Ready, Able?

The one pleasing aspect of England's loss to India was that cricket pervaded all social media. Sure it was unanimously negative and a universal lambasting of our national team's display, but it is nice to know that cricket is more popular than most perceive.

But with this large audience comes a large amount of opinion; an opinion that seems to regard any loss as a prompt for change, and wholesale change at that - previous performances forgotten amidst a cavalcade of resentment and anger.

It is true to say that the 'new era' has so far been a failure. It is also true to say that the senior players whom this future was based on have underperformed - Alastair Cook averages 16.4 with the bat in Tests this summer, Ian Bell 25.5 and Stuart Broad 37 with the ball. Lastly, it is true to say that England have yet to replace Graeme Swann as their spinner, and with Cook's form becoming more of an issue and Matt Prior stepping aside, they also have a wicketkeeper and maybe an opener to find.

It is easy to say the statement 'we need a better X', but the reality of finding that player is much more difficult.

'The answer is obvious! Look to County Cricket!' - fine. Chris Jordan took all the column inches in the early season, averaging 19.27 with the ball and looking head and shoulders above every other name. Yet In Test cricket he did not seem ready, too often spraying the ball down the leg side; going wicket-less at Headingly. Chris Woakes is also a stand-out with 34 wickets at 18.62, but was made to look like a club cricketer on his Début last year.
The batting tells the same tale of a lack of depth - Ian Bell romped to 500 runs in just 4 games, Sam Robson averaged 51.4 and Matt Prior smashed a 100. All those selected gained their place on the back of dominance at Domestic level, and now the public cries for lesser players?

Knowledge can also be feigned. Former players-turned-pundits pick names out of a hat, then call for their inclusion with no evidence on which to base their opinion. How many overs has Andrew Strauss seen Adam Riley bowl? How many sessions has Piers Morgan seen Jos Buttler keep through? And how many times has anyone seen Adam Lyth bat?

Apparently accepted arbiter of cricket Piers Morgan made a name for himself in the world of sport through commenting on football. Yet cricket is not like football. In football, players can make a multitude of mistakes yet be judged on one moment of brilliance. Conditions are also fairly uniform, and opposition fairly similar - a goal is a goal. Yet in cricket, one ball on a green deck may end your day, much the same as a hundred on a flat deck may not reflect true quality. People would do well to remember this during his next uninformed 140-character rant.

I do believe in a meritocracy. Players should not simply be selected because of who they are, or how well they get on with the captain. Yet at the same time, it has to be considered if the grass truly is greener elsewhere.

People rarely leave their current job unless they have an obvious replacement lined up. So is the same with England. Is their an obviously replacement for Matt Prior? Is there an obviously pick for the role of sole spinner? And is their an absolute, 100% guaranteed opener out there that justifies dropping one of England's most successful ever players?

The answer to all these is no. And until there is, I want less knee-jerk reactions, and more thoughtful, rational analysis... Maybe Twitter isn't the right place for me.