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ENG_WI-SQUAD_CORBETT_09OCT93
A Clean Break - Ted Corbett (Sporstar, Oct 9, 1993)
England said farewell to a whole generation of great Test
cricketers when its new captain, Mike Atherton, read out a squad
for the West Indies tour that did not include David Gower, Allan
Lamb and Mike Gatting, who have all performed heroic deeds
against the world champions in the past 15 years.
"We felt if was time for a clean break," said Atherton, live on
radio and TV. It was clear long before the end of the Press
conference which followed the offical announcement that this
squad was Atherton's with its emphasis on what he has been cal-
ling "young and spirited players."
Gower declined to make a "knee-jerk" reaction but said: "A
betting man would see this as the end of my Test career and I
know that the longer I am out of the team the less likely I will
be able to make a comeback." He may retire from all first-class
cricket and concentrate on a writing and TV career.
It is one of the younget England parties to tour West Indies,
with an average age of 26, with a captain of 25 and the oldest
player, vice captain Alec Stewart only 30. That goes a long way
to explain why Gower 36 and no longer the darting, brilliant
fielder of yesteryear, Lamb still a dasher but 39, and Gatting, a
broadening, static 36, are not included with the likes of Mark
Ramprakash, graham Thorpe and Nasser Hussain, who make this
"perhaps the finest fielding side ever to leave the shores," ac-
cording to manager Keith Fletcher.
Atherton said he and Fletcher, who claimed with a quiet smile
that "We have got the team we wanted, all the way through," had
achieved all their objectives in the 17 players chosen. England
by the way, usually take 16 to the Caribbean, but injuries to
Alan Igglesden, Robin Smith, Ian Salisbury, and Devon Malcolm
have made them cautious because, Fletcher says, "replacements
rarely achieve success on tour."
Fletcher has more reason to feel pleased that the side he and
Atherton put together at a series of meetings since the final
Test, has been accepted by the England Committee which also con-
sists of serveral Test and County Cricket Board officials. After
disasters in India and Sri Lanka and humiliation in the Ashes
series he has now established a position in which every member of
the party has either come through the "A" team which he ran for
three years or is young enough to be influenced.
Thus in a single selection he has finally thrown off the shadow
of Graham Gooch, as well as the Gower-Lamb-Gatting axis. One of
whom was widely tipped to find a place in the Caribbean. In fact
Gooch, who went on the India tour simply to back Fletcher on his
first winter in the England job, has also been shown the door.
"Even if he is in the West Indies and we have an injury problem,
we won't be calling up Graham," Fletcher said. "I know him as
well as anyone and know how much batting he needs to get into
form. He won't have played for six months and so he will be out
of touch, great player though he is." Fletcher's voice
strengthened as he spoke with authority almost for the first time
in his 13 months as England manager.
Atherton who has taken charge of England as if he had always
expected to be his country's captain-he has recently turned down
the leadership of Lancashire who are in turmoil-said he and Alec
Stewart, the vice captain would open the innings. Hence the
choice of Jack Russell as a specialist wicket-keeper and No. 7 or
No. 8 batsman, the selection of Graeme Hick who will bat at No. 6
and the return of Chris Lewis who will be the fast bowling all-
rounder.
A batting line-up of Atherton, Stewart, Thorpe, Hussain or Ram-
prakash, Hick, Lewis and Russell followed by Gus Fraser, Malcolm
and Steve Watkin, the bowling successes of the final Test sounds
formidable. "It's going to be a tough tour, but I'm happy with
the side we can field and we set off confident," Atherton de-
clared. Preparation consists of several weeklong sessions at
Lilleshall, the national training centre, a week in Portugal and
10 days in Antigua before the main tour begins.
England's 17 to tour the West Indies:
M I NO HS Runs Avg Wkt Runs Best Avg
M.A.Atherton 29 55 1 151 1927 35.68 1 282 1-60 282
A.J.Stewart 32 60 4 190 2083 37.19 - - - -
A.R.Caddick 4 8 1 25 101 14.42 5 488 3-32 97.60
A.R.C.Fraser 12 16 1 29 129 8.60 55 1386 6-82 25.20
G.A.Hick 18 31 - 178 972 31.35 14 598 4-126 42.71
N.Hussain 7 13 2 71 284 25.81 - - - -
A.P.Igglesden 1 1 1 2* 2 - 3 146 2-91 48.66
C.C.Lewis 20 31 1 117 771 25.70 52 2068 6-111 39.76
D.E.Malcom 25 37 13 15* 130 5.41 83 3084 6-77 37.15
M.P.Maynard 3 6 - 20 52 8.66 - - - -
M.R.Ramprakash 10 17 1 64 311 19.43 - 8 - -
R.C.Russell 31 49 10 128* 1060 27.17 - - - -
I.D.K.Slisbury 4 7 - 50 136 19.42 8 536 3-49 67.00
R.A.Smith 45 84 14 148* 3237 46.24 - 6 - -
G.P.Thorpe 3 6 1 114* 230 46.00 - 14 - -
P.C.R.Tufnell 15 23 13 22* 56 5.60 50 1826 7-47 36.52
S.L.Watkin 3 5 - 13 25 5.00 11 305 4-65 -
Contributed by Shash (sshah@*.acns.nwu.edu)
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