Wednesday, Aug 21, 2002
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Cricket
By G. Viswanath
England seamer Andrew Caddick who returns to the squad after a lay-off due to injury snapped during a practice session at the Headingley cricket ground in Leeds on Tuesday. — Photo: N. Sridharan
After recovering from a painful side strain, Caddick struck blows for Somerset in two four-day games of the Frizzell County Championship. His ten plus wicket haul in two matches was sufficient enough for the England selectors to be satisfied about his fitness and recall him. What may come as a surprise to many, is that though he has been capped 56 times by England and in which he has taken 207 wickets, he has not appeared against India in the traditional format of the game. The seamer, who has the special ability to bowl the `throat ball', refused to travel to India for the three-Test series in India last winter expressing fears about the security situation in India, but played in the second part of the tour, when England returned to play the six match one-day series. Caddick will not be as unlucky as Darren Gough who, too, has not played a Test against India. On Tuesday, in the customary open session with reporters, Caddick said he was looking forward to bowling against Australia in the Ashes series in Australia, something he has not done although he has played fourteen Tests against them. But Caddick did not make any reference to playing his first Test against India on Thursday. England may not have suffered much for lack of quality fast bowlers and seamers in the home series in which five Tests have been played so far. This is a point England Nasser Hussain has stressed on many occasions and has gone as far as saying that though the likes of Simon Jones and Steve Harmison have impressed, England cannot forget the performances of Gough and Caddick in the last three years. It is a fact that the partnership of Gough and Caddick, both of whom have played 56 Tests each and taken together 435 wickets, has served England well. Gough has been troubled by a knee injury since the away series in New Zealand, while Caddick damaged the left side of the trunk two months ago. He was the first Somerset player to be forced out of action, the second being opening Marcus Trescothick who broke his thumb in a one-day match after the NatWest Trophy Tri-series at Lords on July 13. Caddick's recovery period followed different patterns. He took complete rest for two weeks, then strengthened his muscles for two weeks and then worked on the all-round strengthening of his body. "I am happy to be back in the England team. But in hindsight I would say that what has happened to English cricket is good. We were able to unearth potential fast bowlers like Simon Jones and Steve Harmison for the future". England's problems have been compounded with injuries to even a newcomer like Jones, who made his debut at Lords, but since has not recovered to get a recall. "Obviously we are playing too much cricket. It's ridiculously strenuous. Its been demanding physically and mentally. The ICC's five-year cycle to play all the Test playing countries is too short. It has to be a minimum period of six years. Apart from that today you are required to play in all arenas". Caddick welcomed the England & Wales Cricket Boards Central contract system. "It'll help me to lengthen my career for two or three years. It will give everybody a good rest. There is one big hole in my CV. I have not played a Test match in Australia". Caddick felt England was a confident side. "It is coming close to becoming a complete team and playing as a unit. But we don't have individual greats like Glen McGrath and Shane Warne. But we have our own breed of players. I think we will go into the Ashes with a lot of confidence". He has been successful against the two other Asian teams in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with 39 wickets against them 12 Tests. His efforts played a part in England's victory against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka in a little over a year ago. It was a different story against Pakistan in Pakistan — taking three wickets at 94, as against the 20 wickets at home at 23.70. Caddick said he had not seen much of the Indians. "In fact I don't see matches when I am not playing. I don't enjoy watching cricket. After playing the game day in and day out, I like to do other things in life. Well, I have seen one or two hours, but I am not the type to watch it on television". His best spell at Headingley has been five for 14 against the West Indies two summers ago. He has taken five wickets, a dozen times, the last two occasions being six for 122 and six for 63 against New Zealand at Lancaster Park, Chirstchurch, where he was born and at Basin Reserve, Wellington. "I like to bowl on any pitch in England as long it is green and seaming", said Caddick. The happiest man in the England squad, following Caddick's return to top fitness, must be Nasser Hussain. In the absence of Gough and Caddick, the England captain had relied on Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Flintoff. "We have been unprofessional with Freddie. He has been carrying on with a groin niggle" said Hussain after the Nottingham Test. Flintoff has delayed a hernia operation so that he can play the third Test. He may not be used as a bowler as much he was in the first two Tests. Caddick has been a class bowler. He has troubled the likes of Brian Lara and Steve Waugh and taken their wickets six times each. He will be looking forward to get his first Indian wicket and working out a combination with Hoggard, who will be playing his first Test at his home ground. Hoggard's first one-day International turned out to be disastrous. He ended up with figures of 4-0-53-1 in the shortened match of the NatWest series. But things can prove to be different for him, what with Caddick's return to the ranks. Meanwhile, India's Dinesh Mongia and Mohammad Kaif would be returning home on Wednesday. The Manager of the team, Mr. Ranga Reddy said after the team's full practice session on Tuesday, that Adrian Le Roux has briefed Mongia and Kaif about the training schedule they have to follow. He said that since both would not be getting to play a match henceforth, a decision to sent them back home was taken by the tour management. Mongia played a couple of club level matches, while Kaif played a County and one-day match for Leicestershire last week. The England players have not signed the `Players Terms' that they have to sign in order to take part in the Champions Trophy in Colombo. According to the ECB media manager, Andrew Walpole, the ECB has signed the `Participating Nations Agreement' with the ICC, but with conditions attached to it.
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