Letter: Hit our batsmen in the pocket

Hit our batsmen

in the pocket

Sir: Once again the England batsmen have let us down. What is noticeable about them is that in the domestic game they are no longer run-hungry and so they are not prepared to play long innings at Test level.

When I first watched cricket more than 50 years ago, the Test batsmen usually figured in the top 10 of the season's averages. This was true up to the end of the Boycott era. Now they are so laid back they cannot be bothered to apply themselves (only one batsman appeared in the top 20 last season).

Perhaps it is time to adopt the Ryder Cup selection system. If you are not in the top 10 in the averages, you will not be picked. They would soon start performing to protect their pay packets.

A J HOLLAND

Tunbridge Wells, Kent.