Selection Preview: England's Winter Choice (9 September 1997)

Tuesday 9 September 1997

England`s winter choice

THE fixture list in the West Indies places the five one-day internationals at the end of the tour. These games are better as an aperitif but the itinerary allows the selectors to pick 16 with the Tests in mind, knowing fresher one-day specialists can fly out in March, writes Christopher Martin-Jenkins.

Therefore, the starting point must be a pencilled-in best XI to take on a West Indian side who will have four fast bowlers (unless Rawle Lewis, the leg spinner, has a sensational tour of India) and whose two best batsmen, Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, are left-handed.

Balance is the problem for England as usual. In the absence of a true all-rounder, the team will always have to choose between six batsmen and five bowlers, assuming Russell keeps instead of Stewart.

Australia beat the West Indies in the Carribbean with four bowlers plus Healy at seven, but they have batsmen who bowl, England, apart from Adam Hollioake, do not. Cork and Ealham are better bowlers than Hollioake, but is either a feasible No 6? Croft and Tufnell should play in most Tests but is Hol- lioake good enough to be the third seamer to any combination of the injury-prone Caddick, Gough and Headley? There is no ideal answer. I would make sure Cork keeps in match practice overseas.

England (to West Indies): *Atherton, -Stewart, Butcher, Thorpe, Hussain, Crawley, Ramprakash, A Hollioake, Ealham, -Russell, Croft, Tufnell, Gough, Caddick, Headley, Martin.

England A (to Kenya and Sri Lanka): *Knight, James, Dowman, Adams, Hemp, Shah, Flintoff, -Nixon, Giles, Cosker, Salisbury, B Hollioake, Cowan, Hutchison, D Brown, Hewitt.

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

Peter Deeley

GLAMORGAN`s Steve James, by far the most prolific-scoring opening bat in the latter stages of this season, and Surrey`s Mark Butch- er, who opened in five Tests this summer, will provide the selectors with one of the relatively few areas of debate.

England may have failed to regain the Ashes series, but most of the personnel involved have guaranteed their place in the Caribbean sunshine this winter. If Alec Stewart retains his own opening spot alongside the captain Michael Atherton - presuming that a second wicket-keeper is chosen - there will be room only for Butcher, who averaged 25 in the Test series without ever achieving his full potential, or James who has scored seven centuries this summer for Glamorgan.

The selectors will also be looking for two more fast bowlers to complement the first-choice line-up of Darren Gough, Andrew Caddick and Dean Headley. Devon Malcolm, already blooded in two previ- ous senior tours to the West Indies, cannot be discounted and an outside choice could be the young Essex paceman Ashley Cowan.

England: *Atherton, -Stewart, Butcher, Hussain, Thorpe, Ramprakash, Crawley, A Hollioake, -Russell, Croft, Tufnell, Gough, Headley, Caddick, Malcolm, Cowan.

England A: *Knight, James, Shah, Sales, Dowman, Maddy, B Hollioake, Ealham, Hutchison, Franks, Cosker, D Brown, Ormond, Giles, -Nixon.

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

Simon Hughes

THE RECALL of Graeme Hick and Chris Lewis is not something I expect will happen, but Hick is still an imposing opponent - during the summer Steve Waugh couldn`t believe his permanent exclusion - and, if Robert Croft can`t sort out his batting problems, he would provide a useful bowling option.

He just eases out John Crawley. You need tall, hit-the-deck bowlers rather than swingers in the West Indies, which is why I`ve included Lewis and Ashley Cowan.

Lewis can still bowl with genuine pace but he is an injury risk. At least Angus Fraser, specialist fast bowling adviser, is there on standby.

For the A tour, it is very unfair to ignore both Steve James and Chris Adams, but I don`t think we can learn anything new about them on an A tour.

Such trips are for developing young talent, not rewarding mature players. Iain Sutcliffe and David Sales could make a very ex- citing future opening pair, as could Alex Tudor and Paul Hutchison. Ben Hollioake must be encouraged to do a lot of bowling.

England: *Atherton, Hussain, Butcher, -Stewart, Thorpe, Ramprakash, Hick, A Hollioake, -Russell, C Lewis, Croft, Headley, Caddick, Gough, Cowan, Tufnell.

England A: *Knight, Crawley, Sutcliffe, Sales, Hemp, Shah, B Hollioake, Cork, Tudor, Betts, Hutchison, Giles, Cosker, -Piper.

