Seamer still coming to terms with 'leftfield' selection
Darren Pattinson says he would not have selected himself to play for England this summer, and admits that he will be happy if he doesn't play international cricket again.
The Australian-born seamer was drafted in by the selectors for the second Test against South Africa ahead of several experienced campaigners like Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison and Simon Jones.
But while Harmison has since returned in a blaze of glory, Pattinson has faded back into the humdrum of county cricket, where he nonetheless picked up a respectable 49 wickets at an average of 25 for Nottinghamshire this season.
In an interview with Melbourne newspaper The Age, the 29-year-old admitted that he wasn't ready for international cricket after just 11 first-class games and that he had come to England simply to 'earn a bit of extra cash'.
"I probably didn't agree with the selection, as it was," he said. "I don't think I'd be picking someone to play the one Test when they haven't really played that many first-class games and weren't in the squad.
Unexpected
"It was a left-field selection. If I was in (the selectors') situation, I wouldn't have picked me to play for England when there were guys like Steve Harmison - who I know has had his problems - waiting in the wings and ready to go. It's really an astonishing story, when you think about it."
England captain Michael Vaughan said the selection was 'confused' in the wake of a 10-wicket defeat to the Proteas, which focused even more of the spotlight on the unfortunate Pattinson.
"The whole England thing was unexpected and I was certainly more than happy to get the opportunity to play international cricket," he said.
"During the game I didn't really know anything that was going on away from the ground, but I would get back to the hotel and speak to my wife and she would talk about some of the things she saw on the internet.
"I was just trying to take wickets and get on with it but - and you know what the British press can be like - it was tough for my wife.
"But with all the stuff that came with it, it's hard to say just how I view the whole experience right now. I'm sure I'll look back in a few years and be happy I played a Test, but there are a few mixed feelings at the moment.
"If I never played another international, I'd be okay with that."