Letter: Pick a squad and keep faith

Sir: So they have made Mike Atherton captain of England. I have read that a certain Hugh Morris was also in the frame. Funny he has yet to play in a Test match this season. I believe a certain Mr Lathwell was preferred. When are we going to stop playing politics and start playing cricket. Sack the lot of them - Dexter, Fletcher and Stewart. There is something quite vile coming out of our current selection committee and, let's face it, if Gooch was going to the West Indies he would still be captain. True, he is a great batsman, but tactician? Come on. How many Tests did he have to lose? I do not have the cure for our sides' ills but I know that we need either to keep faith in our new emerging talent through thick and thin or keep looking for other countries' nationals to fill our team with.

Perhaps we need to form our best batsmen and bowlers into a squad. The players within would need to know they would be supported throughout a series and would only lose their place if someone else in the squad was performing better. The selection committee should consist of men like Fred Trueman, Mike Brearley and Geoff Boycott.

Yours sincerely,

STEVE GLEAN

Grays, Essex

29 July