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- From: vigneswa@ecs.umass.edu
- Newsgroups: rec.sport.cricket
- Subject: Russell : A Man of the Future......
- Message-ID: <19736.2b667722@ecs.umass.edu>
- Date: 27 Jan 93 11:50:58 GMT
- Lines: 61
-
- The following article was written by David Lloyd.
- Thanks: The Press Association Limited
-
-
- RUSSELL - A MAN OF THE FUTURE
-
- David Lloyd, Press Association cricket correspondent
-
- For some, Jack Russell's absence from India remains a
- sacking offence - or should do. For the man himself, it's history.
- The wicketkeeper's name will be used in evidence on Wednesday by
- those MCC members who are determined to pass a vote of no confi-
- dence in England's selectors.
-
- But, around the time when the sanity of Ted Dexter and Co is
- being questioned at a special meeting of the world's most famous
- cricket club, Russell will be 10,000 miles away and getting back
- to work behind the stumps. Given the choice, of course, Glouces-
- tershire's keeper would still swap his place on England's A tour
- of Australia for a call-up to Calcutta where the senior party are
- about to prepare for this winter's first Test against India. But,
- like David Gower - whose omission remains the game's b iggest
- talking point - Russell accepted weeks ago that it was time to
- move on to life's next chapter. "It hurt when I wasn't picked to
- go to India - it hurt a lot," confirmed Russell. "But that's in
- the past now and I haven't paid a lot of attention to all the
- talk that's been going on since. "I'm really looking forward to
- the A trip to Australia. It's a new challenge, something fresh to
- get my teeth into."
-
- Vice-captain Russell joins skipper Martyn Moxon and 13
- other players at Heathrow tomorrow for a two-month trip which
- pits England's second string against a variety of state sides. "I
- want to play Test cricket for England again next summer and I'm
- determined to make this tour a stepping stone towards that aim,"
- he said. "Even though we are not playing any representative
- matches this winter nobody is expecting it to be easy. "The
- cricket will be hard and very competitive - it always is when
- teams from England and Australia meet at any level." Russell
- knows that to be true from bitter experience. "Remember Bowral,"
- he asks?
-
- The picturesque New South Wales town was where England
- suffered a humiliating defeat against a scratch Aussie side on
- the Ashes tour two years ago - and where the A team start their
- campaign on Monday. "We are not expecting any easy games," said
- manager Norman Gifford. "I'm sure the traditional rivalry between
- the two countries will be obvious in every match." The A tour
- principle is now firmly established after successful trips to Zim-
- babwe, Sri Lanka and West Indies in recent years. And so is the
- route from second string to first, trodden by the likes of Mike
- Atherton, Chris Lewis and Ian Salisbury. Moxon's team is packed
- with players capable of following the same path. For the moment,
- at least, Russell is travelling in the opposite direction. But,
- unlike some MCC members this week, a man who remains among the
- world's best wicketkeepers is looking forward ... not back.
-
- ===
-
- Vicky:
- UMass, Jan 27, 93
-