Ashes Series: Gough in doubt with knee injury (6 Aug 1997)

Wednesday 6 August 1997

Ashes Series: Gough in doubt with knee injury

By Simon Hughes

ENGLAND could be without Darren Gough, their leading wicket-taker this summer, for the fifth Test starting at Trent Bridge tomorrow which England have to win if they are to have any chance of regaining the Ashes.

A knee injury prevented Gough, who has 16 wickets to his name in the previous four Tests, from bowling in the nets yesterday. He will have a fitness test this morning, but the bowler did not sound too optimistic.

"The knee started to flare up in the last Test," he said. "Then I had a NatWest game and a championship match in between. Now it`s painful when I run.

"You get little niggles in this game but this seems to get worse the more I play. I`ve had two or three days off now and I`ll have to see how it is off my full run and bowling at full pace."

David Graveney, England`s chairman of selectors, said: "We`ll give him the maximum amount of time to recover and improve his chances of being available for selection."

The situation, though, means England`s seam attack is likely to be Devon Malcolm, Andy Caddick and Dean Headley, though the idea of playing two spinners has not been totally discounted. Phil Tufnell has therefore been retained overnight for the first time in the series.

His chances of playing appear slim, however, in the light of a wicket showing an even covering of grass which might encourage the quicker bowlers early on here. Robert Croft is still the first choice spinner.

All the media attention at England`s practice was inevitably on the Hollioakes, who should become the first brothers to appear in the same England Test side since the Richardsons in 1957.

Adam will definitely bat at No 6 and Ben is virtually certain to come in one place below. "It should be interesting," Ben said. "We`ve only batted together three or four times and I think our highest partnership is about eight."

England`s reformed opening pair, Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart, practised longest yesterday. Atherton arrived early for an extensive net under Graham Gooch`s supervision and Stewart prepared for his dual role by staying behind for extra wicketkeeping work with Alan Knott.

Australia, in the meantime, will be fielding the team who won by an innings at Headingley. Having recovered from a back spasm, Mark Taylor had his first bat for a week, followed by a second for good measure. He could be brandishing something a good deal more precious than a 2.5lb lump of willow by Monday.

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