The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Boycott feels insulted by ECB

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Sunday, Jan 28, 2007
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Boycott feels insulted by ECB

Geoffrey Boycott. — FILE PHOTO

London: Former captain Geoffrey Boycott has said he felt insulted by England and Wales Cricket Board's decision to keep him out of an Ashes review panel and put him in the category of journalists.

Boycott, who covered England's recent Ashes series against Australia, was invited along with journalists for lunch and not for review of England's performance down under.

``I care about England and felt that my experience and knowledge were of value and would have happily interrupted my holiday here in South Africa to attend a review,'' he said.

``But obviously the ECB value my experience and knowledge so much that they have grouped me with a number of `journalists' who covered the Ashes tour and invited me to attend a lunch in London on February 22.

``They might as well have not bothered to pay me lip service, because to put me in the category of a journalist and not a former player I find quite insulting and I shall not be going,'' he wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph.

Boycott questioned the composition of the seven-man panel which does not have any of the former England greats.

``There is nobody on the panel who knows what winning against Australia is about. Where is Botham, Gower, Mike Gatting, Bob Willis or Geoffrey Boycott?

``We are not considered good enough to be on the review team. I played in eight Ashes series and only once finished on the losing side, in 1964 my first series. I played in four winning sides — two in Australia and two in England — and three drawn series. It's a better record than England have had against Australia in the last 18 years.'' — PTI

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