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The worst selections and non-selections in Test history

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
For England, they have now surpassed themselves with the selection of a 30 year old Aussie who's hardly played First Class Cricket.
Worst non-selection for England - John Snow for the 1974/75 Ashes Series.
 

wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
Gower omitted from the squad to tour India in 1992/3.

Botham being picked to play Pakistan in 1992 was just a great shame. Obviously past it, and a rotten post-script to a wonderful career.
 

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
For England I think you can put forward a pretty good case for Mark Ramprakash being the answer to both
 

stumpski

International Captain
Joey Benjamin preferred to Angus Fraser for the 1994-95 Ashes tour (though Gus was later flown out as a replacement).

Jon Agnew left out of every England side in 1987 and '88 when he was probably the best fast bowler in the country.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Illingworth's preference for McCague & Joey Benjamin ahead of Gus Fraser for our 94/95 Ashes was pretty hard to explain.

EDIT: beaten to it. :p
 

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
There are a couple of tours FST missed out on.
A good point well made

Most notably in 1954/55 when statistically the arguments in favour of Trueman over Tyson were irresistable

Which just about sums up the value of statistics - they need to be approached with great caution
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
2 that Ive mentioned on here in the past (that not all agree with) are Lathwell and Ben Hollioake.

Lathwell was not ready, had a poor technique and had only limited success in a very brief County career.

Ben Hollioake was a strange selection as he could neither bat or bowl at anything close to a high standard. A limited technical batsman with good ball striking abilities but limited success and a bouncy medium pacer that wasnt really threatening. One of those guys that at the lower the level could be special but obviously didnt project even to being an ordinary Test cricketer as he couldnt fulfil a role in the team.
 

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
For England, they have now surpassed themselves with the selection of a 30 year old Aussie who's hardly played First Class Cricket.
Worst non-selection for England - John Snow for the 1974/75 Ashes Series.
Read he was a bit of a hard-man to control what was his story back then that lead him to miss this famous tour?
 

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
Read he was a bit of a hard-man to control what was his story back then that lead him to miss this famous tour?
He was slightly past his best and hadn't been in the team for about 18 months. Mike Denness wanted to recall him as the fast green wickets in Australia suited his extra pace. He was overruled by the selectors who choose 5 fast medium bowlers instead (Bob Willis not yet anything like the bowler he became). Snow came back in 75 and 76 in England and when he was fit he was still our fastest bowler.
 

wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
Read he was a bit of a hard-man to control what was his story back then that lead him to miss this famous tour?
IIRC he hadn't played any tests since the English summer of 1973, so by 1974/5 he was seen as a once-fine bowler who was past his best. I don't know if injuries had played a part in that though. The fact that he subsequently played a few tests in 1975 & 1976 with some measure of success makes his non-appearance for 18 months look rather odd.

I don't think his behaviour had anything to do with it though.

EDIT
Beaten to it
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
What about Salisbury? I like the guy but it was just a jump on the wristspinner bandwagon
 
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Uppercut

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Worst non-selection, Basil D'Oliveira for the original squad in the tour to South Africa. For cricketing reasons as well as political ones.
 

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
no worries WP any info from those who saw is always welcome by me personally. Don't know if you two would agree but at his peak bowling so well in 68 in the caribbean, 70/71 in AUS & in 72 i'd say would make him 2nd to Freddie Trueman as England greatest fast-bowler & the perfect new-ball pairing with Trueman swing it away & Snow bring it back.
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
Awful pick by the late 90's. Originally not quite so bad, and certainly a better pick than Schofield.
Yeah, I forgot all about that. A shocking pick made even worse as he got one of the first central contracts.
 

opener

Banned
Gavin Hamilton for the SA away series on the back of being a minnow teams least bad player in a 50 over WC just prior.
 

zaremba

Cricketer Of The Year
An England team which reflects the crippling fixation with the desire to find "the next Ian Botham". I've included Ian Botham from 1988 (arguably about 1986) onwards, on the basis that he was then consistently selected not on the basis of his crap performances but on the basis of what the old Ian Botham (1977-1985) used to be able to do.

1. Darren Maddy
2. John Stephenson
3. Usman Afzaal
4. Aftab Habib
5. Ian Botham
6. David Capel
7. Chris Cowdrey (captain)
8. Chris Lewis
9. Derek Bloody Pringle
10. Gavin Hamilton
11. Darren Pattinson

God making this list has been depressing.

EDIT: Just been reminded by others posts of the depths to which we sank with Blackwell and, especially, Schofield. They certainly make the 13-man squad.
 
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