There may be troubles ahead: England selection issues.

[greyblazer]

Moeen Ali is a decent bat and can bowl off-spin

[alfie]

Moeen Ali is a decent bat and can bowl off-spin

That sounds suspiciously like one of those bits and pieces cricketers fashionable late last century when England were contesting last place with Zimbabwe...

OK , unfair. But unless he is really in the best six-ten bats in the country he really should not be considered just because he can turn his arm over.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Or when we won our only ODI trophy in Sharjah?

There's probably good b&p and bad b&p.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Ben Stokes has decided not to go to IPL this year, and also Jos Buttler. England players are allowed to go to the beginning of the IPL until before the ODI series with SL.

[alfie]

Or when we won our only ODI trophy in Sharjah?

There's probably good b&p and bad b&p.

Sorry - I thought we were talking Tests. In the limited overs , certainly room for the versatile not-quite-superstars.

[alfie]

Ben Stokes has decided not to go to IPL this year, and also Jos Buttler. England players are allowed to go to the beginning of the IPL until before the ODI series with SL.

Good. On these last few games , Stokes looks a much better Test prospect than a limited over player. Happy to see him concentrate on the longer game at present.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Or when we won our only ODI trophy in Sharjah?

There's probably good b&p and bad b&p.

Sorry - I thought we were talking Tests. In the limited overs , certainly room for the versatile not-quite-superstars.

Probably were. My mistake.

[sussexpob]

Ben Stokes has decided not to go to IPL this year, and also Jos Buttler. England players are allowed to go to the beginning of the IPL until before the ODI series with SL.

Good. On these last few games , Stokes looks a much better Test prospect than a limited over player. Happy to see him concentrate on the longer game at present.

The press would massacre any player who turns up this year. Not sure if I agree with this because I dont think it is the players who are wanting to stay away, but know that any selfishness would be perceived very badly.

Players should be encouraged to go. Its competitive high profile cricket.

[GGAS]

Players should be encouraged to go. Its competitive high profile cricket.

This x100. Playing alongside stars in Indian conditions is great experience.

[sussexpob]

Players should be encouraged to go. Its competitive high profile cricket.

This x100. Playing alongside stars in Indian conditions is great experience.

Indeed. I dont really see the ECB's stance on many things and how it links. They dont want players to play county matches because they need to rest, but now we will no doubt expect them all to come back and play counties to pick up form, while we rest huge amounts of the team for a ODI series vs Australia, on a tour that goes from bad to worse....

So future test cricket is more important then salvaging even a smidgen of pride from our worst enemies... we then expect elements of our team to play all winter, come back and play from game one in county cricket, then go through the whole international calendar and come out with little rest before being throw into a world cup and stuffed winter schedule....

But then again we dont pick Onions because his last 100 wickets @ under 20 runs a piece were only taken in county cricket, and it isnt a good competition to indicate quality....

We then basically disbar players from playing in arguably the highest profile tournament in world cricket under huge pressure to perform, but discredit it as a slap bang tournament that means little.

We then say we need to schedule more Under 19 games in Asia because we dont get enough exposure on slow, turning tracks to compete in International cricket on a regular basis....

And so on...

[sussexpob]

In someways its total beggers belief isnt it!

I mean to use the case of Steven Finn, England had him in the squad for all but a few weeks of the last year, have changed his action and run up, had ample time to work with him on a technical and mental level, and the plans culminated in him walking through his run up and bowling to empty nets.....

The answer was to send him home and tell him to put his feet up and enjoy 2 weeks of football manager and takeaways before he will be sent to Middlesex to work on his bowling and have to prove in county cricket he can bowl again.....

But then if he takes 10/100 on his first game back he will be taken away from Middlesex because county coaches are now apparently unable to forward anyones career, will play in a test and give away a few runs, will have his action remodelled, will go on tour and bowl at static cardboard cut outs of a younger Sachin Tendulkar, before someone decides he is unpickable again and make him wash the kit or something for two months, then send him home again.

Someone needs to pick the approach. If England is the finishing school for some players with the best coaches, then why are we sending people home? If sending people to their county is productive, why arent we picking the best county performers on this tour, or letting players play more for their counties?? Or letting county academy workers finish batsman rather than every nineteen year old being scrapped away from counties when they first bowl a 85mph ball, or get a ball to spin, or hit a 4?

[D/L]

Players should be encouraged to go. Its competitive high profile cricket.

This x100. Playing alongside stars in Indian conditions is great experience.

Competitive and high profile, almost certainly but great experience for players a few weeks later we want to be playing test cricket? I don't think so.

The ECB should tell their players it's either IPL or test cricket, but not both. A few of the old stagers might go for the IPL but the younger ones coming through will choose test cricket with a view, perhaps, to boosting their pensions at the back end of their careers.

[sussexpob]

Players should be encouraged to go. Its competitive high profile cricket.

This x100. Playing alongside stars in Indian conditions is great experience.

Competitive and high profile, almost certainly but great experience for players a few weeks later we want to be playing test cricket? I don't think so.

The ECB should tell their players it's either IPL or test cricket, but not both. A few of the old stagers might go for the IPL but the younger ones coming through will choose test cricket with a view, perhaps, to boosting their pensions at the back end of their careers.

Kp averaged 50 and 54 in both 2012 series after playing IPL

[Alviro Patterson]

Players should be encouraged to go. Its competitive high profile cricket.

This x100. Playing alongside stars in Indian conditions is great experience.

Competitive and high profile, almost certainly but great experience for players a few weeks later we want to be playing test cricket? I don't think so.

The ECB should tell their players it's either IPL or test cricket, but not both. A few of the old stagers might go for the IPL but the younger ones coming through will choose test cricket with a view, perhaps, to boosting their pensions at the back end of their careers.

Most importantly, it's unfair on the counties who should not have to lose their top players to an overseas domestic Twenty20 tournament. If talented prospects want to gain experience in sub-continent conditions then they should be strongly encouraged to play in the Bangladesh Premier League, where it doesn't clash with the County Cricket season.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Is that really an issue with centrally contracted players though?