Published: 24/02/2010 18:37:34 | Modified: 28/04/2010 23:17:38
Author: Christopher Martin-Jenkins | All Contributors
Kieswetter selection sits unhappily with me
Talk about carpe diem! Craig Kieswetter, who makes his first appearance for England against Bangladesh in the 50-over international on Sunday, is the talk of Dhaka after his truly remarkable start in an England shirt.
All over Scotland, his mother's native land, kilts must be swirling, cabers tossing and drams being sunk. Gavin Hamilton of fond memory apart, has there been so broad a Scottish accent in an England dressing-room since the days of Tony Greig, whose own tones have always been so hard to distinguish from those of Sir Harry Lauder or Jimmy Dalglish?
Forgive the cynicism, please. Outside South Africa at least, the reaction of most cricketers everywhere will no doubt be “good luck to the boy”. Clearly he is very talented indeed, although it would be typical of cricket if the catches that have been spurned by opponents while wee Craig was forcing his way so adventurously into the team were all now to be swallowed.
But, as the South Africans themselves, without Graeme Smith, went down this week to their second 50-over defeat in two games against India, buried on this occasion by Sachin Tendulkar's latest display of genius, a few of their followers must have asked why England have purloined their South African bred player in six years.
I have always thought that, unless there are overwhelming political reasons preventing it, cricketers should play for the country in which they have learned the game.
I suggested many years ago that the age of 14 should be the criterion but it has become a far more mobile world since so I now feel that no one should, under normal circumstances, play for any country other than the one he has first represented at the level of Under 19 or above.
No reasonable person could oppose that if South Africa were to propose it to the ICC but, under the agreed four-year qualification rule, three thoroughbred horses have already bolted from the Republic.
In the cases of Kieswetter and Kevin Pietersen the trend reflects badly on England's own system of producing international-class cricketers, although, paradoxically, it is county cricket that attracted them in the first place, offering, as it still does for all its faults, a rapid and varied education in the professional game.
Kieswetter accepted an invitation to sit A levels and play cricket at Millfield four years ago, after touring with Bishops Diocesan College of Johannesburg. He has already acknowledged the encouragement he has received from Marcus Trescothick, his opening partner in one-day cricket for Somerset.
The county 'system' can take a bit more credit in the case of Jonathan Trott. Even Pietersen was nowhere near the finished article when he arrived in Nottingham but, for all his protestations about being held back by the requirement for teams in the Republic to include a minimum number of coloured players, he would probably have represented South Africa before he did England had he chosen to remain in Natal.
The England selectors have been, true to form, ruthlessly pragmatic in picking Kieswetter at the earliest opportunity. They were not so clever last time they exploited someone with a dual passport, Darren Pattinson, but, if nothing else the inclusion of the 22-year-old prodigy will keep Matt Prior (also Joburg-born but schooled in Brighton) on his toes.
Prior is more effective batting down the order anyway, and such has been his improvement as a wicketkeeper that he ought to be able to keep the gloves away from the young pretender both in the three one-day internationals in Bangladesh and in the two Tests that follow.
Provided Paul Collingwood, the outstanding England batsman of this winter, maintains his form, England should be too strong for a Bangladesh side that is inevitably improving with more experience, but Alastair Cook will be more aware than most that each match is potentially a banana skin. He is a natural leader with a broader mind than many cricketers of his age and, whatever you think about Andrew Strauss's decision to rest, this is an ideal opportunity for Cook to learn almost as quickly as Keiswetter has. He is bound to make some mistakes but better to do so in a series against Bangladesh than to succeed Strauss in two or three years and make them instead against Australia.
Ah yes, Australia: unbeaten all winter; altogether too good for the West Indies and Pakistan. Strauss was right, on balance, to recharge his batteries for what will be the great challenge of his life in the Ashes series next winter.
In the immediate future England look increasingly more serious prospects in the limited-overs game, especially in the Twenty20 World Cup now that flair players like Kieswetter have been introduced, with others such as Peter Trego and Darren Stevens perhaps to follow.
Bangladesh versus England is, let us be honest, low-key compared to the two recent Tests in India in which Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side managed to avenge their first defeat by South Africa. That India remain officially the top Test nation has to be good for the game, even if the significance and quality of that little series went largely unrecognised in British newspapers obsessed by soccer and celebrities.