“It’s the most difficult thing I’ve experienced”
Former England wicker-keeper Ben Foakes said was dropped as Test wicket-keeper in a phone call that lasted only 10 seconds. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, he recalled the horror of the moment.
“I knew I was dropped already – just because of the way that lads were being pulled out of games,” Foakes recalls. “You don’t need a degree to work out that if you haven’t been told, you’ve been dropped. I knew it was coming. Then I got told I was dropped. And then ever since, no contact.”
The 32-year-old played 26 Tests for England, the last one coming against in Dharamsala. A wicket-keeper in the classical mould with fine reflexes, his batting was more grit than flash, one of the reasons he did not quite fit into the Bazball era. The lack of explanation hurt him, “I was like ‘you don’t need to explain anything. I know what’s going on here.’ And then that’s it.”
Devastated, it affected his motivation for the next few months. “When you essentially get racked off, it’s a weird position to be in in terms of motivation. I’ve always felt that I might still play for England and had that desire to get back in. That’s always the driving force. Now, they’re looking to go a fresh way,” he explained.
“It’s the most difficult thing I’ve experienced because, in the past, I’ve always felt like there was a way back, with the merry-go-round of Jonny, Jos [Buttler] and me. It always felt like you weren’t out of it. I think when they go fresh start and kind of park guys, under this regime, it’s quite obvious. If they back someone, they give them a good run. So I think just naturally, the way everything kind of lays out, it’s unlikely that you could get another go,” he added.