Glen Chapple

Just watching the old boy pound in on Sky this evening (he's a couple of months older than me!!) got me wondering as to why he didn't ever receive a chance with the international team.

I'd always assumed it was because he lacked a yard or two of pace but the speed gun tonight is clocking him comfortably above 80mph at the age of 39 so I'm now not so sure.

Given that during his career the likes of Mullally, Kirtley, Ali, Munton, Mallender, Hegg and countless others have had a go, do others not think he was entitled to a chance? It's not even as if he's a complete mug with the bat.

One ODI cap seems like a poor reward for two decades of hard graft so I'd be interested to hear/read what other posters think.

He can certainly count himself unlucky not to have had a go at test cricket. He has been a great servant to Lancashire, and one of my favourite players on the county circuit.

When he was absolutely at his prime, he got a fairly serious injury.

For quite a while he was my first choice in fantasy cricket teams as he always took wickets and made decent runs.

To add to the names you mentioned we also have Giddins, Ormond, McCague. I guess when he was younger Gough and Caddick kept him out, and when they were replaced Harmison and Hoggard took over.

I think his prime largely coincided with that of Freddie Flintoff, which probably didn't help. Also have to bear in mind Duncan Fletcher wanted pace and nothing else, hence we were treated to the likes of Sajid Mahmood.

By the time Fletcher left I am guessing he was perceived as too old as there was a bit of a clearout with the likes of Broad, Anderson and Tremlett brought in, all who were under 25 at the time.

There will always be people that are a bit unlucky and, more than anyone, Chapple is the man in his generation. Richardson and Masters are equally devastating now but, unlike Chapple, both of them were late bloomers.

Even during the 1990s England had a reasonable crop of fast bowlers (Gough, Caddick, Fraser, Headley etc.) that would have kept him out. Others like Mullally and Mike Smith got the luck to play because of particular attributes - left-arm/ supposed swing specialist - which Chapple didn't have. Glen can bat well but not well enough to fall into the 'all-rounder' category, which probably stopped him from playing the Tests that Ealham and Craig White did.

As VTR says by 2003, when he was 29, there were plenty of others about: Hoggard, Harmison, Jones, Anderson... again Chapple can count himself unlucky but those in the team were starting to do a good job.

Of course he was in the selectors thoughts in 2006, when he played his only ODI and got badly injured. Had he done well he might have earned a place on the 06/ 07 Ashes Tour, though that might have been a poisoned chalice in itself!

A young Chapple would probably get a game now, as Flower likes bowlers who can bat, like Bresnan.

he should have played for england, but sadly never will.

He's been unlucky. I remember thinking that he was unlucky not to play around the same time that Vaughan made his debut

I always thought he was Australian...