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Who should replace the doubting five?
Wisden CricInfo staff - October 27, 2001

Marcus Trescothick, Craig White, Andy Caddick, Ashley Giles and Robert Croft still have severe doubts about England's tour to India and are expected to withdraw from the squad. We ask the experts who they would pick instead ...

ANGUS FRASER
Owais Shah (Middx)
Andy Flintoff (Lancs)
Richard Johnson (Somerset)
Phil Tufnell (Middx)
Chris Schofield (Lancs)
Replace Trescothick with Owais Shah, because England have got openers in Butcher and Vaughan. Then bring in Flintoff for White and perhaps try Johnson for Caddick. James Kirtley would be the alternative but Johnson is bigger and might be more effective on flat Indian pitches. Then I think you've got to take Tufnell and I'd go for Chris Schofield. He might get a bit of pasty, but it must be worth giving a chance to a young player who is enthusiastic about touring rather than an old cynic. Angus Fraser is captain of Middlesex and a columnist for Wisden Cricket Monthly.

MARTIN BICKNELL
David Fulton (Kent)
Andy Flintoff (Lancs)
Alex Tudor (Surrey)
Phil Tufnell (Middx)

I think it is worth giving David Fulton a try. Then I'd take Alex Tudor in place of Andy Caddick and probably Flintoff instead of White, though that's a bit more tricky. The cupboard is really bare when it comes to spinners and I don't know who to recommend apart from Tufnell. I expect the selectors are having the same problem. Martin Bicknell is a fast bowler for Surrey, who has won two Test caps for England. He is out of the frame for the tour because he is just about to go into hospital for an Achilles operation.

SIMON BRIGGS
Nick Knight (Warks)

Andy Flintoff (Lancs)
Richard Johnson (Somerset)
Phil Tufnell (Middx)

Flintoff is the obvious replacement for White after a great tour of Zimbabwe, and it would be very unfair to take anyone other than Johnson to replace Caddick. I'd plump for Knight instead of Trescothick: he would also be a bonus in the field. Tufnell is the only possible spin candidate -- there is no-one good enough to replace Croft, so I wouldn't bother. Simon Briggs is deputy cricket correspondent of the Daily Telegraph.

STEPHEN FAY
Nick Knight (Warks)
Andy Flintoff (Lancs)

Richard Johnson (Somerset)
Jeremy Snape (Gloucs)
Phil Tufnell (Middx)

Flintoff must replace White and I think it is probably worth giving Knight another go, even though he is yet to cut it at Test level. I would take Johnson instead of Caddick as he bowls well on the good wickets at Somerset and deserves a chance. Tufnell is probably your first-choice spinner and I would plump for Jeremy Snape who impressed everyone in Zimbabwe.

Stephen Fay is editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly.

MARCUS BERKMANN
Alec Stewart (Surrey)
Darren Gough (Yorks)
Richard Johnson (Somerset)
Phil Tufnell (Middx)

Gough, Stewart and Tufnell would be the obvious choices as they are such good tourists. Then two or three more Muslim players to please the Foreign Office, plus Richard Johnson because that would really annoy Caddick.

Marcus Berkmann is the author of Rain Men.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd