**Official** England in Namibia and Zimbabwe

[Richard]

But it really doesnt matter what the people say if the selectors do their job.

Mate, the media and public have more influence than you might immidiately think.
It's amazing, if you haven't thought about it, how few selections are the result exclusively of selectors' handiwork - mostly it's just players who've earnt a hankering recently. A classic example was Simon Jones in 2002.
Either that or it's just incredibly obvious that someone, quite simply, has to be picked - some examples in the current side: Trescothick, Strauss, Vaughan, Thorpe, Harmison...

 

[Dasa]

Mate, the media and public have more influence than you might immidiately think.

Brett Lee

 

[Richard]

An absolutely classic case.
More especially than anything, it illustrates the dominance of the NSW media in Australia.

 

[Prince EWS]

Mate, the media and public have more influence than you might immidiately think.
It's amazing, if you haven't thought about it, how few selections are the result exclusively of selectors' handiwork - mostly it's just players who've earnt a hankering recently. A classic example was Simon Jones in 2002.
Either that or it's just incredibly obvious that someone, quite simply, has to be picked - some examples in the current side: Trescothick, Strauss, Vaughan, Thorpe, Harmison...

I said IF the selectors do their job, which is obviously not the case, proven by the examples given.

 

[marc71178]

An absolutely classic case.
More especially than anything, it illustrates the dominance of the NSW media in Australia.

As shown by the fact he's not playing Tests where his record is poor, but the form of the game where he is undoubtedly a World Class act, ODI, he plays in.

That to me just shows the selectors to be intelligent.

 

[Richard]

It shows them to have managed - so far - to resist the temptation.
The fact that anyone is attempting to make a case for Lee to play in Tests is what I was actually talking about.
If Kasprowicz has a bad game at The WACA, there is absolutely no logical reason whatsoever why Lee should play at The MCG. Yet if were not to be a large outcry of "Lee must play at Melbourne!" (mainly from the NSW media) I'd be very surprised.