Shaking up the attack has worked wonders for England’s bowling and after Saturday’s sorry display it must be wondered if their batting line-up needs a similar jolt.

Unlike the rather green bowling attack that impressed in the second Test against New Zealand, the batting line-up seems to be a collection of the same old faces, the  same ones who aren’t producing the goods.

A glance at the England Lions and the County Championship shows that the selectors have plenty of young talent to choose from.

'Carberry may also be the answer to another problem England are developing – conversion rates'


Michael Carberry of Hampshire enjoyed an excellent 2007 domestic season. As well as beating the rain, which restricted runs across the board, to score over 1,000 first- class runs,  Hampshire’s opening bat notched up five centuries and a top score of 192 not out.           

With England currently playing two former number threes as openers and their former opener at three, a specialist opener in great form would surely be a valuable asset to the team. All too often in recent memory have England’s openers crumbled under pressure, so perhaps it is time to go back to a partnership who specialise in opening an innings, rather than allowing England to experiment with batsmen who are clearly more comfortable further down the order.           

As well as being a seasoned opening bat in great form, Carberry may also be the answer to another problem England are developing – conversion rates.

England’s top six have managed plenty of scores of 30-plus and 50-plus in the series so far but aside from Kevin Pietersen’s 129 in the third Test, none of these scores have gone on to become hundreds.

Of the eight 50s Carberry made in 2007, five became centuries. A conversion rate of 62.5 percent would surely be enough to keep any England coach happy. By comparison, Andrew Flintoff’s conversion rate is only 17 per cent. Ian Bell offers a conversion rate of 25 per cent, Paul Collingwood a more impressive 33 per cent Alastair Cook boasts 44 per cent whilst captain Michael Vaughan’s 48 per cent is narrowly beaten by Pietersen’s 50 per cent.

Imagine what England could achieve if more of their batsmen managed a conversion rate of 50-plus. From his county game, it seems that such a conversion rate is something Carberry has to offer.

If England’s recent batting woes don’t pick up soon it is likely that the selectors’ eyes will turn to the England Lions and the county game. With a stack of runs and several match-winning centuries in both, Michael Carberry could be looking at a very good 2008.