If every player was in form and at full fitness, what would be your ideal England team..?

Question

Looks like England are still searching for the perfect team to play Australia next year, well if everyone in England was fit and in form which 11 players would you pick to play for England?

Answer 1

Playing against Australia the Pom team should report sick.

If every player was in form and at full fitness then they should play against Bangladesh for an even contest.....er...no wait....its ZIMBABWE!

Answer 2

If fully fit and in form:

Trescothick

Vaughan

Cook

Pietersen

Ramprakash

Flintoff

Broad

Read

Caddick

Anderson

Panesar

Answer 3

Cook

Strauss

Vaughan (c)

Pietersen

Bell

Shah (or Bopara)

Prior (wk) - a reluctant choice but he is the best batsman of all the w/k's England have tried (I would have said Read or Foster but their batting isn't as good) and I think England will need a proven international batsman once the Ashes starts.

Flintoff

Hoggard

Panasar

Jones

Edit: On reflection I decided to exclude Jimmy Anderson, he's a little too wayward (though he is vastly improving). So I substituted him for Hoggard (who was my second choice anyway).

Answer 4

vaughn- almost past it, not making as many runs, but did a have a decent series against sri lanka, more there for leadership as england lack a leader at the moment

Cook could be the next best batsmen, just mouding his game at the moment to succeed at test level

bell is coming along well, more shots is making him a harder batsmen to bowl to

Pietersen is a star, but needs to step up more when the pressures on

collingwood should be captain, will be soon when vaughn goes

havent seen enough of bopara to comment

Prior im uncertain about, something england needs to look at

harmison needs full fitness, but isnt the same as 05

broad is still young

hoggard is a very good bowler in the right conditions

and monty is still figuring out how to get the worlds best batsmen out

strauss and flintoff didnt play but would be in there if full fit

there are areas england need to look at if they are to challenge for the ashes, but there is a chance if they start now

Answer 5

Any team without  Vaughan (OBE) would be a better team. Collingwood. (capt) Hogart a must.

Answer 6

A team with Strauss, Sidebottom, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Chris Tremlett, Kevin Pietersen, Michael Vaughan, Alastair Cook, Matthew Prior and Paul Collingwood would be OK.

Answer 7

Vaughan

Strauss

Bell

Pietersen

Collingwood

Flintoff

Prior (wk)

Jones

Kirtley/ Anderson

Sidebottom

Panesar

Answer 8

Not too hard

Strauss

Cook

Bell

KP

Freddie

Simon Jones

Ambrose

Sidebottom

Panesar

Anderson

Broad

I'd have Collingwood as 12th man.

Drop Vaughan and have KP as Captain.

Answer 9

Defining 'in form' is a very hard thing to do, for example is Broad currently bowling at the top end of his abilities or is he bowling at the bottom end, his Test career is too short to get a full picture. But taking player's career on what they've done then this is my XI:

Strauss

Cook

Vaughan

Pietersen

Bell

Collingwood

Prior

Flintoff

Sidebottom

Jones

Panesar

Having Jones and Flintoff in a four-man attack would be classed as suicidal in the real world but luckily the question asked when players are fully fit.