Date-stamped : 24 Mar95 - 14:32 ====> Prematch, 17 Aug 91 Russell and Hussain worthy of returns - Alan Lee WHEN the contentious places in England`s team for the Test match with Sri Lanka, starting next Thursday, were debated by the selectors last night, it might have been a case of simply lining up all the usual suspects. High on the agenda, for instance, were the emotive issues of whether Botham should retain his place and whether Hick, Lamb and perhaps even Gower should regain theirs. It will be a surprise if the answer, to the first question, is not yes and, to the second, no in all three cases. It will also, however, be a shame if discussion was dominated by these glamorous names, for seldom have the selectors had such a chance to consider one or two youngsters without fear that the occasion and the opposition would overwhelm them. Sri Lanka have regressed in the past few years and their per- formances against some under-strength county teams have been lit- tle short of pitiful. This might normally have been enough to ex- tinguish public interest in the one-off Test at Lord`s but, at the moment, we are not living in normal times. The euphoria resulting from victory over West Indies at the Oval will to some extent filter into this match in terms of turnstile support. It will also have a bearing on the selectors, who will not be anxious to tamper with their winning team, no matter that it was announced as a side for a specific mission. If one change can be assumed it is surely the return of Russell as wicketkeeper. Stewart let nobody down at the Oval and the gam- ble might, in fact, be seen as a selectorial triumph. Collecting on one long shot, though, does not often indicate placing the cash on the same horse in a different field, and so it is with Stewart. He is a near certainty to make the winter tour, largely for his all-round excellence in one-day cricket, and the only question is whether he should play against Sri Lanka as a specialist batsman. The vacancy is ready made, Atherton having surrendered to the need for surgery on his back, and filling it with Stewart would be a reward for his efforts at the Oval. More appropriate to the affairs at hand, however, might be the inclusion of Hussain, who has come through turbulent times since his senior tour to the Caribbean last year and is now back at his best. He made another century yesterday for Essex, fittingly in partnership with his captain and mentor, Gooch. There will be a temptation to bring back Hick, in the hope that he makes runs when Ambrose is out of sight. Sadly, he is not yet out of mind and Hick`s continued failures against seam bowling indicate a chronic technical disorder. Lamb can only be reinstated if the selectors are desperate to take him on the winter tour, which they ought not to be, and whereas recalling Gower at the Oval would have been pragmatic, here it would simply be romantic, something to which neither Gooch nor Micky Stewart is prone. Reeve deserves a Test match, after an outstanding all-round season, but Botham had such a beneficial impact last week that he is entitled to continue, this time batting one place higher, so long as it is established he is available for the entire winter. The four main bowlers must remain but as Pringle`s capabilities are familiar, it would be sensible to include a promising young bowler in the 12. If an extra seam bowler is thought desirable it should be Munton or Watkins; a second spiner might either be Salisbury or Glamorgan`s gifted Robert Croft. My 12 would be: Gooch, Morris, Smith, Hussain, Ramprakash, Bot- ham, Lewis, Russell, DeFreitas, Lawrence, Tufnell, Croft. Source :: The Times ====> Prematch, 18 Aug 91 Russell back to join batsman Stewart - Robin Marlar ``WHY IS IT,`` an occasional cricket punter asked me last week, ``that we have to go through so many weeks of misery before some- one does something heroic and we get happy again?`` Now, for the Test against Sri Lanka, Russell and Pringle are back, and the answer must be that the present regime combines the least desirable elements in sport dullness and prejudice. Such a charge after England`s triumph at The Oval argues some perversity, particularly since the writer thought the West Indi- ans were well positioned to win the series 3-1. The truth is that while the West Indians kept Richards`s record as captain unbroken, they could hardly have been pleased by their performance at The Oval. They were thrown into disarray by the captain`s sickly appearance at No8 in the first innings, and by the mysterious inability of Ambrose to hurl himself into the fray in England`s second. Persistence with Simmons as opening batsman was as weirdly inappropriate as some of England`s selections dur- ing the series. None the less, even a critic should ungrudgingly congratulate the England management. It was an emotional victory for England, a victory that reached those parts of the country not usually in- terested in cricket. The record books say that England drew the series, the first half-success for 17 years, and convincingly won the one-day matches against the world champions. Brilliant: at least in front of the curtain. Lance Gibbs, the West Indian manager, once the world`s leading off-spinner and for many years a shrewd observer of the Test scene, hinted at the relief his side felt after England had made them a present of the Edgbaston Test. There was evidence to suggest that the West Indians felt that without Greenidge and Bishop they were there for the taking. As