Bigmouth Strikes Again

There can be many grievances taken from tonight's T20 game of Surrey vs Middlesex, not least the fact that the North London team are making their third appearance on TV in as many weeks - despite being bottom of the table.

But the moment that made me literally shout out with anger came in the form of commentator Michael Vaughan. In his new role as SkySports pundit, he heaped superlatives on the 'back in form' Steven Finn, exclaiming after one ball which rose off a length 'that's what I like to see from Finn, pace and bounce!'. Fair comment, yet the ball was 85.8mph. In the winter, Vaughan denigrated the performance of James Anderson, claiming he had 'lost some pace' despite bowling at speeds upwards of 91mph in Perth.

This is just the latest in a string of contradictions and criticisms from the former Test Captain.

Recently he has become some what of a multi-media presence, commentating on the radio for Test Match Special, writing for the Daily Telegraph, and working as a studio voice for ITV during the IPL. He has crafted a style that combines the flippant and laconic ramblings of David 'Bumble' Lloyd, whilst at the same time parodying the Yorkshire born-and-bred nature of Geoffrey Boycott, setting himself up as a sort of man of the people - a lovable everyman.

Fine you may say, he had a prestigious England career and now wants an easy life as a personality in the media, what is bad about that?

Nothing. But the fact is, he has more layers to him than first meets the eye. He is like a man wearing three hats, yet only wants to be judged on his haircut.

First is his role as an ambassador for gambling company Betfair. In a time of mass corruption being unveiled, it is easy for him to write column inches on the disgraceful nature of match-fixing, but at the same time he picks up a sizeable cheque for perpetuating the very industry that forces the game into dispute.

Next there is his role as a partner at 'International Sports Management' - a talent agency. Again, on its own this is a respectable cause for a ex-player, but when you consider they manage the likes of fringe and current England players like Joe Root and Jos Buttler, the waters become muddy. His vicious articles attacking Jonathan Trott's mental breakdown, set alongside his joining with Piers Morgan against Matt Prior, show the possibility that his seeds of influence can sow doubt upon settled side members, in order for his own contracted players to take their place.

So then we come full circle, back to his journalistic platform. From an affable, facetious, 'I love Yorkshire' rent-a-quote, to a seriously invested talent agent, using his powerful cricketing voice to change the way the national side is run from the outside. Can someone so well connected and biased genuinely be allowed to occupy positions that require independence and open-minded thought?

Yes, apparently. I am surprised he has not already joined the ECB. Then he can follow their trend of putting all self-serving propositions in the open. Although, that would mean actually standing behind all your words, something Vaughan has so far struggled with...

Keeping Up Appearances

'You are always a better player out of the team than in it.'

A adage that sums up every mention of player X being ready for England, a label given to many in recent months. After arguably the worst international winter in history, only two or three Test places seem safe, with the roles of opening batsman, No.3 and spinner all up for grabs.

But it is the absence of a wicketkeeper which for me is most worrying. Matt Prior has once again succumbed to the Achilles injury that has plagued him for years, and cannot even play for Sussex as a batsman, let alone keep. Therefore a series of likely lads are once again trotted out, circa 2006. Craig Kieswetter, Steven Davies, Jos Buttler, Johnny Bairstow and even Middlesex's Jon Simpson have been talked up.

But are any of them really good enough?

Simpson's mention merely proves the confusion and unpredictability surrounding the current England team selection. Meanwhile Bairstow, 'the man in possession', has only kept for Yorkshire twice following a broken finger, and showed in the Ashes his glovework is no way near Test level. Buttler is very much seen as the heir-apparent, but he also missed some big stumpings over the winter, and needs time to develop at his new County Lancashire.

Davies and Kieswetter may be good choices. Both posses good batting records at First Class level, and both have had a taste of international cricket, without managing to cement a position. Yet they pose the same problems that picking Jos Buttler would - are they good enough behind the stumps? Why gamble on a 27 or 26 year old, when you could equally gamble on someone who is 23? The pressure either one would be under is ridiculous; always having a younger man on their heels, looking for a call-up after every good ODI knock.

