We seem to play NZ roughly every year for two-test ‘series’ these days. Doesn’t seem like a very efficient method and certainly not carbon-neutral. As the official test champions and for a long time consistently one of the top three sides in the world, it seems increasingly disrespectful to not play proper series (five tests) against them, or bolting a tour onto something else.

I wonder what the KonMari method would make of Broad and Anderson. Presumably they would be kept as they still bring us immense joy? Or is this selectorial half-decision the equivalent of folding them neatly and placing in a drawer for near-future use?

Having temporary management figures making bold “strategic” decisions in the firm knowledge they won’t be around long-term seems symbolic of England’s approach in recent times.

This is clearly a Method 2 decision, in that it significantly weakens the only aspect of the squad that can still give England a chance. And that’s fine, as long as you stick to it. If you drop experienced and successful players with the goal of building for the future, literally the only thing you can do wrong is to then un-drop them. Reversing your decision destroys the reason for doing it in the first place, while still making you experience the pain of the original droppery. You lose the next matches, and then give up any future advantage you might have gained.

I think what I’m saying is that Broad and Anderson would almost certainly help England win the next series, but for the longer term it might be worth drawing a line under their careers. As long as that line is actually drawn. The equivocation you describe is literally the worst of all worlds, the compromise that is (to quote Stephen Fry) a stalling between two fools. And maybe more than anything that is the scary bit of this – that English cricket remains without direction, remains lost in committees, remains a gentlemen’s club in which longevity and comfort for its members are the only real goals.

I could be mistaken on that SA tour – the notices are unclear at this juncture, but as the NZ tests are outside the scope of the Test Championship I assumed that the SA tour would include tests that ARE part of it.

The extent and fragmented nature of the coming winter’s touring reinforces my point. Flying ageing stars half way across the world and expecting them to perform in two tests without proper preparation & warm-up matches doesn’t feel right, whereas working with them both – perhaps 3 or 4 tests each during a home season – makes more sense to me – if they want to continue their careers on that basis.

In the post Ashes reports there was criticism of Rory Burns for not speaking up enough and I wonder how Anderson and Broad are seen by the less experienced and far less successful members of the dressing room. Anderson in particular has been around for so long he made his debut before all three of the selection panel that have just “dropped” him. You’d definitely be wary of upsetting them especially when coupled with the fact that both Broad and Anderson have fairly large media commitments when not playing. I’m not suggesting that Broad and Anderson are doing anything deliberately to upset teammates or make them uncomfortable but it may be a consequence.

With neither of them showing any signs of retirement maybe a push is needed. What is the next natural point for them to bow out? The next home Ashes series? I don’t think it suits the other players to constantly have to deal with retirement speculation.

With all that and the fact that even with them performing well we were still far from competitive in Australia, what is the benefit of keeping them around? They can’t go on forever, why not blood some replacements when the team is at (or close to) rock bottom?

It’s so hard to keep track. We didn’t think there were Tests in South Africa.

Yup, but that’s the past.

The travel plans for the next 12-15 months are, frankly, bonkers, with tests in Pakistan (or against Pakistan in UAE possibly) December, South Africa and New Zealand tests (and white ball cricket) to fit in before ODIs in Bangladesh in March 2023. Not entirely sure what the bonkers plans for 2023/24 might5 be, but I suspect that India must be part of that equation for financial (and to be fair, also for temporal) reasons. Younger players travel plans, those.

No longer travel well? Anderson averaged 23.37 in the Ashes and Broad 26.30.

Broanderson, it seems to me, is the opposite of that. They are still stalwarts at home but no longer travel well. Why take them with us on our travels (e.g. the Windies) when they might still be perfectly useful at home – perhaps for another year or two? I can see a good argument for playing at least one of those two in each home test match for the next year or two – not least to help bring on the less experienced pace bowlers who are coming through. Whether or not either or both of them want(s) to fulfil that role is another matter.