Cricket: Lloyd sifts through the desert debris

NINE WEEKS from today, if England indulge their supporters' abiding dream and confound their present expectations by reaching and winning the World Cup final, David Lloyd's tenure as England coach will end. The likelihood, in the wake of recent events, is that he will walk into the sunset, or at least towards Sky, a little while before.

Not much that England did in Australia in January and February, and almost nothing they did in Sharjah in the past fortnight, suggests they are about to take the international one-day game into a new age or, indeed, to leave the dark age where they still sometimes play it. If they fail to renew their self-confidence, regain their sense of purpose and reconstruct a proper game plan they may yet struggle to survive the group stages and the coach will be able to head for his new job as a commentator with the satellite sports channel well before the tournament ends.

Lloyd's innately sunny disposition was, however, unmoved and immovable when he and the team returned from their desert foray last week. "All the best sides in the world can be beaten," he said. "They are really that close. South Africa are favourites for the World Cup, and probably rightly, but they were taken all the way by New Zealand in their recent series. West Indies beat Australia the other day, we lost to India twice but then beat Pakistan and India beat Pakistan." Actually, when it mattered in the final of the Coca-Cola Cup in Sharjah - which England failed to reach, having won one, lost three at the group stage - India were slaughtered, but you took his point.

"It all comes down to the day and how you play on it," Lloyd said. "We will have to play at our best, but if we do, we can beat anybody and win the competition. And whoever you interview will say the same thing. You can play all you like in Sharjah and the West Indies but it's entirely different from England in May and June. We have a side that can prosper in these conditions."

Having said all of which, and he has said it all many times, Lloyd is not of the kidding breed of coaches. Maybe that is why he has not only kept his hair, or at least that of it he still had when he took the job, but also that it has not turned grey. He (and the manager, David Graveney) are candid about the deficiencies exhibited by their squad.

"Our starts have been dreadful. We just aren't getting enough runs at the top of the innings and it's putting pressure on immediately. Alec Stewart is the main one at the moment and he realises it. He was tired, very tired towards the end in Australia and in Sharjah he struggled with his timing because the pitches didn't suit his batting. He likes the ball coming on and that will make the difference."

But it is not merely the starts, it is the tail, too, and England have to find the balance from their 15. They may also need to score more runs than the usual par because of their suspect fielding.

"I thought we fielded very well in Sharjah, some top-class stuff," said Lloyd, who may have been overestimating it a shade. "But we have to face the fact that we are not the most mobile of teams because of who we have picked. We will continue to work on our fielding, on hitting the stumps more. We talk about all this at the team meetings. I lead them, but the players drive them so they know what they have to do."

There is no doubt that after finishing badly in Australia and losing the first three in Sharjah the side's confidence was dented. Whatever a coach says in those circumstances is next to; only a win changes it. England got it at the last against Pakistan. Sighs of relief all round. Now for England.

Lloyd, and presumably the rest of the selectors, are setting huge store by what the seam bowlers will achieve, and in particular Ian Austin. It is not quite as if he goes misty-eyed or that a lump emerges in his throat when he talks of his fellow Lancastrian but he does not disguise his admiration.

"When we were in Australia one of the Aussies described Austin as being an amateur cricketer. Well, we'll see how amateur he is in England at this time of the year. At Lancashire he's bowled with Wasim Akram and Peter Martin and his results are the best. Ask the batsmen and they'll tell you what he's like."

That is some testimonial. It is doubtless true, but the selectors have managed to ignore the evidence for years. Austin had not played a one- day international anywhere until he appeared in England last year - but that was in August. Only in the World Cup itself will he have been given a chance to prove his spring credentials, spring, incidentally, not being a quality that necessarily applies to his fleetness of foot.

Lloyd sounds relaxed about what is to come and firmly denies that it is connected with the fact that it will soon all be over whatever happens, that his new life in the commentary box beckons. "Look, I'm always relaxed. I don't know where this other stuff comes from. I tell the players what I think.

"They adore me and I love them and all that, it's said, but I let them know what I think. I still enjoy it all, love it. But after the World Cup - and only after it - I'll get on with the next stage of my life." Not, with luck and Ian Austin, before 20 June.