Nasser and Foster up a tree...K-I-S-S...

by Chivalry Augustus Mon 28 Jul 2008, 13:50

I-N-G.

"If there is a better one-day keeper-batsman in the world at the moment I'd like to see him."
Nasser Hussain sings the praises of James Foster and wonders how he missed out on England's provisional Champions Trophy squad.

www.cricinfo.com

Apparently, a guy who has never scored a domestic OD hundred is the best wicket-keeper batsman in the WORLD, because the mighty Nass has seen him take a few good catches and slog some runs in the Twenty20. I've nothing against the guy or his keeping in four-day cricket, but Nasser's assertion is preposterous. He's quite rightly nowhere near the England ODI squad with his record. With all these experts telling England what they should do, you worry for a minute that idiots like Miller might take their counsel as gospel and actually implement their mad strategies. Selectors have supposedly bowed down to the might of (Sir) Ian Botham before.

by Merlin Mon 28 Jul 2008, 14:11

Naz has a valid point.
Only 2 keepers turned up at the T20 finals on Saturday.

Foster and Scott - both excelling under pressure (and T20 is pressured - ie., standing up
to an 85mph quick so as to harness a free-footing batsman, collecting throw-ins cleanly,
chasing anything nurdled within 10 yards of the wicket) , especially Fossie.

GoJo looked tired whilst Mustard looked distracted (prolly 'cos Miller was watching).

by PearlJ Mon 28 Jul 2008, 14:14

I didn't think Foster was anything special.

by JKLever Mon 28 Jul 2008, 14:25

He's average with the bat.

Best keeper in the country for me though.

by PeterCS Mon 28 Jul 2008, 14:28

That should matter, shouldn't it?

by Henry Mon 28 Jul 2008, 14:33

Foster hasn't been given a fair go. He was annointed as England's next long term keeper before breaking his arm in 2002, and hasn't been given a chance since, despite doing hardly anything wrong when playing for either England or Essex. He probably hasn't got the slogging ability to be a top ODI keeper/batsman (Although he's got more shots now than 7 years ago) but despite his choirboy looks, he certainly has some ticker, and should be given another chance in the tests. His batting is a bit inconsistent, but he seems to be the sort of guy who steps up on the big occasions.