Dalrymple called to glue England together

There was a sense of inevitability in the selection of Jamie Dalrymple. With the grave absence of Andrew Flintoff the selectors would ideally like to field 15 men on Thursday: an extra slipper; a No. 6 capable of destroying Pakistan's sometimes brittle confidence and a bullish fast bowler whose every step throws fear into batsman.

Dalrymple is none of these. Rather than trying to replace the irreplaceable, Dalrymple's selection owes as much to Liam Plunkett's unfortunate injury which may or may not cause him to miss the second Test, as the stand-in England captain's ankle problems. How ironic, then, that 12 months ago almost to the day England plumped for swagger and style over reliability and experience; for Kevin Pietersen, that embryonic veteran of a year's Test cricket over Graham Thorpe. Today, the trend has been emphatically reversed, albeit in unfortunate circumstances.

Consistency and reliability have become the two watchwords since England's Ashes. Dalrymple is not a flamboyant character, and it shows in his cricket. He bats sensibly with an orthodox technique and, in England's calamitous one-day series against Sri Lanka was the sole bright spot. He bustles up to the wicket, in a manner not too dissimilar to his coach at Middlesex John Emburey, and bowls a tidy line and length. He isn't a heavy wicket-taker or a great threat with the ball yet, though. But Emburey, speaking to Cricinfo during Middlesex's Championship match against Sussex at Southgate last week, was full of praise, convinced that Dalrymple had the ability to perform.

"I think Duncan [Fletcher] likes to have a look at players in one-day internationals, in order to gauge their ability, temperament and suitability for a Test match," he said. "Whether that's right or wrong...it's his way of doing things. He gets a better idea of what players are like and Jamie didn't let himself down.

"The key for Jamie is he played very well in his first innings when the side was struggling, and then batted well throughout scoring runs in every match."

So much for the batting. What about his offspin?

"This is the best he has bowled, this year, and he's got [England] recognition straight away. He still needs to get those wickets under his belt, get five wicket hauls and so on but there's no reason why, bowling as consistently as he is, that he shouldn't be in the side."

Of course Emburey's comments maybe loaded with bias, but they were said with determination, almost insistence, that his young charge was more than a bits-and-pieces halfway-house, and that Fletcher was impressed with what he has seen.

In these tumultuous times, it is only a fool who predicts the role of an England debutant. However, when a side has a spinner of the class of Monty Panesar, an incoming rookie offspinner must surely be a concern to the man in possession. Panesar has had the most unchequered of starts to his career yet, if you believe some of the scribes out there he shouldn't even be playing for his country. His fielding, while initially shambolic, has gradually improved. And the myth that he can't bat is just that - a myth. He is no more than a No. 9 at this stage, but he's certainly not a No. 11, as that crisply swept six off Muttiah Muralitharan proved.

As for his main attribute, he has bowled with immense control, gained remarkable spin for a slow-left-arm bowler and managed to, on the whole, contain some of the best players of spin in the world. What signal does the selection of Dalrymple say to Monty of his Ashes prospects? Not even Emburey is certain. "I think Panesar has to go [to Australia]. Obviously if Giles isn't fit, it could be Panesar and Dalrymple...but it's a difficult one."

With the rash of injuries and uncertainty afflicting England, perhaps now is the time for some old-fashioned English solidity. Dalrymple won't set the world alight but, to borrow a Fletcherism, he came to the party against Sri Lanka when England were all but dead. Maybe this time against Pakistan, he'll even put his hand up.