Selectors for the National Academy have again plumped for youth and potential ahead of performances.

Unfortunately for Matt Prior, and for Sussex, he has been pipped at the post by Mark Wallace, from Glamorgan, and Nottinghamshire's Chris Read.

Cricket fans will know about Read, having played a number of times already for England and, while he had always performed admirably with the gauntlets, his batting has been ineffective.

However, he scored a big hundred earlier this season (the second of his career) and Rod Marsh obviously wanted to have a closer look at him.

Marsh had plenty of time to look at Wallace at the academy last year and obviously liked what he saw.

Both keepers are excellent glove men but neither comes near to our Sussex's Matt Prior in terms of batting talent.

If he could just transfer some of his 50s (four already this season) into hundreds he would surely make the selectors have to make an all too rare trip down to Hove.

Tim Ambrose and Michael Yardy are two players who are also unlucky not to have been chosen in the Academy squad.

'Shambrose's' dual nationality might have clouded the issue (although the coach is Australian so I'm sure he wouldn't have minded) but the fact that he has so much to offer with his keeping and batting must have been talked about.

Yardy's game improves every year and while he is yet to score a hundred, no one here is in any doubt that the big score is not far away.

He leaves the ball well and plays it very late, both good qualities necessary for a top order player.

My name had been mentioned occasionally this year, with regards a place on the academy.

I can't say if that was just press talk or whether the selectors have been watching me but if the latter is the case then my abysmal record in front of watching selectors won't have helped my cause.

At Lord's, a couple of years ago, I recorded a pair in front of the watching Geoff Miller and the following year at Northampton, when apparently another England man was present, I bowled the worst I have ever bowled in a first class game. I know, however, that I need to work on my consistency.

Only by producing eye-catching performances time after time did James Kirtley finally do enough to be considered a good selection for England.

How cruel for James to have had his NatWest Series ended so suddenly in the nets last week (how often do these serious injuries happen off the pitch?).

Having watched most of the England games, I'd say he had bowled well, although not as well as he is capable of.

He certainly didn't look fazed or out of place in his second start of international cricket and the fact that he fielded so superbly and took one of the greatest catches ever seen in a televised game, stands him in good stead for when the selectors decide on their final World Cup squad.

Thursday July 11