Vaughan left in cold as England opt for young team
Michael Vaughan misses out on selection for England team
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Wednesday, 29, Apr 2009 10:43
Michael Vaughan has missed out on selection for the England team for the first Test against West Indies at Lord's next week.
The former captain is one of four big-name players to miss out on the matchday 12 - with in-form Warwickshire batsman Ian Bell, IPL star Owais Shah and Durham fast-bowler Steve Harmison all being dropped.
In place of Harmison, the selectors have opted for two young up-and-coming seamers in the form of the veteran's Durham team-mate Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan of Yorkshire.
Bresnan, 24, has played in five one-day internationals for England as well as a Twenty20 against Sri Lanka at Southampton in 2006, while Onions, 26, will be making his first appearance in an England Test squad.
Both Bresnan and Onions have appeared for the England Lions.
In the other surprise selection, 24-year-old Ravi Bopara is chosen to bat at number three behind the established opening partnership of Alastair Cook and captain Andrew Strauss.
The Essex all-rounder, who is an experienced member of the England ODI team and impressed with a century in the final Test in the Caribbean earlier this winter, has been chosen ahead of two more established names in Shah and Bell.
Shah is currently on IPL duty in South Africa and Bell is in good form at county level, and at least one of the two was expected to play at Lord's.
National selector Geoff Miller said: "This is very exciting for the two young fast bowlers to be included in the squad for a Lord's Test match and sends a message to all county players that if they put in consistently good performances they will get recognised.
"Both have had good starts to this season and had been close to Test match selection on a number of occasions. They have earned their place in the party."
On the selection of Bopara, Miller added: "The selectors also felt that Ravi Bopara deserved his chance after his performance in his single Test in the Caribbean this winter.
"There was a lot of competition for that batting position but Bopara now has the opportunity to stake a claim. He showed in Barbados that he has the ability to play at Test level."
The selection of both Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann suggests the selectors will chose between the two men for what is expected to be a lone spinner berth in the final XI.
Full England squad for first Test Match against West Indies at Lord's:
Andrew Strauss (Middlesex, captain)
James Anderson (Lancashire)
Ravi Bopara (Essex)
Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Paul Collingwood (Durham)
Alastair Cook (Essex)
Graham Onions (Durham)
Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire)
Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)
Matt Prior (Sussex)
Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)