The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : No change in England squad

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 17, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

No change in England squad

By Ted Corbett

LONDON, MAY 16. England will field an unchanged side for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's later this week; and why not. It has just returned from three easy wins in the West Indies and a draw despite Brian Lara's 400.

"Such a margin is not an experience we have often," said David Graveney, chairman of selectors as he announced a squad of 13. Graveney, speaking as he cut the lawn at the back of his home in Bristol, had every reason to conclude that everything in his garden was lovely and that the early summer sunshine would continue forever.

He and his fellow selectors — the England coach Duncan Fletcher, Geoff Miller and Rod Marsh, the head of the English Academy — had a long meeting but the best guess is that picking the side did not take long. Much of the meeting was taken up with an in-depth analysis of what went right in the Caribbean; and there is bound to have been an awkward moment when a number of contentious issues were discussed.

Ever since Ian `Beefy' Botham said earlier this week that Nasser Hussain ought to be dropped, calls for Hussain to quit has been written repeatedly but Graveney refuses to dump the former England captain yet, even though he is 36.

"I have a lot of discussions with Beefy and I respect his views but this time I have a different opinion," he said. "Nasser is still as strong as ever in his wish to play for his country and after his performances in the West Indies, when the middle order put up so many fine displays, he deserves to be selected."

My guess is that Hussain will be allowed to complete 100 Tests — a record he reaches in the second Test against West Indies on August 29 — as Alec Stewart was kept in the side until the end of last season to make his farewell at his home ground, the Oval. Graveney is a kindly man and although he will harden his heart if Hussain is clearly no longer up to Test cricket he also knows the value of a sentimental gesture.

There are hints in Sunday's sports pages that Hussain will retire at the end of the series in any case. Graveney also knows that all is not well in the England side. Spin bowling in this country is at an all-time low even if Ashley Giles bowls steady left-arm spin and bats above his average and Gareth Batty performs a similar task when he gets a chance.

Neither imposes the terror that comes in every over from Shane Warne, nor the relentless teasing that is the hallmark of Daniel Vittori nor the on-the-spot accuracy of Anil Kumble. "If we are to be a force in world cricket we need a spinner to match the best," says Graveney.

There is also bound to have been a strong argument over the decision by Michael Vaughan, the England captain, and Fletcher who dropped the wicket-keeper Chris Read from the side for the final Test.

Marsh, who has called Read the finest young wicket-keeper he has ever seen, argues that such a major change of direction should not have been made without consulting the other selectors. He has let it be known that he will go back to his day job as head of the Academy — he receives no pay for his work as a selector — unless there is a change in the way teams abroad are chosen.

As someone who believes that Geraint Jones is in no way as good a keeper as Read, I think Marsh is right; but Fletcher often gets his way against the argument. These are two strong characters and we may wake one morning to discover they have decided there is not room for both of them.

After one or two ordinary performances in the one-dayers in the Caribbean James Anderson has made a return to sparkling form with ten Worcestershire wickets this weekend and deserves a Test place but England is likely to stick rigidly to the side that drew in Antigua and so it should.

The England squad: Michael Vaughan, captain (Yorkshire), Marcus Trescothick (Somerset), Mark Butcher (Surrey), Nasser Hussain (Essex), Graham Thorpe (Surrey), Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire), Geraint Jones (Kent), Ashley Giles (Warwickshire), Simon Jones (Glamorgan), Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire), Steve Harmison (Durham), Paul Collingwood (Durham), James Anderson (Lancashire).

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