ashes buzz starts to build

Trescothick - can get England off to a flyer.

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By Simon Wilkes

There is an expectant buzz around our office as the pinnacle of cricket is once again upon us.

Forget about the World Cup, we've got the Ashes to look forward to and despite the shambles of the Champions Trophy, England head Down Under with a real sense of belief that we can hang on to that little urn.

In terms of team selection, I'm sure myself and Dave Tickner will have a heated discussion over a few beers, as dropping Marcus Trescothick would, in my eyes, give the Aussies an immediate edge.

It was the Somerset opener who led from the front against the Aussies last time out and gave us the platform for the big first-innings totals we built our Test victories upon.

Trescothick has had his problems, to say the least, but his opening partnership with Andrew Strauss is almost telepathic - and his attacking approach means the run-rate always gets off to a flyer.

And believe me, we are going to have to score buckets of runs to beat the Aussies this time around. They will be 'jumping out of their skin' to get revenge - and the likes of Hayden, Martyn and Gilchrist will be desperate to put the record straight.

At number three should be Alastair Cook, who proved his Test-match credentials on the testing tour of India and has flourished ever since. Cook is the best-equipped batsman to drop anchor if either Strauss or Tresco go cheaply.

I agree with Dave that we can't sacrifice the five-man bowling attack, so that means no place for Ian Bell in my team, with Paul Collingwood squeezing him out of the line-up.

Bell has gone from strength to strength ever since his Ashes nightmare (he must have felt like such a mug during all the celebrations) but the Aussies are like a pack of hyenas if they sniff any weakness, and they would use Bell's demons to get under his skin with ease.

With that in mind, I'd send Kevin Pietersen in at four (his agressive approach would compliment any of the top three out in the middle) and the impressive Collingwood at five.

The Durham all-rounder's ability in the field and useful medium-pacers make his inclusion a must, plus he's the nearest we've got to a Graham Thorpe-style batsman in terms of patience and keeping the scoreboard ticking over.

Then at six we have the skipper. Strauss did a fine job as captain against Pakistan, but he was always warming the seat for Andrew Flintoff, who showed he can handle the immense responsibility in the drawn series in India. What he must do, however, is ensure he doesn't overbowl himself and Steve Harmison, with his best mate at his most dangerous in short fiery spells of five to six overs at a time.

The top five need to ensure Flintoff's batting skills are required to push the 300 totals on to the 450s wherever possible, and although his partnership with Geraint Jones was crucial last year, superior wicketkeeper Chris Read has got the gloves at the moment and deserves his chance to shine.

At eight there is the biggest conundrum for Duncan Fletcher and David Graveney to solve, as Freddie, Monty Panesar, Harmison and Matthew Hoggard make up four of the five-man bowling attack.

Sajid Mahmood, James Anderson and Liam Plunkett are the contenders, with Mahmood appearing to be the slight favourite at the moment. Admittedly he is quite handy with the bat and can match Harmison in the pace department - but I just think the Aussies would go for his throat and once his confidence is shot, he'd be a very expensive passenger in the team.

For me Plunkett is a shoe-in for the Ashes showdown after this battle, so I'd go for Anderson as he has the variety and wicket-taking ability to unsettle the Aussies' lower order.

There has been some talk of a twin swin pairing of Ashley Giles and Panesar, but Giles should only really be considered for the Sydney Test, as Monty can fulfil both roles of being both attacking and defensive at the same time, therefore building pressure as well as posing a wicket-taking threat.

So there you have my Ashes XI - bring it on Ricky...