All eyes will be on England as they line-up for another vitalinternational match on Saturday – whether anyone will be paying anyinterest in the cricketers is another matter entirely
Andrew McGlashan30-Jun-2006
Andrew Strauss: ‘It’s been tough, but I still maintain you learn a lot more about yourself and others when things aren’t going well’ © Getty Images
All eyes will be on England as they line-up for another vitalinternational match on Saturday – whether anyone will be paying anyinterest in the cricketers is another matter entirely. They are on thebrink of a 5-0 whitewash against Sri Lanka and, given their current lackof confidence, it will be a notable turnaround if they managed to avoid theignominy of failing to register a win in their own backyard.The footballer’s World Cup quarter-final starts at 4pm and Headingleyofficials have decided to show crucial passages of play during stoppagesin the action. Given that this is the time England are usually throwingaway their wickets, the crowd can look forward to plenty of replays on thebig screen.This match holds huge significance for one man following the news ofMichael Vaughan’s fourth knee operation. Andrew Strauss, England’s fourthcaptain since the Ashes, is likely to be named as the Test leader againstPakistan given that Andrew Flintoff has yet to start bowling again andwon’t be reassessed for another two weeks. Heading into a crucialfour-Test series, against a team vying for England’s No. 2 spot, on theback of a whitewash is not the most ideal preparation.”I’ve said before it’s a massive honour to captain England and if the job was offered to me I’d do it,” Strauss admitted.”I haven’t had any consultation with the England selectors at this stage. I’m sure it’s something that will need to be resolved sooner rather than later and I’m sure by the beginning of next week something will be ready to be said.”Strauss is already wearing the slightly haggard expression that even tookMichael Atherton a year or so to build up during his reign a decade ago. He has been handed a pretty raw deal; a patched-up side against an in-form and confident opponent but it’s the fact that England haven’t improved any of their constant failings thatis really hard to take.”It’s been tough,” Strauss said, “but I still maintain you learn a lot more about yourself and others when things aren’t going well. It’s not ideal to have stand-in captains and I have been a stand-in for a stand-in [Flintoff] which is far from ideal.”A couple of changes are likely after the Old Trafford defeat, with theWorcestershire duo of Vikram Solanki and Kabir Ali stepping aside.Solanki’s return to England colours was a brief affair, drafted into theset-up for one game then released back to Worcestershire where he smashed92 in the Twenty20. The injuries to Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersenhave eased although it is unlikely that Pietersen will be risked. AlastairCook showed enough on his debut to be given another chance in the openingslot.Kabir Ali was unceremoniously dispatched in the final overs on Wednesdayand England may as well give Sajid Mahmood the chance to find some rhythm.He has been left out of the A team to play Pakistan and will only haveTwenty20 cricket with Lancashire before the next Test series.Sri Lanka are expected to make one change, with Chamara Kapugederareplacing the out-of-form Russel Arnold, who has failed to reach doublefigures in the series. Mahela Jayawardene, who must be leading the racefor man-of-the-series after back-to-back centuries, said his team arefocused on achieving the whitewash.”We have played very well and we should be able to go all the way. True,we take each game as it comes, but a 5-0 win will give us a lot ofsatisfaction. It will prove that we have played consistently well and ourhard work has been well rewarded.”England (probable) Marcus Trescothick, Alastair Cook, Ian Bell,Andrew Strauss (capt), Paul Collingwood, Jamie Dalrymple, Geraint Jones(wk), Tim Bresnan, Liam Plunkett, Sajid Mahmood, Steve HarmisonSri Lanka (probable) Upul Tharanga, Sanath Jayasuriya, MahelaJayawardene (capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, ChamaraKapugedera, Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas, Malinga Bandara, DilharaFernando, Lasith Malinga