Worst Selections of All Time

[the big bambino]

Australia whenever we tour India. Things start out normal then calamity strikes from the first test and we start picking some bizarre sides and strategies in response. But this time we put on the clown pants before anything happened. Picked 3 seamers, none of whom were ready fore the first 2 tests and when they were fit, can't play them - not enough game time. So we pick Lance Morris in cover though it seems he wont be considered for any games. We leave behind Neser who is the closest we have to Cam Green and may have given us the balance to play 5 bowlers.

We pick Agar for Sydney and he bowls tripe. So naturally he's the man we pick for India. Once there its clear the selectors have no faith in him and fly in the slow left armer wer should've picked in the first place for a returning leg spinner, whose trash anyway and and shouldn't have been picked for India. Strange thing is that if there was ever a circumstance that would've suited Agar it would've been as the 3rd spinner who takes the ball away and offers something with the bat. So we don't pick him.

Warner's cooked but never mind lets keep him going until the other side of the ashes. Drop Travis because he can't play spin but lets take him to India anyway and play Renshaw whose only chance would be as an opener, but Warner ...

Don't forget this is an important series. Bigger than the ashes. But not bigger than the ****ing BBL which takes a claim on our best players at the expense of whatever preparation they could get. Honestly it's just slapstick, but don't worry we'll sweep our way out of trouble because Hayden did it that one time and I'm sure we can do the same without the preparation.

 

[Molehill]

Australia whenever we tour India. Things start out normal then calamity strikes from the first test and we start picking some bizarre sides and strategies in response. But this time we put on the clown pants before anything happened.

Can I take these opening two lines and swap England for touring Australia. Even the last sentence fits for leaving out Broad and Anderson from the opening Test on the last tour. Some of the most ridiculous England selections have featured in dead rubber Ashes Tests in Australia - Rankin, Borthwick, Crane etc etc.

 

[Ali TT]

Have I missed the person who suggested Darren Pattinson?

I can't agree with Crawley because so many of the other openers and top order batters before him have been so much worse.

 

[Ali TT]

Karn Sharma's one off test match v Australia when Ashwin was right ****ing their.

Their was a random recall for RP Singh when India had lost a series in England and he looked really bad. It was very sad as the previous time he toured England he was gun.

Wasn't he on holiday in Florida at the time as well?

 

[Niall]

Wasn't he on holiday in Florida at the time as well?

Yeah he hadn't bowled in a first class game since January of that year either. Just a shocking call unfortunately.

 

[Nintendo]

Bracewell as part of a four man bowling attack in the 3rd test vs England.

 

[Daniel CC]

Cameron Green. Third test at Indore, 2023.

 

[social]

Australia whenever we tour India. Things start out normal then calamity strikes from the first test and we start picking some bizarre sides and strategies in response. But this time we put on the clown pants before anything happened. Picked 3 seamers, none of whom were ready fore the first 2 tests and when they were fit, can't play them - not enough game time. So we pick Lance Morris in cover though it seems he wont be considered for any games. We leave behind Neser who is the closest we have to Cam Green and may have given us the balance to play 5 bowlers.

We pick Agar for Sydney and he bowls tripe. So naturally he's the man we pick for India. Once there its clear the selectors have no faith in him and fly in the slow left armer wer should've picked in the first place for a returning leg spinner, whose trash anyway and and shouldn't have been picked for India. Strange thing is that if there was ever a circumstance that would've suited Agar it would've been as the 3rd spinner who takes the ball away and offers something with the bat. So we don't pick him.

Warner's cooked but never mind lets keep him going until the other side of the ashes. Drop Travis because he can't play spin but lets take him to India anyway and play Renshaw whose only chance would be as an opener, but Warner ...

Don't forget this is an important series. Bigger than the ashes. But not bigger than the ****ing BBL which takes a claim on our best players at the expense of whatever preparation they could get. Honestly it's just slapstick, but don't worry we'll sweep our way out of trouble because Hayden did it that one time and I'm sure we can do the same without the preparation.

It’s actually worse than that

Renshaw suddenly gets picked as an opener for Queensland for no apparent reason and the Australian selectors then pick him as a middle order batsman

Agar gets recalled to the WA team for no apparent reason, gets picked for Sydney AND India

And to cap it all off, Zampa suddenly plays red ball cricket for the first time in eons and spits the dummy when he doesn’t get a test cap

Usually we have to wait until the team is picked for India before we realise that the selectors have lost their minds but the writing was on the wall well before this time

 

[Aidan11]

Josh Tongue.

