da bet sport： While England have been dogged by injuries and uncertainty over who was going to captain them in the Second Test starting tomorrow at Lord’s, Australia have been able to name their starting XI the day before the game.
CricInfo18-Jul-2001While England have been dogged by injuries and uncertainty over who was going to captain them in the Second Test starting tomorrow at Lord’s, Australia have been able to name their starting XI the day before the game.It gives Steve Waugh yet another weapon in his psychological armoury. He knows that while the hosts are in some disarray, his touring team represents the model of stability.Matthew Hayden (knee) and Brett Lee (rib) have overcome their injuries, enabling Waugh to name the same team that won by an innings at Edgbaston in the First Test.England, meanwhile, are without skipper Nasser Hussain – out with a broken finger – and will be captained in his absence by Michael Atherton. He was given the job after Alec Stewart and Mark Butcher both announced that they didn’t want it.The confusion over who should take on the role bemused the Australians. “I greeted the captaincy issue more with dismay than interest,” admittedWaugh. “I couldn’t comprehend that people weren’t willing to captain theircountry.”At least they were being honest, saying they weren’t willing to captain, butI think you’ll find that no one in the Australian side would say they didn’twant to captain Australia.”Perhaps they felt it might have affected their game so you have to give themcredit for that, but I would have thought that if you’re playing for yourcountry you would want to captain and be capable of doing it – maybe the mindsetis a little bit different.”Australia vice-captain Adam Gilchrist, who led the side against the West Indies in only his 12th Test, echoed his skipper, saying: “It seems strange from our point of view that no one wanted to do the job. It’s a huge responsibility and it’s a different outlook to us because we have a lot of guys who would be keen to do the job.”Maybe they felt intimidated by the job and what the captain has to take onat Lord’s.”We don’t feel England were as bad in the last Test as has been made out inthe public forum, but in the week after that and the issue about the captaincy,it was perhaps built up more than it is. Players have maybe shied away from itfor that reason.”Gilchrist admitted his one Test as captain was “something that is veryspecial and a unique feeling – you join a unique club and I’ll always look backon it and it’ll bring a smile to my face.”I wanted to do the job and I was keen to take on the responsibility andlearn.”I didn’t feel I had a lack of experience because I’d played a year of Testcricket and seven or eight years of first-class cricket and I felt I wasexperienced enough to use the other experience around me.”As well as having a stable team, Australia can look back and see history is very much on their side at Lord’s. They have lost just once there – back in 1934 – in the last 100 years.”I’m not sure the record’s that important, but it’s nice we’ve won here andonly lost once in the last century and we would like to keep that intact,”said Waugh.”It doesn’t really relate to what’s going to happen over the next five days,but it’s a special place to play, we enjoy playing here and it brings the bestout in our cricket.”If we win this one, it’s going to be difficult for England to win the series soit’s shaping up as the crucial Test of the series.”We’re playing good cricket, but we’ve said in our team meetings that thelast Test was a lot closer than England were given credit for and we happened towin the big moments, but if that doesn’t happen in this Test then it could be adifferent story.”Teams and officials:England (from): MA Atherton (capt), ME Trescothick, MA Butcher, GP Thorpe, AJ Stewart (wkt), IJ Ward, MR Ramprakash, C White, DG Cork, D Gough, AR Caddick, AF Giles, CEW Silverwood.Australia: SR Waugh (capt), MJ Slater, ML Hayden, RT Ponting, ME Waugh, DRMartyn, AC Gilchrist (wkt), SK Warne, B Lee, JN Gillespie, GD McGrath.Umpires: SA Bucknor (WI) & J Holder.Third umpire: JW Lloyds.Match referee: Talat Ali (Pak).