England's opening problems

Looking ahead to England's Test series in India, Mike Selvey in the Guardian reckons that a replacement for Andrew Strauss at the top of the order will be the No. 1 priority for the selectors.

The absence of Pietersen does alter the dynamic of the selection. Had he been there, a strong case could have been made for promoting Jonathan Trott, their emergency opener, to that position full time, and moving Ian Bell to No3, in as much as it would not significantly alter the middle order. Now, though, they would not want a fragile engine room.

A new opener to accompany Alastair Cook, with a long-term as well as immediate view, has to be the way