Sports Letter: Time to give Butcher a rest

Sir: I see that Mark Butcher has failed yet again to get any runs for England in the [Second]Test match against South Africa. For some reason which escapes me, Butcher seems to have become a fixture in the England side despite the fact that he has failed to achieve any consistency in run-making in Test matches. When was the last time he made a sequence of big scores that could justify his retention in the side?

Why can't we give Michael Vaughan a go at opening with Mike Atherton? He can't possibly do any worse than Butcher and has the potential to be very much better. That would free up a place in the side next summer for Aftab Habib, who has had a good A team tour and seems to have sorted out his footwork problems.

Perhaps if we had Ian Botham as a selector we would have a few more radical decisions made in the selection of the England team. Heavens above, we need them!

JOHN DENNIS

Kemble

Cirencester

Gloucestershire