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[Manormanic]

World class, in my opinion, means that for a period of at least three years you would have been mentioned in dispatches for a "planet Earth" Touring party - so for current players, you'd apply the epithet to maybe:

Batsmen: Sangakkara, Clarke, Amla, De Villiers, Younus Khan, Williamson, McCullum, Pietersen, Warner

All Rounders: hmmm....

Spinners: Herath, Ajmal (if you "allow" for the elbow")

Seamers: Steyn, Morkel, Johnson, Harris, Anderson, Boult

So, not many....

Appreciate in this that there are a few recent retirees who would have made the list - Smith, Kallis, Swann, Tendulkar, Hussey - but its still a rarified list.

[ajmw89]

AS far as I'm concerned, a "world class" player is someone that would walk into any test team without anyone batting an eyelid.  There are currently very few players in the world that I would deem as world class.  Some are potentials, but I don't think England have anyone who is world class at the moment apart from maybe Root.

Stokes has potential if utilised correctly as a middle order batsman who bowls a bit, like Neesham or Anderson for NZ

Ali has held his own as a spinner, but he's not a frontline spinner.  I'd like to see Riley or Rashid given a go.

AS much as I love trotty, I think selecting him is both a big mistake and a backwards step.  KP would also be a big mistake.

FWIW, my team would be:

Lyth - Scored stacks of runs over the last few years. Pick hik, open with him and stick with it.
Cook - For better or worse, give him till the end of the summer as skipper.  If he carries on failing, make Bell skipper until Root is ready
Ballance - HAs been solid if unspectacular.  Plays the Trott role well, but does have an extra gear
Bell - Bit of experience and a fantastic fielder, should be VC
Root - Future captain
Stokes/Ali - depends on the pitch
Buttler - Current incumbent, not the finished article, but improving.  Bats well with Root.
Rashid - Spin option, lower order steel
Woakes - 3rd seamer and can bat.  Stock bowler
Broad
Anderson - Make him Tests only and carefully manage his workload to keep him bowling flat out.  Should be used in short bursts to maintain his effectiveness

Coming through the ranks, I'd like to see Zafar Ansari really kick on with the bat and Stuart Meaker get back to where he was when he earned a call up a couple of years ago.  Foottit looks a decent bet.  Mills keeps getting bandied around, but he's not played regularly enough for my liking.  James Vince has to go in, and I'm still mystified at Taylor not being there.

[SLC]

Ballance has been spectacular so far, in tests.

[ProCricketer1982]

interesting ones for the statoes in you.. how many of the world class cooks tons have been against genuinely decent attacks??

[fros23]

Define decent attacks?

[Bats_Entertainment]

Define decent attacks?

Ones stronger than: Footit, Anderson, Plunkett, Ali?

[Manormanic]

interesting ones for the statoes in you.. how many of the world class cooks tons have been against genuinely decent attacks??

I'd say 16 out of 26 are notable to be fair to him - either against genuinely world class attacks, massive "Daddy" hundreds against decent attacks, or in adverse conditions. 

May 2013, against New Zealand at Headingley, was the last though...

[ProCricketer1982]

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?batting_positionmax1=2;batting_positionval1=batting_position;class=1;filter=advanced;home_or_away=1;opposition=2;orderby=batting_average;qualmin1=5;qualval1=matches;spanmin1=15+Mar+1918;spanval1=span;team=1;template=results;type=batting

[smilley792]

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?batting_positionmax1=2;batting_positionval1=batting_position;class=1;filter=advanced;home_or_away=1;opposition=2;orderby=batting_average;qualmin1=5;qualval1=matches;spanmin1=15+Mar+1918;spanval1=span;team=1;template=results;type=batting

Root should, open this summer?

[Giraffe208]

Root should, open this summer?

Could be, or see if Herbert Sutcliffe and Len Hutton fancy a knock from beyond the grave?

[ProCricketer1982]

what did compton and carbs avg when opening out of interest?

[Sam]

what did compton and carbs avg when opening out of interest?

Neither of them didn't open did they so 31.93 and 28.75 respectively?

[Sam]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-england-2015/engine/match/766925.html

Presumably Trott will take the opening spot then for the first test. Some wickets for Stokes and runs for Cook even if against a slightly questionable XI.

[SLC]

So, surprise surprise, England go for the most conservative option available.

[ProCricketer1982]

oh look, Cook is scoring runs vs the worst team ever.. He's back, he's awesome.. nothing to see here.. Cook is a world class batsmen.. best ever

zzz