There were no major surprises in England's Ashes squad, but the inclusion of an extra seamer (Liam Plunkett) ahead of an extra batsman (Owais Shah and Rob Key) offers an interesting hint as to their plans for the series. With only six full-time batsmen in the squad, plus Andrew Flintoff, it seems likely that England will stick to the tried-and-trusted Ashes method of having five bowlers to cover all the bases. If England were going to go with six batsmen and Flintoff - as has been mooted - they would surely have taken another batsman in the Test squad as cover for last-minute injuries.
This raises two questions: which of Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood will drop out to make way for Flintoff's probable return at No6, and who the hell bats at No8? In the Pakistan series it was Sajid Mahmood but, for all the gumption he has shown with the bat, he is more of a Test No9. The other problem is that, if England were picking their best bowlers, the attack would probably be: Flintoff, Hoggard, Harmison, Panesar and Anderson. But that would mean the unedifying prospect of Hoggard batting at No8.
Ashley Giles, if fit, is a proven No8, but playing him would mean either dropping Monty Panesar or playing two spinners, an approach that would compromise the four-pronged seam attack that so unsettled Australia last summer.
Whichever way you look at it, a square peg is going in a round hole. England's squad may have pretty much picked itself, but there is much thinking to be done before the first XI trot into the lion's den at Brisbane on November 23.
