Cricket: Lloyd measures up the mighty McLean
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Your support makes all the difference.England's batsmen will today be given a preview of what they can expect from the West Indies' latest pace bowling discovery.
Nixon Alexei McNamara McLean, huge but not quite of the Joel Garner or Curtly Ambrose proportions, is fast, furious and in the West Indies A team new ball line-up to face Mike Atherton's men in the four-day match starting at Chetwin Park, Kingston - the last game before the first Test.
McLean, 24, from Stubbs in St Vincent, with forenames bearing a distinctly political ring - after the former American President, the Russian leader Kosygin and ex-US Defence Secretary Robert - is one of the six fast bowlers in the West Indies squad of 13 for the first Test at Sabina Park.
Vincent, McLean's father, added the names of Truman and MacArthur to his own and called his netball-playing daughter Golda Meir. His other two sons, Kissinger and Reagan, are also fast bowlers.
McLean toured Australia last winter but had little cricket because of a groin injury. He played in a one-day international and will clearly be anxious to impress in his first outing against England.
McLean is something of an unknown quantity to England. However, their coach, David Lloyd, knows plenty about his strike bowling colleague in the West Indies A line-up: Guyana's Reon King.
Lloyd said: "I've not seen McLean. But King bowls like Michael Holding and looks like Michael Holding. I saw him play against our Under-19s out here. I'll be interested to see how he's progressed."
McLean and King will be joined by the Barbados left-arm fast bowler Pedro Collins. All three went on the West Indies' recent A tour to South Africa and were successful.
England have picked the six batsmen they clearly intend to use in the first Test, which starts on 29 January, with Mark Butcher and Mark Ramprakash missing out.
The Essex bowler Ashley Cowan has impressed in the nets and seems likely to replace Dean Headley, who will be rested. A good display could earn Cowan a Test place ahead of Angus Fraser.
ENGLAND (from): M A Atherton (capt), A J Stewart, J P Crawley, N Hussain, G P Thorpe, A J Hollioake, R C Russell (wkt), R D B Croft, A P Cowan, A R Caddick, A R C Fraser, P C R Tufnell.
WEST INDIES A: R I Holder (capt), L V Garrick, W W Hinds, K F Semple, F L Reifer, R L Hoyte (wkt), L R Williams, R N Lewis, R D King, P Collins, N A M McLean.
- David Field Kingston, Jamaica
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