Illingworth ready to stand or fall with Atherton

HUGH BATESON

Whether it is too little, too late only time will tell, but Ray Illingworth tried to ignite some togetherness in his beleaguered tour party with a brusque "if he goes, I go" reaction to speculation about Michael Atherton being relieved of the captaincy.

"If I'm still in charge next summer, then he's captain," Illingworth said bluntly in Karachi yesterday. "I could not really see a situation where I stay and he goes."

This may not be a cast-iron guarantee. Neither looks on the safest ground given the standard of England's World Cup campaign so far. Illingworth has said he wants to continue his dual role of chairman of selectors and manager through the summer, but his current contract ends towards the end of next month, and its renewal by the Test and County Cricket Board is not a formality.

Nevertheless, Illingworth gave as much support as he could to his captain yesterday. "I still back him totally," he said. "And that is not like a football manager being given the chairman's vote of confidence!

"I was asked the other day whether Mike would be replaced as captain in the World Cup and I said he was selected to do the job and he will carry on doing it.

"He has certainly had no need to think he wouldn't through anything to do with me. I hope he knows that. I think he does. I cannot predict what might happen in the future. If we keep on playing badly enough both he and I will probably go. Or the Board might say I go and he stays."

Atherton himself raised the spectre of his dismissal in the aftermath of the demoralising 78-run thrashing by South Africa on Sunday and his subsequent gaffe in a press conference where he referred to a Pakistani journalist as a "buffoon" and had to apologise later.

"I am fatalistic about the captaincy," Atherton said. "I think you have to be. I hold it dear and I do not want to be stood down at the end of the World Cup, but I know it's quite likely to happen if we continue to play as we are. Once the bandwagon starts to roll and people start calling for the captain's head, it is very had to stop it."

Despite a clearly troubled and out-of-form captain and a badly underperforming team, Illingworth - as he must - is wearing as brave a public face as possible. After all it is less than three months since Atherton was a national hero after his great Test-saving innings in Johannesburg. And no matter how badly the team are playing, they need to win only one more game (and that probably against Sri Lanka) to reach the semi-finals.

"I think the spirit in the side generally is good, honestly. I don't think there's a problem with that," Illingworth said.

And the captain, who is enduring his first slump since taking office, with just 57 runs in his last eight innings? "I don't think he is down in the dumps. That's the last thing I would say, judging by by his outward appearance, although I don't know how he feels inwardly."

Despite Illingworth's attempt at cheeriness, life is unlikely to get any easier in the immediate future. England's tetchy attitude has not earned them many friends in the sub-continent so far, and all their skills will be needed off-field and on Sunday when their next task is to take on Pakistan, possibly the most talented side in the tournament, in front of their own fanatical supporters in Karachi on Sunday. It will be the first time England have played Pakistan in serious competition since relations were nearly broken off over ball-tampering allegations on their last tour to England in 1992.