Cricket: Batty selectors, but it might not matter

By Richard Boock

Churlish this, I know. But it looks as though New Zealand could make history at Old Trafford despite, rather than because of, the team they picked for the third cricket test.

Just as we finished chortling over the bumbling of the England selectors, the Kiwis have come out with a playing XI who might be designed for a timeless test rather than a five-dayer on a disintegrating track in Manchester.

The biggest puzzle apart from the pitch (which could well be the same one on which Jim Laker took his 19 wickets against Australia in 1956) involves the decision to rest Geoff Allott and play Chris Harris as a frontline bowler.

The last time Harris played test cricket was in March, when he rescued New Zealand against South Africa as a batsman, replacing the injured Chris Cairns to hit two 50s and average 59.00 against arguably the best attack in world cricket.

Needless to say, he was overlooked for the next two tests and then reintroduced as a specialist bowler.

His record at the bowling crease (11 test wickets at an average cost of 77.27 each, with a best return of two for 57) neither explains the decision nor inspires confidence in the tour selectors, who have chosen to play him sparingly throughout this three-month long tour.

Presumably this will come as no surprise to Matt Horne, who was overlooked for an entire tour last year by two-thirds of the same panel (Steve Rixon and Stephen Fleming), but it must be a confusing time for Harris, not to mention thousands of mystified supporters back home.

Then there is Daniel Vettori, whose efforts in scoring a half-century at Lord's followed by a century against Leicestershire have been rewarded by demotion to No 11.

In fact, of the entire line-up, every player has scored a test half-century apart from opening batsman Matthew Bell.

While this might have addressed the run-scoring concerns, it leaves a few questions hovering over the attack, although given the first day's effort, England's batsmen are threatening to leave most of them unanswered.

For instance, as the only specialist pacemen, Chris Cairns and Dion Nash are faced with carrying a heavier burden at the bowling crease, risking at least their edge in pace (and possibly their fitness) while the English will be relieved to see the back of Allott.

The World Cup star has not quite been able to recapture his one-day form in the test arena but still managed to produce something special on the last day at Lord's, chipping out three England second-innings wickets at a time when the rest of the Kiwi attack were struggling.

The Old Trafford pitch might well favour the spinners, which Harris is assuredly not, but its variation in bounce would probably have made Allot's left-arm variety just as dangerous.

Hopefully, as it happens, it might not matter.