Interview with Adam Hollioake (21 October 1998)

21 October 1998

Interview with Adam Hollioake

The Daily Star

Bangladesh not playing? "It's a shame" - Adam Hollioake

Adam Hollioake, the England one-day captian, is in the city to lead his side in the Wills International Cup. The Daily Star's Rabeed Imam and Hasan Masood met the Surrey all-rounder with Australian and Indonesian connections at his hotel yesterday.

Daily Star: You had a long practice session yesterday. How was it?

Adam Hollioake: The practice was good. We had a couple of hours in the nets. In the morning we had a little bit of a loosener to get rid of the fatigue from the flight hangover, so the practice went very well.

DS: Are you impressed with the practice pitches?

AH: Very impressed, they've been excellent. With all the rain, the groundsmen had to put in a lot of hard work.We were surprised at how good they were.

DS: What about the flood lights?

AH: Excellent, superb floodlights. Practically, it was like playing in day light.

DS: It seems you are satisfied with the proceedings so far..

AH: Oh yes, totally, I mean we didn't expect anything else. We expected we'd be satisfied, so it was no surprise.

DS: The England and Zimbabwe teams have arrived earlier than the other teams. Do you think that's going to give you any added advantage in your opening match against South Africa?

AH: I think that is going to give us a little bit of advantage, not a lot. I don't know when the South Africans are going to arrive. If they arrive very close to the opening game then that will give us some advantage. We're just glad we are here, getting settled and getting ready for the tournament.

DS: In your first assignment as captain, you succeeded in winning the Champions Trophy at Sharjah with a fairly young side. Keeping that success in mind, are expectations very high for this tournament back home?

AH: I think there's always high expectations when you play for your country, you are always expected to do well. I'm aware of the fact that a number of stars are missing but we've got some of the best one-day players in England. I know they may not be household names, they are not famous but they are reknowned in England as the best limited-overs players. I'm not sure if anyone else is thinking that way, but we're sure that we're going to do well and that is all that matters.

DS: How important is this tournament to you?

AH: I guess every tournament you play is important. If you win it then obviously it's very good.The problem with a knock-out tournament is that you get only one chance.You may play very well but it's a 50-over-a-side game and the other team with a bit of luck can win it. I can only say that I wish to win every game we feature in this tournament.

DS: England and Australia now has separate teams for Tests and one-dayers. Do you think its a positive approach?

AH: It's only positive if it makes a difference. If all the Test players are the best one-day players, then its not positive at all because you are not picking your best team. England are trying to pick their best teams and if that makes a difference then ofcourse it is positive.

DS: You are here in your capacity as a specialist one-day captain. Do you consider this as a threat to your future Test prospects?

AH: No I don't. When you are playing in a one-day competition thats all you can worry about. I can't worry about Test matches because I'm not playing them.

DS: Are you a bit dissappointed at missing the Ashes?

AH: Dissappointed, but also I realise that I hadn't played as well as I can do to get picked. Dissappointed at not being there but also realistic.

DS: As cricket captain, do you feel confident that you will be in the World Cup squad?

AH: I'm always pretty confident. I've always felt that one-day cricket is my strength and I feel that if I can play as well as I can do, then I'll be in the World Cup squad.

DS: Your brother Ben is also a very talented cricketer. Aren't you a bit surprised he is not in this team?

AH: He has actually gone to Australia with the Test side. So I'm not surprised.

DS: Despite frequent changes and experiments, the England side has not performed well during the last years or so.What are your views in this regard?

AH: Well you can say that, but we won in Sharjah, where we beat Pakistan, India, and we beat the West Indies twice. Those were very good wins for us. We then went to the West Indies and didn't play as well as we could have done as we did against South Africa.We then had a good win against Sri Lanka in a one-day competition where we made it to the final but lost. So it's fair to say we were average without being brilliant.

We are trying to develop our game. We are still looking at new players all the time.There's no point in being the best team in the world now. We want to be the best side in May-June next year when it matters really.

DS: You have come to Dhaka with a fairly young team with a lot of new faces.What are your expectations from them?

AH: They maybe young but they are also very keen. Sometimes what you lack in experience, you can make up for it with enthusiasm. We'll just get on with things. Everyone is very enthusiastic so it's easy to motivate the players. We're going to try our best. That's all you can ask of your players.

DS: Do you think the nucleus of the England World Cup side is here?

AH: Yes, I believe it is. There may be a few changes along the way, some one may lose form, or get injured. So there's still three or four places up for grabs. Otherwise the nucleus is here.

DS: What are the strengths of this team?

AH: This is a very athletic team. It's a good fielding side, quick in running between the wickets. We try to do the the 'one-percent' things right rather than doing things brilliantly.

DS: The interesting concept of 'bowl out' will be introduced for the first time in this tournament. How does the prospect sound to you?

AH: Scary! We had gone through the system in a NatWest Trophy match last season where our team could hit the wickets only thrice out of ten.

DS: Do you have any idea about Bangladeshi cricket?

AH: Well, I've seen them in action during the Hong Kong cricket Sixes. They seem to possess a lot of talent. I've heard they are improving.

DS: Bangladesh, the hosts, are not participating in this Wills International Cup. What is your opinion about it?

AH: I think it's a shame.

Source:: The Bangladesh Daily Star (https://www.dailystarnews.com)