England names its Ashes squad

England named their squad of 13 players yesterday for the Ashes Test beginning at Cardiff this Wednesday, and there was no place in it for Steve Harmison of Durham, despite his six wickets against the Australians for the English Lions last week.

The selectors chose the same XI who featured in the England warm-up game against Warwickshire last week, and added Ian Bell and Graham Onions (above) from the Lions team. The last bowling place will be a straight choice between the spin of Panesar and Onions' pace bowling.

The 26-year-old Durham player Onions said: "I feel I have learned a lot from the two games I have played and the Lions game just gone. It shows the hard work does pay off eventually. It is all exciting times. The Australians are ahead of us, and bring it on."

England squad: AJ Strauss (Middlesex, capt); AN Cook (Essex); RS Bopara (Essex); KP Pietersen (Hampshire); PD Collingwood (Durham); MJ Prior (Sussex, wkt); A Flintoff (Lancashire); SCJ Broad (Nottinghamshire); GP Swann (Nottinghamshire); JM Anderson (Lancashire); MS Panesar (Northamptonshire); IR Bell (Warwickshire); G Onions (Durham).WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Mike Selvey, the Guardian: "The final construction of the side is still open to debate, however. The selectors could pick a bowling attack consisting of all four seamers and Graeme Swann as a single spinner. They could opt for three seamers, with Monty Panesar as a second spinner, in which case Onions would be the likeliest to miss out. Stuart Broad could also go, should it be felt the ball will hoop around, making the requisite length fuller. This year's batch of Dukes balls have swung more than usual, apparently. Broad's batting, however, still gives him an edge. Finally, in the unlikely event that runs rather than wickets are at a premium, an extra batsman could replace a seamer."

Shane Warne, the Times: "Swann’s character could really get under the skin of the Australians and if I was the England captain, I would give him full licence to be himself. He isn’t to everyone’s taste. If he is dictating terms, he will have a strut about him and that arrogance and cockiness will be obvious. In that state, he could disrupt Australia’s rhythm. But when his confidence is down, as with all players, he is not so effective. I think Australia have to try to bring him down to size by taking him on straight away. Michael Clarke has a key role there because he is our best player of spin. His footwork is top- drawer and he could knock Swann seriously off kilter."

Derek Pringle, Daily Telegraph: "A fortnight ago, Harmison was not really in the Ashes mix having been excluded from England's 16-man training camp. His poor showing in the West Indies, where his fitness levels were questioned, looked to have left him with a long road back. But an impressive performance for the Lions against Australia, in which he twice dismissed their young opener, Phillip Hughes, soon changed that perception, though obviously not enough for the selectors to discard their policy for consistency of selection."

  ·