Also: no Liam Dawson. So there’s some sanity.

26 off 14 does not exciting make. Talent’s no good if you don’t use it.

I’d take somebody who’s actually been playing some red ball this season. Foakes, say. I think (I may be wrong) that even Billings has been playing more red ball than Buttler.

Of course I’d forgotten that Duckett can keep as well.

Duckett and Gubbins sound like they should have been characters in the Jennings books.

Who would you have taken as reserve wicketkeeper?

Never mind the fact that Buttler is the most talented and exciting England batamsn since He Who Must Not Be Named nudged Thorpey into the wings.

Duckett > Jennings/Gubbins is the weird one for me. Whether it’s considering second-division cricket over first, or white ball Lions over red ball CC. It fits in perfectly with the New England Selection Method, but still seems a bit weird.

Also Buttler’s inclusion was both completely expected and utterly moronic.

1950/51. Brian Close was 19, Eric Hollies was 38, Freddie Brown 39.

1930 in the West Indies, Wilf Rhodes was 52 and Bill Voce was 20.

Cook, Hameed, Root, Ballance, Moeen, Stokes, Bairstow, Woakes, Rashid, Broad, Anderson, Buttler, Finn, Wood, Batty, Ansari, Duckett

I hope they know what they’re doing. Being picked from nowhere like this could wreck the lad’s confidence. Luckily I think Batty is strong enough to deal with it.

When was the last time England selected a squad in which the oldest player is twice the age of the youngest? Can it ever have happened before?

I don’t care about silly Bears.

But I’d be delighted if Leics ever got into a position whereby they could be relegated from Division One.

Eh?