Atherton pulls England together

Cricket

The England cricket team have been so unsuccessful on their ventures abroad in recent years that any expression of hope is a high-risk policy. The fact remains, though, that the opening few days of their first tour to South Africa for 31 years have passed with scarcely a hitch. Perhaps blind optimism is a trifle premature - after all, a ball has yet to be bowled in anger - there is at least cause for genuine encouragement.

Nets and practice sessions have been conducted in excellent facilities with impressive intensity of purpose, every player is fit, the squad has spread goodwill with its visit to Alexandra township at the weekend and, most important of all, there is a real sense of friendship and fraternity among the players.

Graham Gooch always used to say he could tell within 10 days of the start of a tour whether his players would bond into an effective and winning unit. Clearly, they often did not. Yet now, after just five full days, Michael Atherton is already talking excitedly about the way the diverse characters are gelling.

"It is difficult to put your finger exactly on the reason," he said yesterday on the eve of England's first match against Nicky Oppenheimer's XI, "but it is just a feeling you get. These guys are working hard and the spirit is excellent. It is akin to the start of the West Indies tour two years ago."

Not too akin, hopefully, because England lost the first three Tests in the Caribbean. The point is taken, though. Atherton then assembled what he believed to be a group of young players with the skill and stomach for the fray - a sharp contrast to last winter when the captain complained of a lack of unity. He believes he now has individuals pulling for a common cause and determined to achieve it.

Perhaps the best illustration of the sense of togetherness was at a reception hosted by the British Consul-General last Friday. These are normally stuffed- shirt occasions with the team sitting in circle formation to avoid small- talk with assorted local bores. This time, however, they chatted happily with all and sundry and the evening finished with Mark Ilott, on vocals, and the physiotherapist, Wayne Morton, on guitar, ambushing the band and performing songs ranging from Billy Bragg to The Beatles. It brought the house down.

On practice grounds at the Wanderers stadium, players have been gasping for air in the rarified atmosphere of Johannesburg, which is 6,000 feet above sea level. Full acclimatisation can take two weeks and the ball also travels fractionally faster, which means minor adjustments are required on skied catches.

The match against Oppenheimer's team will be little more than a knock- about on a ground in the back garden of one of South Africa's richest men. Probably as competitive as touring teams' games against the Duchess of Norfolk's XI at Arundel. Oppenheimer, whose family made their billions from diamonds, usually likes to play, but is away on business. His son Jonathan will captain the team.

Ray Illingworth also named the team for match two - a day/night affair against Eastern Province tomorrow. All 16 players will appear in one or both of the opening games before the quest for Test places begins against an Invitation XI in the historic match in Soweto on Friday (the first first-class game in a township).

Alec Stewart will keep wicket in the game tomorrow as well as open the batting, even though he has not played any cricket since the Third Test in July. Any thoughts of protecting his troublesome right index finger, broken three times in the past year, have been abandoned.

Illingworth refused to accept this was a gamble, even though Stewart is Atherton's only specialist opening partner and further damage to his finger would destroy team strategy. "Look, before you ask," asserted Illingworth, ''we've taken all the medical advice and there's no danger to Alec's finger. He needs the practice for the one-day internationals and World Cup later in the tour and he is happy to wear the gloves."

ENGLAND TEAMS (v Oppenheimer's XI, Randjesfontein, today): M A Atherton (capt), A J Stewart, M R Ramprakash, J P Crawley, R A Smith, R C Russell (wkt), M Watkinson, D Gough, M C Ilott, R K Illingworth, D E Malcolm. (v Eastern Transvaal, Springs, tomorrow): M A Atherton (capt), A J Stewart (wkt), G A Hick, G P Thorpe, R A Smith, M R Ramprakash, D G Cork, D Gough, P J Martin, R K Illingworth, A R C Fraser.

NICKY OPPENHEIMER XI: J Oppenheimer (capt), D Benkenstein, S Elworthy, H Gibbs, A Kourie, H Page, R Pienaar, J Teeger, G Toyana, H Williams, M Yachad.