Therefore, a keeper selected may well be a stop-gap. In his last stewardship, Peter Moores selected Ryan Sidebottom to take the new ball for England. It was clear that James Anderson and Stuart Broad were the future, but neither were yet ready, so Sidebottom stepped up with a wealth of County experience behind him, and lead England's attack terrifically until the young guns came to maturity.

I would suggest the same tactic with a keeper now, until Buttler is good enough. My candidate - James Foster.

Aged 34, he is still in his prime, and would be an absolute banker behind the stumps (anyone watching Essex's highlights reels will see that). He is captain of his County side and has a background in nurturing young talent, whilst at the same time creating a good environment to play in - something England desperately need. He will also be an older head in a dressing room short of experience - Bell and Anderson are the only current players over 30. If Brad Haddin taught us anything last year, it's that a keeper essentially acts as a second captain - why not choose someone who has been doing that role for years?

There will be the same questions asked of his batting that have kept him down for years: Not enough runs at County level, a technique not good enough for the international game, and any runs he does get are written off under the moniker 'Second Division'. Valid arguments all.

But do England at this stage really need a keeper that will average 40? With a team that will include two if not all of Ben Stokes (Only Hundred in the Ashes), Moen Ali (1375 First Class runs last year) and Chris Jordan (Opened for Surrey), can we not for a short period return to the old way of a 'proper' wicketkeeper? And it is not as if he is a genuine number 11  - he has a First Class average of 37.33, and already has an 80 and a 90 to his name this year.

Maybe his selection would be a backwards step, a pointless short-term solution for a team looking to start a 'new era'. But in his call-up, we would know what to expect. And certainty in a massively uncertain time is a valuable commodity.

In Defence of Tim Bresnan

On a cloudy morning in early May, the Sky TV cameras rocked up at Chester-le-Street in hope of some entertaining action. What they received was mediocre bowling from the home side on a flat deck, which allowed visitors Yorkshire to rack up 589-8 Declared.

After a loose opening stint from Brooks and Sidebottom at the new Durham batsman, the familiar figure of Tim Bresnan stood at the end of his run. Unselfishly not taking the new ball, he preceded to bowl a spell of 6-2-7-0 with metronomic accuracy, and the kind of control that once made him so valuable at Test level.

It is easy to write off Bresnan. He had a poor winter, lacking penetration in the Tests against Australia, before losing his reputation in the limited overs side due to an inability to bowl yorkers.

He appeared to be carrying a few pounds, and never looked fully fit...because he wasn't. Rushed back from an operation after cries of desperation from the England management, he was allowed only one warm-up game before being thrown into a losing Ashes side, bowling on batsman-friendly pitches against a team gaining more and more momentum. He was needed so urgently that he scarified his own physiological health to try and contribute.

It is therefore harder to suggest his replacement. Chris Jordan is untested at the highest level, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes are currently injured, and James Anderson is finally showing signs that years of carrying the seam attack are getting to him. Graham Onions proved in this game against Yorkshire that he lacks the skills in unfriendly conditions that make he so usually dangerous, not to mention his frequently mentioned 'lack of nip' that Ashley Giles commented is 'never going to change. And leading Championship wicket-taker Steven Finn is by his own director of cricket Angus Fraser's words 'not ready for a return' to the top level.

With the team likely to be comprised of five bowlers, including the presence of less front-line spin options in the form of either Moen Ali or Joe Root, England will require someone to bowl long, economical spells in order to produce wickets at the other end - a job so brilliantly done by Graeme Swann and Bresnan himself in the past.

His late order batting may also be needed in the probable seam friendly conditions of early June. Whilst it has been average to say the least in recent times, his form with the bat can arguably be said to suffer from same under-practice and a lack of time to heal from injury that afflicts his pace - his bowling has being so publicly denounced by the media, that it must be hard for him to put down the ball and work on his back foot defensive.

Yes, in an ideal world England would have a young all-rounder setting the County stage alight, ready to join the 'new era' of English cricket in the way a Sam Robson may for the batting. But realistically Bresnan is still ahead of the likes of Chris Woakes in the pecking order, and given time away from the ODI set-up, he may be able to once again find the form that made him the bane of Shane Watson's front pad.

I am not his biggest fan. Yet in a side lacking experience, he could be the short term solution England need to get back to winning ways.