First Test: England v New Zealand, May 21-25.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Changes will come when everything is going wrong. By which time, bets are off. Gurney won't play Tests, and Footitt must be down the list. Wood and Plunkett will get the first chances. Hard to believe Rashid will play in England in May, having missed out in WI.

[bigfluffylemon]

Wood didn't have a great winter for the Lions. I'd be surprised.

You're probably right about Rashid, but I was talking about what I would like to see happen, not what will.

The line up for the first test v NZ will almost certainly be:

Cook
Lyth
Ballance
Bell
Root
Ali
Stokes
Buttler
Broad
Plunkett/Jordan
Anderson

[greyblazer]

Any reason why England aren't even having a look at Footitt. Yes, it was back in 2005 or 2006 I watched him bowl for Notts. But according to a few of my friends on Facebook like Kirby Keehan (she constantly writes on Derbyshire cricket for Deep Extra Cover), he has been bowling with good rhythm. I see he took 84 wickets last season. Of course, when I saw him bowl he was quick and a left-armer, too.

[Aidan11]

Any reason why England aren't even having a look at Footitt. Yes, it was back in 2005 or 2006 I watched him bowl for Notts. But according to a few of my friends on Facebook like Kirby Keehan (she constantly writes on Derbyshire cricket for Deep Extra Cover), he has been bowling with good rhythm. I see he took 84 wickets last season. Of course, when I saw him bowl he was quick and a left-armer, too.

Probably because he plays for Derbyshire. Big county bias.

[Arthur Crabtree]

He also did very little for a long time and got injured a lot. He was on England's radar as a young man, but didn't do well in CC. It has been one good season, maybe he needs to back it up.

[greyblazer]

Footitt was injury prone and that doesn't help. But, if you take 84 wickets in just one season, you must be at least in the reckoning. By the looks of it, he isn't.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I expect he and Mills will be considered. They will go through the EPP mill first. But if England go two down in the Ashes and Footitt is taking wickets, who knows.

[andy]

i hope they change the batting line up... Buttler at 8 is far too low... one of moeen or Stokes needs to be left out...buttler at 8 doesn't work

[Aidan11]

He can be an opener now Trott has retired.

[m@tt]

I would probably go with Cook / Lyth / Ballance / Bell / Root / Ali / Buttler / Stokes / Plunkett / Wood / Anderson

Lyth is an easy choice. Jordan may be a superb catcher but he's not taking enough wickets. Broad just isn't the bowler he was.

Though I'm not sure about Stokes. Hugely talented but not kicking on and gets too easily flustered.

[Aidan11]

Lyth will get the NZ series but Hales form is likely to be catching the attention of the selectors.

[Arthur Crabtree]

It's complicated by Hales batting at number three though.

[Aidan11]

England will just shove him in to open. They like number threes opening.

[andy]

difference is though, Hales is traditionally an opener, Trott wasn't... so its easier for Hales to make the transition..

[alfie]

Shouldn't be a huge issue for a former opener to revert there from a brief stay at three. In fact a few players managed to move between the roles successfully at Test level ...I suspect the "old" Trott might well have been able to do so - at least against West Indies. Sadly that man was no longer available.
Hales - if he came off - would be ideal for this England team as he would supply one dynamic player among a top order heavy on accumulators .
Trouble being he has so far failed to step up successfully from t20 to fifty over. But he is in terrific form in the CC ...though I don't suppose he will be able to push ahead of Lyth in the queue.