It is a game all cricket followers have played at sometime or other: pick an XI. When I was a kid, it would be England to play Mars, and for some reason that defeats me now, I remember one day having Geoffrey Boycott as third seamer, cap on back to front, bowling those innocuous induckers. I've done teams whose name begin with the same letter, or have the same number of letters, and not so long ago I compiled for a website an all-time team of those who played the game left-handed. In the responses to that I was quizzed by one person as to why Sachin Tendulkar was not in "because had he been left-handed he would have been the greatest left-hander of them all."
Now here we are choosing an England Ashes XI. But there are self-imposed criteria. There have been 433 cricketers who have represented England against Australia, and of the great majority I know no more than I have read. Unlike Harold Pinter, I never saw Len Hutton in his prime ("another time, another time"), or Alec Bedser ("who taught you to bowl to Australia", according to the calypsonian Lord Kitchener). Only on grainy film have I seen "Larwood's bounding run", as described in poetry by RC Robertson-Glasgow (although Michael Holding viewed it for the first time with us one evening and pronounced him "quick").
How good was WG? How can we really quantify these things when conditions were different, players different, and even the times were different? So the restriction is to players that I have seen in the last four or so decades which means much as I would relish the thought, I cannot have Douglas Jardine as captain, or Harold Larwood; no Hammond, Hobbs, or Hutton: no Typhoon Tyson or Fiery Fred (even though I was at The Oval to see Trueman's 300th Test wicket); and no Kenny Barrington walking out to bat with the Union Jack fluttering behind him.
Even so there are omissions. Geoffrey, for example, may not be too happy (I think I shall delegate someone else to break the news to him) and great reluctance made me leave out Graham Gooch, the man with more total runs, in all forms of cricket, than anyone in the game's history. Should I pick from those who have been the fleeting comets of Ashes history but significant ones? Like Simon Jones, for example? I include Alastair Cook on the back of one stellar series, but what a series. Likewise Andrew Flintoff. Others stayed the course longer.
I wish I could have included Tony Greig, if only to see him signalling his Brisbane boundaries to Lillee and Tommo. Maybe this year Jimmy Anderson will become a true Ashes legend, and Graeme Swann go some way to becoming one but they don't make the cut here. Matt Prior is a truly outstanding cricketer and competitor but I only want one keeper. It is onerous being a selector and largely thankless.
Fetch me in a pint and on with the debate.
John Edrich
Wonderful nuggety left-handed opener, who was prominent, along with Boycott, in the 1970-71 series, but also made 428 runs, average 53.5, in the 1975 series that saw Tommo and Lillee in full flight.
Record v Australia: Played 32, 2,644 runs @ 48.96 with seven hundreds
Alastair Cook
A total of 766 runs in the last series in Australia was just astonishing, and his status already as England's most accomplished century maker needs no embellishment.
P15, 1,264 runs @ 50.56 with four hundreds
Michael Vaughan
He was majestic in Australia in 2002-03, with three hundreds in the series, and 633 runs at 63.3. He is in there to captain, though, with several players in the side who will require significant man-management skills. They know who they are.
P10, 959 runs @ 47.95 with four hundreds
Kevin Pietersen
Announced himself as an outrageously gifted player in 2005 and is someone who can tear an attack to shreds.
P17, 1,476 runs @52.71 with three hundreds
David Gower
Second only to Jack Hobbs in run-scoring against Australia, he made 732 runs in the summer of 1985.
P42, 3,269 runs @44.78 with nine hundreds
Ian Botham
Enough said.
P36, 1,673 runs @29.35 with four hundreds; 148 wickets at 27.65
Andrew Flintoff
The 2005 version please, when he was brutal with the ball and thunderous with the bat.
P15, 566 runs with one hundred @ 33.55; 50 wickets @ 33.2
Alan Knott
A genius, who was arguably the finest gloveman of them all and a batsman light years ahead of his time in terms of his innovation.
P34, 1,682 runs @ 32.98 with two hundreds; 97 catches and eight stumpings
John Snow
The finest fast bowler he played against is the assessment of Rodney Marsh. Created a legend in 1970-71 when he took 31 wickets at 22.83.
P20, 83 wickets @ 25.61
Derek Underwood
Not for nothing was he called Deadly. When there was purchase he was devastating: on flat pitches he lent control.
P29, 105 wickets @ 26.38
Bob Willis
The great Goose flapping his way down the hill from the Kirkstall Lane end at Headingley is an iconic Ashes vision, but there was a deal more than that since he went to Australia as replacement in 1970-71.
P35, 128 wickets @ 26.14
