DEFREITAS_BREAKS_MOULD_08MAR1996

DeFreitas breaks mould

BY PETER DEELEY IN KARACHI

"AND Phillip DeFreitas moves in to bowl his off-breaks." Listeners to the ball-by-ball commentary tomorrow of England`s World Cup quarter-final against Sri Lanka may be forgiven for thinking their ears have deceived them at such an early hour.

Far from it. That is an option manager Ray Illingworth is saving for Faisalabad - and DeFreitas is enthusiastic at the prospect.

In 100 one-day internationals he has bowled his seamers for England. Last summer DeFreitas turned to spin in two games for Derbyshire and took a dozen wickets - "I can`t quite remember how many" - and has operated as a slow bowler on occasions in the nets during this tour.

"It`s no wind-up," he assured me. "And I`m not getting old, I`m only 30. It will be nothing new to me. Illy mentioned it in conversation this week and I am very keen. I see my future bowling off-spin in a couple of years. It would be a real challenge to change over permanently then."

Such talk has been prompted by four of Sri Lanka`s top seven batsmen being left-handers. Even against the most free-hitting side in the competition, DeFreitas says he does not think it will be "nerve-racking. I relish the challenge".

DeFreitas recalled getting three wickets in an innings on a flat pitch against Kent at Maidstone last summer. "Kim Barnett asked me if I fancied having a go. I had been practising in the nets and bowled off-spin quite well in that game."

Not well enough, it should be pointed out, to prevent Sri Lankan right-hander Aravinda de Silva scoring 255 and 116 for Kent.

Illingworth has reiterated his determination to stand down as England manager at the end of the summer. "I`m not going to tour again. I only did it because I was asked," he said.

Asked what he thought about the idea of working through the season in tandem with an heir apparent for the job, Illingworth shrugged: "That`s up to them [the Test and County Cricket Board]." When told recently that Ian Botham was interested in the post, he replied: "What! You are taking the ****, aren`t you?" Illingworth added that it was up to the TCCB whether they wanted him to continue as chairman of selectors.

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