far as reserves went, the West Indians felt they were scrap- ing the bottom of the rum bowl. Allen and Anthony are not going to be world-beaters, nor are the reserve batsmen. Richardson and Hooper have matured smoothly, but before his injury Logie`s average was in the high 20s and, sadly, Lara has blown it, at least for the moment. All this came conversationally couched around the most intrigu- ing of sporting topics: why is it that some can cope with life at the summit, while others often seen charging through the foothills, cannot? Neither praising nor disparaging, Gibbs invit- ed me to look back to his time and study those who scored heavily in Caribbean domestic cricket but made no real mark at Test lev- el. Conditioned by such highly professional thinking, the West In- dians made no bones about their delight that Gower was sidelined. Anyone who wants to play and who has 8,081 Test runs in the book ought to be among the first choices in that logic, irrespective of the number of runs currently being scored in county cricket. For the West Indian decision-makers that is an absolute, although one must have some sympathy with the England management they could hardly be expected to forget some incidents. At least Botham, another class act, seems to be back in favour as a solid, if less spectacular, contributor likely to be shoulder-to-shoulder with Gooch for the winter campaign. The issue of big-match temperament sucks in others: Hick, Ram- prakash, Morris, Lewis, Tufnell, even Stewart in short, anyone with fewer than a dozen caps and a blotchy record. Hick`s fallibility against the short ball, the fact that he was worn down by the aggression, his failures in Australia now given extra weight, are all factors, but surely he cannot be written off yet. Ramprakash has proved a brave survivor in the hottest water, but it is not so much a thirty that is needed as a century. Morris`s left-handedness is precious. Lewis has wonderful abili- ty, but reliability is everything in an all-rounder. After his hour of glory, Tufnell`s bowling in the second innings did not have the desired result. Since I have been critical of Stewart in the past, now is the time to pay him tribute. With Smith and the gallant old captain he raised England`s flag of courage. Stewart has also opened up the question of the batsman- wicketkeeper, and once again I prefer the allegedly lesser keeper who can bat, to a wicketkeeping genius, which Russell is not. As for the winter, we have little inkling as to what is in the selectors` minds. The requirements of the New Zealand tour and those of the World Cup sit together uncomfortably. It is not im- possible to choose some, Morris and Tufnell for instance, for the Test tour and replace them with others, possibly Fairbrother and Illingworth, for the World Cup. Winning that has to be objec- tive No1. ENGLAND XII. G A Gooch (Essex, capt); H Morris (Glamorgan); A J Stewart (Surrey); R A Smith (Hampshire); M R Ramprakash (Middlesex); I T Botham (Worcestershire); C C Lewis (Leicestershire); R C Russell (Gloucestershire); P A J DeFreitas (Lancashire); D R Pringle (Essex); D V Lawrence (Gloucestershire); P C R Tufnell (Middlesex). Source :: Sunday Times ====> Prematch, 21 Aug 91 Sri Lankan cricket offers charm and variety - John Woodcock THE Sri Lankans play their cricket very differently from the West Indians, but that does not mean they will be any less wel- come as guests when they come to Lord`s tomorrow for the only Test match of their six-week tour. The blend will be a lot less strong than it was when West Indies were there in June and in some ways it will be the better for it. Without variety, cricket palls. I am tired, for the moment, of watching West Indies bowl. Of the 1,700 overs they have sent down in their ten Test matches this year 1,500 have been like greased lightning. Not having the height and strength and thrust for that, the Sri Lankans need to be more subtle. It is as though the modern game has evolved without deference to them. They play cricket more as it used to be played. All being well, there will be plenty of Sri Lankan spin at Lord`s, and if they get a good start, fine weather and a true pitch, their batting could be a delight. In the first of their two Test matches there, in 1984, there were three Sri Lankan hun- dreds and only one by an Englishman; and it was not until after lunch on the fifth day that they lost the other, in 1988. Since being granted Test status ten years ago Sri Lanka`s domestic instability has discouraged sides from going there, thus preventing their cricketers from operating in an environment where even West Indies would find them difficult to beat. Their last home Test match was as long ago as April 1987. This, inevit- ably, has held up their development, although that has still been fairly dramatic since the days when MCC sides sailing to Aus- tralia would play a picnic match in Colombo on their way. We would make all speed from Aden, so as to get in a full day`s cricket. The island side Ceylon as it was then would usually con- tain a de Soysa or a de Saram or a Gunasekera. It was one of the great events in the Singhalese calendar. They would garland the players in the streets and pour into the ground and at the end of the sweltering day the crowd, in their excitement, would set light to the stands. Before dinner, at the Galle Face Hotel, one would be measured for a couple of silk shirts, to be delivered to the ship before she sailed for Fremantle and the serious business of the