He was in Melbourne last year, and having seen him bowl, that's not that surprising at all. He was very much a part time bowler in District cricket. Even our number 8 who didn't score a run all year, hit him over long-off.
There are plenty of players in that side who really shouldn't be in there. However, over the years I've grown used to the fact that we will end up picking ordinary players for no apparent reason except for 'continuity'. Look at Prior, Rashid, Anderson, Bresnan, Denly (over Trott) and Wright.
Personally, its high time we got rid of Collingwood. He's been holding down a spot in the middle order despite being nothing other than ok for years. Either bat him at 7 or dont play him at all. Flintoff bats 5.
He's also more of a wicket-taker than Glenn McGrath with those statistics.
Mascarenhas has actually done decently on pitches that are not rank roads and on grounds that are bigger than a postage-stamp. Which doesn't really surprise me at all. Like almost any bowler he'll go the distance on a rank road, but on a pitch with anything much in it, or that's reasonably slow or reasonably quick, he'll very probably do a far better job than someone like James Anderson.
Did you think I was saying "I wonder why he doesn't bowl any more despite the decline in his bowling"? I was meaning to imply more "I wonder why his bowling has gone from moderately decent county-one-day standard to absolutely hopeless".
But still VVS Laxman bowls before him.
