Caddick argues case for recall
Andrew Caddick still feels that he would be worthy of a place in the England squad to tour Sri Lanka
Cricinfo staff
18-Oct-2007
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Caddick took 234 wickets in 62 Tests, having made his debut against Australia during the 1993 Ashes. But his form in county cricket for Somerset has remained remarkably consistent, and this year he was shortlisted for the PCA Player of the Year along with three fellow veterans - Mark Ramprakash, Mushtaq Ahmed and the eventual winner Ottis Gibson - after picking up 75 first-class wickets at 23.10.
Caddick is not a realistic prospect for an England recall but his former 1990s team-mate Ramprakash is very much in the frame after passing 2000 runs in consecutive seasons for Surrey - rightly so, in Caddick's opinion. "I don't care what age you are," he said. "If you're getting thousands of runs and taking hundreds of wickets, you should be knocking on the door of these youngsters."
"There have to be rewards for players who play to the best of their ability on the county circuit," he said. "If you've got players who are bowling well, batting well, they should be pushing on the door of those who are playing international cricket and not doing well."
Although England's former coach, Duncan Fletcher, was never a fan of county cricket, his successor Peter Moores has been keen to build bridges between the domestic and international circuits, with the likes of Ryan Sidebottom and Graeme Swann earning their rewards for consistency.
Caddick himself was briefly in line for an astonishing comeback in August, when he was put on standby for the decisive third Test against India at The Oval, after Chris Tremlett reported an injury in training. "I spoke with Geoff Miller [England selector] up at Derby and told him what I could bring to the fold," said Caddick. "It's still up to the selectors to decide whether Andy Caddick should still be involved in English cricket."