tour, later that evening. In 1950-51, when the game fell on a Sunday, I remember David Sheppard, now the Bishop of Liverpool, saying he would rather not play, and his wish, of course, was granted. Twelve years later, off the SS Canberra (the last to take an England side on tour), the match was not on a Sunday and Sheppard made 73. What love- ly, leisurely days! Sri Lankans make the most natural of batsmen, as wristy as they tend to be risky, and crafty spin bowlers. Test cricket benefits from having them as one of the family. If runs are sometimes too easily made against them, there is no great harm in that. Against someone or other they usually have been. If their game displays a frailty which characterised India`s in their early days it possesses much charm as well, and, young as most of them are, it would be no surprise to see them give England`s bowlers trouble at Lord`s. Sri Lanka have, in fact, won only two of the 33 Tests they have played, but they do have some outstanding batting performances to their credit. The 491 for seven declared, which they made against England at Lord`s in 1984, was a higher total than England themselves managed in the 22 Test matches they played on the ground between June 1974 and July 1990. In their last but one Test, against Australia, at Hobart in De- cember 1989, Sri Lanka made 418. In successive Tests in New Zea- land earlier this year they made 497 for nine declared, 344 for six and 380. Australians and New Zealanders who have bowled against Sri Lanka`s present captain, Aravinda de Silva, call him a genius. If they were to beat England now, though, it would have to rank as one of the greatest surprises in Test history, simply because outside their own country they cannot bowl sides out. To do that on English Test pitches, other than at Headingley and occasionally Edgbaston, heavier guns are needed than Sri Lan- ka possess, or batsmen have to lose their balance, as West Indies did in their first innings at the Oval recently. On the evidence of the match at Hove, which finished on Monday, the 1991 Sri Lankans field better than their predecessors, and are clearly working on their game. England, for their part, hav- ing survived the hurricane of the summer, should enjoy the calm. They certainly deserve to. Source :: The Times ====> Prematch, 22 Aug 91 Gooch aiming to finish the season in style - Alan Lee CRICKET thrives nationally when the England team succeeds and wilts in the public consciousness when it loses. For proof, listen to the children`s toys expert who said yesterday that the boom sale of the past few weeks has been cricket bats. Or listen to the officials at Lord`s, who chortle that they expect to take Pounds 500,000 from the Cornhill Test that begins there today. This, remember, not only in a recession but against unfashion- able Sri Lanka, dismissed by most bookmakers as 20-1 outsiders to upset Graham Gooch and the heroes of the Oval. Lord`s will not, of course, be full on any of the five days. That would be too much to expect. But the word yesterday was that ticket sales were already 40 per cent up on those for Sri Lanka`s last Test here, in 1988. That game was played in a more favour- able economic climate, but a greatly depressed cricketing cli- mate. It was the summer of four captains, four defeats, disgrace and disarray. The constant is Gooch. The 1988 game was his second as England captain and he won it. Few were convinced that he would last very much longer in the job than those who had come and gone so brisk- ly earlier in the year and, at the time, few were wrong. His second coming has been a revelation, but so professional is the man that if today`s events initially resemble a lap of honour, it will be conducted in the minds of the spectators, not the players. ``Winning two Tests, drawing the series against West Indies and winning the one-day competition makes it a reasonably good sea- son,`` Gooch said yesterday. ``But another win would round it off nicely. There will be no sense of anti-climax. This is a very im- portant game.`` With both the England management and the public refusing to pa- tronise the Sri Lankans, what chance can they be given? On the evidence of their form against the counties, precious little. They have taken only 54 wickets in ten innings during those fix- tures and their prospects of dismissing England once, let alone twice, are remote. Their best hopes lie in batting first and giving England a total to respect. They have the players to do this, notably their cap- tain, de Silva, who is to play with a painkilling injection in his right shoulder. He has made runs around the world, but, odd- ly, failed four times in his two previous Tests at Lord`s. If Sri Lanka are to make a game of it, he must rectify this. Pringle is the obvious candidate to drop out of England`s 12 this morning, unless it is felt that DeFreitas`s lacklustre coun- ty form indicates the need for a rest. Stewart or Ramprakash will bat at No.3 with Smith remaining at No.4 and the No.6 place re- verting to Botham`s care for the first time since 1989. Botham`s presence is as good a reason as any for the public to turn up and, if they do, it will be a sobering sight for those county chairmen who still claim the game is run for the England team rather than their own parochial interests. It is the success of the England team, and the PONDS 5 million-plus generated by them this year, which keep those parochial interests alive. Source :: The Times ====> Day 1, 22 Aug 91 England innings is