This year's WAT England 'A' 2007 nominations thread has not produced a lot of action... and as a result it looks as if we have just eight candidates for the middle-order batsman (3-7) spots:

This thread is for discussing the relative merits of each...

In due course (when the arguments for and against have been made) I shall open a poll to see which players have the requisite support to merit further consideration.

Carberry's season has to be considered a success. Significant contributions on 1 in 3 outings. Coversion of 50 to 100 on 5 occasions out of 8. He topped his county averages... and that was in division 1... and the only slight issue might be the way so many of his colleagues made run-scoring seem so easy: N Pothas, M J Brown, J H K Adams and J P Crawley all did splendidly... and even C T Tremlett and Mascarenhas averaged 35-40.

Hildreth, by comparison, didn't particularly stand out in Somerset's batting line-up.. but as he managed to hold his own in comparison with Trescothick and Langer... he's shown he's a contender.

Joyce has had a modest rather than solid or spectacular season.. but he followed two excellent seasons at Middlesex with performances at International level that demonstrated his evident worth at that level: consistency through time should make him a front-runner for the 2007 WAT 'A' side.

Sales just sails on, topping his county's averages in a way that will surprise no-one. That said... the competition was not exactly fierce - unless, of course, you rate Chris Rogers as highly as many Aussies... as the latter's 264 runs from 11 innings (average: 22) makes Sales' look like Bradman.

Patel did well for Notts this season... pretty much holding his own in comparison with Wagh and Femming if not with Hussey. Seems more worthy of an honourable mention rather than of a place... though his bowling might help his cause.

On which note I'm running out of steam... but am left with three I would identify as automatic selections who need minimal introduction: Shah, Bopara and Rashid.

Can't say I agree there Rachael while Rashid has IMO been overprotected from the media, and has to prove himself in the harsher real world.
While it seems he can bat a bit, then so can Schofield, and it looked like G O Jones would make an England batsman for a while, and that never happened.
Rashid IMO has to be picked as a bowler only.

Swan has shown what he can do, and C Schofield has done a Sidebottom - so Rashid is down the list for this year I feel.

I have not chose Bopara in my team, but have no objection at all to his inclusion, not so sure about Shah.

David Sales has been knocking on the door for a while, on form MA Carberry would get the nod as does IMO MA Carberry.

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Ern

Rashid cannot be picked as a top 6 batsman seeing as he doesn't even bat there for his county.If he was chosen as the spinner ahead of Swann i could go with that as long as he bats at 7 but that would be controversial in the extreme.

Bopara and Shah look certainties so for me the choice is between Sales and Hildreth,both players bat on pitches which favour the batting side so it makes it a hard choice but i would plump for the younger man in Hildreth as i think he has more chance of being picked by England in the future.

Greg has a point. Rashid usually batted at #7 where he scored most of his runs. However, he did bat at #6 in two matches, and scored a 50+ against a Kent attack. Against Durham he lasted 58 balls for 30 runs against Onions, Gibson and Davies. Not bad. Could we have our wicketkeeper at #6 and Rashid at #7?

If the lower middle order includes Rashid, Swann, Broad and a wicket-keeper (all credible no 7 bats) then quite what order they take strikes me as of no great significance.... but if you look at Rashid's season... he's surely done enough to be a credible no 6 bat:Rashid held his own in comparison with Younis Khan... one of the most successful Test batsmen in the world (with a Test average of 48.98).

In fact, Rashid contributed significantly on 8 occasions out of 21.... which is far more than his illustrious international colleague managed... and is actually more than star-man Rudolph managed: unlike so many in county cricket... his average is NOT inflated by one or two absurdly large scores.

Bottom line: he already offers at least as much with the bat as the up and coming Andrew Flintoff did when he toured India (and batted at 6) in 2001/02.

Ahem. No great achievement when you think about it.

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"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose."
- Ayrton Senna

First a spinner should be selected for his wicket taking, and not as a middle order batsman.

Swann has done more to get in the side than Rashid, he has done it where it coulnts on the international stage, and Schofield is more experienced - and can bat.

The bottom line is that IMO Swann should get in as a spinner, no point at all in selecting Rashid - rather a specialist middle order batsman.

Look at the England senior side - Panesar first choice spin bowler can't bat, if we select Rashid then we are in danger of missing out on Swann, just because of how Rashid has batted at Yorkshire.

If we where selecting two spinners in the side (which i hope we arn't, what point in batting Rashid at 7, if we think Swann or even Scofield is the better bowler, that's back to selecting bits and pieces players again.

I mention Swann over Rashid because Swann has done well where and when it mattered, it's unfortunate for Rashid - but he is in the shade of Swann at this time I feel.

This happened with keedy - could not get in the senior side, because Giles was guarenteed a place, that was tough on Keedy but these things happen.

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Ern

Well Rashid has to be considered ahead of Schofield who had a pathetic season for Surrey.Any player averaging 14 with the bat and 40 with the ball is lucky to have a contract for the following season nevermind get international recognition.

Ok he was good at 20Twenty but there is a vast difference between that and first class cricket which is what we pick this team for.

True but that's this season, all the England leggies seem to suffer the same fate, Schofield - Salisbury, so why should Rashid be any different?.

I would have been for Rashid being selected, but not at the expense of Swann with his experience, and a specialist middle order batsman.

With Swann in the side - there is no room for Rashid, that's if Swann is selected of course.

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Ern