Bopara and Shah have been in outstanding form recently and i think they should have been considered. If i was the England selectors i would leave Harmison where he is at Durham and begin to look more long term, this current team seems to look a little tired and predictable

Dale Butler, Tipton, England

I would have gone with Tremlett, I believe it is in England best interest to leave Jones and Harmsion playing county cricket for a season. Both could work on rythym and build stamina and get the necessary rest in preparation for next year. But Hoggard should return for the winter tour.

Pete, Wellington, NZ

This article is unfair on Harmison. After being dropped from the test side, he worked hard on his game with Durham; his statistics this season show his selection as being on merit. Any player should be able to fight his way back into the test side after proving his worth with form and commitment.

Pete N, London,

We have to pick a team with the best chance of winning - the batsmen most likely to score runs and the bowlers most likely to take wickets. Trescothick, Cook, Shah, Pietersen, Bell. Prior, Flintoff, Jones, Sidebottom, Harmison, Panesar

David Mitchell, Cape Town, South Africa

I'd like to see Vaughan batting at 5. He would know what kind of innings was needed and could play accordingly. It's clearly beyond him, mentally and physically, to succeed consistently at 3.

My 11: Strauss, Cook, Bell, Peterson, Vaughan, Flintoff, Prior, Broad, Sidebottom, Anderson, Panesar.

Will Roebuck, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Athers has got it exactly right about the cosy club of the England cricket team. These guys would be more at home in comfy jobs in a large corporation, slapping each other on the back, rather than battling it out in the meritocracy of professional sport. A bit of competition and they all cry.

Sheila Jones, Cardiff,

Good cricket is at least 50% in the mind.
If talented players like Harmison, Anderson, Shah struggle then,. whole system must focus on the mental defficiences. Often it's England 'boys' (weak, negative) v men (tough, combative). How do we breed "tough" into our younger players? AND admin bods.

Leigh Vernier, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

What a shame that the selectors have acted so meekly and taken the easy option. Sure Harmison has been taking wickets in county cricket, but he is mentally week and a perenially underperformer. Would love to have seen Jones brought back.

Would love to be proved wrong by Harmy...but doubt it

Willow, London,

What's all this rubbish about "outsiders" ? Are central contracts actually producing better results ? Or just producing a well-paid cosy club whose members are difficult to drop despite their poor form ? Time to go back to how it used to be, and pick on county form.

RGJ, Wolverhampton, UK

England does seem to be turning into a "closed shop" with new faces unwelcome.

Harmison now seems to be the new Devon Malcolm. Sometimes quick, but usually very erractic. We're in trouble so let's bring in Harmy and pray he comes off.

Julian, Chester, UK

Harmison is one of the leading wicket takers this year, so why the hot air from Atherton & Vaughan. There are several players, including the captain, who shouldn't be in the team on recent form. England were useless at Leeds & Harmison isn't likely to worsen the team. Maybe a new captain wd help.

A Thomas, Lanchester,

Drafting in Harmison after his criticism of the Pattinson selection poses an interesting [doomed] challenge for the man. A failure here could finish off his intnl career and might take MV along with it . Excuse me if i am attributing more 'intelligence' than due to the Eng selectors.

Venky, Bangalore, India

Surely it's time for thank you and goodnight from Michael Vaughan?

chris, Worthing, England

Chris Tremlett deserved to play ahead of Flintoff in this series. You would think at some point selectors would say a fringe player must be given a run in the side to decide finally if he is good enough or not at Test level. His treatment has been the antithesis of good man management.

Tony Gee, London,

There was a time when it was felt that the England team was full of favourite Southerners. Now it's just full of favourites. Harmison has done what he should have - shut up whinging at the press and gone back to county cricket and bowled fast. I still think he's past it at test level though.

Jamie Dowling, Wolverhampton, England

SH's lack of consistency always seems to have been based on a lack of cricket, not heart.By the end of the last Ashes he was bowling well again but what all remember is the first ball. Pick him for Brum+Oval. Then decide. If, even in the groove,he can't cut it, then might be the time final farewells

Edward, Mondovi, Italy

there aren't many bigger fans of 'GBH' in his pomp than I, however,his heart and hunger always seem to leave something to be desired.Venturing as far as Yorkshire seems to make Harmison's knees wobble let alone full tours.Broad is an exceptional young talent and the future,it's a joke if he's cut

fez, guernsey,

The real test of any system is whne it comes under pressure. The new selectors / system is under pressure for the first time and it (they?) are failing badly. It's a shambles.

Stephen Edwards, Wokingham, UK

Slightly confused by your cartoon in the sports section today 'So if he's doing well he's British'.Murray is the British No.1 but always refered to as the Scot Murray, just as it was the Scot Montgomerie or the Scot Coulthard. English Athletes are always refered to in The Times as British .

John Chesworth, Bury St Edmunds, ENGLAND

A committee leads to compromise decisions, not bold ones - let a manager or coach select and be held responsible. Nothing in Harmison's body language or utterings suggest he has the attitude or intelligence to make the most of his exceptional talent, unfortunately.

R. Goodacre, London,

100% James from Sydney.
You seem to have better feel for England selection than people in this country.
I would add Bopara into a 16 squad and another failure by Bell and Ravi goes in for at least 5 tests on the trot.
I might (depending on nets) play S Jones for Harmison.
And would love Broad to ..

Mike, Chertsey, UK

What other sport divides the responsibility for the international team this way? The selector picks thirteen, the coach picks eleven of those, then the captain organises the tactics. Great if the idea is to confuse the issue of responsibility. It's time that we subordinated the selector to the coach

Steve, Altrincham,

Spot on. Harmison shouldn't be in the frame.

Faustino, Brisbane, Australia

I looked at the past 15 test inning of our England XI. To be honest -appalling. Stuart Broad comes off better than Collingwood. Vaughan is dreadful.Strauss is patchy, to say the least.
When the selectors start thinking about winning matches, instead of status quo, we might get a decent Test XI.

Clive, Caracas, Venezuela

I risk needs to be taken. I would like to have seen Prior come in so that 5 bowlers can play.
Matchwinners needed:
Strauss, Cook, Shah, Pietersen, Bell, Prior, Flintoff, Anderson, Sidebottom, Harmison, Panesar.
(S Jones, Broad, Key, Read) to make up a 15 man squad.

James Whitaker , Sydney , Australia

Fantasic article. Stuck in the comfort zone, where repeated failures and failings by - in no particular order - Vaughan, Strauss, Bell, Collingwood, Anderson and Harmisonare tolerated time and time again. We have learned *nothing* from the Ashes debacle of 2006 - thanks to Vaughan's little tantrum.

Monty W, Reading, UK

I completely agree with Michael Atherton. When it comes to the England selectors the term "headless chickens" comes to mind. They do not seem to have an original thought in their heads and just seem to go back to "safe" options although as Michael says the stats speak for themselves with Harmison.

Terry Dooley, Leeds, uk