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

England`s winter choice

Mark Nicholas

WE CAN bang on about the lack of quality in English bowling, but the team have to make more runs against quality opposition if they are to win consistently. The alarming statistics which illustrate how much more effective than England the Australian lower order were indicate that bowlers who can bat resourcefully are as important as ever.

Therefore when there is little to choose between two bowlers, Chris Lewis and the remodelled, 1997 version of Angus Fraser, for example, better batting may have to prevail. These two will be dis- cussed ahead of Devon Malcolm, who is without direction from a management team uncertain how best to use him.

Australia won in the Caribbean because mature and unselfish cricketers played to a disciplined if simple plan. England must do that, too, particularly as four of the five pitches will be slow. It is here that Mark Ealham has his role to play. The Australians were surprised when Ealham was dropped.

I am sorry to leave out Steve James but pleased to include two left-handers, Nick Knight, who bats anywhere with equal effect, and Mark Butcher, in whose natural class the selectors have in- vested with conviction even during a season when he has clearly not been in his best form.

I like Christoper Martin-Jenkins`s idea of Dominic Cork proving his form and his mental stability on the A Tour. If the management team think he does this then he should be sent on to the Caribbean, in form, with much to prove and as the essential part of the England team that he ought to be.

England: *Atherton, -Stewart, Hussain, Thorpe, Ramprakash, Knight, A Hollioake, Ealham, C Lewis, -Russell, Gough, Headley, Caddick, Croft, Tufnell.

England A: *Crawley, James, Laney, Adams, Hemp, Shah, B Hollioake, D Brown, -Piper, -Read, Cork, Hutchison, Cowan, Silverwood, Udal, Cosker.

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

Charles Randall

ENGLAND`S selectors should continue with their bold approach and maintain faith in Ben Hollioake for the West Indies tour.

Hollioake`s seam bowling is questionable when measured by championship wickets, but his form for Surrey has been good enough for a gamble, especially as his high batting ability is already known.

Ashley Cowan is good enough for Mike Atherton`s best seam attack and Hollioake`s inclusion with his brother, Adam, would push Mark Ealham into the A tour.

Dougie Brown, the most improved player on the circuit as batsman and then bowler, must be a certainty for the A tour, and it would be a good idea to allow Dominic Cork the winter off for recuperation.

If England need a man with character at the crease, the time has come to assess Derbyshire`s Chris Adams, who has ridden Derbyshire`s unsettling season well.

In difficult times for spin bowlers, there is only one obvious choice for the A tour - Ashley Giles. Peter Such, 33, and Adrian Pierson, 34, are probably the two best off-spinners behind Robert Croft.

England: *Atherton, -Stewart, James, Hussain, Crawley, Thorpe, Ramprakash, A Hollioake, B Hollioake -Russell, Croft, Tufnell, Headley, Caddick, Gough, Cowan.

England A: *Knight, Butcher, Vaughan, Maddy, Shah, Sales, -Turner, D Brown, Ealham, Giles, Cosker, M Smith, Silverwood, Hutchison, Ormond.

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

Ted Dexter

I HAVE re-examined the detail of England`s four wins and three losses out of the last eight Tests.

When beating New Zealand twice, we played five full bowlers including Croft and Tufnell. The New Zealand second innings scores were both under 200 with the spinners taking eight of the 20 wickets. This combination has not been played again. Why? Would Australia have made 470 in the second innings at Edgbaston with Croft and Tufnell in harness?

My best side in West Indies would be Atherton, Butcher, Hussain, Thorpe, Crawley, Stewart, Gough, Caddick, Headley, Croft and Tufnell.

Every effort should be made to return Dominic Cork to full form, fitness and confidence as the best of the experienced Test bowlers, because Malcolm and Fraser seem past their best.

That makes 12. Russell makes 13. Reserve opener James makes 14. I would pick Ealham, who bats well enough, to give a top order man a day off and another accurate fast-medium bowler - Ashley Cowan.

England: *Atherton, Butcher, Hussain, Thorpe, Crawley, -Stewart, Headley, Gough, Caddick, Croft, Tufnell, -Russell, James, Ealham, Cork, Cowan.

England A: *Ramprakash, Vaughan, Dowman, Maddy, Shah, Sales, B Hollioake, D Brown, -R Rollins, Tudor, B Phillips, Hutchison, Ormond, Cosker, Udal.

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