held firm by defiant Stewart - Alan Lee LORD`S (first day of five, England won toss): England have scored 229 for six wickets against Sri Lanka. IT IS just as well that the entire basis of Graham Gooch`s leadership dictates that his England players should never become complacent in victory or compliant in defeat. Ten days ago, they scored an unforgettable win over the strongest team in Test cricket. Yesterday, they were seriously embarrassed by the weak- est. Sri Lanka, widely believed incapable of bowling England out at all, might easily have managed it inside a day at Lord`s, as this Cornhill Test began with a display so irresolute that those West Indians still in the country must have wondered if these were the same batsmen who so stoutly saved a series against them. When rain finally swept across the ground shortly after 5pm, a recovery was under way and it was perhaps no coincidence that it was in the hands of Alec Stewart and Jack Russell. For most of those who had departed earlier, this was inevitable anti-climax after the torrid ordeals against Ambrose and company. But for Stewart, who came in only for the finl West Indies Test in order to strengthen the batting, and for Russell, whose place he took, there were pressing points to prove. Nothing, however, was proven so much as the folly of underes- timating the Sri Lankans. Their form against the counties had been generally inept, but, not for the first time, they raised their game when it mattered. Their bowling was well-directed and occasionally inspired, their catching competent if not flawless. England`s batting lacked discipline and conviction to such a de- gree that they were flattered by losing only six wickets. Gooch chose to bat, and to omit Pringle, after inspecting a pitch already sporting cracks. Sri Lanka were equally keen to bowl first, but the turn evident for their one spin bowler indi- cates that England may at least have got one thing right. The humid atmosphere id, however, make for good bowling condi- tions until lunchtime. In the first hour, Gooch was beaten more often than in any hour he batted against the West Indies. Con- fronted not by outright speed but by medium-paced swing and seam, his footwork was indeterminate and a more histrionic man than Rumesh Ratneyake would have been tearing out locks of hair from beneath his white headband. The stocky Ratnayake might have had Morris leg-before in his first over. In his second, he twice went past the outside edge of Gooch`s bat and in his third he left him groping against an outswinger and then ducked the next ball back into him. Gooch, shouldering arms, looked fortunate to escape a leg-before ver- dict. Ratnayake beat him twice more before resting, whereupon the wicket he so much deserved fell abruptly to Ramanayake.Switched to the Pavilion End, he took a sharp return catch as Gooch drove at a ball of inappropriate length. It was not th captain`s finest hour, but his 38 still carried his Test aggregate for the summer above 500 runs. England were becalmed after lunch, ten runs coming in half an hour as the 10,000-strong crowd settled back in the sunshine wondering when the bat would take control. The answer was wholly unexpected, the bowlers taking over so emphatically that three wickets fell in four overs for only six runs. Morris, having struck Ratnayake majestically through cover on the up, was leg-before next ball. Smith was caught behind, trying to withdraw the bat far too late. Although Ratnayake had by now been warned for running on the pitch, and was soon to be stricken with cramp, he had received due reward for his efforts. Ramprakash, who hardly offered an indiscreet stroke throughout five Tests against West Indies, needed only four balls to play one here and was well caught at second slip. If Stewart, on 24, had been held at long leg by Wijegunawardene, who got both hands to the chance, England would have been 120 for five. Instead, 40 runs were added with the helmetless Botham, who had just played a classical straight-drive and obviously got the taste for the bowling, when he aimed an ambitious hook at a short ball outside off-stump and top-edged to second slip. The first ball of spin was delayed until 4.15pm and it turned enough for Lewis to edge to slip. Stewart, having enjoyed his luck, was now playing with impressive composure, and when the rain came, he was, on 76, in sight of the first Test century he, or his father, will have made. Source :: The Times ====> Day 2, 23 Aug 91 De Silva makes England toil for respectability - Alan Lee LORD`S (second day of five): Sri Lank, with eight first-innings wickets in hand, are 207 runs behind England. THE first century of Alec Stewart`s Test career was not enough, yesterday, to alter the unexpected plot of this Cornhill Test match. England, dismissed for 282, will be at risk of indignity if Sri Lanka can today bat as capably as they bowled. Last even- ing, in their thrillingly uninhibited style, they hinted at doing just that. When the second day, confined by rain to only two-and-a-half hours of play, ended in bright sunshine, Sri Lanka had ridden the loss of two early wickets and were racing along at five runs an over. Aravinda de Silva, their captain, had already atoned for four consecutive failures at Lord`s with the best strokes of the game so far. In seven overs he has so far made 42 and if he lasts even an hour this morning, there is a treat in store. Rumesh Ratnayake, dogged by ill-luck on Thursday, earlier com- pensated by picking up