Franklin ‘bitter’ about central contract snub

All-rounder ignored despite averaging 54 in last 14 ODI innings.

WELLINGTON:

New Zealand all-rounder James Franklin expressed shock at missing out on a central contract after what he felt was a strong summer in the national side, according to ESPNcricinfo.

However, the 30-year-old’s performance failed to convince the national selectors who left him out of the 20-man contract list second year in a row. Franklin was clearly gutted at the snub.

“I can’t change what they’ve done,” Franklin told the Dominion Post. “This is a tough one. This one has come out of the blue and I’m a bit bitter. In my last 14 one-day innings I’ve averaged 54, but they’ve made their decision. To miss out entirely on a Test ranking is a hard one.”

The National Selection Manager, Mark Greatbatch, said Franklin was unlucky to miss out, but his bowling in recent times had been disappointing.

Franklin conceded he failed to perform at the World Cup and felt that his show at the mega event “got microscoped a fair bit”.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2011.