Flower trying too hard

After England announced a squad filled with surprises, Simon Wilde writes in the Times that new boss Andy Flower is trying too hard to make a statement. He also says that the exclusion of Vaughan, Bell and Harmison shows that central contracts don't mean much any more.

Vaughan has not played a meaningful match for England since he was awarded a new contract last autumn - and he may very well never play another. Nor has a central contract ever done much for Bell's game; his Test average has fallen year on year ever since he was first awarded one. As for Harmison, a central contract merely seems to be a device by which he is permitted, between England disasters, to go back to Durham so that everyone can forget how badly he was bowling before he is recalled again. Nice work if you can get it.