Glenn McGrath is used to licking his chops whenever England come to town – he will be positively drooling this morning. By selecting Robert Key ahead of Mark Ramprakash, England have ignored the very logic that persuaded them to recall Graham Thorpe in the first place. Ramprakash, like Thorpe, has a proven track record against Australia. He averages 42.40 in 12 matches, and scored a century the last time the teams met. Though the selectors claim they have gone for continuity, this is bunk - Key had originally been overlooked for the ECB Academy as well, which suggests that there are some very genuine reservations about his readiness for Test cricket. An Ashes tour is not the place to put such doubts to the test. Despite his ropey technique, Key did display a grittiness at the top of the order, (though now, of course, he will be thrown into the middle-order like Ian Ward before him). But temperament alone is not enough to succeed against these Australians – just ask Michael Atherton. So, instead of Ramprakash competing for a place with John Crawley, it seems that Crawley will be a shoo-in for Brisbane, and Key will, along with James Foster and Richard Dawson, be a passenger. This is not the way to retrieve the Ashes. Andrew Miller

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