As England's selectors prepare to announce the squads for the various winter tours, they do so in the knowledge that two of their stalwarts, Darren Gough and Alec Stewart, are not prepared to go to India and that another, Mike Atherton, is set to announce his retirement. While this will mean that the side which takes the field against India in December will have a rather unfamiliar look, it does give the selectors a perfect opportunity to experiment with some new faces.

Of the three, Atherton will probably be the easiest to replace. His performances this summer have been mediocre, and a less-experienced batsman would have been struggling to retain his place. The obvious decision would be to move Mark Butcher up the order to open with Marcus Trescothick. Butcher, whose renaissance against Australia has been a revelation, is no stranger to the role, although it would give England two left-handed openers. The only alternative would be to ask Michael Vaughan to fill the void.

Gough's absence will prove the hardest to deal with. Last winter he bowled superbly on pitches which offered him little assistance. Andy Caddick didn't, but he will now have to take over the mantle of England's senior bowler.

There are various players who will be keen to take the opportunity afforded by Gough's self-imposed exile - if they can make it on to the plane, that is. Matthew Hoggard did enough in his one outing this summer to show that he is good enough at Test level but, like Chris Silverwood, another in the frame, his fitness is a major concern. Richard Johnson, who has twice been the bridesmaid without making it to the wedding party, also has serious question-marks over his durability. Alex Tudor is physically frail and mentally brittle, and if Craig White fails to recover full fitness, and his nip with the ball, then England's pace attack will look very threadbare.

The absence of Stewart merely forces the selectors to address a problem which has been sneaking up on them with every passing year, but one which they have, ostrich-like, strangely preferred to ignore.

The favourite to replace him is the inexperienced, but undoubtedly promising, Jamie Foster of Essex, whose ability with the bat gives him a considerable head-start over other contenders. The only drawback is that his final-year university studies might prevent him going to New Zealand, in which case England might look to a previous brief incumbent, Warren Hegg. They must have a player who is able to hold his own with the bat if a major change in the side's structure is to be avoided.

Whoever the selectors turn to, the forced changes will be good for England's future.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd