Furiously Backtracking About Luke Wright

Alright. I admit it. Luke Wright played well today. Happy? Now we can move on...

It's not that I hate Luke Wright. Sure, I don't really rate him as a batsman or bowler, but I'm sure he's a nice bloke and kind to children and animals. It's more that I dislike what he does (or doesn't do) in the side.

In a normal team, England would pick three seamers (Anderson, Broad, Bresnan) and two spinners (Swann, Yardy). If each bowler bowls their full allocation, (which theoretically they are in the side to do) then there is no need to pick another bowler.

Luke has played 68 times for England as the "sixth bowler". Effectively, coach, captain and selectors are implying that they don't rate Luke's bowling high enough to be a specialist bowler, or his batting high enough to be a specialist batsman. They're picking him to kind of sometimes do a bit of one or the other. Trouble is, when called upon to actually do something, he rarely delivers.

This 5th game was different. Put into the side for the bed-ridden Yardy, Wright was picked to fulfil the role of the fifth bowler. He had a purpose in the side! Yes, his batting wasn't any great shakes, but it didn't matter as other, better batsmen had been selected to do that part. Earlier in the summer Wright was batting six, and getting no runs. Today, Morgan batted six and made a century. A much better balance to the side, don't you think?

When bowling, Wright did well; keeping it tight and taking a big wicket in Kamran Akmal. But because he was the fifth bowler, he got to bowl more than his obligatory two overs, meaning he was justifying his place in the side.

I am not (and will never be) Luke Wright's biggest fan, yet if he plays as the fifth bowler, I have no major problem with him being in the side (other than him taking the place of many better players). If Wright bats seven and bowls ten overs, he is justifying his place in the side, and keeping the balance of the team just right.

So well done Luke; congratulations on the series win, but don't let me ever catch you playing for England again!