Stephen Harmison set to take centre stage
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
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Andrew Strauss was faced with more questions than answers on the eve of a Test match that his team must win. The balance of the side, the identity of the sixth batsman and Graeme Swann's injury were among them, but the most pressing concerned two players who have given England more headaches in recent years than any others: Andrew Flintoff, who definitely will not play, and Stephen Harmison, who probably will, but against whom there remains a huge question mark, writes Mike Atherton in the Times.
So now England must go into a match in which they must take 20 wickets, something they have yet to achieve in four full Tests this winter, with their default Fredless balance of an extra batsman at six and a bowler light, writes Mike Selvey in the Guardian.
Quite who the batsman will be is a matter that Strauss and Andy Flower will have debated hard. Flower, in particular, is someone who might wish to break away from the cosiness engendered during Peter Moores' time in charge, which means that Ian Bell ought not to be an automatic choice. The alternative, Ravi Bopara, made a century in the tourists' match earlier this week, which proves little except that he has suffered hardly any impact from the journey and time change from New Zealand.
There comes a point in the affairs of man when it is necessary to be bold. For England that moment may have been reached. This does not mean recklessness or throwing caution to the wind – it is about assessing the risk, weighing the balance, and then concluding that desperate times require desperate measures, writes Stephen Brenkley in the Independent.
Also in the Guardian, Duncan Fletcher feels its crucial for England to work out a plan to counter Ramnaresh Sarwan.
If that fails, Plan B is to work on him around off-stump and drag him forward. His cut is his release shot, so if England can keep him on the front foot he will be out of his comfort zone. Then, if the plan to get him lbw is playing on his mind and persuading him to keep his legs out of the way, he may be forced to over-compensate and reach outside off, which opens up the chance of a nick. It's not easy, especially against such a fine player as Sarwan, but England have to be disciplined against a guy who has so far scored two hundreds and a ninety.
George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo