I just read an article that said Faulkner signed a 120,000 pound contract to play the first half of the County season but Cricket Australia blocked it because they wanted him rested for the Champions Trophy.
If that's true I really hope he sues them. That's an incredibly low act by CA.
Oh, I was just about to write about that.
Sucks that CA told him to reject the offer to rest for the Champions Trophy, only to not get picked in the Champions Trophy squad and then complete miss out on a CA contract as well as the 120,000 pound contract he forfeited. I too would feel extremely disillusioned of ever representing an organisation who did that to me. As Rodney Hogg said, although Faulkner is only 27, I would be extremely surprised if he was ever picked for Australia again. His career has gone the way of Simon O'Donnell, who was put on the scrapheap at 28.
Reminds me a lot of how Doug Bollinger's test career when to craps as well. Was told by CA not to play any cricket in the lead-up to the 2010/11 Ashes as they needed him to rest up, only to be omitted from the 1st test and when he was selected in the 2nd test, his fitness was absolutely shot to pieces, returning match figures of 1/130 and never got selected again.