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[Neon Cricket]

Just read both the Whitaker and Cook articles

1. Sack Whitaker (and Moores whilst you're at it)
2. Get KP back in
3. Smash the Convicts around the park

Job done

[jamielsn15]

Graves remit isn't selecting the England team - that's what they have selectors for.  Clearly he has an agenda for reigniting the KP debate, though by any stretch it was galactically poor timing.  He can of course appoint different selectors/coach/MD (if that job survives the streamlining) who may want to get KP back in, but until he does KP ain't getting anywhere near the England team...

I'm not sure he'd walk in at the moment anyway.  He didn't make a difference in the 5-0 Ashes and hasn't played anything more than 1 day cricket in 14 months since.  By his own admission there's no guarantee his knee will stand up to test cricket either.  It would take a brave man to drop a guy averaging 60, Bell, admittedly, needs to produce before the Ashes and the rumour was that KP was a negative influence on Root during the 5-0.  England seem to like the idea of an all rounder instead of 6 batsmen so for now there's no place available.

If he's the KP of 2012 or before, I'd pick him for the NZ series.  If anyone can guarantee he is.  If not, he'll do very well to get in before mid-Ashes and it will have to be replacing someone who is under-performing.  Even then, would you pick him rather than, say, Lyth to open and Trott to move down (assuming Bell, Ballance or Root are having shockers)?

Cook also came out today to say that he doesn't think KP will ever get back in (sub text, not on his watch) and I just don't see him getting back, being realistic.  His age, book, knee, burnt bridges and liklehood that he's past his best just doesn't shout recall to me...

[Bats_Entertainment]

Eh? The Indian test side I mean!

Sorry. Crossed wires!

[Bats_Entertainment]

i see that on Twitter - however on the BBC website James Whitaker is saying he really doesn't care!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/31905804

Top man!

[ProCricketer1982]

Graves remit isn't selecting the England team - that's what they have selectors for.  Clearly he has an agenda for reigniting the KP debate, though by any stretch it was galactically poor timing.  He can of course appoint different selectors/coach/MD (if that job survives the streamlining) who may want to get KP back in, but until he does KP ain't getting anywhere near the England team...

I'm not sure he'd walk in at the moment anyway.  He didn't make a difference in the 5-0 Ashes and hasn't played anything more than 1 day cricket in 14 months since.  By his own admission there's no guarantee his knee will stand up to test cricket either.  It would take a brave man to drop a guy averaging 60, Bell, admittedly, needs to produce before the Ashes and the rumour was that KP was a negative influence on Root during the 5-0.  England seem to like the idea of an all rounder instead of 6 batsmen so for now there's no place available.

If he's the KP of 2012 or before, I'd pick him for the NZ series.  If anyone can guarantee he is.  If not, he'll do very well to get in before mid-Ashes and it will have to be replacing someone who is under-performing.  Even then, would you pick him rather than, say, Lyth to open and Trott to move down (assuming Bell, Ballance or Root are having shockers)?

Cook also came out today to say that he doesn't think KP will ever get back in (sub text, not on his watch) and I just don't see him getting back, being realistic.  His age, book, knee, burnt bridges and liklehood that he's past his best just doesn't shout recall to me...

didn't make a difference in 2013 ashes?? umm, wasn't he the best batsmen? by your reckoning why is Cook, Bell, Root there then?? they did worse?? plus, he did all that whilst injured with a knee injury and as we know now, being outcast by Downton and co!

[ppccopener]

that's how i'm seeing it Jamie, what Graves has said is neither here nor there and yes it's shocking timing-he could of said absolutely nothing

we are thou(England) heading for another crisis with this issue, last year was bad enough but the bloodletting may have only just started,
Cook, always perceived as a 'company man' made it clear he was not happy with being sacked so close to the world cup-and he;s absoulutley right- sack him fine, 3 games before a world cup? seriously that's appalling management.

I think the rot is deep rooted in English cricket...I love England and will support thru thick and thin....but the issues are with the structure of the ECB.

I would sack Moores and sack downton and whittaker and start again with a fresh page.

