England to steer on an even keel (21 January 1999)

21 January 1999

England to steer on an even keel

By Paul Newman in Adelaide

ENGLAND will attempt to strike a "delicate balance" between picking their best teams and giving fringe players an opportunity if they continue their outstanding progress in this triangular series.

Tuesday's convincing victory over Sri Lanka in Melbourne, their fourth in five Carlton and United series matches, means that England need two more wins from their remaining five qualifying games to secure a place in the final of this protracted tournament against Australia and Sri Lanka.

If and when that happens, they must consider resting the likes of Darren Gough and Alec Stewart while allowing Vince Wells, Mark Alleyne and Ben Hollioake a proper chance to stake their World Cup claims.

"We're still selecting our best team to win each match until we're absolutely sure of qualifying and we must make sure that we cross the right bridge at the right time," said David Graveney, manager of the England one-day squad.

"We have to balance resting players with losing our tempo and the feel of winning games, which is important. The more we win, the more confident the team get and we must remember that these are one-day internationals and important in their own right."

Graveney was talking after the team's arrival in Adelaide following their third internal flight in five days which, coupled with three games, is leaving players fatigued at the end of a long tour.

At the halfway stage of qualifying England will have a day off, playing golf, today before practising tomorrow ahead of Saturday's game against Sri Lanka at the Adelaide Oval. There are minor fitness worries over Neil Fairbrother, Nick Knight and Nasser Hussain.

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