Welsh county's England drought set to continue

There is a display in the members bar at the Swalec Stadium that has a photo of every Glamorgan player to represent England. It starts with Maurice Turnball who played the first of his nine Tests in 1930 and ends with Alex Wharf who made his ODI debut in 2004. There is then a silhouetted headshot with a question mark asking who will be next. It is a question that we are not any closer to asking than we were when Wharf's career came to an end back in February 2005.

There are 17 names on the list, of those, 11 have England appearances in single figures. Only Robert Croft put together an international career of any sort of longevity, his 50 ODIs and 21 Tests are both records for a Glamorgan player.

As the world's press gathered in Cardiff to watch Kevin Pietersen stake a claim for England selection there was not one player in the Glamorgan side that is within touching distance of the national team, unless you think Colin Ingram might get another game for South Africa. This year is not only the 10th anniversary of the 2005 Ashes, it also represents a decade since Glamorgan had a man in an England shirt. When Simon Jones hobbled off during the Trent Bridge Test that was the last time there was a representative from the Welsh county playing for England in any format.

This is not the longest period without an England player for a county. The last time Derbyshire provided a home international was when Dominic Cork turned out for his country against India in September 2002. After Glamorgan the next longest wait for an England player is Gloucestershire - Jon Lewis last got a game in 2006. For all three counties the wait has been a long one, but as least Derbyshire will feel in Mark Footitt they have a bowler getting closer to the England set up.

At Glamorgan there is no obvious candidate. Perhaps the closest is 18-year-old Aneurin Donald who is making a name for himself with England Under-19s. He is undoubtedly a special talent with great temperament, his 59 on first-class debut against Hampshire last seasons was brim full of bravado. But to suggest he would be in an England side at any point with in the next five seasons is fanciful.

While there would have been county cricket hipsters, myself included, who were calling for a Twenty20 call up for Jim Allenby it was never a realistic possibility. Even that long shot is gone now Allenby has departed for Somerset. Back in 2006 Mike Powell was on the outer edges of the England squad and was selected as a tourist a couple of times. He never played a game but he got close. Since then James Harris was talked of as having England potential, but it was only when he had agreed a winter move to Middlesex in 2012 that the selectors came calling. He was drafted into the ODI squad for that winter's New Zealand tour, but like Powell he carried drinks rather than making his debut.

The issue for Glamorgan over the last decade has been three fold. First, they have not nurtured a large number of talented youngsters. Second, when they have found a player with potential those bright young things have felt the need to leave to press their international claims. Lastly, they have not had the money to bring in experienced players from other counties that are pushing for a call up. The flow is always the other way.

There is an accusation, rightly or wrongly, that in order for you to get England recognition you need to be playing for the right county. The idea of there being fashionable teams in county cricket is not a new one and the exodus of talent from the likes of Leicestershire and Glamorgan in search of career advancement certainly backs that up. It may have some credence, but it is an oversimplification.

More than there being some sort of wide arching conspiracy to prevent Glamorgan players from making it to the top, the reason is that the most talented cricketers gravitate towards the clubs with the biggest playing budget and the strongest record of success. Unfortunately for Glamorgan success has been hard to come by. The last of the Welsh county's trophies came in 2004, since then they have had more of a dry spell than the Temperance Movement.

For the last few seasons young players in Glamorgan's ranks have trodden water, and that is something the club need to do something about. Perhaps the biggest role of the counties is to produce talent for England and to create a competition in which they can flourish. Glamorgan have been failing in that respect. Everything in sport is cyclical and perhaps a group of potential England players will be pulling on Glamorgan shirts in the near future. We live in hope.

For now, when the Ashes gets underway in Cardiff on July 8 the only Welsh involvement will be in the crowd. Hopefully the next time Australia visit for a game that won't be the case.