Patel pays price for fitness failures

12 April 2012

Samit Patel has been told he will not be joining the England team for the Twenty20 and one day international section of the Caribbean tour after ignoring "repeated warnings" over his fitness.

Patel, 24, was informed of the decision on Tuesday by performance director David Parsons.

An ECB statement read: "The decision follows Patel's failure, despite repeated warnings, to reach an acceptable standard of fitness for international cricket. He will now remain with the England Lions for the conclusion of their tour of New Zealand."

The statement continued: "Patel's fitness has been monitored since he returned from India in November after touring with the England one day side. He has undertaken two fitness assessments since the start of the year and on both occasions the results were unsatisfactory.

Geoff Miller, who also spoke to Patel, said: "The demands of international cricket are huge and Samit must recognise that fitness levels are a vital part of a successful team in international cricket.

"He really needs to understand and grasp that fact because his fitness levels have regressed between his first assessment during the build up to the England Lions tour and the second Test during the first week in New Zealand."

England cricket managing director Hugh Morris said: "Samit Patel is a talented cricketer but he, like every other player who joins the senior England team, must be aware of the strict fitness criteria that will be set.

"It is extremely frustrating that Samit has not heeded the warnings of his county, Nottinghamshire, and the England national selector Geoff Miller as well as the England management and strength and conditioning team. In the circumstances we had no option but to deselect him from the tour."

Yorkshire's Adil Rashid, who has been a part of the England Test squad, will now remain with the England squad in Trinidad for the Twenty20 against West Indies and the subsequent five one day internationals.

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