Or you can say, that’s a bit of a punt. He’s not played much first-class cricket and there are others who could have gone in there who have played more first-class cricket and done well. It’s a gamble but that’s what selection is all about.
England will face New Zealand in a three-Test series starting on November 25 in Mount Maunganui, with the second Test in Hamilton from December 3 and the final Test in Christchurch from December 11.
It will be interesting to see how the young players like Crawley and Pope respond to the pressure and competition for their places in the team. The series against New Zealand will be a good test for them to prove their worth and cement their positions in the England squad.
I think they can take away the hunger from players,” Atherton said. “It’s a dangerous thing to do, I think, to give players security over a period of time, because you always want players that are hungry and striving to get better and improve.
“But at the moment, England have a really good crop of players coming through, and it will be interesting to see how they develop over the next few years.”