Ashes Test at Lord's: Time For the Selectors to Pick Onions

I know the media in this country enjoy harking back to 2005, but if they begin to have an effect on the England selectors on Wednesday then things really will have taken a turn for the worse.

Waiting in the wings for the forthcoming Ashes Test is a Durham paceman with the best bowling average in county cricket this year. There is also a fast bowler from the same county side who was once feared above all others in the game.

One should be picked for a fast, bouncy track at Lord's on Thursday. One has definitely had one too many chances at the top level of the game.

All too often, the press in England have been attempting to rekindle the memories of 2005 by highlighting the bowling performances of Steve Harmison, particularly his stint for the England Lions against Australia preceding the first Ashes Test this year.

The manner in which he 'found out' the Aussies' new Golden Boy, Phil Hughes, by bouncing him out of the crease drew as many plaudits as he had detractors after that second-slip wide in 2007 (notably, the only thing that the newspapers can recall of the whitewashed series).

However, one session of aggressive and hostile pace bowling cannot erase the memories of an erratic and unconfident Harmison bowling as inaccurately as an MP's expense form over the last four years.

The main thing to take from the first Test in Cardiff is that there is a worrying lack of confidence amongst the England side, but most noticeably in the bowling ranks. Introducing a rusty Steve Harmison could be the trigger that blows any remaining self-belief in the England attack. One false move and there could be utter chaos amongst the bowlers, who need a steady hand more than a loose cannon.

What is required is a young, in-form bowler who hasn't been intimidated by the Australians before. That man is Graham Onions who, if there is an ounce of sense amongst the England selectors, should be replacing Monty Panesar for the vital match commencing Thursday.

With Steve Harmison, it could be a case of once bitten, twice shy. He could also take what is left of England's confidence with him.