Opener Strauss in line for England recall

Strauss's probable inclusion in the party to take on New Zealand in three Tests in March is a consequence of the failure of any England batsman to score a century in Sri Lanka — apart from Alastair Cook on the last day of a chastening 1-0 series defeat.

The return of the former vice-captain, who led the team against Pakistan in 2006, would be testament to the truism that you become a better player when you are not in the team.

Scroll down for more

He has done nothing to stake a claim for inclusion other than being absent from the scene of the crime in Sri Lanka.

Yet it is understandable that the selectors want to turn to a man who was a fixture in the England team before their mistake in not making him captain for the last Ashes series triggered a run of bad form when he failed to score a century in a year.

Strauss should be far better suited to New Zealand conditions than the slow pitches of Sri Lanka and he would also bring much-needed solidity to a slip cordon where England were almost as lacking as they were with bat and ball in Sri Lanka.

The Middlesex man has already signed to play cricket in New Zealand for Northern Knights before the Test series in March and he would be able to acclimatise while England's one-day squad attempt to build on series wins over India and Sri Lanka in two Twenty20 and five one-day internationals against the Black Caps.

Strauss's Test return would be at the expense of Ravi Bopara or Owais Shah, with the Essex man favourite to miss out after suffering a first-ball dismissal in the second Test in Colombo and a pair in the final match at Galle.

England rate Bopara highly and will include him in the one-day party.

It is conceivable he will survive the Test axe this time but that would be very harsh on Shah, who was unlucky to miss out in the first place in Sri Lanka and then had no opportunity to prove his worth.

The other burning issue facing the selectors for the second half of their packed winter programme is the perennial one at wicketkeeper.

Matt Prior is again under enormous pressure after finishing the Sri Lanka series very badly, just as he struggled in the second half of his debut Test season last summer.

He is once again fighting for his international future. Prior batted very well in Kandy and Colombo and kept more than adequately, but such was his collapse in the final Test at Galle, particularly in his failure to take chances off Ryan Sidebottom, that the validity of his claim to be the man who can fill Alec Stewart's boots is again in jeopardy.

England really should give James Foster the chance to prove that he is not only the best wicketkeeping option but is also capable of scoring Test runs.

While he is said to be 'in the mix', Foster will probably miss out again to an inferior alternative.

Phil Mustard was rewarded for his part in the one-day series victory in Sri Lanka when he was selected as Prior's back-up for the Tests but he is seen more as a limited-overs specialist than a possible successor to the Sussex man.

Instead, Prior will probably be accompanied for the New Zealand Tests by a familiar face.

Tim Ambrose was Prior's friend and rival when they competed for the Sussex wicketkeeper's slot under Peter Moores.

At one point Ambrose was preferred to Prior but eventually decided to move on and flourished at Warwickshire last season, hitting a Championship double century.

Now Ambrose, Australian by birth and yet another overseas player to qualify for England, has impressed with the England performance squad in India and is the favourite to join Prior in New Zealand unless the selectors spring a surprise and go for an all-new duo of Ambrose and Foster.

Whoever is selected, England, now the fifth best team in Test cricket, really should beat New Zealand — particularly if Shane Bond's decision to sign for the Indian Cricket League, as seems likely, robs the Kiwis of a world-class bowler.

While New Zealand historically add up to more than the sum of their parts, they are lacking world-class players. Even though they will push England in oneday cricket, a 3-0 Test series win for Michael Vaughan is a possibility.

Chairman of selectors David Graveney will announce the Test and one-day parties at Lord's today in his last act in the job before interviews begin next week for the new position of national selector — basically a travelling chairman with a proper salary.

Graveney has applied for the new role after 10 years as part-time chairman and it will be intriguing to see whether new managing director of England cricket Hugh Morris picks him or decides that a new broom is needed, post-Schofield Report.

PROBABLE TEST SQUAD: Vaughan (captain), Cook, Strauss, Bell, Pietersen, Collingwood, Shah, Prior, Ambrose, Sidebottom, Broad, Hoggard, Harmison, Anderson, Panesar, Swann.

PROBABLE ONE-DAY SQUAD: Collingwood (captain), Bell, Cook, Pietersen, Shah, Bopara, Prior, Mustard, Broad, Anderson, Sidebottom, Swann, Panesar, Wright or Hildreth, Mascheranas, Tremlett.