Atherton has just interviewed the two people responsible for providing the information that is used when looking at those in the frame for England selection.
The chart for keepers by age is interesting because the likes of Bairstow (32), Buttler (31), Billings (30), Foakes (29) is at one end and then there is a void of no one down to just two players - Ollie Robinson (22) and Jamie Smith (21). @cantersaddick will know more about what Smith has to offer but this would suggest that Robinson is very much in the frame and that the likes of Bracey, for example, aren't.
robinson is a quality young player, it really is a shame it looks like he's getting released by kent. I remember kent letting go england hopeful and senior member of the squad paul nixon to make way for a certain geriant jones which paid dividends.
Just to be clear, he isn't being released by Kent. Far from it - he is still under contract but there is a clause in his contract that allowed him to go a year early if he didn't play a certain number of games. Kent want him to sign another one. It's his choice because he wants to keep and not be the one who has to give way if and when Billings becomes available.
It's a Paul Downton situation, as he left because Knott would naturally always be ahead of him when back from England duty
Atherton has just interviewed the two people responsible for providing the information that is used when looking at those in the frame for England selection.
The chart for keepers by age is interesting because the likes of Bairstow (32), Buttler (31), Billings (30), Foakes (29) is at one end and then there is a void of no one down to just two players - Ollie Robinson (22) and Jamie Smith (21). @cantersaddick will know more about what Smith has to offer but this would suggest that Robinson is very much in the frame and that the likes of Bracey, for example, aren't.
robinson is a quality young player, it really is a shame it looks like he's getting released by kent. I remember kent letting go england hopeful and senior member of the squad paul nixon to make way for a certain geriant jones which paid dividends.
Just to be clear, he isn't being released by Kent. Far from it - he is still under contract but there is a clause in his contract that allowed him to go a year early if he didn't play a certain number of games. Kent want him to sign another one. It's his choice because he wants to keep and not be the one who has to give way if and when Billings becomes available.
Billings shouldn't be allowed to swan in and out. Robinson should keep his place form permitting irrespective of Billings' movements.
Atherton has just interviewed the two people responsible for providing the information that is used when looking at those in the frame for England selection.
The chart for keepers by age is interesting because the likes of Bairstow (32), Buttler (31), Billings (30), Foakes (29) is at one end and then there is a void of no one down to just two players - Ollie Robinson (22) and Jamie Smith (21). @cantersaddick will know more about what Smith has to offer but this would suggest that Robinson is very much in the frame and that the likes of Bracey, for example, aren't.
robinson is a quality young player, it really is a shame it looks like he's getting released by kent. I remember kent letting go england hopeful and senior member of the squad paul nixon to make way for a certain geriant jones which paid dividends.
Just to be clear, he isn't being released by Kent. Far from it - he is still under contract but there is a clause in his contract that allowed him to go a year early if he didn't play a certain number of games. Kent want him to sign another one. It's his choice because he wants to keep and not be the one who has to give way if and when Billings becomes available.
It's a Paul Downton situation, as he left because Knott would naturally always be ahead of him when back from England duty
To a point yes but Knott played much more for Kent than Billings manages so more justifiable in that case.
Robinson will get plenty of games for Kent, but not necessarily with the gloves, so it's also akin to Buttler leaving Somerset because Kieswetter was the Somerset and England white ball keeper and had precedence.
Atherton has just interviewed the two people responsible for providing the information that is used when looking at those in the frame for England selection.
The chart for keepers by age is interesting because the likes of Bairstow (32), Buttler (31), Billings (30), Foakes (29) is at one end and then there is a void of no one down to just two players - Ollie Robinson (22) and Jamie Smith (21). @cantersaddick will know more about what Smith has to offer but this would suggest that Robinson is very much in the frame and that the likes of Bracey, for example, aren't.
robinson is a quality young player, it really is a shame it looks like he's getting released by kent. I remember kent letting go england hopeful and senior member of the squad paul nixon to make way for a certain geriant jones which paid dividends.
Just to be clear, he isn't being released by Kent. Far from it - he is still under contract but there is a clause in his contract that allowed him to go a year early if he didn't play a certain number of games. Kent want him to sign another one. It's his choice because he wants to keep and not be the one who has to give way if and when Billings becomes available.
