performance director Mo Bobat and chief scout James Taylor are unlikely to be too radical. At least until McCullum has his feet under the table and has seen his new charges up close.

With England's bowling department extremely depleted, it is likely that Matthew Potts gets called up to the squad for the first time

With England's bowling department extremely depleted, it is likely that Matthew Potts gets called up to the squad for the first time

So Alex Lees will probably get another chance at Lord’s on June 2 to prove he can be more than a limited option at the top of the order. And Jack Leach may retain the spin place ahead of the more attacking but still untried Matt Parkinson. But that is likely to be where any hint of conservatism begins and ends.

England plan to name an extended squad, possibly as large as 17, and insist Dan Lawrence and Ollie Robinson prove their fitness this week for Essex and Sussex respectively if they are to survive the final cut.

There will be newcomers, most notably Durham’s Matthew Potts and possibly Surrey’s Jamie Overton, with so many fast bowlers unfit. Look out for the

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