England`s last three wickets, two with full-pitches, to become the first Sri Lankan to take five in an innings against England. Occasionally very quick and constantly capable of moving the ball around, the raffish Ratnayake deserved whatever came his way. The same, however, could be said of Stewart, who had as much good fortune as anyone on the opening day but was grimly deter- mined not to waste it. He will often play more vivid innings than this but seldom will he play more responsibly or effectively. He had been batting just short of five hours when the last of the tailenders subsided and had offered no further chances since be- ing missed when 24. Stewart, who becomes only the second English player after Allan Lamb to score a Test century against this opposition, lingered fretfully in the nineties. The crowd, such as had remained fol- lowing a break of almost five hours, suffered with him and so, in the England dressing-room, must his father, Micky. The team manager did not make a century in his eight Tests and, much as he tries to insist that Alec Stewart, in this environment is a player, not a son, he could hardly fail to be the proudest man in the ground. Stewart junior has felt the pressure of his parentage and, by inference, Stewart senior cannot have been ob- livious. There have, it is true, been many players who have not received such loyalty as Stewart has enjoyed but, after several times threatening to justify it, he has now done so with style and timing. He came in before lunch on the first day when England were ap- parently launched towards the forecast mountain of runs. He kept cool through a collapse and then assumed the senior role as Eng- land achieved their reduced ambition of respectability. Play resumed 45 minutes late yesterday and the initial session lasted only 27 minutes. This, however, was time enough for Russell to depart to an ugly pull against a ball from Anurasiri which turned, and for Stewart to advance to 95. He was marooned there until 4.50pm, when the groundstaff hauled off the covers for the last of many times. In weather cool enough to persuade many of the Sri Lankans into two sweaters, Stewart was subjected to some excitable appealing, which plainly did nothing for his nerves. On 98, he took a foolish single which would have had Lawrence run out if the throw from point had hit. Another sharp, but safe single in the following over, brought the crowd to its feet. Lawrence and Tufnell went quietly, leaving England with the salutary figure of 59 runs from their last eight batsmen. Their total briefly assumed inflated proportions when DeFreitas, who has taken more wickets in Test than championship cricket this season, removed Kuruppu and Gurusinha in his first four overs. De Silva, however, announced himself by hooking Lawrence for four and lit up the clsing half-hour with strokes of fearless imagery. Source :: The Times ====> Day 3, 24 Aug 91 DeFreitas fizzes with seven up - Robin Marlar BY THE time England had extended their first-innings lead of 58 over Sri Lanka by another 100 runs for the loss of only one wick- et, Graham Gooch was driving along the open road as serenely as Mr Toad. Disaster looked less likely to strike on this third day than on the first, and there can be no reason why England`s bats- men should fail to score quickly enough for an early declaration tomorrow. On Tuesday, the last day, there will be plenty of competition among the bowlers for Sri Lankan wickets, DeFreitas having grabbed seven for 70 in the first innings, his best Test figures and his third five-wicket haul in 26 Tests. After De Silva`s sublime stroke-making during Friday`s cocktail hour, his dismissal, a slashed catch to gully off the second ball he received, was as much a disappointment to a half-full Lord`s as to the visitors` dressing room. Fortunately for them, the in- nings was saved by one of their younger players, the opening batsman Hathurusinghe, who dropped anchor to compile his third half-century in his third Test. His partnership of 74 with the dashing Ratnayake had given sub- stance to the innings by the time Hathurusinghe was ninth out for 66. On Friday Ratnayake became the first Sri Lankan to take five wickets in an England innings, his fifth five-wicket haul in 20 Tests. Now he made 52 to earn the all-rounder`s badge. Gooch opened up the bowling with Botham, quite tidy, and DeFreitas bowling steadily with the famous old pavilion behind him, the South African flag flying again in front and the field bathed in intermittent sunshine. After De Silva had gone, the next three batsmen sought to dig in with the persevering Ha- turusinghe, but none survived long. Mahanama was judged caught at the wicket off an inside edge and the front pad, a messy dismis- sal because umpire Bird seemed to expect the batsman to walk and was himself stalking off to square-leg before raising his finger. The left-handed Jaysuriya lasted longer, but was also well caught low down to his right by Smith in the gully, and the tiny wicketkeeper, Tillekeratne, also left-handed, battled it out un- til Gooch was at last forced to change the bowling, whereupon Lawrence had Tillekeratne taken off a pad-and-bat by Morris at short-leg. The only game Ratnayake appears to understand involves the use of a good eye and a full swing of the bat. He had already found the bpundary when Gooch gave Tufnell the final over before lunch, the extent apparently of a modern captain`s belief in the use of the spinner. Ratnayake was down the wicket hitting