Batty 'deserves' England chance

From a Surrey perspective, it's extraordinary Jonathan has been overlooked again Alan Butcher

Surrey coach Alan Butcher has hit out at England's decision to overlook Jon Batty for their one-day squad.

Wicket-keeper Batty, 32, is four years younger than Leicestershire's Paul Nixon, who has been called up for the forthcoming series in Australia.

Butcher said Nixon was renowned as a "good professional".

But he told the club's website: "Whenever these things are discussed, JB never seems to come into the equation. I think that is ridiculous."

Batty has been Surrey's first-choice keeper since the retirement of Alec Stewart and as well as more than 550 catches and stumpings during his career, he has also scored over 8,500 runs in all forms of the game, including 12 first-class centuries.

"Nixon has had a long career and with no disrespect, his [batting] average has been helped by the fact that nearly a quarter of his innings have been not outs, an advantage that JB, who regularly opens the innings, does not have.

"JB has, I believe, suffered from the perception that he was Alec Stewart's understudy. He has more than stepped away from that now and has produced results that have put him with the best of his type in the country," said Butcher.

"It should also be recognised...he has also kept wicket consistently to one of the world's best mystery spinners in Saqlain Mushtaq and the best English leg-spinner of his generation, Ian Salisbury. What more does he have to do?"