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'I would love to know which boxes I hadn't ticked'

Ramprakash disappointed to miss out

Cricinfo staff

November 1, 2007

"It's cause for concern when people score 2000 runs and average more than 100 in back-to-back seasons ... and they are still overlooked" © Getty Images

Mark Ramprakash has expressed his disappointment at not earning an England recall after selector Geoff Miller called him three weeks before the squad to Sri Lanka was announced and asked him about his future plans.

"When selector Geoff Miller rang me before the squad was picked, asking lots of questions about my future plans, I thought I had a genuine chance of going to Sri Lanka," Ramprakash told the Mirror newspaper. "Chairman of selectors David Graveney rang me before the squad was announced to try and explain the rationale behind leaving me out, but afterwards I was still none the wiser. He said I had a great season and couldn't have done any more to get in the squad, so I replied. 'Hang on - if I couldn't have done any more, why am I not in the side?'"

Ramprakash was the highest run-scorer of the 2006 and 2007 County Championship with averages of over 100 and was the only batsman to go past the 2000-run mark in the two seasons.

"It's cause for concern when people score 2000 runs and average more than 100 in back-to-back seasons, which is hardly a flash in the pan, and they are still overlooked," he said. "I would love to know which boxes I hadn't ticked.

"All my fitness charts at Surrey last summer showed I'm as fit at 38 as I was when I broke into the England side at 21. And if age alone was the issue, all I can say is that's unfair - Graham Gooch scored heaps of runs for England between the age of 35 and 40."

© Cricinfo