CMJ: England remain at sixes and sevens over Russell (10 Sep 1997)
Christopher Martin-Jenkins
10-Sep-1997
Wednesday 10 September 1997
England remain at sixes and sevens over Russell
Christopher Martin-Jenkins.
BY CHOOSING five fast bowlers and leaving out Mark Ealham,
Dominic Cork and Ben Hollioake, the England selection committee have left the tour selectors in the West Indies with a problem of balance which will puzzle them throughout the five-Test
series. It is nothing new and it was not surprising.
Ealham is unspectacular and underestimated, Cork considered
physically and temperamentally unsound at present and Hollioake
not ready, aged 19 and with only 15 first-class matches behind
him, to face the intimidating challenge of the fast bowlers
and stroke-players of the Caribbean. England have not won there
since 1967/68.
None the less, by not taking a chance with any one of these
three, David Graveney, Mike Gatting and Graham Gooch, who chose
the squad at Lord`s on Monday afternoon, have ensured that Mike
Atherton, the captain, David Lloyd, the coach, Nasser Hussain,
retained as vice-captain, and Bob Bennett, the manager, will have
to settle for only four bowlers or once again omit Jack Russell
as wicketkeeper.
Graveney gave a clear indication, when answering questions after he had announced the three touring sides for the winter`s
cricket at Lord`s yesterday, that Russell will not be spending
another tour with his paint brushes rather than his bat, pads
and gloves. He suggested too that the casualty will be the second spinner, who should be playing if England are to exploit the
West Indies` most vulnerable area. If they are fit, Darren Gough,
Andrew Caddick and Dean Headley will be the first-choice
bowling attack, supplemented by either Phil Tufnell or Robert
Croft.
The return of Russell has to be right. He remains probably the
best wicketkeeper in England and certainly one of the hardest
men to get out, an entirely convincing number seven in a Test
order but not, and here`s the rub, a number six. Only if Adam
Hollioake were to make a legitimate claim for himself as a viable third seamer in certain conditions would this change.
His first duty, however, will be to try to establish himself
as a Test batsman.
Atherton, Hussain, Alec Stewart and Graham Thorpe are certain
to start the series as the core of the batting, so the remaining
four, Hollioake, John Crawley, Mark Ram- prakash and Mark
Butcher, will be battling for two places, with only two matches
to state their case before the first Test.
Butcher was preferred to Nick Knight and Steve James, who are
respectively captain and vice-captain on the A tour. Graveney
named them as "obvious batting stand-bys" in case of injury and
added that the prolific James, 30, the subject of "lengthy
deliberation", could take comfort from the fact that Butcher
was promoted to the Test side after a successful A tour last winter.
Angus Fraser is two years older than James and if one is allowed to be a little sentimental it is a delight to see his reward for honest determination to get back into the national
reckoning. His figures have been inferior to Peter Martin in
the two years since both were left out after the tour of South
Africa, however. Martin has made fleeting appearances since but
there has not been much to choose between them for some time.
Fraser hits the seam accurately; Martin swings it accurately.
I bracket them because of the fact that they are two of the few
bowlers in county cricket who can be relied upon to bowl at
under three runs an over. Martin`s 54 wickets this season have
come at 2.27 runs per over and an average of 23. Fras- er`s 44
wickets have come at 2.6 runs an over and an average of 29.
James Hewitt, Fraser`s Middlesex opening partner, who has taken
55 wickets in his first full season but does not get an A tour,
has been more expensive, at 3.1 runs an over.
Graveney made a point of saying yesterday that the in- accuracy
of seam bowlers throughout county cricket concerns him. I believe Martin is more deserving even than Fraser but the selectors are right to look for one experienced and accurate bowler
in the West Indies, especially as Caddick`s 72 wickets this season have cost three an over, Headley`s 3.2 and Gough`s 3.3.
It looked as though Fraser and Devon Malcolm were playing their
final Test after Cape Town early in 1996. In the event Malcolm
was recalled for three Tests against Australia this summer
but he has been left out now with an assurance from
Graveney that he is not being written off yet, following a conspicuously successful season for a conspicuously unsuccessful
Derbyshire.
Ashley Cowan, 22, the only uncapped member of the party, has
taken the young fast bowler`s place occupied last win- ter by
Chris Silverwood. It would be no surpise if he forces his way
into a Test or two because he swings the ball away from an action
which makes the very most of his 6ft 4in.
Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/)