Billings shouldn't be allowed to swan in and out. Robinson should keep his place form permitting irrespective of Billings' movements.
Robinson will get plenty of games for Kent, but not necessarily with the gloves, so it's also akin to Buttler leaving Somerset because Kieswetter was the Somerset and England white ball keeper and had precedence.
Sadly, we need to get used to talking about Robinson in the past tense as a Kent cricketer. Won't stop me hoping he bags an England place one day as I've known him since he was a baby and he's always been an excellent role model. I also wouldn't rule out him returning to Kent one day should circumstances suit both county and player.
Atherton has just interviewed the two people responsible for providing the information that is used when looking at those in the frame for England selection.
The chart for keepers by age is interesting because the likes of Bairstow (32), Buttler (31), Billings (30), Foakes (29) is at one end and then there is a void of no one down to just two players - Ollie Robinson (22) and Jamie Smith (21). @cantersaddick will know more about what Smith has to offer but this would suggest that Robinson is very much in the frame and that the likes of Bracey, for example, aren't.
robinson is a quality young player, it really is a shame it looks like he's getting released by kent. I remember kent letting go england hopeful and senior member of the squad paul nixon to make way for a certain geriant jones which paid dividends.
Just to be clear, he isn't being released by Kent. Far from it - he is still under contract but there is a clause in his contract that allowed him to go a year early if he didn't play a certain number of games. Kent want him to sign another one. It's his choice because he wants to keep and not be the one who has to give way if and when Billings becomes available.
Billings shouldn't be allowed to swan in and out. Robinson should keep his place form permitting irrespective of Billings' movements.
billings is also an excellent outfielder too - a huge reason why he's been in and around the white ball squad for so long.
Atherton has just interviewed the two people responsible for providing the information that is used when looking at those in the frame for England selection.
The chart for keepers by age is interesting because the likes of Bairstow (32), Buttler (31), Billings (30), Foakes (29) is at one end and then there is a void of no one down to just two players - Ollie Robinson (22) and Jamie Smith (21). @cantersaddick will know more about what Smith has to offer but this would suggest that Robinson is very much in the frame and that the likes of Bracey, for example, aren't.
Robinson has years ahead of him, and is already getting plenty of cricket. It feels like players are incredibly impatient these days, expecting to be first choice aged 22.
In terms of England, I don't see the gap as being much of an issue, seeing that Foakes can be Test keeper for years, with Bairstow and Billings as cover, with the white ball gloves going to Buttler and other "batter keepers"
Wondering if you could have both O.Robinsons turning out at Hove. Sussex don't have a quality keeping option bar the spell Mohammed Rizwan had as an overseas earlier in the season.
Atherton has just interviewed the two people responsible for providing the information that is used when looking at those in the frame for England selection.
The chart for keepers by age is interesting because the likes of Bairstow (32), Buttler (31), Billings (30), Foakes (29) is at one end and then there is a void of no one down to just two players - Ollie Robinson (22) and Jamie Smith (21). @cantersaddick will know more about what Smith has to offer but this would suggest that Robinson is very much in the frame and that the likes of Bracey, for example, aren't.
Robinson has years ahead of him, and is already getting plenty of cricket. It feels like players are incredibly impatient these days, expecting to be first choice aged 22.
In terms of England, I don't see the gap as being much of an issue, seeing that Foakes can be Test keeper for years, with Bairstow and Billings as cover, with the white ball gloves going to Buttler and other "batter keepers"
He will be 23 in December. He is on England's radar. But he is also not in the Kent side when everyone is available and is not in the T20 team at all. That is why he is leaving. You can't expect a 23 year old who has aspirations of playing for England to be in a county 2s side when there are four or more counties that want you to play in their first team as a fixture and play in all forms of the game for them too.
Equally, a county player's career can be very short - Adam Riley was talked about as being a future England spinner and his career, effectively, finished at 25. Adam Ball was in the England U19 team at the age of 16 with Stokes and Root (both three years older) and then captained the U19s. His career never really got going and he retired from professional cricket at the same age. In those terms 23 isn't too young to be expecting to be in the first team if it is recognised that you are good enough to do so.
