England to name 12-man contract squad

By Ted Corbett

COLOMBO, MARCH 26. Dominic Cork, the all-rounder whose bold innings at Lord's last summer formed the basis of England's recent Test success, has been given his first contract for the Ashes series.

Cork missed the winter tours to have an operation on his knees and will have a full fitness assessment before he is formally made one of the 12-man squad but I understand that he is now fully restored to health and that he is determined to make this season a memorable one. Graeme Hick, who has once again had a disappointing winter, is been left out.

The official announcement of the party will not be made until Friday after the tourist from Sri Lanka returned home. ``It is a big step forward,'' said my source at Lord's. ``Since Duncan Fletcher took charge 18 months ago, England has had a series of successes based on his determination to show faith in his players by keeping the same group together. Now, with the Ashes series upon us and the World Cup round the corner in less than two years we must move on. Hence the changes.''

Hick's departure shortly before his 35th birthday probably marks the end of his England career. If at this stage Hick had made 55 first-class centuries you would feel that he had not done himself justice in the England side. But he has scored 111 first-class hundreds, a landmark achieved by only 20 men in the history of the game and yet he has made only six centuries for England in ten years.

Why? A distaste for quick deliveries heading for his throat, as purveyed by Curtly Ambrose in particular, is only part of the answer since he has faced many Test attacks without any bowler half as talented as Ambrose. What is certain is that England has persisted with him for far too long, and that skilled batsmen like John Crawley of Lancashire in particular have had too few chances.

The other contracts, worth between 40,000 and 90,000 pounds sterling, go mostly to the tried and trusted: Nasser Hussain, Alec Stewart, Mike Atherton, Marcus Trescothick, Graham Thorpe, Craig White, Ashley Giles, Darren Gough and Andrew Caddick. Cork leads the second set, still on trial: Matthew Hoggard, who scooped up wickets in minor matches this winter and who on friendly home pitches may cut a swathe through the Australian and Pakistan ranks this summer and Michael Vaughan, 26 and ready to step into Hick's shoes.

Robert Croft, who bowled better than the Pakistan success Giles during the Sri Lankan series, fails to get a place but he is almost certain to be one of the England squad in the triangular tournament in mid-season.

They are the probables for the first Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston on May 17 and for the rest of the summer but the problems are already obvious. Of the 12, only Vaughan, Trescothick, Giles and Hoggard will be under 30 when the summer ends which means that by the time the World Cup comes along in 2003, there will be a need for new faces. The time to find those stars and toughen them for One-day international cricket is now but the replacements are not obvious.

Fletcher reminded his One-day players today that their reputations are at stake and their places in the triangular tournament under threat if they lose the series against Sri Lanka 3-0 tomorrow. He then put all his players through a tough training session, just to remind them that the tour is not yet finished. He has no doubt that England still does not play enough One-day cricket but soon he will have to face another dilemma. England does not have enough talented players to compete with the great One-day sides either.

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