The name Bopara loomed large in the list released by the ECB in respect of the England Champions Trophy squad. The decision to include the Essex man seems to have divided cricket fans and I must admit to sitting on the fence.
There's no denying he has endured a poor start to the County Championship but he is not being picked for a first-class series. On the other hand, selectors have little to go on when it comes to the 50-over format; Ravi hasn't played that type of cricket since his two-ball duck for England against South Africa last September. Mind you, Eoin Morgan suffered exactly the same fate in that match but at least he had a chance to redeem himself in New Zealand earlier this year. His KKR bursts in the IPL should count for little and, let's face it, Bopara has been picked as an all-rounder, not specialist batsman. He has played well before so he deserves a place. The imminent NZ ODIs should allow selectors to observe Bopara, Joe Root, Tim Bresnan and Chris Woakes and pick their men accordingly. The first two are better with bat, the latter with ball, and Morgan may yet keep his place to strengthen the KP-less middle-order.
I would certainly pick Bopara ahead of Luke Wright and, despite his recent Championship displays, Graham Napier but he really does have to perform if he is not to sink into domestic obscurity. It seems reminiscent of the '90s when it was Graeme Hick who was in and out of the England set-up. However, Hick was a far better batsman than Bopara, even if he never quite did himself justice on international duty.
Most of the squad picks itself. Cook, Anderson, Bell, Finn, Swann (if he can curb his childish temper), Broad (ditto) and Trott are undroppable at the moment. Jos Buttler can cement a place in the ODI squad in addition the T20 but Jonny Bairstow is ready to pounce should the Wedmore wonder fail. James Tredwell gets the nod over Danny Briggs or Simon Kerrigan, presumably thanks to his experience and superior batsmanship as much as his spin ability.
Can England win the Champions Trophy? Of course they can, especially on home soil (apart from Cardiff!) However, so can any of the others apart, perhaps, from New Zealand. I'll preview the tournament in more detail nearer the start, and hopefully Ravi Bopara will have played himself in with an opportunity to prove his detractors wrong.
