P Collingwood (capt), J Anderson, I Bell, R Bopara, T Bresnan, S Broad, S Davies, J Denly, S Finn, C Kieswetter, M Lumb, S Mahmood, D Mascarenhas, E Morgan, G Onions, K Pietersen, L Plunkett, M Prior, A Rashid, O Shah, A Shahzad, R Sidebottom, G Swann, J Tredwell, P Trego, J Trott, D Wainwright, C Woakes, L Wright, M Yardy.

Some odd selections there if you look at the PCA MVP rankings for T20 over the last three years i.e. selection on merit in an attempt to send a team best equipped to win this tournament.

Of all new additions and the centrally and incrementally contracted players who played in the T20 cup before they came into the fold or were released to represent their counties in previous T20 cup competitions, their (ranking) in the top 100 and average pts/game;

Bopara was good in 2007 (33) and averaged 11.34 but has not been in the top 100 since
Bresnan in 2007 (63) averaged just 5.42 and in 2008 (73) averaged just 6.83 - surely this is not his best format?
Davies was OK (40) in 2009 and averaged 7.72 but wasn't in the top 100 in the previous summers
Denly was quite good in 2007 (13), very good in 2008 (6) and poor in 2009 (83) with averages of 6.46, 8.62 & 4.67
Finn has not been in the top 100 in any of the last 3 summers. Malan is the better Middx T20 player.
Kieswetter was good (11) in 2009 and averaged 8.34 but wasn't in the top 100 in the previous summers
Lumb is there on merit. He was good in 2008 (35) averaging 8.37 and was excellent last year (8th) averaging 10.84
Mahmood didn't feature in the top 100 in 2007, was poor in 2008 (65) averaging 7.29 and poor in 2009 (82) averaging 6.26.
Masarenhas is there on merit - he didn't feature in 2008 and appearances have been limited but he averaged 17.64 & 13.01 in 2007 & 2009
Morgan. The new limited overs batting star. Apart from a good year in 2008 (40) with an average of just 6.32 was not in the top 100 ranked players in 2007 or 2009.
Onions. Has never been ranked in the top 100 - surely this is not his best format?
Plunkett was good in 2008 (37) averaging 7.57 but hasn't featured in other years.
Rashid. Has never been ranked in the top 100.
Shah. Has never been ranked in the top 100.
Shahzad. The new limited overs bowling star. Has never been in the top 100 ranked players in this format.
Swann was very good in the only year he featured - 2007 (8th) average 15.68
Tredwell was poor in 2007 (56) 4.18, OK in 2008 (28) 6.85 and poor in 2009 (64) 5.61.
Trego is there on merit. Very good in 2007 (45) 8.56 and 2009 (13) 8.08
Trott is there on merit. Very good in 2009 (3) averaging 12.48
Wainwright was OK in 2007 (44) average 7.35 but has not featured since.
Woakes. Has never been ranked in the top 100. Barker had a far better T20 campaign.
Wright was very good in 2007 (1) average 12.38 but has been ordinary since - 57 in 2009 and averaged 7.91
Yardy is there on merit - in 2009 (6) he averaged 9.39 but wasn't great prior to this.

Ignoring players who have had their chance and are now too old / out of favour / unlikely to be selected again (which excludes a lot of talented players), the best eleven english qualified in 2007 by average impact were D Mascarenhas, G Swann, L Wright, R Bopara, P Mustard, K Ali, J Anyon, S Cook, N Carter, T Ambrose & J Dalrymple.

2008 - G Napier, J Allenby, K Ali, S Patel, R Pyrah, P Mustard, J Denly, D Malan, N Carter, M Lumb & J Foster

2009 - R Clark, J Allenby, D Mascarenhas, D Stevens, T Smith, J Trott, N O'Brien, J Dalrymple, M Lumb, S Croft & A Cook

There are a dozen players there who have been consistently very good or whose recent impacts for their counties suggest they are invariably more suited to this format. They must be wondering what they have to do to get selected given that some of these have been picked because it was 'their turn' and they are been trialled in this insignificant tournament ahead of a more important series. The atitude is obviously that good players will excel at any format - I don't believe this is the case with T20.