Wondering if you could have both O.Robinsons turning out at Hove. Sussex don't have a quality keeping option bar the spell Mohammed Rizwan had as an overseas earlier in the season.
There was a distinct possibility of that happening but Sussex have Alsop, Orr and Carter on their books and had Rizwan keeping for them too this season
Atherton has just interviewed the two people responsible for providing the information that is used when looking at those in the frame for England selection.
The chart for keepers by age is interesting because the likes of Bairstow (32), Buttler (31), Billings (30), Foakes (29) is at one end and then there is a void of no one down to just two players - Ollie Robinson (22) and Jamie Smith (21). @cantersaddick will know more about what Smith has to offer but this would suggest that Robinson is very much in the frame and that the likes of Bracey, for example, aren't.
Robinson has years ahead of him, and is already getting plenty of cricket. It feels like players are incredibly impatient these days, expecting to be first choice aged 22.
In terms of England, I don't see the gap as being much of an issue, seeing that Foakes can be Test keeper for years, with Bairstow and Billings as cover, with the white ball gloves going to Buttler and other "batter keepers"
He will be 23 in December. He is on England's radar. But he is also not in the Kent side when everyone is available and is not in the T20 team at all. That is why he is leaving. You can't expect a 23 year old who has aspirations of playing for England to be in a county 2s side when there are four or more counties that want you to play in their first team as a fixture and play in all forms of the game for them too.
Equally, a county player's career can be very short - Adam Riley was talked about as being a future England spinner and his career, effectively, finished at 25. Adam Ball was in the England U19 team at the age of 16 with Stokes and Root (both three years older) and then captained the U19s. His career never really got going and he retired from professional cricket at the same age. In those terms 23 isn't too young to be expecting to be in the first team if it is recognised that you are good enough to do so.
because of the england spin coaches at the time... Personally i didn't really think Riley had an x factor about him but i thought for sure he'd have a long career as a dependable county spinner. Awful what happened to him.
jordan cox is another that we should keep our eye on, but should be given a few years of playing championship cricket.
And part of England's white ball squad. He will be 22 next month and has one year left on his contract. I would expect an announcement of an extension if and when Robinson's position becomes clear but if there isn't one then that would suggest that he is looking at his options post 2023 too. Of course, everything could hinge on whether Kent remain in the top CC tier.
We all know we want Robinson to go to Sussex. Bowled O Robinson, Caught O Robinson will be lovely. The fact they're born the same day too is ridiculous, albeit 5 years apart
We all know we want Robinson to go to Sussex. Bowled O Robinson, Caught O Robinson will be lovely. The fact they're born the same day too is ridiculous, albeit 5 years apart
That has already happened for the England Lions on 2nd March 2020 this occurred against New South Wales:
Atherton has just interviewed the two people responsible for providing the information that is used when looking at those in the frame for England selection.
The chart for keepers by age is interesting because the likes of Bairstow (32), Buttler (31), Billings (30), Foakes (29) is at one end and then there is a void of no one down to just two players - Ollie Robinson (22) and Jamie Smith (21). @cantersaddick will know more about what Smith has to offer but this would suggest that Robinson is very much in the frame and that the likes of Bracey, for example, aren't.
Smith very highly rated. Not sure surrey see him as a keeping option long term. He is a little tall for the role in all honesty and they seem to want him to develop into a top order batsman (where he has scored almost all his big scores to be fair). They don't seem to think he can do both. They're also grooming him as the long term successor to Burns and gave him the RLODC captaincy at 19/20 even with Patel, Clarke, Amla, Stoneman in the side.
Hes in a similar position to Robinson really with Foakes being first choice keeper when not with England and Pope taking the gloves in the Blast. Smith got a 100 deal but didn't play a game so only played a handful of white ball games this season in the Blast and even got dropped for Burns which was a horrendous decision. Probably doesn't get in our strongest side in any format but is next cab off the rank in all of them so ends up playing a lot but in a lot of different roles.
Does Billings feel threatened by OR is that why Olly’s seeking pastures new
I don't think Billings feels threatened by OR because he's never been dropped by Kent and has recently been given a new contract too but I do believe that he agrees that, if OR has aspirations to play for England, he has to move on.
