I don't really get this line of thinking. Just because you've picked him in the squad doesn't mean you have to keep playing him and hope he turns out alright. If he looks mediocre but you think he's got potential then by all means keep him around the set up but give that spot of his to someone who's more likely to contribute. I don't know enough about England's fringe bowlers to comment whether he should be playing or not, but the reasoning that you gave sounds odd to me.Exactly. Whether he's Teat standard now is obviously debatable but you gain nothing by showing clear investment in a bloke by picking him in the squad at the start of a series then dropping him at the first sign of trouble which, might add, the ECB have not done. You've got to see it through and trust the anointed blokes to lift, especially if one of your guns drops out. It's a good Teat and will tell the selectors a lot about how he handles the pressure of incumbency.
I think a school of thought on CW can often be that each Test should see the raw best possible XI picked. But IMO that can lead to situations like Australia/England in recent times where all of a sudden you've a stack of guys lacking in experience. Youth can be damaged by ****ing around with them.Nah you're taking it too literally. There's obviously more to it which we are never privy to like what noises he's making at training, what he's sending down in the nets, etc. if the bloke is clearly struggling, of course you don't pick him. It's a judgement call.
But how do you pick a keeper?!Nah, selection is simple.
1. Pick 6 bats and 4 bowlers
2. Add their averages to an Excel spreadsheet
3.
4. Push the 'Select in XI' button.
5. Select brand of victory champers