over the top, a charge hewas to repeat after lunch, when only one of the two men on the drive had been pushed back towards the Nursery-end boundary. He also played some fine instinctive drives against Lawrence off the back foot, which prompted the return of DeFreitas. Eventually DeFreitas slipped in a bouncer. Ratnayake took on the challenge to hook, but missed, and the ball bounced off his helmet as far as cover-point. Ratnayake cleared his head with a shake, coped with the next bouncer but was then yorked middle- stump, a most comprehensive dismissal. DeFreitas next had Ramanayake, the other opening bowler, leg-before to a delivery that straightened up the hill. Before Hathurusinghe could do much damage with the tail, DeFreitas persuaded him to hook a catch to long-leg, where Tuf- nell was much relieved to make the catch in front of the New Mound Stand. On past form, the smart money would have been on the ball. Lawrence bowled Anurasiri at 224 to end a fluctuating in- nings. Soon Gooch was driving the quicker bowlers sweetly through the covers, strokes which he makes look so impressive. Morris, by contrast, is primarily a left-handed tucker-away on the legside with a push-drive to the off. Together they saw off the new ball at four runs an over, but on 78 Morris tried an ugly sweep against the slow left-armer and gave a gentle catch behind square.This was not a good exit, and his place for the winter tour suddenly looked rocky. Stewart plays the spinners with con- fidence, and he and Gooch ought to plunder tomorrow. The England captain can be engagingly over-confident, just as Smith and Ram- prakash were when relaxing on Thursday after their stern examina- tion by the West Indians, sending England into a stall. One wishes that Botham, just for once, would play with a per- pendicular bat and cut out the hook. Stewart is the star of the match so far, and he richly deserves another chance. His century will have brought justified joy to his family. Most sporting parents can only dream of such excite- ment. But the difficult question last week was: why do we need two wicketkeepers? England`s management thinking is so often quite extraordinary, although it has happened before, mostly on tour, and usually in an emegency due to injury. But in a home Test against a lesser international team it was a waste of a player. Hick is in such prime form, and his absence may be felt on on Tuesday, when an off-spinner might be needed from the Pavilion end. The near-collapse on Thursday, for whatever reason, was so rem- iniscent of events from the immediate past in Australia and against the West Indies, and showed that Messrs Dexter, Stewart and Gooch cannot afford to make elementary mistakes in selection. As for the Sri Lankans, they bowled above themselves on the first day and showed us glimpses of batting as sparkling as the jewels for which their country is famous. However, their form against the counties has demonstrated the dilemma in which they find themselves: they are not quite strong enough for the regular Test matches which they crave, and which alone could weld them into a genuine international team. Source :: Sunday Times ====> Rest Day, 25 Aug 91 Sri Lanka let the glittering prize slip from their grasp - John Woodcock MORE likely than not, it will be a long time before Sri Lanka get another chance as good as the one they had on Saturday morn- ing to put England under pressure in a Test match in this coun- try. Replying to an England total of 282, Sri Lanka were 75 for two, and not even David Gower, past master of the cameo innings, could have surpassed Aravinda de Silva`s unbeaten 42 on Friday evening. The pitch was good, the weather favourable and the crowd well-disposed. Sadly, de Silva was out to his second ball, a long hop which he slashed into the gully. Lewis made a fine catch, and soon the air of expectation had given way to one of inevitability. Only a jaunty half-century from Ratnayake caused much of a flutter after that. Sri Lanka`s one great stroke of luck so far was to be bowling and not batting on Thursday morning. Gooch`s decision to take first innings was based, I know, not on charity so much as lore, but it suited the Sri Lankans and may well have helped to make a better game of it. For a while even Gooch himself had trouble lo- cating the middle of the bat. Having spent five successive Test matches on the back foot, coping with Ambrose, he had a difficult time adjusting to something a lot less elemental. Despite that and de Silva`s fleeting virtuosity, the first three days of this last Test match of the season have produced little of much intensity. As so often happens when one side is palpably stronger than the other, Sri Lanka, as the weaker, are probably not best pleased with the umpiring. Four or five deci- sions could just as well have gone their way, rather than against them, the most significant of them when the ball was mov- ing about on the first day. Stewart`s hundred will have cemented his England place, any- where in a party of 15 or 16, and DeFreitas`s seven wickets pro- vided further evidence that he is getting stronger and more ma- ture. There is enough vitality and determination in and around the side now for England to have a real chance of winning the World Cup. Whether, before that, they can bowl out New Zealand in a Test series in that country is another matter. They have closed ranks over the summer, but they still do not have quite the conviction to take anything for granted. No one will be