We suspected it yesterday. We knew it today. England had cocked up their team selection ... in a big way. The injury to Alec Stewart forced areshuffle, and in strengthening the batting the selectors apparently forgot about the bowling.

Most English county sides field a more threatening attack than this one, which has Craig White as its wicket-taking spearhead. White would be the fourth seamer in a useful Test attack, and wouldn't get into a good one.

Just what Alex Tudor is doing carrying the drinks hasn't been adequately explained. The talk is of a personality clash with Nasser Hussain. The same was said when Andy Caddick missed the last Australian tour - the skipper then, Stewart, was supposed to find him difficult - but judging from today Stewart might have got it right. Caddick plugged away, but was completely unthreatening. He should have been here four years ago, but without his sparring partner Darren Gough he has lost the plot.

The inevitable press-box poser came up. Was this the worst England bowling attack of them all? Some notable contenders were wheeled out. Trent Bridge and Headingley 1993: Mark Ilott, Martin McCague, Peter Such (at Trent Bridge), Martin Bicknell (at Headingley) and the wet-behind-the-ears Caddick. I'd back that attack against this one (well, possibly excepting McCague), and in fact I'd have had Bicknell out there today.

Then there's Lord's 1982, against Pakistan. This one is designed to embarrass Derek Pringle, now the Daily Telegraph's cricket correspondent but then a fledgling Test allrounder. His bowling companions were Ian Botham, Robin Jackman, Ian Greig and Eddie Hemmings. It's thought that David Gower's curly blond locks started going grey the day he was presented with that attack.

Before that you probably have to go back to 1961-62, and a makeshift England new-ball pairing in India and Pakistan - the colourful pair of Brown (Alan, of Kent) and White (Hampshire's Butch, a nickname he wouldn't be too keen on these days).

It's too close to call, but these four-pronged Melbourne misfits are going to be remembered for quite a while. And that's before we start on the batting. At least the relative success of Marcus Trescothick and Mark Butcher temporarily shut up those incredulous Aussies who keep asking why Nick Knight never gets a mention when the Test side is chosen.

Steven Lynch is editor of Wisden.com.

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