Big task for England team

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33514, 20 April 1974, Page 44

Big task for England team

| (N.Z. P.A. -Reuter— -Copyright) LONDON. I A key factor in the coming English cricket season will be the need to build up a team cap-i able of successfully de-; fending the Ashes in i ! Australia next winter; and overcoming New Zealand. The omens are not good.; 'for England has played two; disturbing series against the; West Indies, losing one at : j home and only just saving •the other in the Caribbean after being outplayed for most of the series. In both, England’s deficiencies were sadly exposed,

.and the selectors will face a’ tough task against India and' ; Pakistan this summer, and in [Australia and New Zealand. I The selectors’ first job will ’be to find a captain who can • undertake the arduous task of leading in Australia, still [the tour which exerts the [most sevete pressure. J The astute leadership of R. I Illingworth has papered over i many of the cracks in recent years, but he will be 42 in [June, and is hardly likely to ;be recalled. There must be question [marks against M. H. Denness.j [captain in the West Indies, and A. R. Lewis, who led ini India and Pakistan the previ-j ous winter, for neither; seemed adequate as a captain; or a test batsman. There can be no question of England having a quiet;

i!time this summer, for it will; I'Open with three tests against i India, again ied by the astute Ajit Wadekar, who captained India to a 1-0 series victory in England in 1971, and to a 2 1 victory at home in 197273. The vulnerability of the England batsmen to tire highclass spin of Chandreasekhar, Bedi and Vennataraghavan will have to be over- [ come if India is not to complete a hat-trick. Pakistan, under the farai-i liar captaincy of IntikhabJ Alam, is hoping to emulate! India, and was unlucky to: have lost narrowly in Eng-| land in 1971. Its rich batting' ■talent will be a severe tests 'for England’s bowlers. On the bright side for Eng-i land is the emergence of D ' L. Amiss as a world-class! [opening batsman, whose sue-; I cess in the West Indies; should spur G. Boycott to! fresh efforts to keep'his title! [of England’s best batsman, i A. W. Greig, too, has! blossomed with the bat as![well as becoming an increas-| ; ingjy-valuable bowler, and K.| W. Fletcher may, at last, be, [maturing into a true test; batsman. Greig, vice-captain in the. West Indies, might be Eng-' ■land’s new captain, aithoughl the selectors might prefer!

him to have more experience as skipper of Sussex. Should an experienced captain be needed, on an interim basis, J. H. Edrich, of Surrey, 37 in June, could come into consideration. His solid left-hand batting has been of immense value to England over the years.