Gillespie speaks out as England drop Lyth

Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie has spoken out following Adam Lyth’s omission from the England squad for their tour against Pakistan in the UAE this week.

The Aussie understands the selectors’ decision, but believes the Whitby-based batsman should’ve been opening with skipper Alastair Cook in the West Indies.

Gillespie said: “The decision (to drop Lyth) is obviously a tough one for me to analyse as his head coach at Yorkshire.

“His seven Tests have been against two good attacks in challenging conditions and the simple but harsh reality is that cricketers are judged on output.

“There were no question marks over Joe Root, for example, leading up to the announcement because, and I have said this before, players are their own best selectors.

“A couple of half-centuries and Lyth might have seen his run extended but he was in control of his own destiny.

“Hopefully if he punches out more runs for Yorkshire another opportunity will come along.”

Gillespie wasn’t surprised to hear England’s new coach. Trevor Bayliss, praising the attitude of the left-hander.

He added: “The coach praised his attitude even when he was not performing as well as he can and that does not surprise me, he is a team man above all else.

“The question of how long a Test batsman gets to make his mark is a tough one.

“Lyth got seven caps like Sam Robson before him, while Nick Compton got nine. Only Compton got the chance home and away.

“The only gripe you could have was that England went for Jonathan Trott in the Caribbean first, when Lyth was in top form, but that wasted opportunity is in the past now.”