Betfair's guide to English cricket's most eligible bridesmaids

England Cricket / Andrew Hughes / 13 May 2008 / Leave a Comment

Andrew Hughes takes a look at which of England's young uncapped players are waiting in the wings for a Test debut.

They've been making music for the best part of 50 years. You can depend on their instantly recognisable combination of three chords, thudding bass and repetitive drumming. But whilst music lovers may know where they are with Francis Rossi and co, punters should never rely on the status quo. Sports betting is a fast-moving environment in which received wisdom is constantly being challenged and apparent certainties can change overnight, even in the relatively sedate world of cricket.

Take the England team. It may look as though the current batting line-up is so well set that a stick of dynamite wouldn't shift it. But that isn't so. All it takes is an injudicious football trick in the pre-match warm-up; a fluky bouncer from an over-eager net bowler or an unfortunate incident outside a nightclub and suddenly there's a vacancy.

And don't assume that perennial fringe players like Owais Shah will automatically get their chance. Selectors get bored, the same as everyone else. After all, where's the kudos in picking Robert Key? Far more exciting to plump for an uncapped twenty year old that no one has ever heard of.

So given that injury, loss of form or act of God is bound to bring about at least one vacancy over the course of a long summer; which uncapped players are best placed to catch the wandering selectoral eye? Well to save you trawling through the county squads, here's Betfair's guide to English cricket's most eligible bridesmaids.

Luke Wright

The Sussex all-rounder's exploits in last year's Twenty20 Cup helped him to break into the limited over England teams and already this year, he has hit two blistering centuries and bowled with real fire. Labelled as a long-term replacement for Flintoff, his immediate chances of a Test cap would probably come at the expense of Paul Collingwood, who's own bowling has not developed. Current second favourites for the Championship at [6.4] Sussex will be hoping that either Collingwood or Flintoff stays fit and in form all summer or they could well lose their golden boy.

Adil Rashid

A leg-spinning all-rounder is a rare prospect, but his debut performances in 2006 were stunning. Since then he has slowly consolidated his early promise, remodelling his action after a stress fracture of the back. His leg spin bowling has all the variations and he is an exciting batting talent. He too has the potential to replace Collingwood but has another route into the England team, as a partner or replacement for Panesar. Yorkshire have made a good start in both the County Championship [7.4] and the Friends Provident Trophy [17.5] and if Rashid continues to impress for his county, a Test cap might not be far away.

Graham Onions

A regular for England Lions, Onions is a skiddy seam bowler who has quietly slipped ahead of Plunkett and Mahmood in the bowling pecking order. That still puts him behind Hoggard and Anderson and possibly even Tremlett, but if he continues to develop and remains patient, his chance may not be far away. For the moment though, he has his work cut out helping to turn around Durham's poor start to the season that has seen them lengthen to [11.0] for the Championship and [19.0] for the Friends Provident Trophy.

James Hildreth

An attacking young batsman with a wide range of strokes and particularly off the back foot, he has the relaxed temperament to cope with Test cricket. His performances for Somerset have already attracted a lot of attention this summer and he would be an exciting middle order choice if any of Pietersen, Bell or Collingwood were to come down with something unpleasant.

Michael Carberry

He didn't have too many chances at Surrey or Kent but has thrived at Hampshire, notching a thousand runs last year and earning a Lions call-up. A tall, solid left-handed opener, he is in direct competition with Robert Key for the next opening vacancy. Hampshire will be anxiously monitoring the health of the current England openers lest they lose a vital player in their struggle to stay in Division One, a competition for which they are already as long as [26.0]