 

[SteveNZ]

The OPs choice of Scott Kuggeleijn, even if you ignore the moral issues, is a good one. That was a hark back to the horrible old days of NZC of the late 2000s when we'd have to pick guys woefully out of form and without the necessary skills.

Rachin Ravindra is a good young person and cricketer, but you could put him in here for a) being selected as the frontline spinner ahead of a guy who just took 10-for in an innings b) being picked in his worst format, T20, as a finisher/part-time bowler in non-sub continent conditions and c) being picked as an ODI finisher + part-time bowler.

Gary Stead strikes me as the sort of guy who would put 10 bets on a horse race and stands to lose money no matter what the result, but comforts himself when one ultimately does go past the post in first.

 

[Daemon]

I really hate that RP Singh recall. Made worse because they flew him out at the end of a series they were already down 2-0 in.

He had not played a game for more than half a year at that point.

 

[Prince EWS]

Picking Wade over Head.

 

[Ashes81]

Take your pick between 3 spinners for England all of whom played 1 test each Simon Kerrigan 0-53
Mason Crane 1-193
Matt Parkinson 1-47

Not only did all 3 make virtually no contribution, it harmed their future careers significantly.

 

[Prince EWS]

Take your pick between 3 spinners for England all of whom played 1 test each Simon Kerrigan 0-53
Mason Crane 1-193
Matt Parkinson 1-47

Not only did all 3 make virtually no contribution, it harmed their future careers significantly.

Parkinson's selection made perfect sense at the time. He was the next best available after a concussion. Selections shouldn't be deemed poor only in hindsight IMO.

Picking Kerrigan and Crane because 'yolo, dead rubber' was definitely dumb though. Borthwick too. Kerrigan's selection was particularly funny because England picked two spinners and the dead rubber was actually in their favour!

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Gatting and Gooch for the 94/95 ashes tour. One of them yes but no need for both old duffers.

Ian Bell over Graham Thorpe in 05 ashes.

Mike Smith Headingley 01?

 

[Marius]

Pieter Strydom somehow playing two Tests and ten ODIs for South Africa.

Pieter Strydom Profile - Cricket Player South Africa | Stats, Records, Video

Read about Pieter Strydom cricket player from South Africa profile, stats, rankings, records, videos, photos at ESPNcricinfo

www.espncricinfo.com

 

[Marius]

Todays shocker from NZC (in selecting the abhorrent **** pheasant Kuggs) got me thinking about what are the absolute worst selections we've ever seen. Whether due to being injured pre-match, woefully below Test level or someone that should sooner be in gaol than on a cricket field, who is the worst ever?

Using your final criterion, some would say Makhaya Ntini.

 

[Third_Man]

Parkinson's selection made perfect sense at the time. He was the next best available after a concussion. Selections shouldn't be deemed poor only in hindsight IMO.

Picking Kerrigan and Crane because 'yolo, dead rubber' was definitely dumb though. Borthwick too. Kerrigan's selection was particularly funny because England picked two spinners and the dead rubber was actually in their favour!

IRIC Concussion slections are nominated in advance.

Strangest if not worst recent England selection must be Liam Livingstone.

 

[kevinw]

Parkinson's selection made perfect sense at the time. He was the next best available after a concussion. Selections shouldn't be deemed poor only in hindsight IMO.

Picking Kerrigan and Crane because 'yolo, dead rubber' was definitely dumb though. Borthwick too. Kerrigan's selection was particularly funny because England picked two spinners and the dead rubber was actually in their favour!

Kerrigan had a strong FC record at that point, I think. And he'd taken a CC 9fer. He was pretty much Jack Leach-level, just got Watsoned.

 

[Yeoman]

Kerrigan had a strong FC record at that point, I think. And he'd taken a CC 9fer. He was pretty much Jack Leach-level, just got Watsoned.

I think that the Kerrigan case deters the selectors from throwing Rehan Ahmed into the Ashes.

I was very sorry for Kerrigan after his test match and was pleased when he returned to the first class game with Northamptonshire.