ESSEX first-team coach Paul Grayson has hit out angrily at the decision to overlook James Foster for England’s winter tour of India.

The Essex wicketkeeper and vice-captain was left out of the 15-man squad for two Test matches in November, despite scoring three centuries in his final five LV County Championship matches of the season.

Foster ended the season with 912 championship runs at an average of 50.66, but that was not enough to see him selected ahead of either Warwickshire’s Tim Ambrose or Sussex’s Matt Prior.

The decision has baffled Grayson, who believes the 28-year-old is by far the best gloveman in the country.

“The most disappointing aspect is that James has done everything that has been asked of him – he’s come into some terrific form with the bat over the last few weeks of the season, averaging 50 in the Championship at the end of it,” said the coach.

“In addition, his keeping is as good as anyone’s.

“Speaking to (former England wicketkeeper) Jack Russell at Gloucestershire last week he told me he thought James is the best ‘keeper in the world at the moment.

“James has been the heartbeat of our successful side this season (winning the Friends Provident Trophy and NatWest Pro40 Division Two) and I feel for him – this is a real kick in the teeth.

“James obviously feels disappointed and let down at the moment but we’ll have a chat later in the week about his plans for the winter.”

Foster played the last of his eight Test matches for England in Australia in December 2002.

Meanwhile, Essex’s Ravi Bopara – the newly crowned Young Cricketer of the Year – was also overlooked in favour of Middlesex batsman Owais Shah.

National selector Geoff Miller explained that the decision had been based on the fact that Shah is seen as a better player of spin bowling – a vital skill on a tour of India.

“He played a superb innings (of 88) in India on his Test debut two years ago,” said Miller.

“It’s a further opportunity for him to build on his success with the one-day side this year and his inclusion in the squad will create real competition for places within the batting unit.”

Bopara, who has been named in England’s squad for seven One-Day Internationals in India that precedes the Test series, has also been left out of the England Performance Programme squad for their shorter tour of India.

The 23-year-old’s involvement in the one-dayers means he would have missed part of the Performance tour, and the ECB have decided to give Bopara, Luke Wright and Samit Patel a break. A third Essex player, opening batsman Alastair Cook, has been named in the England Test squad as expected.

England squad: Pietersen (capt), Cook, Strauss, Bell, Collingwood, Flintoff, Ambrose (wkt), Prior (wkt), Broad, Harmison, Anderson, Panesar, Sidebottom, Shah, Swann.

England Performance Programme squad: Bresnan, M Davies, S Davies, Denly, Joseph, Key, Amjad Khan, Mahmood, Malan, Morgan, Moore, Plunkett, Rashid, Rayner, Trott.