Illingworth warned

Cricket

Cricket

England A's management will advise Ray Illingworth to rethink part of his World Cup planning after the latest experience of their Pakistan tour.

John Emburey, the A team manager on the tour which continues today with the third Test in Peshawar, said: "We have found good practice facilities very difficult to find, except in Karachi during our first 10 days.

"In Lahore we couldn't find a decent club pitch to use for nets because of private matches going on all the time, and promised facilities were never available when we wanted them.

"In Rawalpindi, where England also play a World Cup match, the net pitch was not up to standard. Here, the net pitches were clearly not rolled after Pakistan A practised on them yesterday, nor were they covered."

Atherton's England are due in Peshawar on 15 February, and they play the United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands there on 18 and 22 February.

Emburey said it might be worth England staying on an extra couple of days in India after their opening match against New Zealand at Ahmedabad on 14 February as they would be assured of good weather and they would know they would have a good standard of net facilities.