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[jamielsn15]

Totally agree Prior shouldn't have played this series - got picked for his experience.  When he stayed down after taking the first innings diving catch to his right it wasn't relief (in holding on after missing one earlier), it was pain...

Buttler will get the nod and I'm a big fan, I just think they need a steady head and a keeper they don't have to worry about.  Keeping in ODIs is very different to the discipline required for tests, where you can be in the field for a couple of days (which is likely with this team).  If Buttler's picked he will make mistakes, but I do agree he is a future first choice, I'd personally like him to have a full season of keeping, work with England over the winter and take a look at him from there.

The selectors are doing their job for the press and media.  In other words, they're making decisions to avoid being criticised rather than being brave, admitting they were wrong and picking the best players.  They will pick Buttler, which is fine, but they should pick Read at a time when Cook needs all the help he can get.  An experienced Lieutenant, not a gamble promoted from the ranks...

[400notout]

Read or Foster, both would be ideal options, ready made, no pressure on that part of the team for the series - one less thing for Cook to worry about.

Would be ideal short term to have Read/Foster in the squad to work with Buttler for some time and groom him for the keepers spot eventually!

These experienced guys who've taken loads of wickets/thousands of runs in county cricket should be tapped into for the benefit of the young hopefuls we have searching for England spots!

[uknsaunders]

I wish people would stop banging on about Read.

He's had 2 go's at keeping for England and has come up short both times. He simply doesn't get enough runs at test match level. Like every other team playing test cricket, runs first and catches later. We can't afford to carry a specialist keeper at the moment. He's also older than prior, hardly a forward step.

[Manormanic]

We could afford to carry a specialist keeper if we were not carrying Cook already, but there is absolutely no way on the planet it should be Read.  Foster, yes, Read, no...

Lyth
Robson
Ballance
Bell
Root
Ali
Foster
Jordan
Broad
Plunkett
Anderson

Plenty of batting.  No spinner tho...

[mdg20]

I disagree with the runs first theory - get a keeper who takes all his chances including the harder ones and if you get a couple batsman on 30 rather than letting them score tons - you've probably saved more runs with the gloves than a batting keeper will score with the bat.

[TangoWhiskey]

I disagree with the runs first theory - get a keeper who takes all his chances including the harder ones and if you get a couple batsman on 30 rather than letting them score tons - you've probably saved more runs with the gloves than a batting keeper will score with the bat.

It would be interesting to see how much Prior's glovework has cost (i.e. byes and drops) compared to his total runs scored. Particularly in the last 18 months or so

[petehosk]

I disagree with the runs first theory - get a keeper who takes all his chances including the harder ones and if you get a couple batsman on 30 rather than letting them score tons - you've probably saved more runs with the gloves than a batting keeper will score with the bat.

I agree with this! If you catch a couple of main batsmen early and save 100 runs becuase of it, then the keeper has already started on +100 runs in the bank. Foster may hit a 20 or 30, but even if he's out quite cheaply, then he has taken the catches Prior couldn't plus Prior isn't batting well at the moment anyway!

But this isn't going to happen anyway...as Buttler will get the gig!

[tim2000s]

Damn you Gilchrist....

[400notout]

If you have guys like Plunkett / Broad down as low as 9/10 whos to say you cant have an out and out keeper?

If your top 7/8 arent doing the job then thats the problem not the keeper who seem to have to average 40 nowadays!

Sorry but if you drop Kohli/Pujara etc on 0 and they make 200/300 doesn't matter if you average 40 with the bat, the game is killed because you picked an inferior gloveman.

This will probably cause a bit of ruckus. But a hundred doesn't win you a game, 20 wickets does. if you have the best gloveman available to take those chances then you'll take more wickets = potentially more wins. Simple.

[Nato]

Prior says in his book that he asked Bruce French to turn him into Chris Read. Surely that's endorsement enough. His keeping in the mcc game was exemplary, as a short term fix why not give him another go?

[uknsaunders]

By the same logic Monty should play instead of Ali. Oh wait, nobody below 5 gets enough runs to prop the batting up and even then 1 and 5 haven't got anything for a long time.

The problem has been our batting. Prior is most definitely in the positive on runs v missed chances. Read averages 18.94 in tests and would need to take catches that save 44 runs a test (19.84-40.83) that a fit Matt Prior wouldn't of taken. Are we feeling confident that Prior get's enough chances in each test (5 catches over 2 innings on the ECB standard road at Trent Bridge) that Read would take more to cover 44 runs? Not over a dozen tests I'm not.

[AverageCricketer]

Picking Butter as a keeper is like picking Ali as a the only spinner. England believe that a batsman who can bowl spin is good enough for them.
It is up to their team management whether they decide they want a batsman who can keep or a specialist keeper.
I don't like the idea of assigning a role to someone that they aren't the best at. From what I have seen Buttler is a good enough outfielder to see him in as a specialist batsman. Therefore I believe Read should play as he is a better keeper than Buttler.

[tim2000s]

Rather than who should come in, I think Prior actually let England down by playing at all in this series. He is disappearing off for surgery on his achilles and has numerous other injuries.

Whether it's Butler, Foster or Read (and I'd personally prefer a proper gloveman rather than a batting backstop), they should really have played from the start of the series. Water under the bridge now, but it reveals (for me at least) a bit of a view as to how the team is being managed and what the priorities are.

[uknsaunders]

Seems odd for somebody who was dropped to be deemed so important as to play injured.Seems like an acknowledgement that Prior was more the teams leader than Cook and possibly the brains in the brains trust. Why wouldn't you bring in Buttler for Sri Lanka otherwise? Worst that could of happened was for Buttler to foul up and Prior return (fit) for India?

[SOULMAN1012]

Personally I have really rated Prior for a very long time and shame he is going to head out in this way. I also think he shouldn't have played as he really isn't fit and that must also play on his mind which will effect his keeping.

It is certainly going to be butler and he has waited long enough but the other name that has t been mentioned and I'm sure he isn't in selectors minds yet but hopefully will be is Sam Billings. Very very good young keeper and very handy with the bat and can bat in any position so would like to see him feature in Lions squads and get some experience around the test team but that's my personal thoughts.