spending a more anx- ious next fortnight, wondering whether he has an England future, than Morris. He has batted long enough (nearly eight hours) in the last two Test matches to confirm that he has two of the most important attributes of a Test cricketer courage and resolution. He has the makings of an adhesive Test opener and the advantage of being left-handed. I doubt, though, whether in the long run there is room for both him and Atherton. That is if Hick makes the grade and Gatting and, perhaps, Broad come back in a year`s time. Now that Morris has made a start, the answer could be to send him to New Zealand, but without seeing him as a World Cup squad member. Whereas in England`s first innings Sri Lanka got by well enough with only one spinner, from now on they must expect to feel the need of another. Against Anurasiri (slow orthodox left arm), pitching in the rough outside his off stump, Morris was decidedly uncomfortable, an indication, perhaps, of the rut that county opening batsmen get into when, day after day, they play almost exclusively against bowling of medium pace and above. Not that it matters any more against most other countries. It is some years since West Indies played an authentic left-arm spinner, or Australia did, other than Allan Border, or New Zea- land. Even India and Pakistan do so less and less. Indeed, apart from Sri Lanka, England are most likely to accommodate one, and all being well Sri Lanka`s second innings here at Lord`s will give Gooch a chance to bring Tufnell back to the fore. Source :: The Times ====> Day 4, 26 Aug 91 Gooch sheds his inhibitions amid serenity of Lord`s - Alan Lee LORD`S (fourth day of five): Sri Lanka, with eight second- innings wickets in hand, need 344 runs to beat England. THE pressure to which Graham Gooch has been accustomed, during his time in charge of England, seemed so distant from yesterday`s serenity at Lord`s that a naturally conservative captain shed his inhibitions and dangled the bait before cricket`s eager minnows. It would have been predictably easy for Gooch to firmly shut Sri Lanka out of this Cornhill Test by batting for five hours of the penultimate day and setting an impossible target. Instead, leading as always by example rather than delegation, Gooch per- sonally struck 114 runs in the first three hours of the day and set up a declaration half an hour before tea. To term his tactics generous would be stretching a point. Sri Lanka were challenged to make 423, more than has been scored to win a Test match batting last. They were, however, granted up- wards of eight hours in which to make them, at a rate of little more than three runs an over. It allowed them to dream of victo- ry, and that was precisely Gooch`s intention. By last night`s close they had been drawn into his net, a solid start stumbling with the loss of both openers. It is asking a lot of them even to survive now. When play began, on a sultry morning and before a hearteningly good bank holiday crowd, it would have been difficult to locate many in the ground willing to bet against a Gooch hundred. He resumed on 60 and was so oblivious to any terrors in pitch or bowling that he had proceeded to three figures within 70 minutes and, by lunch, had contributed 74 of England`s 137 runs in the session. This was Gooch`s sixth Test century at Lord`s, two more than anyone else in history, and it must rank as his most untroubled. Although Anurasiri, from over the wicket, was turning the ball appreciably out of the leg-stump rough at the Pavilion End, Gooch remained in complete and positive control through a range of im- provisations which confirm him as the best player of spin in the world today. At times, he would step smartly away outside leg stump to drive delectably through extra cover. At others, he would advance rhythmically to hit straight. Periodically, he even adopted the reverse sweep. It was batting which took liberties but the only time he looked vulnerable was when a misunderstanding with Smith, just before lunch, presented Jayasuriya with a run-out chance which he excitably spurned. By then, England had lost Stewart to a miscued drive against Anurasiri, breaking a second-wicket stand of 139. This had not been the stoical Stewart of the first innings. As if restless with his role as Gooch`s support, he offered some impulsive shots which might easily have brought his end much earlier. He should have been stumped on 24 and might have been caught at square leg four runs later. Gooch came out after lunch in a fresh, short-sleeved shirt and minus his helmet. Such was his confidence, and it was not mis- placed. On 118, he had gone past Sir Len Hutton`s Test aggregate; on 143, he left another knight, Bradman, in his wake. Three runs later, he became the thirteenth man, and only the fifth from Eng- land, to total 7,000 runs in Tests. Boycott`s English record is now firmly in his sights, for Gooch has, astonishingly, scored 2,000 Test runs in the last 13 months. Since resuming the captaincy he has averaged 72, double his pre- vious average, and, when he bats as he did here, nobody can better his certainty of stroke and placement. His dismissal, for 174, hinted at self-sacrifice, almost as if he had tired of belittling the bowlers. The crowd rose to him and anticipated the grand entrance of Botham for the pre-declaration thrash. Instead, Russell was sent in, a justifiable use of the left-hander to counter the spin tactic, but dismaying for the 15,000 customers nonetheless. Russell and the freewheeling