From the desert to the English rain
Former England cricketer Angus Fraser sympathises with the current World Cup squad, who have had to go straight from a long tour of Australia into the tournament, but says the lead-up is not nearly as bad as the one he was part of in 1999
Dustin Silgardo
25-Feb-2013
Former England cricketer Angus Fraser sympathises with the current World Cup squad, who have had to go straight from a long tour of Australia into the tournament, but says the lead-up is not nearly as bad as the one he was part of in 1999. In the Independent, he lists the plethora of distractions England had in a campaign that was "over before our official World Cup song had even been released."
Our World Cup preparations began in earnest with a training camp in Pakistan, which was followed by a triangular one-day tournament involving India and Pakistan in Sharjah. The trips were well meaning but, even now, it is difficult to work out how the 45 degree heat and slow, low pitches in Lahore and Dubai were ever going to prepare us for cold, wet seamer-friendly conditions in England in May.
It was while we were in Lahore that the players' contract dispute with the England and Wales Cricket Board erupted. With the squad selected and the fees agreed between the captain, Alec Stewart, and the ECB our contracts were presented to us. It is fair to say, they did not go down very well.
Dustin Silgardo is a former sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo