Worst selectorial decision by your country that you have seen.

[Dare]

Sticking with Powell for so long, same does for Devon Smith.

 

[Robelinda]

He got 3 centuries against WI before the Ashes.

Did you watch any of those tons? If you had then you would know exactly why he failed against Aus, and why Warne made those comments. If it wasnt for WI extreme crap fielding he wouldnt of lasted that WI seris, let alone get 3 tons. Truly woeful.

 

[Dare]

Did you watch any of those tons? If you had then you would know exactly why he failed against Aus, and why Warne made those comments. If it wasnt for WI extreme crap fielding he wouldnt of lasted that WI seris, let alone get 3 tons. Truly woeful.

Not to mention some of the flattest pitches the world has seen.

 

[Robelinda]

Too right, shameful stuff those pitches.

Robelinda added 6 Minutes and 48 Seconds later...

Ealham did ok, I think it's harsh to criticise his selection and especially the Ashes 1997 (105 runs @ 35.00 & 8 wkts @ 23.88). For ODIs several players like Ealham and Hick were dropped way too early for some very ordinary cricketers coming in yet you don't mention that

MA Ealham

8 Tests, 210 runs @ 21.00 & 17 wkts @ 28.71
64 ODIs, 716 runs @ 17.46 & 67 wkts @ 32.79 (ER 4.08)

England have brought in a lot of players to do jobs, a number who should never have debuted and others who having been given a chance should have been given more than one Test. The biggest crimes were Giles playing 50+ Tests and Key being given as many Tests as he got.

POOR SELECTIONS/POLICIES

Usman Afzaal
Kabir Ali - 5 wkts @ 27.20 and only ONE TEST
Rob Bailey
Kim Barnett
Richard Blakey
Joey Benjamin
Martin Bicknell - absolute farce his treatment, especially given his ODI record
Ian Blackwell
Tim Bresnan
Simon Brown
John Childs
Rikki Clarke
Chris Cowdrey - that was a joke, even made captain!
Tim Curtis
Richard Dawson
James Foster
Jason Gallian
Ed Giddins
Aftab Habib
Warren Hegg
Adam Hollioake
Ben Hollioake
Alan Igglesden
Mark Ilott
Ronnie Irani
Steve James
Richard Johnson
Amjad Khan
James Kirtley
Jon Lewis
Darren Maddy
Sajid Mahmood
Neil Mallender
Matthew Maynard
Anthony McGrath
John Morris
Tim Munton
Phil Newport
James Ormond
Min Patel
Darren Pattinson
Dermot Reeve
Steven Rhodes
Mark Saggers
Chris Schofield
Owais Shah
Chris Silverwood
Mike Smith (of Gloucestershire, one Ashes Test in 1997)
Ed Smith
John Stephenson
Jon (Paul) Taylor
Chris Tremlett
Alec Tudor
Shaun Udal
Ian Ward
Steve Watkin
Mike Watkinson
Alan Wells
Neil Williams


And for me the worst selection 'crime' between 1988 and 2010 was picking Bicknell in 1993 and again in 2003 for the saffer series, but not picking him inbetween. He was one of the most solid and best pros in the counties and had a good ODI record (24.00 with bat, 26.69 with ball) So he failed against the aussies. It wasn't like players like Capel, Malcolm etc were cementing their places in the side. He could have been our McGrath, we'll never know. But pick me 10-20 better bowlers in the list above

Agree in full. Ealham was pretty good in 97, swung it and had us in trouble at Edgbaston and Old Trafford. But the lure of the Holly brothers was too much, and how crap they were, especially the crazy Warne dismissal of Adam at the Oval where he left a straight one- that was so funny!!!!

Bicknell- now there's a shocker. He was pretty good, did well in 93 at Edgbaston even though Eng lost, had Steve Waugh in trouble and then they dropped him at the Oval for Watkins. Mental. then didnt recall him for 10 years, where he still did well, and then dropped him again!

There is a name you've missed, or maybe you thought he was good, the guy that opened in the 93 Ashes for a few tests, really young and crap, I cant remember his name!!! I felt sorry for him when he was dismissed 2nd ball after Australia made 650+. Mark Lathwell, is that him??

 

[Leicester Fox]

I probably haven't mentioned it but I wasn't a big fan of the selectors not not picking Trott. Also Giles over Panesar in 09 Ashes, first test was like wtf, second test really took the piss on a turning wicket we picked the guy who can't turn it over the man who at that stage was Englands best spinner by a mile. and to really rub it in Giles dropped Ponting when we were in with a very real chance and Ponting took the game from us.

OMG that tour was such a bag of ████.

 

[Lee1981]

[QUOTE=Leicester Fox;the man who at that stage was Englands best spinner by a mile.


Englands best bowler by a mile at the time. That decision still bugs me now,
Giles why o why?

 

[shravi]

Yusuf Pathan. Maybe he deserved the call up on some level but how he was used was just beyond me. He was picked as an all rounder yet Yuvraj bowled more overs than him in practically every match he played.

 

[Cricketman]

Ravindra Jadeja batting at 4 in the WT20 had me pretty puzzled as well.

 

[BKB1991]

Every Time Faisal Iqbal comes to play.....

