CRICKET: Luke Alfred
UP AND down Blighty recently could be heard the waffle of the chattering classes: “Will Gatting go?” they asked; “What about Robin Smith?” someone mused; “Is Angus Fraser really up to it?” Everyone, of course, was referring to the composition of the England cricket side to tour Australia later in the year.
The long and short of it is that neither Fraser nor Smith will go, but Gatting has made the party, along with the 41-year-old Gooch, four years his senior. Not many will forget the expression on Mike Gatting’s face when Shane Warne bowled him round his legs at Old Trafford last year and it has surprised many that he has been given a chance to resurrect his Test career. Hardly cheetah-like in the field, the tubby man is the pragmatic if shortsighted choice, and along with captain Atherton, vice-captain Stewart, Hick, Crawley and Thorpe, he makes up the England batting.
As contentious as Gatting’s recall is the continued faith shown in Craig White, dropped in favour of Graham Thorpe for the second and third Tests against South Africa. Those who saw Fanie de Villiers tease and humiliate White on the Friday afternoon of the Lord’s Test find it difficult to accept that he is a genuine Test all-rounder.
As far as the bowling is concerned there are few surprises. Apart from the Lord’s Test against South Africa, Phil de Freitas has had a good summer, and he and Darren Gough were automatic choices.
By virtue of his phenomenal performance at the Oval, Devon Malcom played himself into the side. As always Malcom is a bit of a risk. Of all the Australian wickets only Perth is expected to be hard and fast, and one wonders if England can afford the luxury of playing both Gough and Malcom in all the Tests.
The supplementary bowling roles go to Martin McCauge of Kent and the 33-year-old Joey Benjamin of Surrey. Benjamin, who was playing league cricket in Birmingham five years ago, might be one of the finds of the tour. Then again, he might do an “Alan Igglesden” (substitute the name of your choice) and vanish without a trace. The spinners are that poorest of poor traveller, Phil Tufnell and Hampshire’s Shaun Udal. Whether they can compete effectively with Warne and May only time will tell.