Has Steve Harmison done enough for an England recall?.
The dust has barely settled on the furore surrounding the England selection at Headingley and the focus will again be on what names Geoff Miller comes up with for the third Test at Edgbaston, which starts next Wednesday. The squad, expected to include 13 players, will be announced before the first Twenty20 semi-final at The Rose Bowl on Saturday.
After plucking Darren Pattinson out of obscurity the selectors are likely to go the other way this time and bolster the pace attack with a tried (if not always trusted) name. Steve Harmison could be handed a chance to relaunch his international career as England look at how they can bowl South Africa out twice. It took them 176.2 overs to claim 10 wickets at Headingley, following two days of toil for three scalps at Lord's.
"We now know we have to win two games to win the series, and have to create a side which is capable of that at Edgbaston, which as a ground is different to Headingley," said Miller. "We have discussed all kinds of things: extra pace, whether it will turn more, or whether it is anticipated to swing."
Harmison is in the best position to earn a recall after claiming 41 wickets at 22.82 for Durham this season while reaching 90mph. He had plenty of ground to make up after his poor display in New Zealand, but after Matthew Hoggard was overlooked at Headingley, Harmison is now ahead of him in the pecking order. Simon Jones, the other of England's Ashes quicks still on the sideline, would be another option but Worcestershire and England are being very careful about his progress.
An on-form Harmison would certainly add another dimension to the England attack, especially alongside Andrew Flintoff who got through 40 overs at Headingley. James Anderson has also impressed during the series, but Stuart Broad has looked tired and could be rested despite the runs he brings at No. 8.
Ryan Sidebottom, who missed out with a back problem last week opening the selectorial can of worms, is expected to be fit again. He should be a straight swap for Pattinson, who can go back to county cricket and, hopefully, not be adversely affected by his past week.
"You always need options. Ryan has been an extremely important member of the squad, and indeed side, since he came back last year," said Miller. "But it is not just about taking 20 wickets - yes we need to do that - it is about scoring runs as well, and 200 in the first innings [at Headingley] is simply not enough."
The batting, though, is unlikely to be altered despite temptations to strengthen the middle order with a swift recall for Paul Collingwood. Alastair Cook hasn't scored a century since the third Test against Sri Lanka in December, but the most in-need of runs is captain Michael Vaughan with scores of 0, 2 and 21 in this series.
England squad (probable) Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan (capt), Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Tim Ambrose (wk), Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom, James Anderson, Monty Panesar, Steve Harmison.
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