Lack of games concerns Fletcher

Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, is concerned at the lack of experience in his squad after conducting the first full net practice of the visitors' Zimbabwean tour here yesterday.

England will play five one-day internationals – starting next Wednesday – against Zimbabwe on the tour, seen as the start of their preparations for the 2003 World Cup.

Six members of the 16-man squad are uncapped while, between them, the captain Nasser Hussain and batsmen Nick Knight and Graham Thorpe hold 178 of the 260 caps shared by the squad.

"We've picked these youngsters to prove to us that they're good enough to play in the World Cup," Fletcher said. "Once this tour is over we will have to say these are the individuals we want and make sure they get that experience I've been calling for.

"I don't think there are enough games between now and the World Cup, but we've got to make sure we use those games very effectively." England will play 21 one-day internationals from now to the World Cup, while South Africa will play 31 from now to April next year.

"We are the babies in international cricket by a long way," Fletcher said. "By February this year, before we played Sri Lanka, since the 1999 World Cup England had played 21 one-day internationals. The next side with the least number of games was Zimbabwe with 43. So everyone had twice as much experience as we had, and that's a huge problem."

* Floodlights may be introduced at Lord's to enable the ground to stage day-night games and help make up lost time. Members' approval would allow the owners of Lord's to examine installing floodlighting, replacing the entire outfield by a fast-draining topsoil and that "drop-in" pitches will be introduced.