It is also very odd that temporary skipper Cook is not playing given that was the 29th best domestic T20 player in 2009 (average 10.72). An odd way to groom / protect the future capatin unless we're going for different captains for each format.

The PCA must also wonder why they bother generating competition specific MVP rankings when nobody at the ECB pays any attention to them.

Whinge over

As you were

No problem with the whinge Asia, it's fair enough. It worries me that we go into another WC and hand debuts to a clutch of players in a significant tourny. I'm sure a lot of these guys will go on to good things but this is no time to blood them. Re PCA rankings, it's a bit tricky using these as guide for such a pot-luck version of the game.

I take your point Serchers but if you've consistently been in the top of the rankings it must be more skill and aptitude than luck? Eoin Morgan is the exception to the rule - he looks a very capable and organised player at international T20 and ODI level. His Middlesex 40 & 50 over average looks pretty good but in the domestic T20 competition he has just 2 x 50's in 37 matches over 4 years for Middlesex and an average of 21.69 albeit at a SR of 125. I think the story is that he played one exceptional and aggressive innings (161 vs Kent last May) while a selector was at Canterbury.

All I'm saying with the others, whose unsuitability stands out like a sore thumb, is that a policy of horses for courses would be better if the ECB are taking this new fangled, flash-in-the-pan T20 mullarky seriously.

Greg Smith of Derbyshire I have corrected as he is I believe a Kolpak - the next eligible englishman in line is Samit Patel

Yes, seems a ridiculous squad picked.
Anderson, Mahmood and Plunkett really made me chuckle.

My team, and I don't know the MVP rankings, but seem better on 'feel' would be

Vik
Kieswetter
Napier
Blackwell
Malan
Morgan
Colly
Trego
Dimi
Swanny
Broady

Ian Blackwell is a very odd case - I agree that his skills and aggression should make him perfect for T20

For Durham 10 of 11 matches, 10 innings 127 runs @ 14.11 with 1 x 50 best of 59 and 4 wkts @ 45.75, SR 40.5, Econ 6.77

For Somerset 30 of 49 matches, 29 innings 498 runs @ 20.75 with 1 x 50 best of 82 and 23 wkts @ 30.17, SR 25.1, Econ 7.21

Where everyone else in the country is getting better at this year by year he has actually got worse - maybe not helped early on by Justin Langer hardly using him in this format at all.

Forget the misnomer that spinners prosper in T20 - the fact is that the most successful bowlers in this format have guile. It happens that over 30's have an abundance of this and dominate the rankings. Saying that, Warks 23 yo Keith Barkers RM was the most successful last year, and giving the ECB their due, Tredwell was the best english spinner last year.

Its a pity we have to ginore the likes of Trescothick, Solanki, Sales, Loye & Key

The four MVP names that repeat in the years 2007 to 2009 are those of Allenby, Ali, Carter & Dalrymple.

I also overlooked the fact that Northants Niall O'Brien is Irelands number 1 keeper so cannot be included. He played in the first 3 of their 10 T20 group games (all won) and returned for the QF and SF after the ICC World T20, making 150 runs @ 37.5 with 2 catches and 5 stumpings.

The next best eligible player is seam bowling AR Harmison jnr

2009 - R Clark, J Allenby, D Mascarenhas, D Stevens, T Smith, J Trott, J Dalrymple, M Lumb, S Croft, A Cook, B Harmison

On another positive note for us we are showing signs of improvement in this format in terms of number of players ranked in the top 100;

2007 Kabir (31), Hick (35), Solanki (94)
2008 Kabir (21), Mitchell (54), Hick (61), Solanki (84), Moore (88)
2009 Noffke (27), Solanki (37), Davies (40), Batty (53), Moore (68), Mitchell (84), Moeen (87), Whelan (99)

On the downside only 4 of these are still with us