sussexpob wrote:
So we get to where we are now. Its no fluke, its no accident. I invite you to view my historical posts, its exactly what I have been banging on and predicting would happen when times were better, and got shelled for it routinely as being negative or just trolling. Flower destroyed the English game in the last ten years on his vanity project.
I can give no better example than Liam Livingstone's treatment in the past. In 2016, he came into the CC and averaged over 50 in his debut year. He got picked for the Lions and bashed 2 back to back 100s in the games he played in. Whitaker said he was the best prospect in the English game. He backed up that with an average of 49 in 2017 in the CC season.
Who did England pick? Tom Westley, who had barely justified getting games at Essex for much of his career. Vince, who's county form had plummeted long term, who had been outclassed in his test career so far, and who had a Lions tour where he scored 17 runs in 6 innings. David Malan, who averaged 10-15 runs less than Livingstone in the same competition.
Skip a couple of years later, and people will ask why Livingstone faded away. Just not good enough right? Well, what do you expect? England were bowled out for 58 in NZ, and a guy averaging 50 in FC and a solid prospect just gets overlooked for a load of duffers and failures. Of course hes going to lose motivation.
There are loads of these types of examples. Why did Westley get picked over Livngstone? Well, Flower's pathway nonsense has loads on education level proving a playeers worth.... one went to Durham, the other wasnt University educated. This is what we have come to in the later 2010s
Livingstone averages over 40 still in his career. How can he not get a game in this team?
IIRC Livingstone took on the Lancashire captaincy around 2017 and his County Championship form disappeared. I remember watching Livingstone in the Roses the year before and most shots he played were leg side en route to a half century. He would not have lasted against the likes of Southee, Boult and Wagner.
