England Test selection questions the County Championship could help to answer

How does eight fit into seven?

While Jacob Bethell's success in New Zealand was welcome, it's left a difficult choice for the summer. Jamie Smith will be available for selection once again after paternity leave, and Brendon McCullum and co face an unenviable decision to drop a player they have previously backed. Part of that decision will concern Ollie Pope, who put in a decent performance with the gloves in New Zealand and looked to be freed up by batting lower down the order. If Pope moves back up to three, Smith will likely be the one to come back in, while leaving him at six means it would be a straight shootout between Bethell and Smith to take the final spot in the top seven. Bethell's IPL stint may prevent a head-to-head in the Championship.

There's a solution which would allow all three of Pope, Bethell and Smith to play, as will as the middle order axis of Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Harry Brook. While Zak Crawley's Test winter after the first innings in Multan consisted of a dismal run of low scores, his form and confidence since the last Test in New Zealand has arguably taken even more of a nosedive. He was dropped by Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20, and was bowled less than three overs into the start of Kent's Division Two Championship campaign, both his middle and off stumps splattered by Northants' Liam Guthrie. If they choose to drop Crawley, a space would free up in the top seven, and England showed last summer their willingness to insert a non-traditional opener up top in the form of Dan Lawrence.

Who are the next group of quicks?

Two injury blows have obliterated England's chances of having their first choice pace attack available for the India series, with both Mark Wood and Olly Stone likely to miss all five matches. While both are likely to go to Australia later in the year, this summer presents an opportunity to blood others who will make up the second tier of that battery. The Sam Cook question will likely be raised again, especially if he repeats his performance with the Kookaburra from last year when it comes into play in June. There's also newly fit again Josh Tongue, Dillon Pennington and Dan Worrall to keep an eye on in the early rounds. If Ollie Robinson puts in strong performances in Sussex's Division One campaign, he also might become harder to ignore. And a firm eye will be kept on the likes of Sonny Baker, John Turner and other young quicks who toured with the Lions over the winter.

Bashir or Leach (again)?

While both Leach and Bashir featured in England Tests over the winter, and Leach outbowled Bashir in Pakistan, the junior Somerset spinner once again emerged in possession of the first-choice spinner spot. The question again centres on what England want from a single spinner in their XI. Leach offers dependability, while Bashir promises more dramatic bursts of brilliance. It's hard to think that Bashir won't retain his spot for the first part of the summer, especially considering his relative success on home soil last year, unless England decide to experiment with an all-pace attack. But against an India batting lineup well-versed in facing spin, and with Leach fit for the start of the Championship this year, Bashir could find himself under pressure. Elsewhere, good early season form from someone like Rehan Ahmed could encourage England to change their plans.

Who's the next spare batter?

Looking longer term than the summer, England will need a couple of spare batters when they head out to Australia. While Jordan Cox was the spare man going into this winter, his unfortunate injury and Bethell's emergence mean he potentially doesn't own that spot anymore. Depending on how England choose to solve the 'eight-into-seven' dilemma, however, there still could be another spot for the next cab off the rank. Cox started the Championship with a statement hundred, scoring 117 off 148 against a strong Surrey attack. Tom Banton matches him with a century against an admittedly weaker Worcestershire attack, but having been recalled to the white-ball set-up over the winter he's on the selection radar.

Matches: 12
Hundreds: 5

Jordan Cox picks up from where he left off in 2024 with a hundred on the opening day of the season against the defending champions Surrey.#CountyCricket2025 pic.twitter.com/li7wLCPy6c

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) April 4, 2025

Also in the race for next one in are Durham opener Ben McKinney, who could offer another solution if England decide to drop Crawley, and potentially a wildcard option in Somerset's James Rew.

Is there an all-rounder out there?

Persistent injuries to Stokes have hampered the balance of England sides over the last few years. When he was out injured against Sri Lanka last year, Chris Woakes came in at No.7 with an extra seamer added to the attack. While Woakes' presence adds balance to the side when Stokes is fit, batting at No.7 makes the XI a batter light. Whether Stokes' fitness will hold for the 10 Tests against India and Australia is uncertain, and if England could find an all-rounder to replace him with when he's unavailable would improve those situations.

Though there are few on the county circuit who fill that role of a genuine all-rounder, one name that stands out is Kasey Aldridge. The 24-year-old took a five-for against Worcestershire on the opening day of the Championship, and is certainly the type of bowler – tall and brisk – that England like. As part of a wider squad dynamic, he's someone who has the potential to fill that role, albeit as yet untested at international level. His current first-class batting average of 27 suggests a Test match top-seven spot is potentially too high for Aldridge at the moment.

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