England’s line-ups for the two warm-up matches in South Africa made me feel like Kevin’s parents in Home Alone. There was something missing, something left behind. But what? Did I turn off the coffee? Yes. Did I lock up? Yes. Did I close the garage? Yes. Hmm. Was it Ronnie Irani? No.

It was the rarest of rare thoughts that brought the answer. An England ODI batting line-up looking reliable. You knew exactly what to expect from each batsman; you also had faith in them to deliver. Then it hit. The reason for that reliability was Owais Shah. Or rather his absence.

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Australian selection policies seemed to stop making any sense a while back.  Perhaps around the time Andrew Hilditch started referring to the selectors as the NSP (National Selection Panel – it is not the Nordic Surf Project).  It isn’t that they actually stopped making sense, it just seems their policy of picking guys around 30-years-old who are solid characters with solid records seems to have disappeared.  They now want to get as much fresh meat into their side as they can.

David Warner was picked before he had even played a first-class game. Jon Holland, the 22-year-old left-arm spinner, was selected for a tour after six first-class games.

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