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If England's Test and T20I teams played on the same day, what would the XIs be?

Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes are sure picks, but which squad will they each play in? Getty Images

In the era of Covid-19, the cricket calendar will need be redrawn and there will be a crush to fit in all the fixtures that were deferred. It has even been suggested that two formats could be played at the same time. While that may not actually happen, it throws up some intriguing selection questions.

How would the three best-resourced sides in the world - England, India and Australia - fare in having two teams play at the same time in a Test and T20I?

England: With the height of the summer already approaching, the onus for England is to fulfil as many of their international fixtures as possible to offset a massive potential financial shortfall. To that end, Ashley Giles, the team's managing director, hinted strongly last week that two separate squads will be the route they take to maintain the biosecure "bubbles" that the ECB is seeking to create within its chosen venues. An initial training pool of 55 players has been selected, and while several of the key names are already one-format picks, some tricky decisions need to be made about the biggest stars. Former England batsmen Ian Bell and Mark Butcher, and offspinner Graeme Swann are our selectors.

Ian Bell: With a T20 World Cup on the horizon - well, hopefully, anyway - I'd make that format a priority. And I'd want bowlers - people like Jofra Archer, who, I think, would do really well on Australian surfaces. For the same reason, I'd want Buttler and Jonny Bairstow in the T20 side, which brings an opportunity for Ben Foakes in the Test team. He may well be the best keeper in the country and this would be a great opportunity to see a bit more of him at that level. In English conditions, you want Stuart Broad and James Anderson in your Test side. But I would like a point-of-difference bowler in the attack - someone with a bit more pace - so I'd play either Mark Wood or Olly Stone as the quick bowler and maybe rotate Anderson with Chris Woakes as required. I also see Stone as the type of bowler who could be really valuable in an Ashes series in Australia, so I'd like to see him given more opportunity in Test cricket.

Mark Butcher: Big call as to which team for Stokes, obviously. Think his impact for the Test team is gigantic - he's able to shape it for longer. Picking Archer in the T20I team was more about Wood's relative lack of success in the limited-overs arena, though Wood's recent Test performances have been outstanding. Tom Abell might seem a little left field, but I've seen enough of him to take a punt that he is a special player - great mind under pressure. I could have gone for [Alex] Hales or [James] Vince, but decided to go for a clean slate. Both Bairstow and Buttler are irreplaceable in the T20I XI, giving Foakes a clear run at the Test job. No Anderson is perhaps the biggest upset and I'll gladly have him prove me wrong and play until he's 40!

Graeme Swann: Jos Buttler has never dismantled an attack in Test cricket. He was supposedly picked to turn games from dire situations and revolutionise the way we play, but it has never materialised. He is the one-day king and always looks more comfortable slaying a white ball rather than prodding a red one. Ben Foakes is the best keeper in the country for me, and I'm a purist, so he has to play in the Tests. Alex Hales has served his time. He's beyond brilliant on his day and easily merits a place back in the one-day side for me. He needs to show huge remorse and humility on a private level to rebuild his relationship with Morgs. The skipper won the World Cup. What he says goes. He could demand the team all wear moustaches and they'd all turn out looking like Dennis Lillee by the end of the day. The sooner their relationship is patched up, the better for Hales and England!

Michael Hussey, Greg Chappell and Brad Hodge each picked a Test and T20I team for Australia here, while MSK Prasad, Ajit Agarkar and Kiran More each picked their India Test and T20I squads here