From: sanjiva@ecrc.de (Sanjiva Prasad)
Subject: Re: England Tourists to India, Sri Lanka and Australia.
Reply-To: sanjiva@ecrc.de (Sanjiva Prasad)
Organization: European Computer-Industry Research Centre, Munich
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 17:37:03 GMT

In article <1992Sep7.111649.8421@lut.ac.uk> K.K.W.Ho<Kelvin Ho>@lut.ac.uk writes:
>     The England squad to tour India and Sri Lanka is :-
>
>              Graham Gooch (Captain)        Essex
>              Alec Stewart (Vice Captain)   Surrey
>              Mike Atherton                 Lancashire
>              Richard Blakey                Yorkshire
>              Philip DeFreitas              Lancashire
>              John Emburey                  Middlesex
>              Neil Fairbrother              Lancashire
>              Mike Gatting                  Middlesex
>              Graeme Hick                   Worcestershire
>              Paul Jarvis                   Yorkshire
>              Chirs Lewis                   Nottinghamshire
>              Devon Malcolm                 Derbyshire
>              Dermot Reeve                  Warwickshire
>              Robin Smith                   Hampshire
>              Paul Taylor                   Northamptonshire
>              Philip Tufnell                Middlesex
>
>     Some notable omissions include Ian Botham, David Gower, Allan Lamb,
>Neil Malender and Tim Munton.  The recall of Mike Gatting and John Emburey
>was widely expected, but Paul Jarvis should be considered lucky to be
>called up again.  No one except the selectors seems to know much about Paul
>Taylor.

Since everyone is voicing their opinions, why not me?  I haven't been following
the English cricket season too closely, although I keep up with CDC Steele's
postings and buy an occasional Guardian or Times.  Yes, the team is disappointing.
There used to be atime when England picked its batsmen on "class" and bowlers,
apart for Underwood and Willis, on form.  And they didn't always win... Now
heaven knows what the English selectors think 'cause they seem to make learn all
the wrong lessons.  It's not only the English team that was beaten by W&W, but
the English cricketing establishment.  And for once, the sports writers seem
to realise it only too well.  

Well, onto the team.  England seems to have a real problem finding a good
bowling attack.  After constantly being outplayed by top quality fast
bowling (in recent years by Pakistan and before that by the West Indies),
the selectors have got it into their heads that if they pick some really
fast bowlers they'll do okay.  But, as Shamim Naqvi pointed out, they really
do not have any penetrative bowlers,  nor do they have any really intelligent
bowlers (like Kapil or Imran or Sir Richard  or even Ian Botham of yesteryear).

Batsmen -- Gooch, Smith, Gatting (he's been in very good nick) and Stewart
pick are automatic choices.  Who should the other contenders have been?

Bowler (Derb)
N Speak (Lancs)  
Atherton (Lancs) *
Moxon (Yorks) #
Simon Kellett (Yorks)
Blakey (Yorks) *
Lenham (Sussex)
Wells (Sussex)  -- too old
Middleton (Hants) #
Gower  (Hants) -- why not?   [though he's been playing well, and he's a class act,
                              to be fair, others have been in much better form]
Roseberry (Mid) #
Curtis (Worcs?)
Fairbrother (Lancs) *
and if you want to really take a chance,  Matthew Fleming (Kent) and
JP Stephenson (Essex)

Atherton, Fairbrother and Blakey got the nod. Hick should have been dropped.
Yes, he'll get his runs in India (in both senses),  but the cricket ones
will be inconsequential.  Dermot Reeve (as an allrounder, I guess) is a
poor choice.  And if they play Fairbrother only in the one-days and Hick in
the tests, it'll be a waste.  At least they didn't pick RamP. 

Keeping -- Russell is past it, but no one other than Blakey seems to fit
the wk-batsman mould.  Is 'keeping a lost art?

Spinners -- This wasn't a bad year for spinners, was it?  Such, Childs, Embers,
Salisbury, Tufnell and some others were among the wickets.  Childs is too old to
be making his debut. Even Phil Edmonds, who came out of retirement to play a match, 
took a few! Embers is still  going strong.  He's experienced and can be miserly, and 
is a decent bat.  Salisbury might have been worth taking.  Is Tufnell tuff enuff for
a tour of India? 

Paul Taylor comes up with some awesome late swing in a few matches at the end
of the season, and so the England selectors think they've a Waqar!  But several
prior mediocre seasons mean something, or don't they?  Taylor says that he's 
getting this late swing by keeping his wrist behind the ball (but didn't he know
this before?).  Still, India is always susceptible to a left-arm swing bowler.
DeFreitas yes. Lewis needs to be much more consistent (he's talented but I don't
see him being a runaway success with the ball in India).  Jarvis and Devon Malcolm
-- England could have done better.  Maybe Mallender should have got a chance.
Or Cork or Caddick or Millns.  Well at least thy dropped Pringle!

>     The England 'A' squad to tour Australia is :-
>
>              Moxon   (Captain)             Yorkshire
>              Russell (Vice Captain)        Gloustershire
>              Caddick                       Somerset
>              Capel                         Northamptonshire
>              Cork                          Derbyshire
>              Ilott                         Essex
>              Lathwell                      Somerset
>              Lloyd                         Lancasshire
>              Middleton                     Hampshire
>              Millns                        Leicestershire
>              Prichard                      Essex
>              Roseberry                     Middlesex
>              Salisbury                     Sussex
>              Such                          Essex
>              Thorpe                        Surrey
>
>     Dominic Cork and Ian Salisbury were tipped to tour India and Sri Lanka
>but its semms the selectors want to wait and see before choosing them for
>future main tours.

Capel (doesn't the name always go with Bailey?) hasn't done too badly.  Pritchard
too. Some of the batsmen are from my shortlist.  Shouldn't some others have got a 
break too?  Especially Bowler, Speak and Curtis?

What happened in Northants vs Leicester final?  Did Paul Taylor swing it for his 
county?  

Regards,
Sanjiva
--
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