Ashes 2013-14: Who should England pick for fourth Test in Melbourne? Our ... - Telegraph.co.uk

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scyld Berry:

Same 11. It was a mistake, in retrospect, to pick Bresnan ahead of Tremlett for Perth. The shape of Tremlett’s stock delivery - leaving the righthander - would have been better suited to deal with Steve Smith and Haddin, who turned the match Australia’s way. Bresnan angling the ball in fed their legside strokes. But Bresnan, now he is in, should keep his place.

Melbourne’s pitch, another drop-in, may well seam more than any other in this series. And so inadequate has the specialist batting been that Bresnan is needed at eight, so England’s tail is not swept away again by Johnson in a flurry of fendings-off and feathers, which makes the team look so vulnerable.

Any other changes? Ballance’s footwork is not yet Test standard. Bairstow’s technique is too bottom-handed for him to be a specialist batsman, and Prior is still the better keeper.

Team: Cook, Carberry, Root, Pietersen, Bell, Stokes, Prior, Bresnan, Broad (if fit), Swann, Anderson.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick Hoult:

Andy Flower is right when he says this is not the right time to make wholesale changes to the side and the senior players have done enough for English cricket to be given one more chance. Prior’s form is actually on a upward curve with the bat and apart from a shaky two hours in Perth, his keeping has been impeccable throughout the series.

I suspect Stuart Broad’s injury is worse than England are making out and if he misses this match then it is time to give Rankin a debut. Tremlett is a shadow of the bowler of three years ago and Finn has so many technical problems throwing him into a Boxing Day Test against against an in form Warner could finish him off for a long while.

The main change in the batting order should be to move Ian Bell up to three. Root needs a solid run in one position but Bell has the attacking instinct to change the game.

Team: Cook, Carberry, Bell, Pietersen, Root, Stokes, Prior, Bresnan, Swann, Rankin, Anderson.