I am pleased too see that Eoin Morgan got named in the England test squad at the expense of Ravi Bopara today. I was certain that Bopara had it for his bowling, but I had obviously and wrongly got caught up with the media opinion on this.
I said all along that if it was purely down to batting, that I’d go for Morgan. It is also a selection based on consistency, something that this team’s success has been based around.
Another thing this team is built on is ‘strength of character,’ a fact not lost on Geoff Miller. On explaining the decision to go with Morgan, Miller said, “Ravi has been getting a lot of runs for Essex, but the controlled innings that Eoin played just gave him the nod. That innings really just showed us what he is capable of doing. It shows his strength of character.”
The last three words of that sentence are telling, ‘strength of character.’ Something that the selectors clearly look for these days, something which they – and I also – believe Morgan has a lot of, compared to Ravi, who I don’t believe has displayed too much of, over the years.
Ravi has had a reasonable start too the season, two centuries isn’t a bad return, but he hasn’t produced the type of form that has demanded the selectors pick him. Whereas Morgan comes back from IPL, plays one innings, and it’s an innings that has almost demanded his selection.
I’m glad to see the selectors retain Chris Tremlett, assuming the reports are right and Steven Finn is in as cover, then Tremlett will obvioulsy play. It would have been interesting to see what the selectors would have done had Tim Bresnan not got injured. Stuart Broad was always going to come back, so would it have been Tremlett or Bresnan who would have made way?
tracerbullet007
I was honestly wondering what the fuss was all about….why was there even a debate over Morgan’s place in the side? He was a passenger during the Ashes and deserved a shot at establishing himself in the side, before Bopara got a look in…Its not his fault that he was picked up during the IPL…and after the 193 in the practice game, he showed that he had enough class to switch gears seamlessly…very few players have that quality nowadays…
I’m glad that sanity prevailed in this case..
Cricket Betting Blog
Couldn’t agree more Tracer, I’ve wrote it before on this blog that I don’t believe Bopara is mentally tough enough to play test cricket.
To get picked just because he is capable of bowling 8-10 holding overs wouldn’t be fair on Morgan. Pietersen and Trott can bowl if needed.
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Cricket Betting Blog
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I think to pick Morgan on one innings is disgracefully unfair on Bopara. Bopara did everything asked of him whilst Morgan was earning bucks at the IPL yet they still don’t pick him. I had a nice little chat with Ravi a few months ago and he told me some things that are best left private. All I will say is that he was right. He should not bother any more. He will only be wasted like Owais Shah was.
Only the likes of Cook, Pietersen, Collingwood, Bell are persevered with and given chances.
Cricket Betting Blog
Is Ravi suggesting that there are a few members of previous South African governments selecting the England team?
No wonder KP came to play in England. He couldn’t go wrong with that type of quota system.
I can understand why he might be pissed off, but I don’t feel he did enough to force the selectors to pick him.
If Bopara was advised to ignore the IPL and led to believe it would mean a call up, then that is out of order on him. I do believe it was a last minute change of mind based on that one innings that led to Morgan’s inclusion, but I have always thought Morgan was a better bet than Ravi.
And I agree, Owais Shah was treated disgracefully by England.