Part-timers showcase one-day wares

By Martin Gough

It is hard to believe after he hit a century and then took five wickets against Zimbabwe at Lord's that Mark Butcher has never played in a one-day international.

In fact the left-hander played just three one-day matches for county side Surrey last season, and has yet to turn out this year for a Lions side packed with talent.

Successful at Lord's, McGrath and Butcher remain batsmen who bowl

But, with England still suffering a glut of injuries and retirements, the 30-year-old may get a chance to don the national one-day kit for the first time this summer.

The selectors must still decide, though, whether Butcher's inclusion is the right way to go if the side are to focus on a long-term rebuilding plan.

On Thursday, England announce their one-day squad for the three-match NatWest Challenge against Pakistan and the triangular NatWest Series against Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Injury worries:
Flintoff's hopes diminish

Andrew Flintoff has yet to find out whether he will be able to return to action in time for the first match against Pakistan on 17 June.

And both Paul Collingwood (shoulder) and Craig White (rib) are certainly out, still recovering from surgery.

POSSIBLE ONE-DAY SQUAD

Vaughan (capt), Trescothick, Read (wkt), Butcher, McGrath, Key, Shah, Troughton, Flintoff, Clarke, Blackwell, Anderson, Ali, Harmison, Hoggard

Squad named Thursday, 29 May at 1200BST

The selectors may gain more credit than they deserve if it appears Anthony McGrath was given the chance to prove his one-day credentials in the Lord's Test but he has done just that.

And he could be joined by a man who only two years ago was seen as an out-and-out opening batsman who scored too slowly.

Since his return to the Test side in 2001, Butcher has become increasingly confident at the crease, and he has proved a useful additional bowler too.

First Test report:
England race to victory

His second innings 4-60 at swing-friendly Lord's is bettered only by figures of 4-42 at Edgbaston in 2001.

But both performances saw runs flow, as well as wickets, Butcher's medium-pace fooling batsmen into rash shots that either go to a fielder or the boundary.

And while his brand of bowling is perfectly suited to English conditions, it is unlikely to be as successful in drier conditions and on harder wickets.

McGrath, at 27, has a few extra years on his side but the same goes for his medium pace.

Three wickets against Zimbabwe at Lord's does not equal a match-winning World Cup performance with the ball.

Kabir Ali could claim a place as an all-rounder

However, with three senior batsmen - Nasser Hussain, Nick Knight and Alec Stewart - now retired from the one-day game, both men could add vital experience.

To include either as one of five front-line five bowlers would be a big gamble.

But few of the leading one-day sides have five players sharing 50 overs.

Australia share the fifth bowler's role around their middle-order, depending on conditions, while West Indies use three pace bowlers and rely on part-time spin to fill the quota.

England's selectors must also be certain that Butcher's inclusion is not just a botch job to fix a battered side.

The 2007 World Cup still seems a long way off, but England ran out of time in their rebuilding attempt after a poor performance in 1999, matching the first round failure this time around.

Of the candidates waiting to step into the side, two of the leading lights - Rikki Clarke and Kabir Ali - are all-rounders who have not yet gained a chance in the big time.

England could be cursing in the Caribbean four years from now if a knee-jerk selection ruins their long-term plans.