Northamptonshire: Overseas back-up still uncertain for Curran (27 Mar 1998)

27 March 1998

Northamptonshire: Overseas back-up still uncertain for Curran

By Peter Deeley

THE eleventh-hour withdrawal of the Australian seam-bowler Paul Reiffel from his commitment as Northamptonshire's overseas player, because of injury, highlights an increasing dilemma for counties.

Steve Coverdale, Northants' chief executive, is now engaged almost incessantly in a worldwide hunt for a replacement. Many names have been mentioned, including former favourites at Wantage Road such as Anil Kumble, of India, or Curtly Ambrose, along with his young West Indies Test colleague Franklyn Rose.

After Mohammad Akram's disappointing season last summer Northants are reluctant to consider another Pakistan player. Beyond that Coverdale says only: "We are looking for a quality cricketer, quick or slow bowler".

Coverdale believes many counties will face a like plight without fundamental changes. "We need to get back to a system where you are allowed to employ two overseas men and play one. Our experience was that the cost of two was very little more than the cost of one.

"The increasing number of international competitions means that players are becoming less and less available for the whole of a season, particularly at the start.

"The time is fast approaching when players themselves will not be prepared to commit themselves to a county for a whole summer."

Northants are only too aware that a poor start last season largely contributed to another disappointing year. The East Midlands suffered more than most from the wet weather (40 per cent of playing time lost in the first half of the summer), but Akram's failure at the head of the attack (30 championship wickets at nearly 38 each) showed just how much the likes of Kumble and Ambrose had meant.

Only two batsmen - Rob Bailey and Kevin Curran - passed the championship 1,000 run mark, indicating that this is a county still fighting to come to terms with the gap left by Allan Lamb.

The side is replete with promising batsmen - Mal Loye, Richard Montgomerie, David Sales - but now is the time when they must come more effectively to the aid of their party.

Now Bailey has stepped down as captain after two seasons in favour of Curran, a man, Coverdale emphasised, who was "the players' choice". Curran has brought from his winter in South African cricket a new fitness regime from the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town.

Alan Fordham has left to work with the England and Wales Cricket Board, though he gets a county testimonial this summer, and the major new domestic signing is Devon Malcolm.

Coverdale said: "Devon has set himself fairly ambitious targets with us and is determined he will be on the plane to Australia with England next winter."

But will the home pitches suit his fire-brand style? Groundsman David Bates produced some quick wickets in his first season last year and Coverdale believes that perfect batting tracks at Wantage Road could soon be a thing of the past.

Where the football ground once stood, a large six-lane indoor cricket school is going up with the help of over £1 million Lottery money. A new county ground is gradually taking shape, but one wonders whether the present side are strong enough all-round to help fly the county's first championship pennant.

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