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Loading ...Graveney made an interesting comment on Five Live this morning when he implied that the competition for the final batting place was between Thorpe and Pietersen, rather than Bell and Pietersen. I think Bell’s form at the start of the season, coupled with his batting in the one Test he played last year, got him into the squad and the debate was probably over whether it was worth playing two relatvely new players and if Thorpe was still up for it.
Pietersen misses out to Bell
By Will 5 years ago, mid-May Add your comment below
Kevin Pietersen has missed out on a place against Bangladesh in the forthcoming 2 Test series. Ian Bell will play, and Jon Lewis – Gloucester seamer – is included for backup. I think this is a wise move by the selectors, and is indicative of their consistency and caution over the past few years.
They obviously feel Pietersen hasn’t made enough runs – and, yes, he hasn’t – but it wouldn’t have been a great suprise to see him included. This is a wake up call for Pietersen; make big runs, like Ian Bell has been doing all season, if you want to play for England. In other words, you won’t be picked on hype and potential alone.
The full squad is as follows:
Batsmen: M P Vaughan (Capt), I R Bell, M E Trescothick, A J Strauss, G P Thorpe
Wicket-keeper: G O Jones.
All-rounder: A Flintoff
Bowlers: A F Giles, M J Hoggard, S J Harmison, J Lewis, SP Jones
Tags: bangladesh, england, kevin-pietersen, kevin-pieterson, pietersen, selection, test-cricket |
2 Responses to “Pietersen misses out to Bell”
May 15th, 2005 at 11.56 am
May 15th, 2005 at 12.13 pm
Good point – and there’s no doubting Thorpe’s hunger is still there, although some are questioning his eyesight! I’ll get the link and post it later when I get back. Should be interesting to see how Pietersen responds to this “set back”, if you can call it that…
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