Ramps takes aim at Giles

This ought to be a bit of a tired old story by now, but Mark Ramprakash is apparantly bitter over his non-England selection.  So he has taken a swipe at the selectors:

It would appear it is a good time to play for Warwickshire. I am not suggesting there is anything unfair going on but you have a selector in Ashley Giles who is also a county coach [source]

he said, suggesting there is something unfair going on.  Now, of the Warwickshire players, it would be harsh to criticise the selection of Jonathan Trott for the Oval, so I assume he is referring to Ian Bell.  So that’s alright then, if we put aside the fact that, despite all his frailties, Bell still has a Test record far superior than Ramps’ and that he has actually played for England recently.

Had Ramprakash actually done the business for England when he had the opportunities, he would have continued in the team regardless of age.  Yes, he probably was harshly treated by England’s magic roundabout of selection during the 90s, but then who wasn’t?  Them’s the breaks.

He might even have a point about Giles, although more likely through familiarity than overt favouritism.  A compelling case can also be made for Giles having the advantage of such close connections to the county game and first-hand knowledge of the players he works with at Warwickshire.

The success of Trott at the Oval is a vindication of the selectors, who did a good job of remaining calm under pressure this summer whilst the media collectively soiled themselves in the aftermath of Headingley.  It’s not as if Giles is the sole selector, and it is Andy Flower who holds the most influential voice on the panel at present.

Ramps also chose to stick up for Monty Panesar:

Monty has six five-wicket hauls in Test cricket and he’s won Test matches for England yet all I seem to hear is what Monty can’t do

Which, sadly, included taking wickets this year, with a grand total of only 18 for Northamptonshire at 59.  Still, never let such trifling inconveniences as facts get in the way of a good rant, I always say.

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