UNTIL the counties finally accept that a certain amount of regional cricket is necessary to sort out Tom from Dick and Harry, there will always be a hit-and-miss element to national selection. England have given one-day international caps to 43 men since the start of the Fletcher-Hussain era in South Africa early in 2000 but only 20 of them are included in the list of 30 from which the World Cup squad must be finalised by December 31.

Even with nine uncapped players, I believe there are superior players in county cricket to those chosen. That is, of course, a matter of opinion only; it is the system not the selectors who are to blame.

Once Michael Vaughan, Ashley Giles and Matthew Hoggard have been restored to the side, it is hoped with knee, wrist and mental equilibrium respectively restored, most of the players below No 15 on the list below can be taken to be reserves only.

In one or two cases, however, final selection will depend on how the players chosen for the first section of one-day games in Australia get on in the five remaining fixtures, starting with the last of the warm-up matches against the Prime Minister’s X1 in Canberra tomorrow.

Most of the reserves named at the weekend will have had no more than fleeting pleasure at the sight of their names being included. Either they have already had their chance or they are going to have to wait for it until this winter’s cricket has been played.

The exceptions are the two elder statesmen, Adam Hollioake and Matthew Maynard, both of whom might get another opportunity at the top level if the present group does not measure up. Duncan Fletcher has always had a high regard for the former Glamorgan captain and it is certainly arguable that he remains a player of greater authority than Owais Shah, who is one of only five specialist batsmen among the first 15 on the list.

Hollioake, as expected, is restored to favour on the strength mainly of his extraordinary batting for Surrey last season. He is at his winter home in Perth at the moment, hoping for a chance to erase the memory of his limited part in England’s failed 1999 World Cup campaign. There is a strong case for bringing him back to add the same kind of bravado and nous that has enabled Ronnie Irani to punch more than his apparent weight since his recall last summer.

Of the others, Martin Saggers has been recognised at last for three excellent seasons for Kent but if there is a surprise in the list it is the omission of James Foster and the inclusion instead of Chris Read as the second specialist wicketkeeper. He could yet put pressure on Stewart for his place, but Marcus Trescothick and Maynard are both capable of acting as reserve keepers.

Among those omitted from the 30 are Dominic Cork, who played in England’s last international in Colombo in September, and Alex Tudor, who was in the first choice XI when last the selectors had most of their preferred team available for the NatWest final against India last July.

That proved to be Darren Gough’s final game and, without him and Graham Thorpe, this is a group unlikely to have sufficient class to trouble the best in South Africa.

Preliminary 30

1, Nasser Hussain (Essex)
2, Marcus Trescothick (Somerset)
3, Nick Knight (Warwickshire)
4, Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire)
5, Owais Shah (Middlesex)
6, Alec Stewart (Surrey)
7, Ronnie Irani (Essex)
8, Paul Collingwood (Durham)
9, Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire)
10, Craig White (Yorkshire)
11, Ian Blackwell (Somerset)
12, Jeremy Snape (Leicestershire)
13, Ashley Giles (Warwickshire)
14, Andrew Caddick (Somerset)
15, Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire)
16, James Kirtley (Sussex)
17, Robert Key (Kent)
18, Darren Stevens (Leicestershire)
19, Vikram Solanki (Worcestershire)
20, Anthony McGrath (Yorkshire)
21, Matthew Maynard (Glamorgan)
22, Adam Hollioake (Surrey)
23, Chris Read (Nottinghamshire)
24, Richard Dawson (Yorkshire)
25, Martin Saggers (Kent)
26, Kyle Hogg (Lancashire)
27, Kabir Ali (Worcestershire)
28, Stephen Harmison (Durham)
29, Ryan Sidebottom (Yorkshire)
30, James Anderson (Lancashire)