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[GoodLeave]

After Brokenbats post this morning about Arshad Khan, I was wondering if anyone could name any class players who got into the national team but never really kicked on for one reason or another.

I always wondered where Davendra Bishoo went. I rated him 12 months ago, now nowhere to be seen.

Would be interested to hear people's thoughts. Would be less interested in people's views on players chosen by others.

[smilley792]

Chirs schofield! England leg spinner.


4 years later plastered my living room.


I do believe he made a county comeback. But not looked into how successful it was.

[Manormanic]

Schofield made it back to the England squad - if only for the early T20 stuff!  Quite an achievement given how far he fell.

One that stands out for me is former Yorkshire all rounder Gavin Hamilton; he had three awesome years 1998,99,2000, but there was a Nasser Hussain shaped obstacle in his way - the beaky England skipper plainly didn't rate Hamilton, such that on his sole test appearance, on a green top in humid conditions, he didn't get the ball till sixth change.  Talk about giving a guy a chance...

Was he Test class?  I suspect he would have been fringe at best, but his performances with the bat for Scotland proved that he had the ability.

Other names in recent years - Alex Tudor always seemed to have the skill set necessary, like a much better version of Chris Jordan.  I also thought that Anthony McGrath deserved more of a chance than he was actually given.

[Buzz]

David Sales, Rob Key and Mal Loye should all have had (more) opportunities.
Plus Ali Brown. He should have played loads.

Bowling wise, Martin Bicknell and Glen Chapple should have played (more)

[Cin88]

I've said it a million times before and i'll say it again, Glen Chapple.

[Manormanic]

Chapple is such an odd one - IIRC he was only ever named in the squad for a single test match, yet in English conditions he was a superb bowler.  How he never got past such supposedly horses for courses selections as Darren Pattinson and Mike Smith I have no idea.  Sales is also odd - he was such a quality bat in first class cricket, yet never even seemed to be close to selection.

Key...must have been a fitness thing.  Ali Brown I think got a chance here and there - he was never good enough for Test cricket.

[Alvaro]

Sales destroyed his knee on an A tour when he must have been on the cusp of playing. As he convalesced his gut just kept on getting bigger and bigger.

Gary Keedy probably deserves an honorary mention. But his lack of batting/fielding was hardly going to sway Duncan Fletcher.

And James Hildreth. Cursed by playing home games at Taunton.

[ppccopener]

If chapels had a little bit of extra pace I think he would of got a game, as it is he is still one of the cricketers who deserved a good go(even without the extra zip).
Key has a test double ton I'm sure and did not get a good enough run in his prime. I don't think he enjoyed training thou and the beer and fags did not mix with the new style England so I have heard. If Bayliss was now coach instead of flower/fletcher who knows if that style management would of worked for Key.
I suppose there is a difference having enough fitness to get by and committing yourself 100 per cent which they do now.

James hildreth is an interesting one, if he wanted to play for England he should of moved counties.Even then he might not of got in....we have a lot of batting in depth.

I hope James Vince is not part of this discussion in 10 years time!
 

[Manormanic]

Keedy...is too slow of a spinner for international cricket.  A la Kerrigan, he would have been cannot fodder.

Chapple's pace...I faced him once, pushing seventeen years ago.  He was pretty rapid...maybe not Chris Silverwood rapid (the standard for my early years), but Silverwood never got the ball off straight...

[Alvaro]

Keedy had a brilliant cricket brain. He worked guys out and often on unresponsive wickets. He was no slower than Rashid is now and turned it the same way. Unlike Kerrigan, he also had an action.

Given the dearth of spin options, he can certainly be deemed as a nearly man.

The tragic accident that killed Ben Hollioake also springs to mind.

[Manormanic]

Keedy had a brilliant cricket brain. He worked guys out and often on unresponsive wickets. He was no slower than Rashid is now and turned it the same way. Unlike Kerrigan, he also had an action.

He is about 4-5 mph slower and only turned it one way instead of both.  Plus Rashid did batting and fielding on top...

[Alvaro]

I did mention Keedy's lack of all round game. And This is about nearly men, if he'd truly been good enough then he'd have played like Panesar.

[procricket]

Keedy...is too slow of a spinner for international cricket.  A la Kerrigan, he would have been cannot fodder.

Chapple's pace...I faced him once, pushing seventeen years ago.  He was pretty rapid...maybe not Chris Silverwood rapid (the standard for my early years), but Silverwood never got the ball off straight...

I was quite lucky i grew up with Chappie from the same village and same club and he gave me my big break being 4 years younger he opened me from a very young age at the under 18's.

Also he taught me to duck the short ball as a junior !!!!

He was quick enough make no mistake about that and if you talk to a few first class umpires they even say he was rapid which he did bowl around 85mph plus in his pomp and it quite bermusing Alan Mullally played !!!

Very good bat as well he could have made it as a batsman if he was nota bowler i would suspect.

Anyway it did not happen agree about  Mcgrath and Key both should have got a gig as some stage,

[Manormanic]

Whats strange about Chapple is that he had such a long "prime" - he was top notch by age 24-5 (so circa 2000) and only started to lose his pace at 35 (so 2011).  In that time, we capped Alan Mullally, Darren Pattinson, Amjad Khan, Ed Giddens, Jimmy Ormond, James Kirtley, Kabir Ali, Richard Johnson, Martin SAggers, Jon Lewis....

You would have a very strong case that Chapple was better than any of those guys...

[ppccopener]

Whats strange about Chapple is that he had such a long "prime" - he was top notch by age 24-5 (so circa 2000) and only started to lose his pace at 35 (so 2011).  In that time, we capped Alan Mullally, Darren Pattinson, Amjad Khan, Ed Giddens, Jimmy Ormond, James Kirtley, Kabir Ali, Richard Johnson, Martin SAggers, Jon Lewis....

You would have a very strong case that Chapple was better than any of those guys...

You couldnt really make a case for any of that bunch ahead of him.God almighty they are not in Chappels class.
I could be wrong but there may of been some injurys at the wrong time if you get what i mean.