Sleeping on the job - Inbox at Cricinfo

Firstly the selectors have to know which players have that special talent, the time to play, the county results etc and then they have to find out if such abilities surface at the highest levels. I'm not sure that they even know the first or are even aware of the second because their selections indicate they don't do either very well. Again we see Bopara given another go despite only averaging eight in five innings and finding new and interesting ways to get out. Great players don't go through this failure process for very long even if they might initially. It's happened so many times.

Gatting a classic example of a good county player who was never good enough at Test level yet played an incredible 79 tests and finished with an average of just 35, poor by any standards. My recollection is that he barely scored a run in the first 20. How much longer are we going to be prepared to put up with long-term mediocrity when a wealth of talent waits on the sidelines? Rather, like the Ryder Cup approach, I would like to see players selected for England based, in part, upon actual current performance. Something along the lines of a third current performance, a third the captain and a third the selectors rather than the entire decision being made by out-of-touch ex-cricketers.

At least some structured means of ensuring that if a great young player is performing better than everyone else he cannot be permanently excluded just because the existing team are such good mates. Our recent performances have been lamentable simply because we never ever field the best available team and a capitulation to a good but not exceptional South African side really reinforces this weak showing. The final Test won't tell us anything either because it is a worthless exercise. The competition has already been lost and the players cannot somehow overlook that.

Do you know why England cricket is in the gutter??? Because Ashley Giles is one of the selectors!

Serioulsy... Ashley Giles is quite possibly the worst cricket player to play for England and he now picks the team! Until he goes, England will never be able to reach their full potential (as little as that may be).

You are a 100% correct. England have been so fearful to make tough decisions. There has been unbelievable amounts of indecisiveness and thats translated into inconsistency. England are so caught up in the concept of the 2005 Ashes that they can't shed those players. Paul Collingwood is not the next best test player in the country. Its either Mark Ramprakash, Robert Key, Owais Shah, and Ravi Bopara. With Simon Jones overall fitness still a question it was a very easy choice for a fill in. Chris Tremlett was consistently a tough customer to handle last year against India and should have been given the opportunity to play. Yet England continue to give him opportunities in ODIs when he's not an ODI bowler.

So many players were in and out...Ronnie Irani was dropped after a match only to be recalled 7 years later. No one knows what happened to Adam Hollioake...and Mark Ealham?? Players like Mark Ramprakash were consistently ignored. I also remember one Anthony McGrath playing int he one day side like a typical test player...and Mal Loye was dropped after a successful CB series (he was not bad)..I was always a fan of english talent and it pains me to see the current selection state....England has one of the best domestic circuits in the world and it is grossly under utilised.

Well written comments David however, i don't think i can agree with them. There's more to cricket than just talent and skill although the two are preliminary. However, we have to acknowledge that there are other factors that make a player great, such as hardwork in nets, the ability to concentrate and a cricketing brain. Further, to complicate this web of what defines a good cricketere there are various social factors that affect a person's game i.e. partying habits, attitude.
A test level cricketer has to be able to manage all that. Even though there might be more skilled youngsters out there, Collingwood deserves his place because he has the perfect balance of all the above traits.
Also the team concept is very important in cricket. Batsmen do bat individually however, how many times have we seen teams beat just great players i.e. Australia vs. World XI or the team example of Lahore Badshahs in the ICL.

If we are to adopt a selection by numbers process akin to the Ryder Cup, I would hope that the selectors displayed a surer grasp of statistical analysis. How is Bopara's low average in only three tests relevant? Many players who were ultimately successful had similarly poor starts to their test careers. What is the use of the comparison of Jones with Anderson? The numbers ignore the completely obvious - one is fit to play test cricket at the moment, the other isn't. Where is the evidence of the 'wealth of talent waiting in the wings'? Doesn't the plethora of non England qualified players in county cricket suggest that the reality is precisely the opposite? Selection decisions may not have helped but they were surely only part of the problem in the recent series.

Interestinly, after the Pattinson selection, you have a young bloke playing for Lancs called paul Horton. i saw him play over here in Australia last season and I believe he is currently averaging around 55-60 in first class matches.

Another Australian? Well, why not, half the team is South African anyway.

England have made some bizarre and poor selections this summer. The continued non-selection of Simon Jones baffles me and plenty of other Australian cricket watchers, and to someone who watches the county scene, why hasn't Durham's Mark Davies been given a chance?

Ravi has gone back and goten the runs, and deserves to get a chance eventually. Only Colly is likely of the current players to lose his spot and the next position likely to go after that will be Strauss', which means Joe Denly or someone of that callibre will have to be ready to fill the gap.

A quick look at the county round up shows the Englans selectors up. They talk of horses for courses policy when selecting Pattinson and not selecting Tremlett. With the same logic what is wrong with selecting Trescothick for Home games. He has been consistently performing and has no qualms travelling the length and breadth of the country with county. Form selection right now merits getting Simon Jones in. I suspect he might become frustrated and drop England ambitions if he's not picked for long.

The comment on Anderson is unfair. He had a very high average after an unhappy early career, but has taken wickets cheaply and consistently over the last year. Yes, Jones is a fine bowler, but he has not been bowling every time for Worcs. and it would be devastating to bring him back too soon.

On the Collingwood issue, it's fair to remember that Bopara and Shah have not covered themselves with glory in their brief international careers, although both look promising. Collingwood has a good Test record, is an excellent fielder, and a handy extra bowler. If any batsman should go, it would be Strauss, who has never recaptured his glory days and looks too slow at the top of the order. I'd be tempted to bring in Denly, and see what he can do.

A well written post, I agree with some of your points. The bowling attack seems to be altered somewhat randomly. Whilst Anderson has a lot of heart, and bowls well sometimes, he doesn't seem to be consistent enough for test level. Jones, I assume, is deemed not fit still, but there are others, Hoggard who seems to have been abandoned, Davies of Durham, who took 10 wickets over the past 3 days, there are a number out there.

As for batsmen though, I feel Collingwood deserves to be stuck with, he bats best at 5, and his all-round fielding and possible bowling shouldn't be ignored. Bopara is doing well, but I feel our inability to take 20 wickets is what has lost us this series. Bell, in my mind, is not a number 3 as well, but we shall see.

I think England selector’s need is a reminder to look at county players rather than their ‘mates’. Strauss has lost his bite and should be sent back for some first class cricket. His performance as an opener clearly sends a message to the selectors who don’t seem to part ways with him. The selector’s clearly need a psychological grounding sessions in team selection. Bopara, Shah, Denley and Jones are my half team any day or perhaps worth a mention. Ah! and not to forget the wicket keeper. Are we short of any?