How Super School Solved England's Opener Woes
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60 2G M Tuesday December 17 2019 | the times the times | Tuesday December 17 2019 2G M 61 Sport Cricket Sport Burns, who learnt the game at Whitgift, has cemented his place Anderson back for tour as an England opener. How super Fellow old boy Hudson-Odoi, the Chelsea and England winger, visited the game but Wood still out school recently, inset school solved John Westerby career,” Silverwood said. “It’s the first Proteas’ six uncapped players time he’s come across those conditions. James Anderson will return to He’ll learn and he’s got some good competitive action today for the first Dane Paterson people around him, and Joe [Root, the time since August in the opening Right-arm fast, Age 30 captain] is continually learning what’s warm-up game of England’s tour of First-class record the best way of captaining him as well.” England’s South Africa. The previous time Matches 100 Wickets 347 South Africa are emerging from a Anderson had taken the field was in a Bowl ave 24.03 turmoil after installing Graeme Smith game for Lancashire’s second team in as acting director of cricket and Mark Chester, when he aggravated the injury Pieter Malan Opening batsman, 30 Boucher as head coach within the last to his right calf that he had sustained Matches 148 Runs 10,161 Bat ave 45.16 week. After losing their most recent during the first Test at Edgbaston home Test series 2-0 to Sri Lanka in against Australia and was ruled out of Rassie van der Dussen Batsman, 30 February and being crushed 3-0 in opener woes the rest of the Ashes series. Matches 113 Runs 7,370 India in October, six uncapped players The 37-year-old missed the tour to Bat ave 44.39 were named yesterday in a 17-man New Zealand too, but England’s squad for the first two Tests. “The wickets are really good, which leading Test wicket-taker will be back in Beuran Hendricks Left-arm fast, 29 Keshav Maharaj is the only specialist Whitgift had little track probably explains why we produce a action in a two-day game against a Matches 85 Wickets 291 spinner in the squad, while Aidan record in cricket before lot of batsmen. But the ethos has South Africa Invitation XI in Benoni Bowl ave 23.63 Markram, the opening batsman, has always been just about instilling a this morning, aiming to regain been included despite not having it suddenly developed lifelong love of the game. selection for the opening Test of a Dwaine Pretorius All-rounder, 30 played since fracturing his wrist punch- “We’ve got loads of old pupils four-match series, starting in Centuri- Matches 55 Runs 2,656 Bat ave ing a wall during the series in India. three Test batsmen, playing Premier League club cricket on a week on Thursday. Anderson has 39.05 Wickets 162 Bowl ave 23.87 Dominic Sibley and Zak Crawley, the and I’m just as proud of that as of the not taken a Test wicket since the final opening batsmen in Root’s squad, were writes John Westerby England players we’ve produced.” match against West Indies in St Lucia in Rudi Second Wicketkeeper, 30 named yesterday in the squad for the It is a Wednesday evening and the February, but still has the desire to add Matches 110 Runs 7,205 Bat ave red-ball leg of England Lions squad to or far too many summers next generation are being put to his tally of 575 wickets from 149 Tests. 44.75 Catches 365 Stumpings 14 Australia after the Test now the England selectors through their paces in the school hall The head coach Chris Silverwood series in South Africa. Tom Kohler- have been scouring the by Kendrick, the former Surrey and believes that the swing bowler is ready Full squad F du Plessis (capt), T Bavuma, Cadmore was named in the white-ball country for opening batsmen Glamorgan spinner, in a Whitgift to stake his claim for a place in the seam Q de Kock (wk), D Elgar, B Hendricks, K Maharaj, squad, having been dropped from a P Malan, A Markram, Z Hamza, A Nortje, of Test quality. First in search Cricket Academy session, where attack after spending two weeks accli- D Paterson, A Phehlukwayo, V Philander, Lions tour last winter and not Fof a reliable opening partner for specialist coaching is given to the best matising in Potchefstroom. “Jimmy is considered for selection in the summer. D Pretorius, K Rabada, R Second, Alastair Cook, more recently in the players from years eight to 13. absolutely flying,” Silverwood said yes- R van der Dussen. Kohler-Cadmore and Joe Clarke, the hope of finding worthy successors, Spriegel, 32, a youth coach at Surrey, terday. “He’s in a great place.” Nottinghamshire batsman, were repri- from Nick Compton to Adam Lyth, has