Flailing Foster typifies falling standards

Although England had another good day, doubts still continue to surround the 21-year old wicketkeeper Jamie Foster. He dropped two awkward catches in New Zealand's first innings and then, towards the end, showed his inexperience by catching a ball off the batsman's pad when it might well have landed on the stumps.

After a poor first Test match in Mohali against India in late December he improved noticeably as that series went on. He made important forties in the Ahmedabad and Bangalore Test matches that clearly helped his confidence with the gloves as well.

He did an adequate job behind the stumps in the five one-day internationals in which he was fit to play in India after Christmas. But after coming to New Zealand, and playing in first of the five one-day games the job was passed on to Marcus Trescothick so that another batsman could be fitted in.

This is why the wicketkeeper's job has been cheapened in recent years. In one-day cricket the keeper's batting appears to be more important than his keeping and this preference is now spilling over into Test cricket, resulting in a fall in overall wicket keeping standards.

Foster did not allow his replacement by Trescothick to worry him – outwardly at any rate – but it did deprive him of important practice. The selectors were then right to stick with him for the Test matches against New Zealand, for there can be no future in now turning to Warren Hegg, the reserve wicketkeeper in this series, as he is 34 and obviously has no long-term future.

But, if Foster really is the best young wicketkeeper in England, it is an illustration of how the standards have fallen over the last decade.

What Foster needs more than anything is two hard years of constant county cricket to increase his experience and to smooth over the rough edges.

In the Christchurch Test match he dropped Mark Richardson on the last day off Ashley Giles when he played for non-existent turn, as did Foster behind the stumps. He was fortunate it was not as expensive as it might have been. In New Zealand's first innings here he dropped both Richardson and Lou Vincent when standing back.

When Vincent was on 16, Matthew Hoggard brought one back which flicked the inside edge and Foster dropped a diving left-handed catch. It was not easy but he should have got two hands to the ball for it was not as wide as he made it seem.

Then early on the fourth day Richardson felt for Andrew Flintoff outside the off stump and Foster dived far to his left and dropped a catch which belonged to Marcus Trescothick at first slip. Later, when Chris Drum padded up to Giles in defence, the ball lobbed into the air with the batsman not knowing where it was, and it might well have fallen on the stumps, but in spite of yells of "leave it" Foster caught the ball. Ironically his batting is coming on a treat, but it is his keeping that he must work at, for at this level most of those chances should be taken. Wicketkeeping is the horse, batting the cart, and it must not be allowed to overtake the former.