Thorpe in selectors' minds

By Oliver Brett
BBC Sport

WILL THORPE RETURN? Feature: Five questions England must face before The Oval

Though none of the England selectors can claim to be as exhausted as any of the players, they have endured many arduous meetings already this summer.

But probably the toughest one of all will be the final one - finding suitable candidates to play against South Africa at The Oval in the final Test starting on 4 September.

If England fail to win it, they will end up recording their first Test series defeat to South Africa on home soil since 1965.

As ever, injuries feature prominently in the home team's camp - none affect South Africa, incidentally.

Many diehard England fans will groan at the very mention of his name, but Mark Ramprakash is among those who may be brought into the side.

Ramprakash has a woeful Test record, but has enjoyed yet another fruitful summer in county cricket.

Nasser Hussain is out injured and a second batsman, Ed Smith, could be discarded after three poor scores.

Middlesex captain Strauss is a classy young left-hander

Ramprakash's Surrey colleague Graham Thorpe surely has a better chance of returning to the fold.

And with his fine record against Test opposition, he would receive a generous hand from the crowd at The Oval ground he has graced so often.

One other batsman who will certainly be mentioned in dispatches when the selectors sit down is Middlesex captain Andrew Strauss.

The left-handed former Academy pupil, born in Johannesburg with plenty of experience of grade cricket in Sydney, is an opener.

But it is something of an English tradition to select openers and then have them make their debuts batting at five or six.

Alec Stewart, meanwhile, cannot feel he is owed a send-off to his Test career by bowing out at his beloved him ground.

He has had a poor series with the bat and has not been totally convincing with the gloves.

However, England are likely to wait until the winter tours before opting for Chris Read or Geraint Jones.

All of which leaves the bowling attack to consider.

The policy of five seamers was an error and Ashley Giles will presumably be recalled, though there may be a temptation to use Robert Croft or Gareth Batty.

Fit again

Anderson goes through a practice session at Old Trafford

Martin Bicknell may be Surrey through and through but he was poor in the second innings at Headingley and is struggling to be 100% fit.

A shin-splints problem rules Trent Bridge man-of-the-match James Kirtley out of the mix.

Steve Harmison and Richard Johnson are both fit again and logically both must return to the fray.

James Anderson, who has been looking mentally and physically tired recently, should perhaps be given the match off.

Often, England pick 13 players in their squad these days so Anderson and Bicknell could perhaps be named initially.

But it is unlikely the England management will want to use the same seam attack which struggled so badly to remove South Africa's tail-enders at Headingley.

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Possible England squad: Michael Vaughan (capt.), Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher, Nasser Hussain or Andy Strauss, Graham Thorpe, Alec Stewart (wkt), Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles, Martin Bicknell, Kabir Ali, Richard Johnson, James Anderson, Steve Harmison.