In a home series against India, England might expect to win seven, maybe eight times out of ten. Conversely, they might expect to be beaten eight, maybe nine, times out of ten in an Ashes series in Australia. Logic suggests that England should thus do everything they can this summer to prepare themselves for the Ashes, while the going is relatively good, but their squad for the first Test shows they are happy to cross each bridge when they come to it. Just as they were in 1990, 1994 and 1998, when each time they won a home series and were hammered in Australia the following winter. It is depressingly myopic.

The crassest selection is that of John Crawley, for two reasons: Crawley has no track record of making runs in Australia, and more importantly, his selection means that Mark Butcher will open. In the past year, Butcher has started to become England's answer to David Boon: sober and secure, as a No. 3 must be, but with enough oomph and pugnacity to ensure the initiative is never surrendered.

Butcher has averaged over 50 batting at No. 3 in the past year, and has scored as many centuries in his last three innings there as he has in 46 when opening. If Marcus Trescothick was out for only one Test, it might be a reasonable move, but to shunt Butcher up for the whole series is a classic piece of nonsense – compromising a strength to cover a weakness, and denying Butcher four Tests in which to perfect the role further.

David Graveney is right when he says Crawley has done nothing wrong, and must be kept for the sake of consistency, but that is not the point – the vacancy is for an opener, not a No. 6. And where's the consistency in Butcher spending half the summer opening and half not?

The lack of any decent candidates outside Kent should not have been a problem either: four matches of flat pitches and India's weedy seam attack would have been a perfect introduction to Test cricket for Robert Key or David Fulton. Crawley may make 400 runs in this series, and will play Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh as well as anyone, but what will it prove? Crawley's vital statistics are these: he averages 26 against Australia, 11 against South Africa, and 16 against West Indies (in the days before the likes of Cameron Cuffy were given the new ball).

If he makes runs, Crawley will have to go to Australia, and Glenn McGrath will expose Crawley's off-stump fallibility as if taking candy from a baby. Of 19 dismissals against Australia, Crawley has been caught 14 times, five of them by the keeper, another six in the slips. The Aussies have his number.

The selection of Craig White is no less an anomaly. Ostensibly, White is a like-for-like replacement for Alex Tudor at No.8 - except he's not like him at all. As we saw in India in last winter, White is no longer a serious contender with the ball. He has taken only three wickets in his last seven Tests – at a cost of 118 each - and since that golden summer of 2000, his bowling average exceeds 50.

That West Indian summer really was deceptive, as it made England think White and Dominic Cork were the genuine article. But West Indies were as hapless as any side to come to England in the last 30 years, and it was all an illusion. Cork labours to get good batsmen out on good pitches these days, and would be picked off with ease in Australia, or against any side not affected by his bluster.

If he does play ahead of White, Cork will have made four of his last five Test appearances at Lord's – but even Phil Newport has a better record there. As much as anything, the selections of Cork and White show just how bare England's seam-bowling cupboard really is.

Simon Jones is in again, but it would be cruel of England to play him if the sun is shining and pitch is a shirtfront. Few countries demolish nervy debut bowers quite as mercilessly as India. Just ask Paul Taylor or Min Patel.

Despite their appalling overseas record – no series wins outside the subcontinent since 1986 – India might fancy their chances of catching a weakened England cold if they can bat first and post 500, as Sri Lanka did in May. For England to use this series as a sounding board for the Ashes would have been taking a chance. But it is one they should have taken.

Rob Smyth is on the staff of Wisden.com.

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