Two days ago we had the temerity to suggest that England were in a spin over their spinners. Today has brought glorious confirmation. Martyn Ball, a journeyman offspinner from Gloucestershire with a career average of 37, will replace Robert Croft on the tour to India. David Graveney said Ball was a "like-for-like" replacement, and he's quite right: both men are 31, short and stocky, and Croft's career average is 36. Ball's selection is great news for unsung heroes everywhere, but desperate news for England supporters. What must Ball's county colleague Jeremy Snape be thinking? Last month he made a solid one-day debut in Zimbabwe. He won't have sent shudders down Sachin's spine, but at least he had tasted international cricket; he had to be next in line. Didn't he? In the same way that Owais Shah was replaced in July by Usman Afzaal for seemingly arbitrary reasons after a decent one-day series, now Snape has been leapfrogged by Ball.

Worse, if Ashley Giles fails his fitness test on Wednesday, England will be down to a spin attack of Ball and the 21-year-old Richard Dawson. After again going out of their way to ignore Phil Tufnell - a notoriously bad tourist, but still the best spinner in the country, as well as the most experienced - the selectors would surely have to send for him. The Indians must be dancing in disbelief.

The selection of Richard Johnson at least has some logic to it, even if Martin Bicknell has been gratuitously shunned again - along with Alex Tudor. Johnson was in the squad for the last three Ashes Tests in 2001, and he is used to bowling on unresponsive pitches, although Graveney's comparison of Taunton with India might surprise Andy Caddick, among others. But if Craig White also fails his Wednesday fitness test, England will be left to choose from an attack of Matthew Hoggard, James Ormond, Johnson, Dawson and Ball. That's five men with three Test caps between them. If they all played for the same county, you wouldn't be rushing down the bookies.

Indian cricket fans have often complained that England palm them off with a second-string team. But this is worse than that. If England lose 3-0, as they did in 1992-93, it will serve them right.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

Johnson and Ball get the call
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