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Ramprakash average of 101 isn't good enough for England

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Morgan in the driving seat - Alister Morgan looks at the Mark Ramprakash omission debate

On hearing the news, that Mark Ramprakash did not make the Sri Lanka tour, I went to a government website for an explanation. Following a little research I can now confirm that The Employment Equality Regulations Act of 2006 is still on the statute books providing legal protection against age discrimination in employment. As soon as I find David Graveney's contact details I'll send him a copy as Ramprakash's omission must be because he's 38.

Ramps had plenty of chances for England I hear you shout? Well, pipe down while I present the facts.
Cricket fans who only watch England (perhaps Graveney numbers among them?) may not be aware of Ramprakash's recent county cricket exploits. If Ramps was a Premiership footballer he'd be as productive as Ronaldo and Drogba put together. If he was children's author he'd be JK Rowling and if he were an artist he'd be Leonardo Di Vinci. OK, perhaps I'm succumbing to hyperbole but when it comes to making 1st class runs Ramprakash has few peers.

In all four competitions last season he collected just under 3,000 runs, averaging an awesome 75. This season he was just as prolific, amassing just under 2,800 raising his average to 80. Last year he collected 2,278 Championship runs, including eight centuries and this year, in the First Division, he scored 2,026 - that's 600 runs more than his nearest rival. He also hit 10 hundreds, averaging 101 sending countless statisticians back to dusty Wisdens in an effort to find any comparable records in this hemisphere.

Hitting 18 centuries in 48 outings is an awesome feat. Scoring them with control, panache and verve should have been enough to gain him a seat on the plane to Sri Lanka but the only number the selectors associate with Ramprakash is 27... his Test average.

It's a shame as the domestic game is much more competitive than in past years while Ramprakash is at last displaying the temperament that might make the most of a new England opportunity. Moreover, his average for England was much better abroad than at home while any player averaging 42 against Australia cannot be dismissed as a failure.

There's no easy explanation as to why Ramprakash never made more runs at the top level (no one denies his generous talents) but to my mind he's improved with age.

Currently you can back England (3.35) to win the series which strikes me as good odds. The recent success in the ODIs gave the squad some much needed confidence - now they believe they can win.
Better still I'd back England to win the first Test at (4.4) despite Sri Lanka (2.28) remaining favourites. Despite recent football, rugby and F1 disappointments I feel quite bullish about England's prospects and would take a punt at that price.
Hopefully Ravi Bopara will also be in the runs. A 2007 ICC nominee for Emerging Player of the Year he was one of the few England players to impressive during the World Cup. He increased his stock recently in the ODIs and deserves his call up to the Test Squad. His bowling skills are useful but I'd like to see him in an early batting slot rather than chucked in at 6 or 7 as some kind of warped all-rounder.

He looks to have the required talent and temperament but you just don't know how a player will perform at Test level until it actually happens. His 1st class average of 39 hints at potential but he'll need to continue improving to make a top-5 batting spot his own.

Kevin Pietersen will again be the focus of attention when England bat and I expect him to re-discover his form for two reasons. Firstly KP is never short of self-confidence and secondly England's ODI victory over Sri Lanka was largely achieved without him. Crucially this could remove some pressure from KP allowing him to play himself back into form.

Lately you can bet on England upsetting the odds.

To read more about the ECB go to:

http://www.ecb.co.uk/

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