Cricket: Angry Lewis joins Surrey

Chris Lewis yesterday agreed to join Surrey before launching a surprise attack on England's chairman of selectors, Ray Illingworth.

The 27-year-old former England all-rounder rejected offers from Durham and Essex after making it known he wanted to end an unhappy three-year spell with Nottinghamshire.

And despite being ruled out of all Nottinghamshire's first-class matches this season with a hip injury, Lewis believes Illingworth has expelled him from the England set-up too soon.

"I'm a better and more genuine all-rounder than either Craig White or Dominic Cork," Lewis said. "My problem is I'm not playing. But my confidence is high enough to forecast that when I'm fit again I'm good enough to force myself back into the England side.

"Given another chance by England I'd be more of my own man. The pressure got to me in my early 20s. I worried too much. I wouldn't now. I want to play with a smile."

"What am I, some monster or something? What's up with Ray Illingworth? Why doesn't he come and see Chris Lewis instead of talking to TV commentators and newspapers about me?"

"I'm probably the best England all-rounder in the country and he never talks to me, nor do his selectors. I've seen them at Trent Bridge. None of them have bothered to ask me about the injury and my hopes of getting back into the England side.

"Illingworth seems more comfortable expressing an opinion on me to somebody else than he does telling me straight."

But Lewis believes his move to The Oval, where he will reportedly earn around pounds 100,000 over the next two years, will help his bid to win an England recall.

"Joining such a prestigious county as Surrey can only enhance my chances of winning back my England place," he added. "Surrey supporters are going to reap the rewards because my best cricket years are yet to come."

n The opener Chandika Hathurusinghe hit his third consecutive half-century of the series to improve Sri Lanka's hopes of victory in the third and deciding Test in Sialkot yesterday. Hathurusinghe's 73 steered Sri Lanka to 177 for 4 in their second innings - an overall lead of 195 on Pakistan - when bad light ended play three overs early on the third day. Sri Lanka gained a first-innings lead of 18 by swiftly taking Pakistan's last two wickets to dismiss the home side for 214 in the morning.