TCCB_ILLINGWORTH_SCRUTINY_05MAR1996

Cricket news: TCCB to place Illingworth role under scrutiny

BY CHRISTOPHER MARTIN-JENKINS

THE Test and County Cricket Board will once again have a winter of intense disappointment to reflect upon at their two-day meeting which starts today at Lord`s.

That is in contrast to a home season which was financially very satisfactory and, given the drawn series against the West Indies, not unpromising as far as the performance of the England side was concerned.

The performances of both England and the West Indies in the World Cup have put that series into truer perspective. Although either could yet win the tournament against the head, and it should always be remembered that Test matches are the true yardsticks of cricketing strength, both are looking tired, short of bowling variety, inconsistent with the bat and old-fashioned in their approach to practice and preparation.

It is England`s problems which concern the Board as they discuss the tour of South Africa, the subsequent efforts on the subcontinent, the selection, management and leadership of the England team and the domestic structure in 1997 and 1998. No decision about whether to retain Ray Illingworth both as manager and chairman of selectors will be taken until after the World Cup, but the executive committee will be talking about this today before carrying out a further review after the World Cup.

Illingworth may feel now that he was hard on Fletcher and his supposed lack of motivation

Illingworth was elected as chairman two years ago and as manager last March, so both appointments have to be reviewed imminently by the executive committee under their chairman, Dennis Silk. Illingworth wants to retain both roles this summer and thereafter to revert to being chairman of selectors only, a job which he found less than satisfactory before taking over the management from Keith Fletcher. His instinct was to become involved more closely with the team and their tactics.

Illingworth may feel now that he was hard on Fletcher and his supposed lack of motivation. His own attempts this winter stand condemned by the team`s results so far, doubly disappointing in view of the promising start to the tour of South Africa when the combination of Illingworth, John Barclay and Mike Atherton was working well.

John Edrich and Peter Lever, from a different generation though they are, proved genuinely helpful as technical coaches to several players, although Devon Malcolm was the obvious exception. He was not the only player who has found the manager`s inclination to speak the truth as he sees it, whether directly to the cricketers or to the press, more disruptive than helpful.

For several reasons it seems as though Atherton and Barclay represent the future and that Illingworth`s role would best be confined to selecting.

The Board will have to ask themselves why it is that successive managers have failed to turn England into a consistently successful side. It can only be either because good players are not playing well or because they are not good enough. The evidence of several tours suggests the latter, in which case the system needs changing.

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