| The Ashes, 2001 |
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| England |
| NASSER HUSSAIN. Born: March 28 1968. Captain. Right-hand bat. Enhanced his growing reputation as skipper by leading his team to back-to-back test series wins in Pakistan and Sri Lanka on England's 2000-01 tours. Broke his right thumb batting in first test against Pakistan at Lord's in mid-May. Missed second test as well as the triangular one-day series also featuring Australia. Has only recently returned to action. |
| UZMAN AFZAAL. Born: June 9 1977 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Left-hand bat. Also bowls slow left arm. Uncapped, the Nottinghamshire player was drafted in as cover after injuries to Graham Thorpe and Michael Vaughan. Played for England A in West Indies after a fine 2000 season. |
| MICHAEL ATHERTON. Born: March 23 1968. Right-hand bat. While he stays free of the back problems that have plagued his career, the former England captain has the technique, temperament and concentration that will be essential to his side's Ashes series hopes. His duel with Glenn McGrath, who has dismissed him 13 times out of 24 in tests, is certain to be a key element of the Ashes series. |
| MARK BUTCHER. Born: Aug 23 1972. Left-hand bat. Brought in as cover after injuries to Thorpe and Vaughan. His father Alan was also capped by England. Made his debut in the 1997 Ashes. Captained England for one game in New Zealand in 1999 after Hussain was injured. Played his last test against South Africa in January 2000. |
| ANDREW CADDICK. Born: Nov 21 1968. Right-hand bat, right-arm fast-medium bowler. One of the players who, after being in and out of the side, has blossomed under the guidance of Hussain and coach Duncan Fletcher over the past 18 months. Irresistible when he gets his rhythm right, his new-ball pairing with Darren Gough may be England's most potent weapon against Australia. |
| DOMINIC CORK. Born Aug 7 1971. Right-hand bat, right-arm fast-medium bowler. Combative cricketer who made a successful return to the test side against West Indies last year after an 18-month absence, finishing top of his side's bowling averages with 20 wickets at 12.25. His progress was checked when he had to fly home early from the tour of Pakistan because of back trouble. Has not been at his best this season. |
| ROBERT CROFT. Born: May 25 1970. Off-spinner, right-hand bat. Drafted into the squad as cover for left-arm spinner Ashley Giles. Has played 20 tests but never succeeded in establishing himself, often criticized for concentrating too much on variation while failing to spin the ball enough. Helped Glamorgan win the county championship in 1997. Left out of the winter tour to Pakistan, he impressed on his recall for the 2-1 series win in Sri Lanka but did not feature in the two tests against Pakistan in May and June. |
| ASHLEY GILES. Born: March 19 1973. Slow left-armer, right-hand bat. Played the first of his seven tests against South Africa at Old Trafford in 1998 before being ousted by the more experienced Phil Tufnell. Bounced back on England's winter tour of 2000-01 and made his test breakthrough during the three-match series in Pakistan with 17 wickets. Followed up in Sri Lanka with a telling 4-11 spell to help win the third test -- and the series. Missed this recent test series against Pakistan, after failing to recover from a long-standing Achilles tendon injury. |
| DARREN GOUGH. Born: Sept 18 1970. Right-hand bat, right-arm fast bowler. The cutting edge of the attack, his great value is in frequently making decisive inroads at the top of the order. Underlined this quality in the three-test series victory in Sri Lanka where he was top of the team's bowling averages with 14 wickets at 19.57. Became eighth Englishman to pass 200 test wickets in first test against Pakistan at Lord's in May. Vibrant personality and crowd favorite. |
| MATTHEW HOGGARD. Born: Dec 31 1976. Right-hand bat, right-arm fast medium bowler. Made his test debut against West Indies at Lord's last year but subsequently had to bide his time because of the success of the Gough-Caddick-Cork-White pace bowling combination. Brought back for second test against Pakistan this season and took 3-79 and 3-93 -- his first test wickets. |
| ALEC STEWART. Born: April 8 1963. Right-hand bat, wicketkeeper. An accomplished batsman whose hallmark is his beautiful timing of the ball. Endured modest winter tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with a top score of 54 in 12 test innings, and has yet to play a major innings in the current international season. Great enthusiast who pays particular attention to his fitness. |
| MARCUS TRESCOTHICK. Born: Dec 25 1975. Left-hand bat, right-arm medium bowler. With his straightforward method and ideal big-match temperament, he has fitted easily into the side after making his debut in last year's home series against West Indies. Enhanced his reputation by hitting maiden test century in the first test against Sri Lanka in Kandy earlier this year. Made his first test hundred on home soil against Pakistan at Old Trafford last month. |
| IAN WARD. Born: Sept 30, 1973. Left-hand bat. Made his test debut against Pakistan earlier in the season, playing in both matches of the short series. Opens for Surrey but bats in the lower middle order for England. Developed his game during four seasons of Australian grade cricket, and was one of the major successes on England's A team tour of the Caribbean earlier this year, hitting centuries in three successive games. |
| CRAIG WHITE. Born: Dec 16 1969. Right-hand bat, right-arm fast medium bowler. The revelation of the side during the past 12 months, emerging as a key member of the attack who can generate high pace. Effective lower order batsman who hit his test best of 93 in the first test in Pakistan. Back trouble has kept him out of the England side so far this season. |
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