From: yelton@uful08.phys.ufl.edu (John M. Yelton)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.cricket
Subject: Re: England Tourists to India, Sri Lanka and Australia.
Date: 14 Sep 92 01:56:12 GMT
Organization: University of Florida, Gainesville

In article <1992Sep8.090930@axion.bt.co.uk> dgrove@axion.bt.co.uk (David Grove) writes:
>
>
>In article 21077, Kelvin Ho 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
>
>Excuse my ignorance, but am I right in believing that Stewart is the only
>WK in the side?
>
One problem for me in this team is that there are no WK's. Stewart does not
seem to keep wicket for Surrey in first class matches, and Blakey is 
a better batsman than WK. To take one of them seems sensible, to take both
seems a little odd. (Yes I know Yorkshiremen think he is great!)
Other comments - I am glad to Emburey back in, one of my favourite batsmen.
Yes, his bowling is boring, but his batting defies description- sixes over
the cover from a shot without backlift. His average after his first banning
for going to SA is probably around 30 - true all-rounder status, and he 
mastered Abdul Qadir better than all the real batsmen. 
Paul Taylor I know little about, presumably this is the same J.P.Taylor who
dropped out of professional cricket after not making it in the Derbyshire
team, only to return a few years later for Northants. The selectors are
clutching at straws looking for seam bowlers. 
At least the England selectors are showing some consistency. Hick and 
Fairbrother are still included. This shows how important 
LOI's are going to be on this tour. It should also ensure a decent fielding 
side, despite the age of Emburey, Gooch and Gatting. Does anybody know
how many test match catches Hick has made? I suspect he has more per test
than any other current non-WK.
So Gatting is back - despite the fact that his age will soon overtake his
batting average. I have to reluctantly admit that he is a great destroyer
of slow and medium pace bowling and will probably do well in India. If you 
pick a team for pace bowling then Gower should get chosen over Gatting 
every time, but for India the selectors have a point.    
I do worry about the seam attack - Jarvis always seems to be injured. In 
NZ Gooch did not seem to rate Reeve as a real bowler in test matches. A lot
depends on DeFreitas and Lewis retaining fitness. 
What happened to Dominic Cork, the latest hope?
I have not seen the England B party on the net, if it has not been posted could
someone please do so. If it has but did not reach my machine, an E-mail 
message would be appreciated. 

   John Yelton
Newsgroups: rec.sport.cricket