Who's in the composite team?

It’s time to pick the old composite team. If England and Australia were to bury the hatchet after 129 years and join forces, who would make the joint XI? Warning: as in real life, not all these players will still be there at the end of the series.

1 Andrew Strauss Justin Langer could have one last fling in him, but Strauss is a similar model, only younger. A taste of captaincy did him good: after only 30-odd Tests, he has the presence of someone with twice as many. Has two Ashes hundreds already and power to add with his neat back-foot game.

2 Matthew Hayden Could have been dropped for the Oval 2005, but instead he survived, made a watchful hundred, and was soon back to his old bullying ways. Alastair Cook, on the other hand, has his work cut out not to be this year’s Ian Bell.

3 Ricky Ponting In the form he was in a year ago, he is the best batsman in the world today. Against England, over the years, he has been mortal, averaging 40 rather than 50, but that may just mean he is overdue a big Ashes. Just don’t make him captain.

4 Kevin Pietersen Edges out the revitalised Damien Martyn because he is one of the world’s two most gifted batsmen under 30, along with Virender Sehwag. Front-foot technique could be fallible, but his outrageous chutzpah should bring at least a couple of big scores at high speed.

5 Michael Hussey In one-day cricket, he is the new Michael Bevan; in Tests, he’s far better. Nothing wrong with Paul Collingwood, but Hussey has the same resilience with more dynamism.

6 Andrew Flintoff One of only three men present to have made the difference in an Ashes series. A colossus in 2005, he walks into this team, but no need to lumber him with the captaincy.

7 Adam Gilchrist (wkt) Neither of the wicketkeepers demands a place in this team. Gilchrist had a poor Ashes in 2005 and has kept on struggling since, while Geraint Jones did pretty well then but floundered afterwards. Gilchrist wins because of his destructive possibilities – if he has even a half-decent series, it’s hard to see Australia losing. And you wouldn’t want Jones keeping to this man…

8 Shane Warne (capt) The best bowler on either side, and in recent Ashes history. He really should have been a Test captain. And in this team, he can be. Suddenly, the field placings and press conferences will get a lot more interesting.

9 Brett Lee All the fast-bowling spots are debatable, and you might even include someone here who is not expected to play in Brisbane, such as Shaun Tait. Lee’s Ashes record is one of more pace than penetration, and he is in the curious position for a genuine quick of being more adept at one-day cricket than Tests. But he was back to his best last Australian summer and he’s a natural foil to McGrath as well as an exceptional number nine.

10 Matthew Hoggard There’s a case for Steve Harmison’s pace and bounce, or even for Monty Panesar’s skill and potential. But for the past two years, Hoggard, despite looking typically English, has been England’s best bowler overseas, with 50 wickets at 26. Flintoff is only just behind, with 47 at 28, while Harmison’s figures are the other way round – 26 wickets at 47. Simon Jones would have got this spot if fit, but Hoggard has added guile to his swing and could surprise a few people.

11 Glenn McGrath Picked on reputation rather than anything he has done since Lord’s 2005, which may turn out to have been his last great hurrah. On one hand, he’s elderly, rusty, and may struggle to get through five days. On the other, he still has four of the qualities that made him great – awkward bounce, pinpoint accuracy, an intimidating presence, and a supreme will to win.

So that’s my team, with seven Aussies and only four Englishmen. What’s yours?