[uknsaunders]

I think Graves just wants the best team on the pitch, like all fans. His KP comments are maybe a warning shot across the bows of Moores/Whittaker that their jobs aren't safe and they need to think about results. If they have, by common consensus, the best team on the park then fair enough if they lose. If they lose and omit certain players who warrant selection then they can't be expected to stay in a job.

With this in mind it's clear Whittaker is pushing his luck.

[jamielsn15]

didn't make a difference in 2013 ashes?? umm, wasn't he the best batsmen? by your reckoning why is Cook, Bell, Root there then?? they did worse?? plus, he did all that whilst injured with a knee injury and as we know now, being outcast by Downton and co!

To coin a football phrase, what's the score in top corner?  Still 5-0.  Carberry was second highest scorer and they dropped him asap.  My point is there are other factors for him being sacked beyond making the ECB scapegoats.  Yes, they've handled it appallingly, and there needs to be change in personnel, vision and attitude from top down.

Sorry to continue with the football analogies.  Why didn't England pick Gazza for France 98? Why didn't Beckham get selected for London 2012?  We all wanted to see them - and KP - play.  The common denominator is age.  And performances (also mismanagement of talents, but that falls in the NGB structural changes and the way we ID talent in this country).  As soon as KP wasn't impacting on the results of games, they had an excuse to let him go.  It may well be that all were not selected for rocking the boat, being a sideshow, being bigger than the building, but there are also very valid reasons for not selecting them, in the NGBs minds, that they can use to justify their decisions.  KP's knee isn't going to get any better as he gets older, he can't retrace what he said in his book.

I'm not against selecting him.  But I'd want to be sure he was back to his best.  That's going to take time, which he doesn't have and in that time younger players are getting more experience and probably embedding themselves in the middle order for years to come.  How does he get back in if the middle order are flying up to and through the summer?

I'm only being a realist.  I'd love to see an in form KP batting at 4, with Bell and Root at 5 and 6 and play four bowlers - that format got us to number 1 in the world.  I just don't see it happening.  Don't confuse my realism with my ideal...

[SLC]

The only thing with the kp issue is the certainty of dripping him forever and saying he wont play again. Couldn't they have just dropped him and said they wanted to move in another direction? I know they probably wanted to stop the conversation but still.

Now they've needlessly bbacked themselves into a corner. What if kp has 1000 runs by end of May? What if he averages 100? 

[Stuey]

Talking of Ashes 2013 (KP/tredwell tenuous link) what happened to Borthwick? Flown over to Sydney for the 5th test, never to be seen again. I would have thought he would be a better back up to Rashid in the Windies rather than Tredwell, who won't get picked with Root able to roll his arm over.

[arsenal123]

You'd think Riley would get the first shot over Tredwell...?!

[six and out]

That's the issue i have that they have really put a lot of pressure on themselves - for KP to sign for Surrey he would have had to cancel his IPL contract which he wouldn't have done without some sort of word from the ECB (KP said as much in all the interviews he did) - however you have Whitaker saying he isn't in their plans.

Below are the fixtures Surrey have before the 1st test vs NZ - looking at who they are playing i can quite easily see him scoring a load of runs - the Glamorgan and Leicester attacks are hardly worrying and he has 2 CC games at the Oval.

CC DIV 2 -
Sunday 19th April 2015  v Glamorgan - Cardiff   
Sunday 26th April 2015 v Essex - The Oval   
Sunday 10th May 2015 v Leicestershire - The Oval   
T20 BLAST -
Friday 15th May 2015 v Glamorgan - The Oval   
Saturday 16th May 2015 v Essex - Chelmsford   

[Rob580]

You'd think Riley would get the first shot over Tredwell...?!

You'd have thought so, seeing as Tredwell had to go on Loan to get some 4 day games last season.

[T-Rapta]

Talking of Ashes 2013 (KP/tredwell tenuous link) what happened to Borthwick? Flown over to Sydney for the 5th test, never to be seen again. I would have thought he would be a better back up to Rashid in the Windies rather than Tredwell, who won't get picked with Root able to roll his arm over.

Still think Kerrigan deserves another go. After Panesar he is the best spinner in the longer formats in my opinion.

I like Borthwick. I have watched him many times and is very impressive. He's a decent batsman but unfortunately his bowling has not improved.

[SLC]

Borthwick needs to leave durham really, unless he's planning to get in as a specialist batsman.