Foster proves worthy of selector faith

While the controversy over England's defensive and attritional tactics in the field will run and run, there is no doubt whatever that the cricketers return home for Christmas in better heart than when they left for Bombay nearly two months ago. The coach and captain have pulled off another blinder after the frightening defeat in the first Test Match.

England's progress after that was symbolised by the personal performances of their new young wicketkeeper-batsman, James Foster. He committed two howlers behind the stumps in Mohali and was extremely nervous in that Test, his first. He was out in both innings to ugly and ill-advised sweeps against Harbhajan Singh.

Happily, the selectors resisted the temptation to fall back on Warren Hegg after that. Nasser Hussain won the toss in Ahmedabad and, with the help of two appalling umpiring decisions, England slumped to 180 for 5 after an opening partnership of 124. It was now that Foster joined Craig White, another who had been out of sorts at Mohali.

Batting with remarkable composure, especially against the two spinners, Harbhajan and Anil Kumble, who had caused such havoc only a few days earlier, they put on 105 for the seventh wicket, a record for England in India. They assured England of a total of over 400 and, although Foster batted for 140 minutes making 40, he did not play a single sweep, but produced a good number of handsome strokes.

His self-denial of the sweep showed not only character, but also that he is quick to learn from his mistakes and is prepared to take advice. There are many youngsters who are not prepared to do even that. This innings boosted his confidence enormously and this was reflected in his wicket-keeping, which greatly improved. He continued in this vein in the third Test in Bangalore where, after Michael Vaughan's aberration in handling the ball, the innings again slumped. Foster held firm, however, and began to get the better of all three of the Indian spinners. He put on 52 with White and 63 with Ashley Giles for the eighth wicket, taking England comfortably past 300, a score which, until the weather intervened, looked as if it had given them a decisive advantage.

Foster now really looked the part behind the stumps, too. Standing close to the wicket and out on the leg side he kept extremely well to Giles, who was pitching consistently in the rough outside the leg stump. When Sachin Tendulkar eventually lost patience and was stranded a yard down the pitch, Foster had the bails off as quickly as Alan Knott might have done.

He held on to a good tumbling catch standing back and eagerly accepted all other offerings that came his way. It was ironic that just as England finished off the Indian first innings on the first day, news should have come through that Alec Stewart had declared himself available for the one-day matches in India and New Zealand after Christmas if Graham Thorpe felt he had to pull out.

One hopes the selectors will say, "thank you, but no thank you". If they chose Stewart, just think what sort of signals it would send out to Foster who richly deserves to be in this England side until further notice. They must stay with the 21-year-old who has really shown that he has what it takes.