Crunch time for the selectors as Ashes D-Day at The Oval looms

There is no shortage of advice heading the way for Geoff Miller and his panel — just a lack of players staking rock-solid claims.

Where the selectors are fortunate, however, is that they tend to pick a squad and leave the actual XI and batting order to captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower.

In theory, at least, there is nothing to stop them from sending 20 players to The Oval next week, along with a good luck' note, and then nipping off on holiday. But they won't. At today's meeting, a party of 13, possibly 14, will be picked and then mulled over for 24 hours or so before Sunday morning's eagerly-awaited announcement.

The players in contention for a place in a re-vamped batting order — incumbants Ravi Bopara and Ian Bell, along with hopefuls Rob Key, Jonathan Trott have Mark Ranprakash — have all had their chances to impress this week.

The Warwickshire duo of Trott and Bell have made the strongest case for inclusion, the former hitting 15 and 121 in the Bears' match against Notts while the latter was dismissed for 126 this morning after scoring just one run in the first innings.

Bopara's position appears most under threat, and with today's clash at Lord's petering out into a draw with the hosts at the crease the Essex man is unlikely to get the chance to add to the miserable one run he scored in the first innings.

Of the two England old-boys pushing for an improbable recall, Ramprakash scored a run-a-ball 24 in a pro40 match for Surrey on Wednesday while Key did his cause no harm with knocks of 90 and 15 for Kent against Northants.

While anything is possible, the selectors Miller, Flower, Ashley Giles and James Whitaker are unlikely to introduce a slew of new, or old, faces.

While this is a winner-takes-all Test, England surely must have some regard for the future. And that seems likely to count against Ramprakash, even though the 39-year-old would love to play, while Marcus Trescothick has finally dismissed any possibility of coming out of retirement for one match.

Key at No3, instead of the rattled Bopara, would offer hope for both next week and this winter's tour of South Africa while England could keep their powder dry over the No4 — with Bell and Trott the contenders — until they see how Trott performs for the Lions against Australia this weekend.

As for Key, he can at least forget all about the speculation tomorrow when he leads Kent into Twenty20 finals day at Edgbaston.