Quote:
Originally Posted by tchaz
Well, I was underplaying how much more badly WI is affected by IPL than England.
But, riddle me this: which of England's 2,3 and 5 are actually test players? (Choose from the rotiserie over the past year.) Which of the 3 & 5 would be more likely to make runs in Australia this winter than KP?
Obviously KP is backdated, but England's top 5 is soooo poor.
It's a strange mix for England - they have a handful of world class players that most or all teams would want, and then 3 or 4 spots currently filled by players who just look like decent first class players. The Auz team is similar (actually, a combined Eng/Aus team would be pretty decent, but for a true world class spinner I guess).
Maybe someone will stand up, as Trott did when he came in at age 28 without much expectation, but I'm not aware of any huge batting talents waiting in the wings (except for that young dude who played in Indian perhaps). For what it's worth, I think England could just as easily consider Billings or Roy - strange as it seems - as they have similar-ish first class stats to the guys they are picking, but at least they have something about them.