England waste chance to introduce Strauss

Centrally contracting the best cricketers in England has not met with universal approval, but in the main it has had a positive effect on English cricket as the England coach and his fellow selectors have been able to control the careers of their best players and prevent the parochial aims of the counties being put ahead of those of the national side.

Though beneficial, the system is not perfect and one drawback is that the selectors, when they award these deals months before players perform, are attempting to predict the future. Generally, the players they select continue to be the best but sometimes a cricketer possessing greater attributes than one with a central contract will force his way into the set-up.

These are situations when the selectors come under pressure and there is a danger that they will occasionally continue to pick a contracted player ahead of a competitor to justify their original selection.

In my opinion, England are currently in such a position and this was highlighted yesterday when they announced their squad for Thursday's first Test against New Zealand. In the last seven months England have awarded 12 central contracts and it is they, plus Geraint Jones, who make up the 13-man party for Lord's.

Paul Collingwood and Andrew Strauss both have a lot going for them. They are talented, exciting young players who are committed to turning themselves into top cricketers.

Collingwood has done little wrong since he first played one-day cricket for England in 2001, but it came as a surprise that he was offered a central contract last September. The Durham batsman had to wait until England's pre-Christmas tour of Sri Lanka before he made his Test debut, but opportunities have since been restricted to the shorter form of the game. He has performed admirably and in 47 matches he has scored 1,094 runs at an average of 34.18.

Strauss' involvement began in Bangladesh. Since then he has made an impression on Michael Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher, England's captain and coach respectively. His professional approach off the field has been backed up by performances on it and in the Caribbean he scored two half centuries in the one-day series.

This form continued when the Middlesex captain returned - Strauss scored 95 against Lancashire last week - and it is difficult to believe England will find a better opportunity of introducing him to Test cricket.

Collingwood may develop into a competitive Test player but it is not just recent form which suggests Strauss will develop into the better cricketer.

The selection of England's twelfth man, and the decision to stick with Nasser Hussain, will not have been the first item on the selectors' agenda when they met over the weekend. Before discussing the team for the first Test, England's selection panel had some problems to sort out after rumours emerged that Rod Marsh was considering resigning.

It is well known that Marsh, the Australian director of the National Academy, and Fletcher, the Zimbabwean England coach, have differing views on the make-up of the England side. But these discrepancies came to a head during the winter when Jones, the Kent wicket-keeper, was picked ahead of Chris Read for the final Test against the West Indies.

It is rare to see two of England's selectors at an overseas Test match and, in general, the other three are happy to let Vaughan and Fletcher decide on most cricketing matters. After all, it is difficult for David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, to advise on which bowler may be better suited to the conditions when he is 5,000 miles away.

The changing of the wicket-keeper, followed by a statement that he would be given a run in the side on his return to England, is a different matter, especially when the other three have not been spoken to. And it is this, along with the treatment of Read, one of Marsh's favourite students at the Academy, which has angered the former Australian wicket-keeper.

A reason for the friction comes from their roles within the England set-up. Marsh is keen to promote cricketers who have come through the Academy. Fletcher prefers to back his own judgement. Seldom has he given much away, and he is reluctant to rely on the views of others over a player he has seen little of.

Both have had success. Marsh's work has undoubtedly helped the likes of Strauss, Read and James Anderson and Fletcher can point to Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick and Collingwood as examples of good players being plucked straight out of county cricket.

It is healthy to have contrasting views, but it is vital that this does not have a detrimental effect. The most important thing is that the correct decisions are made - not who is right and who is wrong.

England squad: M P Vaughan (capt), M E Trescothick, M A Butcher, N Hussain, G P Thorpe, A Flintoff, G O Jones, A F Giles, M J Hoggard, J M Anderson, S P Jones, S J Harmison, P D Collingwood.