It's "I told you so" time!
No prizes for guessing then that I am returning to the subject of England's wicket keeper!You will recall, gentle reader, that in my capacity as cheerleader for Nottinghamshire 'keeper Chris Read, I asked a pertinent question regarding the new coach's favourite, Matt Prior (see "So Prior can bat ...")
The question was "Is he an England wicket-keeper?"
Well, not only do we now know that Prior is a poor 'keeper, his batting career has taken much the same course as that of his predecessor Geraint Jones. Like Jones, Prior began with an impressive century but has since done little or nothing with the bat; and as his batting has deteriorated, the spotlight has eventually illuminated how truly mediocre he is as a wicket-keeper at Test level.
Naturally, as with Jones before him, it's not Prior's fault. What was he going to say when they invited him to play for England? "Well, thank's a lot, but I don't really think I'm good enough!" ? But he isn't good enough, as discerning Read-fans suspected all along.
And now the unfortunate Prior has broken his thumb. So who's next?
David Graveney and his selectors [whatever happened to that post-Ashes-debacle review? Graveney's still there, in spite of everything ...] have come up with the answer! Having repeated their previous policy of the coach's favourite - Peter Moores used to be Prior's coach at Sussex - they've switched to the captain's favourite - they have chosen Phil Mustard. Mustard happens to keep wicket for one-day captain Paul Collingwood's county of Durham.
Now I don't know anything about Mustard. The reports of his selection - as yet just for the one-day tour - point to his batting average of 49.61 in one-day games this season. There's no assessment of his ability as a wicket-keeper, of course. Chris Read has a one-day average for Notts this year of 51.85 by the way, but it may be that the more telling comparison is between Read's average in first-class games this year of 55.16 and Mustard's mere 25.75.
Of course, you would expect me to drone on about Ready, wouldn't you. But Graveney's "Anyone but Read" policy is alive and well. No doubt he hopes that captain Collingwood's judgement in wicket-keepers is better than his choice of pre-match relaxation!
I ought perhaps to refrain from asking the obvious question about a player called Mustard - but, particularly as a wicket-keeper, we will need to find out if he cuts it!!
posted by Chris @ 6:04 pm
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