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[ajmw89]

I like to pick 6 people who can bowl in my team - hence the tail - and stokes is a walking wicket in international cricket at the moment - but all of my bowlers are wicket takers (apart from tredwell...)

I would be worried about your 5th bowler and (for that matter your 4th bowler) going for runs.

Actually the same could be said for my team (given they are mostly the same people!)
I want Buttler in as early as possible because if he bats for 25 overs we have a huge score - what is the point of having your best batsman at 8?

Stokes and Buttler are interchangeable, place wise.  I'd also be tempted to drop Bell for Woakes, pushing Buttler a bit higher to 6.

My team I've got, Finn, stokes jordan and Tredwell will gove you 10.  The 5th bowler option would be Moeen and Rooooot

[Manormanic]

Has anyone tried to work out what the first choice side is from this lot?
I am really struggling - mainly because I don't see Cook as in my best team... regardless

Cook
Hales
Ballance
Morgan
Root
Buttler
Stokes
Jordan
Tredwell
Anderson
Finn

Leaving out Moeen, Bell, Gurney and Woakes - however all 4 of them could be in the first choice team given these guys are part of the "chosen ones" and have to play it is odd.

How much better would that team look if Roy was opening with Hales? I also think the batting beyond Butler looks weak... Woakes is a genuine batsman and may come in ahead of Stokes. But his bowling will be one day cannon fodder. Which means that Ali could come in for Root. But that weakens the batting further...

we are 6 months from a world cup with a very unbalanced squad of players.

This is why the decision to leave Bopara out makes so little sense.  You need at least six options to cover 50 overs in an ODI, even with the new two-white-ball rule, so need two "all rounders" to balance the side and ensure enough batting.  So if they, hypothetically, had four frontline batsmen - Hales, Bell, Morgan, Root plus Buttler as keeper and Bopara and Ali as all rounders, then four bowlers to finish - Jordan, Finn, Tredwell and Anderson perhaps - they'd be a whole lot stronger, especially when you bear in mind the need to target 320+ in the World Cup.

Obviously if Stokes comes good with the bat then its a slightly different picture, but for now it looks too much like desperation to sneak Cook in somewhere.

[MJB3]

Anyone else think it could be worth a shot dropping Tredwell and playing Ali as a spinner who can bat? Not saying he is a frontline spinner,  but this series would be a good chance to test him out before the WC against good players of spin.

The selection smacks of Cook having to play at all costs. I'd have Bell opening with Hales, he has all the shots and can go up and down the gears at will, complementing Hales. I'd also have Roy in the middle order to accelerate.

However the fundamental issue is too many batsmen to fit in and not enough quality bowlers

[Manormanic]

Ali?  Maybe, but only if you were sure you didn't want to take Tredwell to the World Cup, which is a pretty big leap if you ask me since the alternative one day spinners - Briggs, Parry and Fat Sammy - never look like taking a wicket.

[Stuey]

Tredwell must be a shoe in for the world cup, the others lack his experience in ODIs.

[petehosk]

As India seem to be an entirely different team in the ODI guise and will be a big test for England, I guess it is important to test Ali to see if he can hold his bowling together once a few of the Indian batsmen are trying to spank him to all parts! But we still need to keep Treadwell in there, as he has the experience and mentality to take wickets and not panic!
But I am certainly of the same opinion that we need to look at Hales, Bell, Roy, etc for openers! Cook needs to concentrate on his test batting! He may prove us all wrong, but I am liking the thought of Hales, Roy, Ballance, Root, Buttler and even Jordan (who can be explosive with the bat) all in the same team!! If 2 or 3 of them come to the party with the bat then would be fireworks!
But alas, they will shoe in Cook whatever the cost!!

[uknsaunders]

Root will bowl some overs in ODI cricket. That would make him the 6th bowler.

[farnham_quins_2]

I think the team will be:

Cook
Hales
Ballance
Bell
Root
Ali/Morgan
Buttler
Jordan
Tredwell
Gurney
Anderson

I would assume Morgan will get in ahead of Ali, but Ali bowls and why else include him in the squad? Then again why include Morgan if he won't play.

I would like to see the team below

Hales
Bell
Ballance
Morgan
Root
Bopara
Buttler
Jordan
Tredwell
Anderson
Finn

The problem with the firs team is not enough aggressive batting, and not enough bowling if Morgan plays. Also, I wasn't that impressed with Gurney.
The second team has some more aggression at the top order, balanced with Bell, Ballance/Root to shore things up , thenBopara Buttler and Jordan adding the big hitting at the back end.
Would love to see Finn back playing for England, and Root/Bopara give you an option for the 5th bowler. Tredwell is probably the best one day spinner we have at the mo, but perhaps Ali could take over in the future. Ali for Tredwell would sure give us a lot of batting...

[uknsaunders]

Gurney will go miles in Aus. Doesn't do much with it and bowls at an average pace. Took most of the wickets at the end of the innings but never looked like taking many early wickets. Surely if he takes the new ball then that's his job. I get the left arm over angle but at the moment he falls short.

[Manormanic]

If Ballance plays - and I actually wonder whether he might be the batsman to miss out at the start - would really like to see him come in five or six, with either Root or Moeen pushed up.  At Yorkshire, he has played some amazing short knocks in the later overs with massive power hitting.