It’s always faintly harrowing when England select a leg-spinner. The way they’re treated tends to be geared towards absolute decimation of their confidence. Adil Rashid himself has benefited from this once before.
Eight years ago, we promised Rashid that we’d always be nice to him – even if he got bowled by an Andrew Hall straight one – and we’ve stuck by that promise, selecting him as ‘one to watch’ pretty much every year since. We therefore deem today’s Test call-up ‘a good thing’.
Even though there’s every chance the scrutiny and unfair expectations will ruin him for another four years, we have to hope that this time Rashid will overcome barren growing conditions and reveal himself to be a resilient and hugely valuable cricketer. Have to, you hear. Have to.
Trotty’s back too. That is also ace.
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March 18, 2015 at 1:12 pm
Also, Lyth formally enters the England Openers Grand Revolving Door. How long do we reckon he’ll last, then?
I’m not sure I’d give him the one series, since Trott looks earmarked to open alongside Cook.
March 18, 2015 at 1:18 pm
Gillespie has shown he’s quite good at coaching most of these players already. Could prove helpful.
March 18, 2015 at 1:42 pm
There’s a spot opening up for David Saker’s job. Gilespie has 259 wickets and a test double hundred. He would likely make an excellent candidate as pace coach and Moores’ understudy.
Based on the above, the ECB will probably hire Saeed Ajmal as England’s fast bowling coach instead.
March 18, 2015 at 10:43 pm
“Moores’ understudy”, Alec?
Surely Peter Moores will be out the door quicker than Paul Downton can say, “I have absolute and every confidence in Peter Moores”.
March 18, 2015 at 1:38 pm
Haven’t really followed trotts return other than to be pleased he seems healthy and back to normal. Has he really done enough to justify a call up again? I think bar against real pace he is absolutely an asset to England but thought he might have to prove himself more before he got back. Maybe he has buckets of runs that I’ve missed in which case fair enough.
March 18, 2015 at 2:33 pm
Lions runs count for a lot and he made a double hundred for them in South Africa. Plus he’s Jonathan Trott.
March 18, 2015 at 2:41 pm
How come wee Jimmy Taylor’s Lions runs don’t count for anything?
Has anyone ever been able to track down all time Lions/England A scoring records?
March 18, 2015 at 3:46 pm
I think the selectors suspect James Taylor of bowling a bit of legspin in his spare time and have thus treated him with the traditional blend of suspicion and disdain.
March 18, 2015 at 4:23 pm
I can fully understand the ECB’s position on legspin.
Somewhere, deep down inside every person working at English Cricket, is the fear that any legspinner is an Aussie double agent who will tear off a mask, undo his girdle and prove to be a Shane Warne clone.
March 18, 2015 at 7:16 pm
Wee Jimmy Taylor has been harshly treated yet again. Still, he’ll be raring to go when we’re 2-0 down in the Ashes.
March 18, 2015 at 7:31 pm
Taylor would only be carrying the drinks anyway. No middle order vacancy, no sense in moving Root back up to open to accommodate him. Although I suspect he’d score more runs than Stokes will at 6. It’s about balance (not Ballance).
He’s been rubbish since he stabbed Leics in the back regardless.
March 19, 2015 at 4:29 am
I’m really pleased to see Stokes back in. Think the way he has been shuffled around the order and asked to perform loads of different roles hasn’t helped him. I think he’s a top order bat and definitely a 6.
March 19, 2015 at 8:29 am
Being shuffled about the order and asked to play different roles is just a one-day career with England. Ask Ian Bell, Matt Prior, Moeen Ali, James Taylor and indeed pretty much anyone except Alastair Cook.
March 19, 2015 at 7:51 am
Ali Cook is saying that sacking him was the wrong decision.
In a way, he’s right. Sacking him gave England supporters a false gleam of hope. If we’d kept him, we’d have gone into the tournament with no hope, and not been so disappointed when we crashed out.
March 19, 2015 at 8:17 am
Sacking Cook when he was sacked was the wrong decision.
They should have sacked him as ODI skipper last summer, before the India ODI series.
When they mistakenly persevered with him, that perseverance should have been sustained through the World Cup.
In short, his sacking was an omnishambles.
March 19, 2015 at 8:31 am
That’s the headline, but he doesn’t really deny that he was the wrong man for the job; he just says that it was the wrong time to sack a captain.
So as Ged says really.
March 19, 2015 at 9:34 am
Damn misleading headlines. 👿
March 19, 2015 at 9:57 am
Oh, by the way, did you read this piece from last year…
http://www.espncricinfo.com/blogs/content/story/748089.html
March 19, 2015 at 10:53 am
Yes, I even thought it was funny at the time…
Thing is, I’m still not sure I agree with him. I don’t see a settled team with Cook having done much better than an unsettled one without, although maybe they might have beaten Bangladesh.