Billings hasn't had the greatest of seasons, but in terms of batting stats, his career averages and strike rates in all forms are better than Robinson's at this stage. And while this season has been a shocker for Kent, I still think he's a decent captain and "front of house" person for Kent.
It does seem that Billings has slipped down the England white ball pecking order, but then I've always been slightly puzzled why England have played him as a specialist batsman. I can see him being picked in the white ball team to take the gloves if Bairstow and Buttler are both injured, but there are better white ball batsmen out there.
If Billings' only current England hope is to be the reserve keeper in the Test team, that does unfortunately mean that he has to take the gloves in red ball matches.
Billings hasn't had the greatest of seasons, but in terms of batting stats, his career averages and strike rates in all forms are better than Robinson's at this stage. And while this season has been a shocker for Kent, I still think he's a decent captain and "front of house" person for Kent.
It does seem that Billings has slipped down the England white ball pecking order, but then I've always been slightly puzzled why England have played him as a specialist batsman. I can see him being picked in the white ball team to take the gloves if Bairstow and Buttler are both injured, but there are better white ball batsmen out there.
If Billings' only current England hope is to be the reserve keeper in the Test team, that does unfortunately mean that he has to take the gloves in red ball matches.
It's not just this season though is it? Billings contribution for the last three seasons his contribution to Kent has been minimal - in all comps he has scored an average of 258 runs per season. That's all comps, not just the CC where he has averaged 104 runs in total. He is seven years older than Robinson and probably on more than twice as much too. Any other player with those sort of stats and availability would not have had his contract renewed.
While it has been a poor season for Kent, we have the potential to win the Royal London, a comp where Billings hasn't played a single game - and in which Robinson has scored 491 runs at an average of 61.37 at an incredible strike rate of 127.20. Combining runs/average/strike rate that puts him in the top four batsmen in the comp and he can't even get a place in the side when everyone else is available. He is a superb keeper too.
All of that said, the proof of the pudding will be how the two do from now on at their respective counties and availability and runs have to form the basis of that assessment. Ironically, should Robinson pass Billings in the England pecking order, it might actually do Kent a favour!
The biggest bonus of yesterday's game was having David Gower back on commentary - it must rather embarrassing for Sky having him back on the mic. All we need now is for Bumble to join the party.
Comments
In terms of England, I don't see the gap as being much of an issue, seeing that Foakes can be Test keeper for years, with Bairstow and Billings as cover, with the white ball gloves going to Buttler and other "batter keepers"
Equally, a county player's career can be very short - Adam Riley was talked about as being a future England spinner and his career, effectively, finished at 25. Adam Ball was in the England U19 team at the age of 16 with Stokes and Root (both three years older) and then captained the U19s. His career never really got going and he retired from professional cricket at the same age. In those terms 23 isn't too young to be expecting to be in the first team if it is recognised that you are good enough to do so.
R Hackney c O Robinson b O Robinson 95
Hes in a similar position to Robinson really with Foakes being first choice keeper when not with England and Pope taking the gloves in the Blast. Smith got a 100 deal but didn't play a game so only played a handful of white ball games this season in the Blast and even got dropped for Burns which was a horrendous decision. Probably doesn't get in our strongest side in any format but is next cab off the rank in all of them so ends up playing a lot but in a lot of different roles.
It does seem that Billings has slipped down the England white ball pecking order, but then I've always been slightly puzzled why England have played him as a specialist batsman. I can see him being picked in the white ball team to take the gloves if Bairstow and Buttler are both injured, but there are better white ball batsmen out there.
If Billings' only current England hope is to be the reserve keeper in the Test team, that does unfortunately mean that he has to take the gloves in red ball matches.
While it has been a poor season for Kent, we have the potential to win the Royal London, a comp where Billings hasn't played a single game - and in which Robinson has scored 491 runs at an average of 61.37 at an incredible strike rate of 127.20. Combining runs/average/strike rate that puts him in the top four batsmen in the comp and he can't even get a place in the side when everyone else is available. He is a superb keeper too.
All of that said, the proof of the pudding will be how the two do from now on at their respective counties and availability and runs have to form the basis of that assessment. Ironically, should Robinson pass Billings in the England pecking order, it might actually do Kent a favour!