mvaughan

It was a tough choice that Andrew Strauss and the England selectors had to make but in the end I think they got it right. It appeared to be a straight shoot-out between Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara for that middle-order slot that belonged to Paul Collingwood for so long and in the end they decided to go with the Irishman.

There were two good reasons as to why Morgan got the nod. The first was obviously to do with that majestic 193 he scored against Sri Lanka for the England Lions last week. Bopara was very much in the driving seat prior to that but despite playing no four-day cricket for a long time Morgan came to the crease and delivered when it mattered, in front of the men who mattered. The fact they gave so much importance to that innings also highlights the importance of doing well when you're called up to play for the Lions. Counties don't like it when their players are called up to play for them but, as far as I'm concerned, what matters most is the England cricket team. If players occasionally have to turn out for the Lions for the selectors to have a look at them, so be it.

The second reason is that Morgan hasn't had any failures in Test cricket. He hasn't played much but he's done well when he's been given a chance and, of course, the same can't be said of Bopara. He's been in and out of the side for a while now and being dropped time and again can't be any good for your confidence. I suspect he'll get at least one more chance in the Test arena to show us what a talented player he really is but I fear it may be his last. The Morgan selection is a bit of a gamble in the sense that Bopara has been bowling quite a few overs for his county recently and could provide a useful fifth bowling option, especially when that super India batting line-up come to town. But, all in all, I agree Morgan should have been the one getting the call-up.

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