Cricket: Drum on standby to take Doull's spot

By Richard Boock and NZPA

Auckland pace bowler Chris Drum will join the New Zealand cricket team in England if Simon Doull does not recover from his knee injury quickly enough.

Doull had arthroscopic surgery on his knee after the game against Hampshire earlier in the week and is unlikely to play in the second test at Lord's, which starts on Thursday.

Drum, who has played one-day but not test cricket for New Zealand, was named as a stand-by player before the World Cup, and will fly over as a replacement if Doull's recovery is slower than expected, NZC officials confirmed yesterday.

New Zealand play Kent in a test dress-rehearsal at Canterbury starting tonight, and while Doull - and to a lesser extent Dion Nash and Geoff Allott - are carrying injuries, the main problem still centres around the team's run-scoring ability.

They will play their full complement of batsmen in the four-dayer against Kent in the hope that players such as Nathan Astle, Craig McMillan and Matthew Bell will find the kind of form that will test the English attack at cricket headquarters next week.

Bell will open with Matt Horne, with Roger Twose at No 5 and McMillan at No 6.

Although the change allows New Zealand's lower-order to carry unusual run-scoring potential into the match (with Adam Parore at No 7, Chris Cairns at No 8 and Nash at No 9), the team management would much prefer their out-of-sorts top order to accept the batting responsibility for a change.

Bell looks on course to make a test appearance at Lord's, unless he performs poorly against a Kent side without Dean Headley.

"There's a lot of pride and prestige playing at Lord's and it's been my aim since I got here to put pressure on the other guys," Bell said yesterday.

"I'd love to play in the second test. I've spent quite a bit of time out in the middle and even if I haven't scored that many runs I've felt quite confident."

Bell, 22, said he enjoyed facing former England fast bowler Devon Malcolm in the friendly game against Sir Paul Getty's XI yesterday.

He won't find the starchy mood and atmosphere at Lord's daunting if he is selected next week as he was New Zealand's young player to Lord's a few years ago.

Last summer he played three tests, scoring just 41 runs in six innings.

Bell's position in the batting line-up might have a significant effect on New Zealand's test hopes.

Twose might be better suited to the middle order while McMillan and Cairns could also prove more useful lower down.

Skipper Stephen Fleming said the players didn't want to get bogged down in off-field talk about the recent batting disappointments.

"The message is to concentrate on trusting the preparations and believe in what we've been doing as we walk on the park.

"`We've been a long time on the road and we don't want to lose sight of the enjoyment factor. You can get weighed down if things aren't working too well.

"Sometimes that enjoyment factor diminishes and can impinge on form as well. We played well in early county games and this coming test match is vital, so we must prepare as best we can for that."

Fleming said it wasn't crucial but he wanted to beat Kent to get into a winning frame with the test around the corner.

New Zealand: Matthew Horne, Matthew Bell, Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Roger Twose, Craig McMillan, Adam Parore, Chris Cairns, Dion Nash, Daniel Vettori, Geoff Allott.