Hick to revel in authority (20 October 1998 )

20 October 1998

Hick to revel in authority

By a Special Correspondent in Dhaka

GRAEME HICK has spelt out his determination to carry on where he left off last season as the countdown to the Wills International Cup begins in earnest tomorrow with the warm-up game against Zimbabwe in Dhaka.

Whatever his failings for England at Test level, Hick remains a destructive force in the limited-overs game as he proved against South Africa and Sri Lanka in the triangular tournament in August.

The 32-year-old batsman also took a century off the Sri Lankans for Worcestershire in a 50-over game in addition to his one against them in the one-off Test at the Oval. That was not enough to earn Hick a place on the Ashes tour but now he has been made vice-captain for the competition in Bangladesh as he looks to enhance his claim to a place in England's World Cup squad.

Hick said: "I enjoyed the end of last season and getting the runs in the one-dayers, but I felt I played confidently throughout the season. There were one or two blemishes and I would have liked more runs in the Tests with South Africa, but overall I was quite happy with the way I performed."

As for being handed the vice-captaincy, Hick said: "I'm delighted to have been chosen as there were a few other people out here who could have done the job."

England are also playing the host nation in a another warm-up match on Friday before their tournament opener in a day/night match against South Africa on Sunday in front of an anticipated capacity 35,000 crowd.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)