England Cricket Betting: Vaughan's central contract and Cook's Twenty20 inclusion are the latest blunders by the selectors

Bat and ball / Frank Gregan / 15 September 2008 / Leave a Comment

Frank Gregan on how the awarding of a central contract to Vaughan was ill-judged and why England will miss Napier and Mascarenhas when it comes to the hit-and-giggle of the Twenty20 Stanford showdown.

Eyebrows were raised last week when the former England captain Michael Vaughan was awarded a one-year central contract by the ECB. Vaughan had recently stepped down as skipper of the English test side after a run during the last period of central contracts that had seen him average only 27.52 during twelve test matches. He stated that he was going to attempt to justify his selection as a batsman but many believed his international career to be over.

His form with the bat since returning to Yorkshire has been nothing spectacular and certainly not good enough to merit consideration for a central contract. During five first class matches this summer he has accumulated only 196 runs. We are also told that sentiment is not the reason behind his contract renewal, that he has not been rewarded as a token of gratitude for the service thus far rendered. So what is the reason behind his inclusion in England's elite?

It would seem that the selectors have never read the small print at the bottom of any document regulated by the Financial Services Authority if they had they would have noticed the warning "Past performance is no guarantee of future success."

Vaughan has been granted a contract because of his past performances against the Aussies and with the Ashes series next year firmly at the front of all English cricketing minds it has been decided that he might just prove to be effective against the old foe. Such is the English selectors' desire to beat the antipodean enemy of convict stock that they are prepared to make sure that no straw is left unclutched!

Vaughan may well recapture his form and be crucial to the top order once again but it is unlikely and the money could have been put to better use.

Whilst Vaughan was receiving a lot of media attention last week another talking point was the squad for the Stanford challenge, the Twenty20 game in Antigua. The prize money is all that matters during this event that will take place on the 1st of November, the occasion promises to resemble a cut-throat game show more than a serious cricket match. The selectors have elected to treat it as part of the bigger picture and have chosen the same squad to represent England as the one that will play in the one-day series in India.

One selection for Antigua that crept under the radar was Alastair Cook, who has performed well for England as a test opener. He is certainly no one-day specialist and even though he is unlikely to be in the starting eleven come November 1st his inclusion in the fifteen man squad guarantees him a $250000 pay day should he be in the winning dressing room. This for a cricketer who has played only five Twenty20 matches in his life and has a top score of fifteen! He will be handing out the drinks on the balcony with a smile on his face.

There was no place in the squad for either Dimitri Mascarenhas or Graham Napier both of whom are capable of winning a Twenty20 game single-handedly. The reason behind their exclusion is the selectors see the Stanford match as nothing other than another one-day game in which to build on their recent successful results. It is a denial that the Stanford match is a unique occasion, which of course it is. If England loses the winner take all challenge then the selectors should shoulder the blame for not being flexible enough in their decision making.

Their lack of foresight makes the [1.68] lay on England look an attractive proposition.