Date-stamped : 24 Aug96 - 10:33
 

Crawley prepared for his milestone

By Peter Deeley

Third Test: Crawley calls the tune with rich repertoire SIX short
of  his maiden Test hundred, John Crawley said last night that he
would not deviate from his normal routine.  "It  isn`t going   to
worry me at all," the Lancashire batsman said.

"Of course, it`ll mean a lot to me and I`ll no doubt be a  little
nervous  at  the  crease. But I`m tired so I shall sleep well and
then approach the new day fresh. It would have been nice  to  get
the  runs  on the board before the close but Pakistan bowled very
tightly in the last hour."

If he reaches his century it should be the occasion  for  burying
past problems: "I`ve had frustrations through injury - a crippler
in South Africa - but I`ve applied myself and lost one-and-a-half
stone in the process of getting so much fitter."

Crawley said the biggest problem was spotting the first two balls
Waqar  Younis  bowled  from  the pavilion end. "I just didn`t see
them. There were people moving about behind Waqar`s arm. He bowls
very fast and skiddy and the sightscreen in the pavilion has peo-
ple sitting underneath it."

Crawley certainly lived up to the description given him  by  Eng-
land  coach David Lloyd: "He won`t sweat overnight. He`s the kind
of ruthless, committed, determined man we want in the side  these
days."

Lloyd said Andrew Caddick was excluded because there was no  sign
of searing pace in the pitch. "We think that it might turn on the
last two days - though historically that doesn`t  happen at   the
Oval - so we`d like at least 400 on the board."

An article by Kent`s Graham Cowdrey in yesterday`s Racing Post is
being examined by the Test and County Cricket Board. Cowdrey sug-
gested that Ray Illingworth should have  "put  aside  the  winter
bust-up" with Devon Malcolm and recalled him for the Oval game.

Source:: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/)

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