|
|
Change Your Life! |
Lords: the best venue hits century |
|
News |
June 29, 2000
LONDON (AP) - West Indies players have been told to be ruthless and hardheaded in the historic Lord's game against England and not to lose focus by the venue's 100th test starting Thursday.
The visitors crushed England by an innings and 93 runs in the first test at Edgbaston to end a 10-match away losing streak and team captain Jimmy Adams warned against complacency against an injury-hit England.
England will be without skipper Nasser Hussain (cracked thumb) and allrounder Andrew Flintoff (back injury) as they try to save face against a West Indies resurgence.
The home side has not beaten West Indies in a test series in 31 years and the manner in which it has performed in the final drawn test against Zimbabwe and at Edgbaston, a series win will remain a distant reality.
"You have to ask the individual players how they feel about it," Adams said of the history surrounding the 100th Lord's test. "My own part, I will focus primarily on the test match.
"We have to focus on the match ahead. England is not going to allow anyone to just come to the country and run all over them. So we have a lot of work to do."
West Indies will give a late fitness test to in-form batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who is in danger of being ruled out with a strained ligament in his right hand. He would be replaced by 19-year old Ramnaresh Sarwan for his third test.
Adams, who took over as captain from a troubled Brian Lara early this year, was heartened by the team's enthusiasm and commitment.
"We have a team of players who have committed themselves not to do well in one or two test matches, but play a full series giving their best," Adams said. "We have been working hard on the team spirit and the team unity but at the end of the day it's the results that matter.
"We are committed to ensuring that we can give our best at all time. It's that level of commitment that I am most encouraged about.
Because some time a player will not have a particularly good day - he might have got out of the wrong side of the bed - but when you know that everyone is committed to the cause, you can be more forgiving toward these players when things don't work out."
The perennial problem facing England is its inconsistency. Six weeks ago in the first test of the summer England was basking in glory after thrashing Zimbabwe in a lopsided test at Lord's. But in subsequent tests it was trying to come to terms with batting's fragility and the bowling that has remained inept and at time innocuous.
Alec Stewart, who lost his captaincy to Hussain after a failed 1999 World Cup, will fill in at Lord's and possibly in the one-day games against West Indies and Zimbabwe too.
Michael Vaughan will take Hussain's place while fellow Yorkshireman Craig White is expected to come in for Flintoff, who is also in danger of missing the one-day triangular series.
White played the last of his eight tests over three years ago - against New Zealand at Auckland in January 1997 - and his return will be all the more remarkable considering he blacked out last month while walking in the street. His condition remains a mystery to the doctors despite extensive tests and brain scans.
"Andrew's absence is an obvious disruption to our original plans regarding the team," England's cricket boss David Graveney said of Flintoff's withdrawal. "I'm disappointed for him, he's a young lad and I know he's regarded as an exciting talent."
England has recalled allrounder Dominic Cork for the first time since November 1998. Cork took 7-43 on his debut against the West Indies in an England victory by 72 runs five years ago and later took a hat-trick in the same series.
Teams:
England - (from) Alec Stewart (captain), Michael Atherton, Mark Ramprakash, Graeme Hick, Michael Vaughan, Nick Knight, Robert Croft, Craig White, Dominic Cork, Andrew Caddick, Darren Gough, Ed Giddins, Matthew Hoggard.
West Indies - (from) Sherwin Campbell, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara, Jimmy Adams (captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Ridley Jacobs, Franklyn Rose, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Reon King.
|