England legend Ian Botham slammed England’s selection for the second Test at Headingley that ended in a comprehensive ten-wicket victory for South Africa.
Little-known swing bowler Darren Pattinson was given a debut on Friday after Ryan Sidebottom failed a fitness test. The man born in Grimsby but raised in Melbourne has been back in England less than two years and has just completed his first half season in county cricket. Yet he was picked ahead of veterans like Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison and Simon Jones.
Pattinson was the first new cap since the current selection panel of Geoff Miller, James Whitaker and Ashley Giles took over. Botham was one of several former England stars to knock the policy of bringing in the untried seamer.
“The England team selection on Friday knocked me sideways,” Botham said in his Daily Mirror column. “I feel very sorry for Darren Pattinson, but I don't have any sympathy for the selectors who lost all sense of perspective and embarrassed English cricket.
“His inclusion is beyond me. It is not the lad's fault, and I really did feel sorry for him when he had to walk into a dressing room and no one knew him. He'd have arrived there thinking: 'What on earth am I doing here?'
“It was the most illogical, pathetic and diabolical piece of selecting I've seen. I couldn't believe that I was picking up the microphone to talk about an opening bowler for England that I'd never heard of.
“I had people coming up to me asking about this bloke and I couldn't help them. Then we've got the England captain saying: 'Er, I think I played against him in a Twenty20 game once'. What a joke!
It was very bizarre and what message is that sending? The selectors suggested it was a horses for courses pick - what nonsense, the guy has played just six games.
“When you overlook someone like Steve Harmison who has been told to go and get wickets and get his pace up, which he has, and you leave out Simon Jones, Sajid Mahmood, Matthew Hoggard what is that saying? Please someone tell me who's magic hat this pick came out of. I want to know who said Pattinson was the man to come in ahead of all the other contenders.”
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