come back to his old school to Ben Stokes, having been crowned manded and fined for bringing the Michael Carberry to Keaton Jennings, lend a hand. A week earlier Laurie BBC Sports Personality of the Year on South Africa will be kinder to their game into disrepute as members of the the search has gone on across the Evans, the Sussex and former Surrey Sunday, will not take part in the open- seam attack. “There’s a bit more bounce WhatsApp group that came to light length and breadth of the land. batsman, had dropped in to dispense ing match but is likely to play in the here,” Silverwood said. “A bit more pace during the rape trial of Alex Hepburn, This makes it all the more unlikely a little wisdom. three-day first-class fixture against in the wickets will suit our bowlers. But their former Worcestershire team- that two have been uncovered from Evans is another former pupil who South Africa A at the same venue, the bowlers as a unit have worked so mate. precisely the same place. Rory Burns, made his way into the Surrey team starting on Friday. Mark Wood, still hard on finding ways to get 20 wickets. England Lions 50-over squad T Abell; D Bess (both 29, and Dominic Sibley, 24, who will around the same time as Spriegel and recovering from a side injury sustained It’s been a struggle at times but that’s Somerset); J Bracey (Gloucs); H Brookes (Warks); B Carse (Durham); M Crane (Hants); L Evans (Sussex); resume their opening partnership for plenty more have followed them to in the World Cup final in July, is not something to work on.” R Gleeson (Lancs); L Gregory (Somerset); S Hain England in the first Test against the Oval in recent years, including expected to be fit until the third Test in Jofra Archer is suffering from a cold (Warks); W Jacks (Surrey); T Kohler-Cadmore (Yorks); D Lawrence (Essex); M Milnes (Kent); T Moores South Africa a week on Thursday, Tom Lancefield, Freddie van den Port Elizabeth in mid-January. but Silverwood feels the fast bowler will (Notts); C Overton (Somerset). learnt much of their early cricket at Bergh and Ryan Patel, as well as Silverwood acknowledged that have learnt from a chastening series on Four-day squad Bess, Bracey, Z Crawley (Kent), Whitgift School in Croydon before Burns, Roy and Sibley. From an England’s attack need to show more unresponsive pitches in New Zealand. Gleeson, Gregory, Hain, K Jennings (Lancs), D Lawrence (Essex), S Mahmood (Lancs), S Northeast taking separate paths towards Test independent boys’ school that had no penetration than they displayed in New “He’s still very young in his inter- (Hants), C Overton, O Robinson (Kent), O Robinson cricket. particular track record of producing Zealand, but feels that conditions in national career, especially his Test (Sussex), D Sibley (Warks), A Virdi (Surrey). Burns, the Surrey captain, has county cricketers, this has become a established himself in the side, after prolific production line. VISIONHAUS/GETTY IMAGES; IAN TUTTLE/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK an excellent Ashes series and a So what changed? “About 20 years Sibley scored a have a really good range of not being given under-15, he was scoring centuries for century in his most recent innings, ago, we were nowhere near the top of double century backgrounds here.” sufficient the school first team. “We play 50- Stokes: Team against New Zealand in Hamilton at the ladder but a new head came in, while at school, Daly and Cipriani were good opportunities with over cricket and 20-over cricket and Pre-watershed swearing was the start of this month. Sibley, who Dr Christopher Barnett, who had his left, and made his cricketers, the former playing for the bat. Dom was always someone moved on to Warwickshire two years own vision for the school and that Test debut last South of England before opting to “There was a who would look to occupy supported me ago, played his first two Tests in New included improving the sport,” month, below. concentrate on his rugby. “Cips could difference of opinion the crease,” Kendrick breach of Ofcom regulations Zealand and aims to cement his Kendrick says. “Colin Pates [the Daly, right, also of bat and bowl but he never practised about where I was says. position in South Africa at the top of former Chelsea and Arsenal defender] Whitgift, has 39 at all,” Kendrick says. “I remember batting,” is how “He wasn’t afraid phones had to be turned off between during absence the order alongside his former school- started the football off, we’ve had a caps in rugby picking him up at the station one time Burns looks back on of getting behind continued from back balls but it is now up to the broadcaster mate.