Apparently, absolutely no one has been ruled out of the running for inclusion in the side to play the Fifth Test at the Oval, so make sure you’re prepared in case you get a call next week to say you’re in the squad. Let’s face it, the prospect of you playing for England in the Ashes is no less ridiculous than the possibility of Mark Ramprakash getting a Test recall.
Having failed to explicitly deny the possibility of recalling the world’s biggest Transformers fan, Geoff Miller went on to suggest that picking anyone other than Jonathan Trott would run counter to the “logical thinking” that had seen him installed as backup at Headingley. Given the selectors’ past record, some might say that’s almost a guarantee that Trott won’t play at the Oval.
If Ramprakash were to be brought back into the side, what sort of message would that be sending to those who have toiled in the England Lions squad, or to the many players called up as cover in the past? Probably not an encouraging one, even if it was seen as a last throw of the dice by the home side.
Once again, it seems the English selectors (or, in this case, certainly the English cricketing media – to be fair, the squad hasn’t been announced yet) have only two modes – chummy cosiness with change feared almost as much as it is by Daily Mail readers, and wild panic-driven desperation.
SpunOut 