You are kidding

[chickenfeet]

I've just seen the England selections for Old Trafford and I'm flabbergasted, or at least I would be if I hadn't long given up hope of finding intelligent life in English cricket.

Cook is still there.  Nice guy.  Has lost all form with the bat.  Is a simply awful captain with the tactical nous of General Percival.

Buttler in for Prior.  Good batsman but why replace the worst gloveman in English cricket with the second worst.  Think about, if like Prior, he drops two top order batsmen per innings, he needs to avarage 80 before he's in the black.  he's not that good with the bat.

No spinner.  For Old Trafford?  Hello reality.

Stokes, currently averaging around 2 as a batsman gets to keep the "all rounder" spot.

It's really hard not to get the impression that the England team is like a children's gang.  If the senior members like you, you are in for as long as you want in.  If your face doesn't fit, forget it.

Comments

[coughingbear]

It is so bloody depressing. I can't see how the ECB think keeping Cook as captain will help the team or him. Apparently Bell's place is impregnable too, even though he's not been on form for quite a while either. But I admit I don't know who they could pick as captain instead.

We had exactly that wicket-keeping conversation on Sunday walking back from Lords (not specifically about Buttler, but about having a specialist behind the stumps).

[chickenfeet]

I don't even think they would have to go too wild to come up with a much more balanced side. How about:

Compton, Robson, Ballance, Bell, Root, Ali, Borthwick, Foster, Broad, Plunkett, Anderson

Or Kerrigan instead of Borthwick esp @ OT

Tough to decide who would captain. I suppose one could follow MV's suggestion of picking Morgan as captain but then who does one drop? Ali, I suppose, which mesans Kerrigan would have to play.

[coughingbear]

I'm not convinced by the Morgan idea, and I think it would be harsh to drop Ali, who has been playing well, in his favour.

Bell has some but not much captaincy experience, doesn't he?

The next match isn't Old Trafford, though, it's the Rose Bowl. (We were offered tickets for Sunday, but sadly - or perhaps not so sadly - can't go.)

[chickenfeet]

Yes, as kalypso pointed out it's the Rose Bowl. Still not convinced about playing w/o a specialist spinner though. The England bowling selections remind me of the old Rowan Atkinson bathroom design sketch where he keeps adding toilets because one can't have too many. England seem to think you can't have too many RFM bowlers who bat no. 8.

I'm not wholly convinced by Morgan but the idea that the new captain needs to be from outside the kiddies treehouse is a sound one I think. Bell would just be another one of the boys for Anderson and Broad to ignore.

[kalypso]

The next Test is at the Rose Bowl. We're not up until August.