Cricket: England decide on split-level management

CRICKET is definitely turning into two ball games - Tests and one-day internationals. Having appointed different captains for each form of the game two weeks ago, with Alec Stewart put in charge of the Test side and his Surrey colleague, Adam Hollioake, handed the leadership of the Texaco Trophy team, the England and Wales Cricket Board yesterday underlined their divergent thinking by announcing separate tour managers for the England squads in Australia this winter.

The former England captain and selector, Graham Gooch, takes over from Bob Bennett as tour manager for the Ashes Test series Down Under, which gets under way in early November, while the present chairman of selectors, David Graveney, will be in charge of the squad that tackles the one-day series in January 1999. Graveney will also manage the one-day squad for the International Cricket Council Knockout Trophy in Bangladesh this October and the World Cup in England next year.

Graveney said: "It would be silly for us not make use of Graham's capabilities and it is good to have a selector out there with the tour party to maintain continuity." The ECB international teams director, Simon Pack, explained: "Having separate tour managers is designed to reflect the fact that increasingly the two England squads draw on different personnel."

There was some different personnel practising at The Oval yesterday before the opening Texaco Trophy match against South Africa tomorrow. Among them the Sussex captain, Chris Adams, who has lifted the south coast club this season after after joining from Derbyshire. By a freak of the fixtures, Adams misses Sussex's match against his former county at Horsham this week, and he said with a grin: "I'm a great believer in destiny. I just hope they stuff Derbyshire." On his call-up he added: "I suppose it has come a lot more quickly than I anticipated. I think Sussex feel that and they probably have mixed feelings, because I won't be able to captain the side, but I am sure Michael Bevan and coach Peter Moores will carry on the good work."

There is a bit of a collection of comeback kings headed by the Leicestershire all-rounder, Chris Lewis. His own recalls number umpteen. His last appearance for England was at The Oval in 1996 when he turned up late on the fourth day and having claimed that he had suffered a puncture was promptly told by the then chairman of selectors, Ray Illingworth, that he would not be considered for the subsequent one-day series against Pakistan. In fact he has not played at all for England in the intervening 21 months.

Yesterday he was first on the ground, working out fully half an hour before the rest of the squad drifted on to the outfield, and when the first of them did emerge from the dressing-rooms Lewis was seen wagging an admonishing finger at them and then pointing to an imaginary wrist watch.

Another of the comeback men is Surrey's Alistair Brown, who was dropped after scoring a hundred two years against India, and returned to modest success in Sharjah at the start of last winter only to find himself out in the cold when Michael Atherton was named captain for the Test and one- day series in the Caribbean.

"This is the third time I've come back," Brown said, "but I am not trying to prove people wrong by playing poorly to get dropped only to come back in. In fact, this year I have started the season well. I am happy with my Championship form and my one-day form is very positive." That echoes the mood of the whole squad.

Steve Randell, the international umpire, appeared in Hobart Magistrates Court yesterday to face 11 charges of indecent assault against young girls. Randell, a 42-year-old teacher, has stood in 36 Test matches and 88 limited overs internationals and is on the International Cricket Council's umpiring panel. He is due to umpire the opening Test between England and South Africa in England next month.The charges relate to allegations dating back to 1982, the court heard.