Bayliss set to play it safe in opening Ashes squad
NEW England coach Trevor Bayliss will name his first Test squad today, with the majority of those summoned for a bonding trip in Spain set for the Ashes opener in Cardiff.
Bayliss, the first Australian to lead England, brought a 14-strong party on a four-day get-to-know-you camp near Almeria and is unlikely to veer far from that blueprint for the first Investec Test at SSE Swalec.
Bayliss may have been brought in to bring fresh ideas to English cricket, but the 52-year-old will stick with the core Test group that drew 1-1 with New Zealand under Paul Farbrace’s interim command.
Of those not invited to Andalusia, Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid appears to be the most serious contender for a place. The all-rounder is clearly on Bayliss’s radar, having performed a key role in a limited-overs squad selected with the new man’s input, but was left to get overs under his belt with Yorkshire rather than travelling.
Having not even met Bayliss, never mind worked in the nets on tactics and mindset, it would be a leap to expect Rashid to debut in Cardiff, but his presence in the squad would give Australia pause for thought and, potentially, lay the groundwork for a starting spot later in the summer.
Moeen Ali is, therefore, expected to remain as senior spinner and over-qualified No 8, though his performances with the ball will be under the microscope from day one following his recent struggles.
Among the group that did join Bayliss for some light training drills, mountain biking and golf at the Desert Springs resort, a couple will have been primed to sit out the series opener.
Including all-rounder Ben Stokes, seven seam bowlers were in that group and it is likely two of those will not be named in what could be a 13-man squad.
Left-armer Mark Footitt is the most obvious drop-out, unless he has managed to persuade Bayliss in the space of 96 hours that he is ready to graduate from LV= County Championship Division Two cricket with Derbyshire to a high-pressure Test debut.
Meanwhile, Steven Finn and Liam Plunkett will be vying for what seems certain to be the back-up paceman role behind James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Mark Wood.
Finn was a fixture in the limited-overs success against the Black Caps but, if fully fit, Plunkett appears a better fit given England’s recent reluctance to use Finn in red-ball cricket. England possible squad for first Ashes Test in Cardiff, July 8-12: A Cook (Essex, capt), J Root (Yorkshire, vc), M Ali (Worcestershire), J Anderson (Lancashire), G Ballance (Yorkshire), I Bell (Warwickshire), S Broad (Nottinghamshire), J Buttler (Lancashire, wkt), A Lyth, L Plunkett, A Rashid (all Yorkshire), B Stokes, M Wood (both Durham).