For those following England’s preparation for the Ashes, it seems to be going well so far, maybe a couple of injury worries, but hopefully nothing serious.

Matt Prior not being fit for the first Test would be a big blow, and not just for his experience. He has been one of England’s form players for the past couple of years, aside from last summer.

Although Jonny Bairstow is a more than capable back-up, he isn’t in Prior’s league just yet.

The selection debate so far has centred on how well Michael Carberry has done, taking every chance he has been given.

For me, he has done enough to get his name on the starting XI team sheet for the first Test.

I thought my Yorkshire teammate Gary Ballance would start, but his tour hasn’t gone so well form-wise so far and I’d go with the man in form.

Carberry’s experience should benefit England at the top of the order, but anything can happen in a short space of time, so we shall see over the next week or so how things pan out.

Bowling-wise, I think maybe Tremlett will get the nod over Finn and Rankin, but that could easily change! It’s been good to hear from a good mate of mine, Essex’s Tymal Mills, who is over in Oz being used as a net bowler for the England guys.

If you’ve heard of him, you may know he is capable of bowling in the mid- 90s mph, which is serious gas.

Couple that with the fact he is a left-armer makes it awkward for batters to face when the ball is constantly in around your ribs and head! Millsy has ruffled a few up and claimed a few victims with medals in the form of large bruises and dents in helmets! I have roomed and spent a lot of time socially with him, and we were in the England Lions set-up together, so I’d like to think our ‘bowlers union’ agreement if we ever bowled at one another in a match would still apply.

If not, I reckon I’d end up in hospital if he banged a few in at me!

THIS past week I have been in Turkey tanning my body on the beach and poolside in a plush five-star resort near Side.

It was a very last-minute holiday with Liam Plunkett and Moin Ashraf, two of my fellow seam bowling teammates at Yorkshire. We got lucky, as having checked the weather it was mid-20s degrees every day, so we booked the hol two days before we left . . . typical me being last minute at organising something! It wasn’t the usual lads/jolly boys outing, but perfect for a nice relaxing holiday to freshen the mind and body before the full winter training programme kicks in next week.

That starts on Monday with the dreaded fitness tests. It’s never nice to take the yo-yo/beep test followed by various physical tests to see where your current weaknesses and strengths are and having callipers pinching various fatty parts of the body you’ve been enlarging for six weeks! Sounds like a right laugh, eh?