Smith added 42 in fewer than six overs before Gooch called them off. The pre-tea burst by the fast bowlers was unproductive, however, and it was then that Gooch might profitably have introduced Tufnell instead of first employ- ing all four seam bowlers in regulation fashion. Lewis was the last used but the first to strike, Kuruppu being dispatched, leg-before, by a ball which might have missed leg stump. Now, Gooch summoned Tfnell and his third ball had Hathurusinghe clipping obligingly to mid-wicket. The ball is turning for him; today, he should finish the job. Source :: The Times ====> Day 5, 27 Aug 91 England put seal on a summer of reconstruction - Alan Lee LORD`S (final day of five): England beat Sri Lanka by 137 runs. IF THERE was a soporific air of the inevitable about yesterday`s events at Lord`s, it was still another cheering day for English cricket. Not since 1985, when the Australians were vanquished, have England won three Test matches in a summer, and not for much longer have they ended a home season with such a comfortingly settled squad of players. Sri Lanka`s spirit extended this Test past the tea interval on the final day. They made a match of it, and a watchable one at that, but once England had recovered from their demeaning first- innings collapse there was never much doubt about the outcome. There were times when England did themselves less than justice, notably in missing five catches yesterday, but Graham Gooch`s seventh win in 20 Tests as captain duly arrived at 4.33pm, albeit minus the emotional scenes of a fortnight earlier at the Oval. Gooch`s perfectionist instincts will permit no preening when he reflects on the summer and, as ever, he will even find fault in his own contribution. Few will agree with him. His part in a memorable Test match season has been immense and the best news for England is that rumours of his retirement have been greatly overplayed. Gooch agonised over his availability to tour New Zealand this winter, prior to his ageement two weeks ago. This will probably be his final overseas trip, although even this may be influenced by the news that the next scheduled tour, of India, will not now start until January 1993, to allow them first to visit South Africa. It remains his firm intention, however, to play county cricket for some years. So long as he sustains form and fitness, he will still be opening for England, if not captaining them, past his fortieth birthday, during the Ashes series of 1993. Gooch`s next England duty will come on September 9 when he helps select the winter tour parties. Doubtless, he already has a clear idea of the men he would like to have with him, and this latest match can have changed little, the one conundrum still to be solved being the position of Ian Botham. Botham had an anonymous match here, batting once and bowling little. Gooch did not once turn to him to bowl yesterday, even when Sri Lanka mounted protracted resistance of the sort he has habitually broken. If there was anything to be read into this, nobody was saying so, but it is a fact that Botham, while anxious to play in the game`s premier one-day competition, remains an unwilling recruit for the New Zealand leg of the winter. On a wearing pitch, though far from a spiteful one, Phil Tuf- nell was the central figure of the fifth day, bowling unchanged for the first 27 overs from the Nursery End and returning to divide the tenth-wicket pair after they had added 32. His length occasionally faltered and the loop that characterises his best bowling was not always evident, but to take five wickets in an innings for the second successive Test, and the third time in the six games he has played, remains a considerable achievement by a developing talent. Almost an hour had passed before Tufnell made the day`s first breach, bowling Gurusinha round his legs as he swept. De Silva, who had never been allowed the freedom with which he played on Friday, then gloved a leg-side catch to Russell and, when Mahana- ma drove against the turning ball and edged Tufnell to slip, it seemed the Sri Lankans might not last long into the afternoon. By now, however, England had already faltered in the field, the usually brilliant Lewis missing two of three offered chances. More were to come, the most mortifying being a rare drop by Gooch, at deep mid-on, when he misjudged a swirling hit by Jayasuriya against the frustrated Tufnell. At length, the sixth-wicket stand of 53 was broken, the left- handed Tillekeratne playing no stroke to Tufnell and suffering the consequences of the rough around off stump. Jayasuriya, whose 66 occupied only 70 balls, went to a diffident stroke against Lewis in the next over and Gooch, taking the new ball when it was due, was rewarded by two more wickets in four overs. Ratnayake, deservedly Sri Lanka`s man of the match, scooped a catch to the substitute fielder, Salisbury, and Wijegunawardene fell to a dismissal of some moment. The wicket was DeFreitas`s thirtieth of a summer in which he has come of age as a Test bowler; the catch, taken at the second attempt, was Botham`s 117th, leaving him three short of Colin Cowdrey`s English record. It was appropriate that Tufnellshould be summoned to apply the final strike, and that it should come through another misjudgment of his spin. His advance has been one of many gains for England this summer; this time, one hopes, they have the commitment and dirction not to squander them. Source :: The Times Contributed by Gihan (Gihan.N.Wikramanayake@cm.cf.ac.uk)