ARTICLE: Atherton sees his reserves as ... (S.Berry) - 28 Nov 1993
Atherton sees his reserves as real 'A' level players
by Scyld Berry
Whatever the criticisms levelled at England 'A' tours, and there
have been not a few, they have done their job in preparing Eng-
land's apprentices for Test cricket. By the time these juniors
reach the full Test team, they know everything there is to know
about being consistently unsuccessful. On their four 'A' tours
over the last four winters, England have won one 'Test match' out
of nine, and that was the first, before they could be drilled
into the habit of drawing or losing, against the might- or rather
the mites - of Zimbabwe. Of eight other first-class games on
these tours, they have won one. Yes, the 'A' tour has been a per-
fect introduction to the full England Test side. Several are the
explanations for an inherently sound idea going wrong, or, at any
rate, failing to giving value. First has been the selection 'pro-
cess', which has been set against up-and-coming cricketers. Pre-
ference has been given to the down-and-going, the never-has-beens
and never-will-bes. Following the ridicule rightly visited upon
the 'A' party in Australia last winter, for its emphasis on mid-
career mediocrity, the worm had to turn. Now it is probably too
late ever to varnish into Test batsmen such stroke-playing
talents as Alan Fordham, Martin Speight, Trevor Ward, Alistair
Brown and Chris Adams, none of whom has even been given a tour,
while some average plodders have had the trip of a lifetime. But
at least the next generation, including John Crawley and Mal Loye,
will not be similarly wasted. Credit for this change in thinking
must go principally to Mike Atherton, who quietly and firmly had
his way in choosing the full and 'A' tour parties. Since the 31
players come from 15 different counties, there can be no more
suggestion of a bias towards Essex and Surrey, while the criteria
are manifestly sound. "The timing of the tour to South Africa
made it ideal for preparing our reserves for the West Indies,"
said Atherton. "We'll have five senior players on hand in South
Africa in captain Hugh Morris, Alan Wells, Peter Such, Martin
McCague and Martin Bicknell, and we have surrounded this nucleus
with young potential." Morris then added: "I thought it pointless
to use the tour as a reward for players who had a good season."
Atherton would also like to see the objectives redefined.
Hitherto, the habit of winning has not been ingrained. In other
words, 'A' tours have been an extension of county 2nd XI cricket,
where for some reason quite inexplicable to Australians, winning
is seen as secondary to player-development. "This tour is not
about results," said Ted Dexter, visiting England 'A' on their
1990-1 tour of Sri Lanka. "We need players in the frame of mind
to win matches," said Atherton, far closer to the mark. "But
having said that, winning is not the be-all and end-all on an 'A'
tour, and they have to be about player-development as well." The
virtue of 'A' tours is that they offer players an opportunity to
refine their techniques, some of which have raised the eyebrows
and other follicles of the coaches at Lilleshall in recent weeks
- notably the young pace bowlers' ignorance and violation of the
basics. High-class coaching is needed during a tour as well, if
players are to maintain an upward learning curve, but whether or
not they get it in South Africa seems to be a hit-or-miss matter,
as in so much of English cricket. There is also a drawback to 'A'
tours which is not of England's making: the lack of big occa-
sions on which to test a youngster's mental fibre. Save for the
odd one-day game in Sri Lanka, England have played in front of
negligible crowds and minimal media exposure, thus depriving
them of pressure. At least this tour of South Africa has one
'Test match' for the players to aim at, whereas Australia did
not grant one last winter. Before then, they will be able to
gauge the strength-in-depth of South African cricket, with their
Test party in Australia. Of the England players, there must be a
suspicion that Mark Ilott, who has to swing the ball consis-
tently before he can progress any further, was chosen partly be-
cause he had already been awarded a retainer for the winter.
But, in general, the 'A' tour, as devised by Dexter and the Eng-
land Committee, is now moving in the right direction - towards
youth and the formulation of winning habits.
Contributed by Vicky (VIGNESWA@*umass.edu)
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