England must be tough and leave out Harmison

A new era in English cricket will dawn tomorrow when David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, announces his first post-Duncan Fletcher Test squad. Graveney will be mighty relieved to see the back of Fletcher - the pair never got on - but in Peter Moores, the new England coach, he has another strong-willed man to deal with.

Moores is unlikely to gain the same power as his predecessor but it is inevitable that the England team will begin to reflect the views of himself and Michael Vaughan, his captain, over the coming months.

Vaughan is not a selector, and the broken finger he sustained playing for Yorkshire a week ago is likely to keep him out of the first Test against the West Indies, but he will have had significant input into the squad - he is that sort of character.

The probable absence of Vaughan will affect the game-plan England employ at Lord's on Thursday, but the party named will give a good indication of the principles the pair wish to adopt. If Vaughan fails to recover, Andrew Strauss must captain the side, but the question is will England, after a shambolic and disheartening winter, delay planning for the future in an attempt to get the summer off to a winning start?

What England do with Stephen Harmison and Paul Nixon will tell all. If both are named in England's Test squad tomorrow, then it is clear to see that the desire for a short-term fix is greater than that for long-term prosperity.

Time and wickets act as a great healer for a bowler, and the sight of Harmison bowling well and taking early-season wickets for Durham has been enough to convince many people that he has learned from his errors during the Ashes and is now a reformed character. It is not a view I share.

Harmison has the right to spend as much time with his family as he wants and - in the selfish, materialistic world in which we live - it would be wrong to criticise a man for holding such worthy views. But it is unacceptable for an experienced world-class performer to arrive in Australia unprepared for the toughest challenge of his working life.

England's coaches have to take some responsibility for the highly embarrassing sight of Harmison's first ball of the Ashes going to second slip, but most is down to the player. Australia's Glenn McGrath had not bowled in a first-class match for almost 11 months when he walked out to take on England in Brisbane yet his thorough and professional preparation allowed him to take 6 for 50, a performance that set his side up for an emphatic victory.

Harmison should not be written off as an England bowler. Far from it - he has too much to offer. But he should not be picked for the first two Tests of the summer. Indiscipline, both on and off the field, has crept into the England side and, tomorrow, Vaughan and Moores have the chance to show that they are not prepared to tolerate such behaviour. But will they use Harmison as the vehicle to make such a statement? It is unlikely. An arm is more likely to be placed around his shoulder and a few sympathetic words whispered in his ear. Yet would a player of lesser ability be treated in the same way? Such actions will set a dangerous precedent.

Nixon was one of the few England cricketers to return from the World Cup with his reputation enhanced. His initial selection alarmed many, myself included, but it proved to be an inspired decision. Nobody would begrudge such a hard-working and committed cricketer an England Test cap but the long-term benefits of giving a 36-year-old his debut, especially when there are three or four very talented young wicketkeepers waiting for an opportunity, have to be questioned.

When the England selectors announced their 25-man performance squad for the summer, it contained just two wicketkeepers - Nixon and Matthew Prior - and it would come as a major surprise if a player from outside the group was picked for Lord's. Essex's James Foster is unfortunate not to have played more Test cricket for England but Moores seems set to turn to his former employees, Sussex, and pick Prior.

Inevitably, there have been calls for Marcus Trescothick to be rushed back into the England set-up, particularly after his 284 for Somerset earlier this week. It is encouraging to see Trescothick enjoying his cricket again but these preposterous suggestions obviously come from people who have no interest in his welfare and have little understanding of what he has gone through.

If Trescothick is to make a full recovery from his illness, he needs to be allowed to play four or five months of relatively stress-free county cricket. Should he come through this, then he has a chance of playing international cricket again. Tossing him into Test cricket now would only increase the chances of him suffering a relapse.

England will monitor Kevin Pietersen's calf injury closely in the build-up to the Test, and should both he and Vaughan fail to prove their fitness, Middlesex's Ed Joyce or Owais Shah may be called on. Shah has been in excellent early-season form and has already struck two first-class hundreds.

Angus Fraser's Test squad: M P Vaughan (c) (if fit), A J Strauss (c) (if Vaughan unfit), A N Cook, I R Bell, P D Collingwood, K P Pietersen, O A Shah, A Flintoff, J Foster, M J Hoggard, M S Panesar, J M Anderson, S I Mahmood.

Probable Test squad: Vaughan (c), Strauss, Cook, Bell, Pietersen, Collingwood, Flintoff, M J Prior, Hoggard, S J Harmison, Panesar, Anderson, Shah.

Playing for keeps: Five contenders ready to don the gloves

PAUL NIXON

The Leicestershire man is a favourite of Michael Vaughan, who enjoys having such an enthusiastic and positive cricketer in his dressing-room. Nixon may be 36 but he is fit and will do a good job. He will score runs and keep adequately. But he will not be around for the 2009 Ashes and 2011 World Cup.

MATTHEW PRIOR

Many believe the Sussex stumper is the answer to England's problems. Has toured with England before but his attitude when not picked did not impress the management. However, Moores' arrival has helped his cause. Fourteen first-class hundreds and a batting average of more than 38 highlights his batting ability.

JAMES FOSTER

The Essex wicketkeeper could have been England's first-choice gloveman for the past few years but for a broken arm sustained in 2002. The break allowed Alec Stewart to return to the side and Foster has played only one more Test. Despite this setback, he has always performed well for his county.

STEVEN DAVIES

The Worcestershire keeper, at 20, is the youngest of the group. He scored more than 1,000 first-class runs in his first season of county cricket in 2005, but had a more humbling experience last year. His glovework is highly rated and he is tipped for the top but he may have to wait a couple of seasons.

CHRIS READ

Nobody suffered more under Duncan Fletcher's tenure. It is questionable if his batting is good enough for Test cricket but his self-belief was not helped by Fletcher's obsession with Geraint Jones. Read is the best gloveman in the country and it is sad that a specialist keeper can no longer hold down a place in the Test side.