WAT England A 2006 selectors wanted

[Rachael]

Any chance we can get the wicket-keeping discussion running in the wicket-keeper thread? It's here.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Andy Mellon

Anyway, Mike. Have you ever seen Prior keep in a 4 day game?

No, I haven't. However, as we have seen by the dropping of Chris Read, a keeper must have a better Test batting average than 16 no matter how good a keeper they are. I'm not convinced that Foster or Davies could bat well enough at Test level to hold their place. I'm convinced that Prior would hold his batting place in a Test side until a better keeper-batsman came along. Prior is the best all-round option we have at this time. If Foster could bat as well as Prior then he would be first-choice due to his superior keeping but his batting is just average and doesn't warrant special consideration.

[Collyisamackem]

Nor does Prior's keeping, which I have seen on TV in domestic cricket before. He doesn't deserve to jump in ahead of Foster who would be keeping now if it weren't for his injury. I don't see what Foster has done to be dropped from last year's A team, and what Prior has done as outstanding to supercede him.

Looks like I'll be okay to keep on participating, things are a little brighter than I'd previously thought.

[darksideofthemoon]

Read might have a low batting average but for a keeper to have two Tests here and three there isn't very fair. Jones was given a long run and really is at the bottom of the pile compared to other international keepers. Boucher's batting average in his first year in Test cricket was 16.00. The South African's didn't dump him for someone who could bat. You have to play your best specialists.

If Read is going to be discarded then Foster is a better keeper than Prior.

[Collyisamackem]

Just before I unstick this thread, did we settle on the final side? Members who have taken part in selection will also have "England A Selector 2006" added to their user information bar ASAP.

Colly