five is the magic number

Trescothick - short of form and time.

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By Dave Tickner

The countdown starts here. England predictably departed the Champions Trophy with little more than a whimper, and attention can turn fully to the main event; the most eagerly anticipated Ashes series since the last one is just over three weeks away.

While England's squad selection contained precisely zero surprises, with the selectors resisting the temptation to opt for a 'wildcard' pick like Stuart Broad or, heaven forbid, recall Robert Key.

Indeed, the big decision for England was not the 16 names, but who would lead them.

Andrew Strauss put his hand up in the impressive series win over Pakistan, but sheer force of personality has got Andrew Flintoff the nod. How he handles the intense workload will be crucial to the outcome in Australia.

But there are a number of interesting selection posers for England to answer before Brisbane on November 23.

The top six were hugely impressive against Pakistan, but one will miss out to accommodate the return of Flintoff.

Most see a straight scrap between Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell.

I'd play both and leave out Marcus Trescothick.

He was the one not to fire in the summer, and his record in Australia hardly demands inclusion.

His mysterious "stress-related" absence from the ICC Champions Trophy means he will have precious little chance to regain form and confidence before the first Test.

Alastair Cook has batted at three for England recently, but has spent most of his first-class career at the top of the order, and scored a ton on Test debut from number one.

While Bell would be a risk at number three with his recent renaissance coming down at number six, I think it's one worth taking.

But I expect England to keep faith with Trescothick, while the tenacious Collingwood will probably get the nod ahead of the more talented Bell at number five.

One thing England must do is resist the temptation to play the lot and ditch the fifth bowler.

England won the Ashes because they had a five-pronged (and it was five; Ashley Giles' contribution is often unfairly overlooked) bowling attack that kept up the pressure far better than their opponents' four.

No England bowler came close to matching Shane Warne's 40 wickets, but the whole was greater than the sum of their parts.

Three of the five will be Flintoff, Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison. Saj Mahmood, James Anderson and Liam Plunkett will be fighting to be fourth seamer.

It's a close call and could come down to who performs best in the warm-up games.

The choice of spinner should be straightforward. For all his honest endeavour, Giles simply isn't as good as Monty Panesar, regardless of his greater ability in the field and with the bat.

While expecting Panesar to match Shane Warne's contribution is folly, it's reasonable to expect him to pose more threat than Giles and crucially keeps things tight even when the wickets aren't coming.

Panesar has voiced a desire to form a 'spin twin' alliance with Giles, but with the possible exception of Sydney, I can't see England going in with two left-arm spinners however different their styles.

There's still a niggling fear Duncan Fletcher's belief in two-dimensional cricketers at Test level could yet earn Giles a recall.

A similar dilemma faces the selectors at number seven. Despite the slump that cost him his place, Geraint Jones remains a better batsman than Chris Read.

His partnership with Flintoff at Trent Bridge - the highest of the series - was crucial.

But Read is the best wicketkeeper in the world, the man in possession and deserves to start the series with the gloves.

England won the Ashes by being bold; they must do the same to retain them.