Really? Let's take the almost certain England top 6 - Roy, Hales, Root, Morgan, Stokes, Buttler.
Bairstow averages less in both ODI and List A (32 in both) than all except Stokes (who averages 2 less in ODI but 1 more in List A), and scores at a slower rate in ODIs (86) than everyone except Root (85).
Billings averages less in ODIs (though he's only played 10) but 12 more in List A, and at a far quicker rate in both. Moeen averages a bit less than YJB but scores a fair bit quicker.
YJB also has less limited overs tons than any of the other 8 candidates to bat in the top 7.
Worst treated by selectors? He's a good player, but it's hard to make a genuine case for him to be first choice for England in limited overs cricket.
Firstly, when I say "worst treated" I refer to his career as a whole rather than purely in one day cricket. That covers the constant shifting between keeper and specialist bat, the months he spent playing an odd game between periods of 12th man duties (often stopped from playing elsewhere when so doing) and the way he was marked down for - for example - his struggles to walk into a test match on the sub continent after eight weeks without a competitive innings and score freely. I won't even go into the games he has been withdrawn from.
As regards purely ODI cricket, you seem to fall victim to the lies That are pure statistics. Aside from the disruption mentioned above - which is always going to produce less from equally talented players than a long run in the team - you fail to take into account that all of the other players you mention apart from Wor Sturkes bat in the top four for their counties, whereas until this season YJB has stayed at five, six or even seven for Yorkshire behind a powerful line up (I recall seeing him bat behind Lyth, Finch, Williamson, Root, Ballance. Coming in in the 49th over to slog is not good for your average!).
Obviously, any sensible selector would have Root at three, Morgan, Stokes and Buttler in the middle order and at least four first choice bowlers from Woakes, Willey, Plunkett, Rashid and Wood. That leaves two options:
1. Bairstow replaces one of Hales and Roy. This is a no-brainer. He is clearly the most talented player of the three, and we have seen since Roy came on the scene that two pinch hitting openers does not work.
2. He replaces Ali and Root chucks the obligatory pies.
Either works for me - as would my actual preference, which would be Roy, Root, Bairstow, Morgan, Buttler, Stokes, Billing, Rashid, Woakes, Willey, Wood.
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Topic: Royal London One Day Cup 2017 (Read 27732 times)