No place for Ian Bell in the ICC Test Team of the Year despite averaging 97.00 over the past year with five tons. Really surprised to see Broad there after just one good series.
Bit odd re Prior, I'm guessing they just chatter and agree with a lot of bias and reputation weighing over the probable lack of reference to stats and detailed analysis ie looking at what each candidate has actually done.
TESTS
Prior 2010 : 640 runs @ 40.00 (100 x1, 50 x5)
Sangakkara 2010 : 695 runs @ 99.29 (100 x3, 50 x2)
Prior 2011 : 519 runs @ 64.88 (100 x3, 50 x2)
Sangakkara 2011 : 184 runs @ 30.67 (100 x1, 50 x0)
Sangakkara doesn't keep wicket in Tests any more does he? That's surely the other Jayawardene so a bit of a fiddle. Prior averages 48.29 across those two years, Sangakkara 67.62 except Sangakkara hasn't been keeping so shouldn't be counted
Be less of a fiddle if he'd opened instead of Amla, but I guess they wouldn't want to have six English players in there
In 2011 Broad has taken 33 wickets @ 22.30, but in 2010 it was 26 wickets @ 37.69 so over 2010 and 2011 he has taken 59 wickets @ 29.08
If based on 2010 then it is wrong, but I suspect they didn't look at facts and figures, and with Broad in good form now that would sway the calls, as I suspect did the 4-0 drubbing
KP rested, Stokes given a chance. Interesting.
After Flower's comments about the 2015 World Cup I'd hoped to see something different, anything, but apart from a token inclusion of Stokes which might not have happened but for resting KP, it is the same old same old.
You mention Bell re ICC TOY, WTF is he doing in the ODI squad?!?!? He's averaging a decent 34.47 but at the SR of 72.66, that in the same team as Trott who averages 53.04 at 77.71 (and they criticise his scoring rate!)
England batsmen SRs (India ODI series)
91.33 Patel (19.57 average)
88.34 Kieswetter (31.65 average)
83.22 Morgan (38.64 average)
77.71 Trott (53.04 average)
76.56 Cook (38.53 average)
72.98 Bopara (28.51 average)
72.66 Bell (34.47 average)
Strauss averages 35.64 in ODIs with an SR of 80.91 which is better than FOUR of the batsmen picked ahead of him in terms of SR and only Morgan, Cook and Trott average more - beating Bell and Bopara in both.
Patel's highest score is 31 albeit in only seven innings, his bowling average is decent but only because he took 5/41 in one match against the saffers. Take that 5/41 away and in the rest of his ODIs, including games against Ireland and Scotland, he averages 42.38 with the ball. His ER is a whopping 5.53, I have advocated his inclusion in the past but as a batsman who bowls a bit if the pitch helps spin, but he needs to bat six really and so far has been at seven and not used properly.
In fact I'd suggest he's not really being used as one thing or another, a bit like Wright, not bowling enough to be considered a bowler or all-rounder, not batting high enough to be a batsman. So effectively he's being included in an all-rounder role/spot, but just doing a bit here, a bit there. He's bowled about five overs average per ODI and batted only just over half his ODIs, we'd be better including a full blown batsman or full blown bowler.
