Date-stamped : 28 Jul94 - 18:40 EVERY VISITING TEAM LOVES LORD'S; There is something at Headquarters that inspires the opposi- tion.... South Africa were certainly no exception One of the problems with the English summer is that, unlike those of nearly every other Test nation, the days stay light far too long. There are times, especially after a good hiding, when a team needs the cover of darkness to slink off home. Even that was denied the England team on Sunday. The evening sun found jubilant South African supporters standing on the Lord's outfield singing "For They Are Jolly Good Fellows" long after the English bags had been packed. Few people would object to an England move to rename the Lord's pavilion The Little House of Horrors, for there is now an in- grained certainty that the home side will falter in St John's Wood however well they have been playing. Visiting teams seem to draw inspiration from playing at the headquarters of the game whereas England, if not exactly overawed, consistently seem un- able to cope with the occasion. The recent record speaks for itself. Since the start of the 1984 season England have played 17 Test matches there, losing eight and winning only three - against Sri Lanka, twice, and India. But this Test was something else. Only twice - when Bradman's 1948 Australians, one of the very finest teams, ran roughshod to win by 409 runs, and when the 1973 West Indians won by an innings and 226 runs - have England been more humiliated on the ground that should be their stronghold. Kepler Wessels and his efficient, focused, well-motivated players have ended what had seemed at last to be a stable period in En- glish fortunes, one where a platform for advancement was being established. After the lesson of Trinidad, Mike Atherton had begun to see a return on his investment in younger players. His team had gone five matches without defeat, actually winning two of them. That, after what had gone before, was progress. Yet in the space of four days South Africa's pace bowlers, if not so much their dour batting, have wrung England dry of every drop of confidence and self-esteem. The team are right back to square one, without doubt, and as far as this series is concerned the damage may well prove irreparable. Nor did England escape physically unscathed, for whereas Darren Gough's left forearm appears to be no more than bruised by the blow from Allan Donald that caused him to retire while batting on Sunday, X -rays have revealed a small fracture of the little finger of Angus Fraser's left hand, also courtesy of Donald. Though not as serious as the broken hand he suffered before the first Test last winter, it will cause the selectors some anxiety this weekend before they pick the side for the second Test. England were outplayed in every department of the game at Lord's. The South Africa pace bowlers, led thrillingly by Donald, were able to show that it is possible to combine pace and accuracy, to hit the deck hard and to drag life from a slow pitch. Donald and his chums rendered irrelevant Keith Fletcher's second-day talk of cracks opening and shutting in the pitch. They gave a lesson to all the England bowlers except Gough, who impresses more and more, and even he will have benefited from watching them. With the bat the South Africans are functional and no more. In the 15 matches since their return to Test cricket they have been scoring an average of 2.3 runs an over, about 210 runs in a full day's play. That is excruciating, but unfortunately it is also effective. As with unblocking the drains and other dirty work, somebody has to do it. Finally there was the fielding, which with Jonty Rhodes to the forefront was exceptional. No bowler could fail to be in- spired by it. There is little sense in starting a hue and cry for the wholesale sacking of the England team and the head of Raymond Illingworth on a platter. Not yet, anyway. The batting is as near as dammit the best that England can field; however, a left-hander would disrupt the opposing bowlers' line. For this reason the presence of White, particularly with the Headingley Test next, is under threat. Since his introduction at the start of the summer White has shown himself to be a cricketer of character. His bowling may not be front-line but it has some verve to it. Yet to justify his pres- ence at the expense of a mainstream batsman he needs to perform above himself with the bat. At present he does not have enough skill with the bat to offset his drawbacks with the ball and hold down an all-rounder's spot at No. 6. His batting looked totally out of its depth at Lord's. Headingley, where four front-line seamers are generally required at the expense of a spinner, could give England a chance to re- group and bring back Graham Thorpe. John Crawley should not be written off on the strength of this one match. In both innings he was drawn into a stroke outside off stump and caught in the slips. He may have a weakness there, but he is an intelligent man and flaws can be ironed out, as Alec Stewart, a previous sufferer from this complaint, can testify. Crawley can also draw comfort from the tenuous fact that no great English batsman apart from Hutton had to make his debut at Lord's, and that even Sir Leonard did not cover himself with glo- ry on that occasion. The panel of independent umpires, allied perhaps to the presence of the match referee, saw better acceptance of decisions by the players, but neutrality does not guarantee competence. The Aus- tralian Steve Randell doubtless caused tongues to be bitten and, in the confines of the dressing room, bats to be thrown. Any umpire who could give Graeme Hick, kicking away his first delivery, the benefit of no apparent doubt whatsoever and then fire out Graham Gooch as he did later in that innings deserves criticism. Randell's integrity is not in question, but he hardly inspired confidence. (Thanks : The Guardian and Mike Selvey) Contributed by Vicky (VIGNESWA@*umass.edu)