England now have more playing resources than at any time I can remember, and that includes when I was playing.From the early 2000s to 2005, under Michael Vaughan's captaincy, we had a very solid core of 11 or 12 players who played a lot of cricket together.I think we reached No.2 in the world rankings for a while but, in terms of having the potential for sustained success over a long period of time, this current crop of players is better.Now there are goodness knows how many combinations who would all be capable of coming together and playing outstanding cricket.I can't see any reason why this current group cannot claim the world No.1 spot for many years to come, because it's my view England already has the best pool of players in the world.
Selection is probably going to be the toughest job, and the fact England are even considering leaving Pietersen out is a sign of how far the team has come.But the more depth there is to choose from, the more ruthless the selectors can be, and the fact is KP hasn't delivered for a while.Everyone's hoping he can get back to where he was, not least Kevin, and no one will be working harder in practice to find form than him.He's scored a few runs for Surrey in the last week or so but he needs to show he has the hunger and desire to deliver big scores consistently. The selectors have to decide if one 50 for Surrey is enough or whether they want a 100.Sometimes as you get older, speaking from my own experience, you mellow a little bit and cricket isn't necessarily the most important thing in your life.Kevin is a proven world-class player and I'm sure he'll play a huge role for England this summer. He is hugely driven and is probably the hardest trainer in England.
-now