 

[Owzat]

Too right, shameful stuff those pitches.
Bicknell- now there's a shocker. He was pretty good, did well in 93 at Edgbaston even though Eng lost, had Steve Waugh in trouble and then they dropped him at the Oval for Watkins. Mental. then didnt recall him for 10 years, where he still did well, and then dropped him again!

I think Bicknell was of an age where he probably shouldn't have been recalled. But inbetween he was a top county performer, it is criminal he didn't play more

There is a name you've missed, or maybe you thought he was good, the guy that opened in the 93 Ashes for a few tests, really young and crap, I cant remember his name!!! I felt sorry for him when he was dismissed 2nd ball after Australia made 650+. Mark Lathwell, is that him??

Yes, I missed Lathwell .......................... but England didn't. England have gone from one extreme to the other, from picking any tom, dick and harry then dropping them, to sticking with the same players even in pitiful form. While many feel we are a better side, we are just as inconsistent. The aussies may finally be at a level we can beat them every now and then (on home turf), but we still struggle to beat the better sides like Sri Lanka, India and South Africa home and even more so away. If we didn't play the kiwis and windies as much as we do then we'd be scraping the barrel for series wins.

All the above joking about past selections doesn't necessarily mean those picks were poor players, Kallis and Ponting struggled early in their careers yet made it in the end. If you wanted to know how to beat England, find a left hander who could punish England's bowling.

LEFT-HANDER DOUBLES vs ENGLAND 1989-2009

1989 Mark Taylor (AUS) 219
1992 Aamir Sohail (PAK) 205
1993 Allan Border (AUS) 200no
1993 Vinod Kambli (IND) 224
1994 Brian Lara (WIN) 375
1998 Gary Kirsten (SAF) 210
1998 Sanath Jayasuriya (SRI) 213
1999 Gary Kirsten (SAF) 275
2002 Justin Langer (AUS) 250
2003 Graeme Smith (SAF) 277
2004 Brian Lara (WIN) 400no

Matthew Elliott made 199 against England in 1997 and 197 in 2002. In the same period I came across only these RHB, I don't believe I missed any as I was checking series averages for England's opponents for 200+ scores

2001 Marvan Attapattu (SRI) 201
2002 Nathan Astle (NZE) 222
2002 Rahud Dravid (IND) 217
2005 Mohammad Yousuf (PAK) 223
2006 Mohammad Yousuf (PAK) 202
2007 Mahela Jayawardene (SRI) 213no
2009 Ramnaresh Sarwan (WIN) 291

Much more recently it has become right-handers who England struggle to get out, although Sachin's highest score was only 193 against us and Sehwag's a modest 106! (in 11 Tests, third most played opponent) Way too many 200+ scores for the length of time - 18 in 20 years. Right handed doubles were unheard of for a decade and made a comeback, odd given our bowling was shambolic during the 90s

Owzat added 13 Minutes and 53 Seconds later...

I probably haven't mentioned it but I wasn't a big fan of the selectors not not picking Trott. Also Giles over Panesar in 09 Ashes, first test was like wtf, second test really took the piss on a turning wicket we picked the guy who can't turn it over the man who at that stage was Englands best spinner by a mile. and to really rub it in Giles dropped Ponting when we were in with a very real chance and Ponting took the game from us.

OMG that tour was such a bag of ████.

The Giles situation was ridiculous. We played a spinner for the sake of it, Flintoff as all-rounder meant the selectors were happy to play a bit-part spinner who could hold a bat and average 15-20. But for Flintoff I think we'd have had four bowlers and been forced to play a spinner. That said the alternatives have, until Swann, been barely much better or more consistent.

England spinners/spanners 1988-2009

John Childs
Min Patel
Chris Schofield
Mike Watkinson (spinner come medium pacer)
Phil Tufnell
Robert Croft
Shaun Udal
John Emburey
Eddie Hemmings
Nick Cook
Richard Dawson
Ian Salisbury
Monty Panesar
GRAEME SWANN
Richard Illingworth
Ian Blackwell
Ashley Giles
Peter Suchk

Have I missed any?!? That's 18 spinners come spanners in 21 years, even the likes of Emburey, Croft, Tufnell and Such may have had their moments but were not that great. Considering Hick was only bit-part, often used for the odd over or long spell when nothing was happening (denting his figures) and not used as much when conditions were helpful, I think he stands up quite well to that lot statistically.

I think I also missed Sid Lawrence from the first list, five Tests to his name and ok figures but injury did for his career

 

[IanG]

The treatment of Beau Casson and Jason Kreijza

 

[Robelinda]

Matthew Elliott made 199 against England in 1997 and 197 in 2002.

Hayden in 2002 made 197, not Elliott. I loved Elliott's batting, he was so classy. When he came back in 99 he was nothing at all like the batsman he was, and duly failed.

 

[rahuldravidfan]

Not a national level selection but-

Picking Ghulam Bodi over Kevin Pietersen in the Natal side. Has that hurt SA or what!

rahuldravidfan added 1 Minutes and 11 Seconds later...

Also, KP's success in England has started a bit of a trend for the SA players to sought English county contracts.

 

[Annoyingdevil]

Every Time Faisal Iqbal comes to play.....

Yeah I was going to said the same thing.
Faisal Iqbal just sucks everytime he plays:doh.
they pick him because he is Javed Miandad nephew

 

[pcfan123]

The future return of Shoaib Akhtar?