Cricket: 'Differences' over England

RAY ILLINGWORTH, the chairman of selectors, admitted to 'differences of opinion' after his first official meeting with the England captain, Mike Atherton, yesterday. 'There were one or two straight differences - but not disagreements. In fact, we are not a long way apart in our thinking,' Illingworth said. 'We discussed the players who went to the West Indies and the A team, who were in South Africa, and basically we seem to agree.'

Illingworth said he wanted to give Atherton the chance to use his cricketing brain with 'a properly balanced side'. 'I am not going to say to Mike, 'This is what we are doing'. It will be a matter for discussion.'

Atherton refused to take one-day specialists on the West Indies tour, but of this month's Texaco Trophy games with New Zealand, he said: 'There could be a shift of emphasis.'

The one-day squad will be chosen on 14 May.