Sellsy's Cricketing Thoughts

Monday 30^th March

Australia wins the World Cup – so what? Does anyone here in England care?

The only thing which has really annoyed me that I owe my Cricket Correspondent in Australia a pint when he is next back in the UK, just hope I am on my honeymoon when he is back. Not that I have any sour grapes whatsoever!

I would love to talk about what is good about cricket – Over Stowey and Somerset – however the England problem does not go away, and is always whirling in my mind. The problem is that England’s best batsman is making himself available to play international cricket again, but the hierarchy does not want to select him. What the hell is going on?

Over the next 12 months England are playing: West Indies, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia for The Ashes and lastly South Africa. Can anyone tell me where any type of victory is going to come from? I believe Ireland will do England as well this summer, unless it decides to rain in Dublin which will save English blushes.

The new ECB Chairman, Colin Graves, has set down his marker saying that there will be “some enquiries” if England don’t beat “mediocre” West Indies. Wow, what a statement, what bigger incentive there is for the West Indies to go out and give England a right hammering. Remember Tony Greig and the “grovelling” incident, plus David Gower saying they’ll be “quaking” in their boots. What happened, well let’s just say England failed to win a Test match.

I am with Jonathan Agnew, I fear for England this year, I can see Test series victories for the West Indies, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa; as for the ODI’s and T20’s I can’t see England even getting close.

It seems that the England selectors have a different point of view to Colin Graves about Kevin Pietersen. Paul Downton and James Whittaker saying that KP will never play for Engalnd again; whereas Graves saying that if KP hits runs in County Cricket he will be considered for selection. Go on KP, hit a ton of runs and give those selectors a headache.

Alas, I don’t think KP will get selected for England as long as Peter Moores is Head Coach – remember the fall out in the West Indies all those years back? So Surrey will no doubt benefit from having KP all summer. But what will happen to Moores when England get a right thumping against all sides this year?

I want England to succeed and win every time they go onto the field. But I feel so negative about things at the moment, and somewhat jealous looking at Australia, I can’t see how things are going to get better as long as we have crap selectors who pick mediocre players, an awful coaching team with a rudderless Head Coach and an ECB Chairman who likes the sound of his own voice.

I have no answers, and it is easy to be negative about things when things are going wrong. But surely KP should be back wearing an England shirt this summer, surely?