England head coach Trevor Bayliss unhappy with selection process
Wednesday 20 July 2016 16:10, UK
Head coach Trevor Bayliss is unhappy with the current structure used to select the England cricket team, Sky sources understand.
The England head coach is believed to be keen to replace it with a scouting system, similar to the one he was part of in New South Wales.
Bayliss, along with director of cricket Andrew Strauss and captain Alastair Cook, were keen to have James Anderson in the England team for the first Investec Test against Pakistan last week.
However, we understand the selectors, James Whitaker, Angus Fraser and Mick Newell, felt the Lancashire pace bowler needed more time to recover from a shoulder injury.
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England went on to lose the Lord's Test by 75 runs.
The England coach has been open about his lack of detailed knowledge of the county circuit and how much he relies on the knowledge of the selectors.
But Bayliss is believed to favour a system which mirrors the model he experienced as coach of New South Wales. A larger group of scouts or consultants would provide detailed report on players, but leave the final selection to Bayliss, Strauss and Cook.
It's thought these three also favoured the inclusion of Stokes in the team, purely as a batsman, rather than Yorkshire's Gary Ballance.
The ECB have denied reports that plans were in place to sack England's selectors at the end of the season.
"It's very much business as usual," a spokesman told Sky Sports News HQ.
"We look at all aspects of our operation at the end of every season and this year will be no different. But there are presently no plans to sack any of our selectors."
Watch day one of the second Investec Test between England and Pakistan on Friday. Coverage begins on Sky Sports 2 HD at 10am.
