'A' tours let selectors sort wheat from chaff
The selections of two new batsmen (Martin Guptill and Neil Broom) for today's ODI at Eden Park gives an insight into the importance of the modern A tours for the national selectors, writes Adam Parore in the Weekend Herald .
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
The selections of two new batsmen (Martin Guptill and Neil Broom) for today's ODI at Eden Park gives an insight into the importance of the modern A tours for the national selectors, writes Adam Parore in the Weekend Herald.
Before the days of those trips, players would jump from domestic first-class or one-day cricket straight into the national team. Some made the step up, others didn't. But now the selectors have more tools at their disposal when it comes to assessing the merits of cricketers ... Think of Tim Southee, Jesse Ryder and Daniel Flynn, all now integral members of the New Zealand team, either in the ODI or test side, or both.
Many times in recent years I've tried to work out why and exactly when a game that captivated me for so long somehow lost my interest. And I wonder how many of us there are, writes John Roughan in the Weekend Herald.
George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo