On Picking an English Keeper

[Richard]

Interesting to note that out of Pothas, Davies, O'Brien, Kieswetter, Read, Nixon, Batty, Jones, Prior, Foster, Mustard, Nash, Ambrose, Pipe, Sutton, Brophy, Scott, Frost, Wallace and Snell, Mustard has the lowest FC batting average.

I noted that about 9 months ago when I became somewhat alarmed at Mustard's inclusion in the Test squad for SL.

And as I said not long ago, there are many counties with reserve wicketkeepers who are better batsmen than Mustard is. Warwickshire have at least 3 wicketkeepers who are better bats than him; Middlesex's second (Scott) is their first this season; Hodd at Sussex must be better too; and of course there's Cross at Lancs and Wessels at Northants (Northants who are routinely playing 2 wicketkeepers in their XI this season).

 

[Furball]

Kieswetter and Malan - two South Africans with extremely tenuous British connections (unlike Pietersen who is simply half British half South African) who are now apparently England prospects.

Malan was born in England.

 

[Richard]

Yeah, and Colin Cowdrey was born in India.

In both cases their birth clearly only happened because their parents were overseas on relatively short-term visits. Malan's father played First-Class cricket in South Africa, and jnr. was raised there. I stand to be corrected as I've not read family history on him, but it seems to me currently that he's no more British than Cowdrey was Indian.

 

[PavlovsDog]

Kieswetter and Malan - two South Africans with extremely tenuous British connections (unlike Pietersen who is simply half British half South African) who are now apparently England prospects.

http://www.somersetcountycc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Squad/SquadPenPics/0,,11333~969623,00.html

Says here Kieswetter has a Scottish mother and holds a British passport. Which are pretty much the same circumstances as Pietersen.

 

[Richard]

Kieswetter is half-and-half, yes, I've known that for a while now. However, Kieswetter simply decided he wanted to play in the UK before he'd even tried South African cricket. That is very notably different to Pietersen.

I suppose in a way it's better. Really, though, both cases are disappointing, and as I say, Malan is as far as I'm aware pretty much exactly the same sort of case as Colin Cowdrey, Ted Dexter or David Hemp.

 

[Ahmed_Tariq]

The only English Keepers worth mentioning are Prior, Read, Mustard, Jones, Kieswetter, Niell O'Brian, Nixon, Nash, Ambrose, Pothas and Foster.

Reckon Prior's the best of the lot after seeing his performances in the first 2 ODIs between England and South Africa.

 

[Uppercut]

The only English Keepers worth mentioning are Prior, Read, Mustard, Jones, Kieswetter, Niell O'Brian, Nixon, Nash, Ambrose, Pothas and Foster.

Reckon Prior's the best of the lot after seeing his performances in the first 2 ODIs between England and South Africa.

Ohhh no you didn't...

 

[pup11]

Ohhh no you didn't...

 

[pup11]

The only English Keepers worth mentioning are Prior, Read, Mustard, Jones, Kieswetter, Niell O'Brian, Nixon, Nash, Ambrose, Pothas and Foster.

Reckon Prior's the best of the lot after seeing his performances in the first 2 ODIs between England and South Africa.

Nixon, and Jones have no chance to ever play for England, and as far as Pothas and Read are concerned, since they participated in ICL, they won't be considered for the English side, Mustard should never ever come near an English side, so that just leave us with Ambrose, Prior, Foster and Kieswetter, out of those Foster seems to be the best choice.
Btw naming O'Brian in there was a little cheeky.

 

[Richard]

The only English Keepers worth mentioning are Prior, Read, Mustard, Jones, Kieswetter, Niell O'Brian, Nixon, Nash, Ambrose, Pothas and Foster.

Reckon Prior's the best of the lot after seeing his performances in the first 2 ODIs between England and South Africa.

Ohhh no you didn't...

Obviously meant "British or Irish wicketkeepers playing in county cricket". And O'Brien is probably better than most currently, including the man who played ahead of him at Kent.

 

[Uppercut]

Obviously meant "British or Irish wicketkeepers playing in county cricket". And O'Brien is probably better than most currently, including the man who played ahead of him at Kent.

I think he just didn't know, tbh. My post was in jest in any case.

 

[Richard]

Being a Pakistani, given that O'Brien played in the team that inflicted the worst defeat in his national team's history, I'd have hoped he might remember that O'Brien was Irish actually.

 

[Uppercut]

Being a Pakistani, given that O'Brien played in the team that inflicted the worst defeat in his national team's history, I'd have hoped he might remember that O'Brien was Irish actually.

Maybe calling him English was his way of getting revenge


If it was, it's far too harsh...