Date-stamped : 20 Jul94 - 18:26 Hick given one last chance to show his worth Selectors look to the future in calling up Crawley and Udal to replace Smith and Such Christopher Martin-Jenkins weighs up England's team for historic Test against tough South Africa side at Lord's on Thursday After a very long and free-flowing meeting in Manchester on Sa- turday night, England's selectors have given Graeme Hick what is at once a final reprieve and a belated chance to bat at No 3. He survives, despite a disappointing series against New Zealand, to combine his major batting responsibility with that of the prob- able second spinner. Robin Smith and Peter Such have been dropped to allow for the inclusion of two younger cricketers with great potential, John Crawley and Shaun Udal. The eleven who take the field on Thursday for the first Test match against South Africa at Lord's will have, whoever is 12th man, a commendable balance, lacking only a left-hander. Graham Thorpe came very close to be- ing picked in preference to Crawley once it had been decided that Hick would play. He knows beyond doubt that he is next in line. It can safely be assumed that although in an ideal world Mike Atherton would have wanted both Thorpe and Crawley in the side, his support for Crawley swayed the issue. Atherton's advocacy of Crawley has little to do with the fact that Crawley followed his footsteps at Manchester Grammar School and Cambridge, and every- thing to do with the natural ability and steady progress of a batsman who radiates class. By moving his feet properly forward or back and playing straight, Crawley has built upon his God- given talent swiftly to pick the line and length of the ball. He and Alan Wells were clearly England's best batsmen for the A side in South Africa last winter and the weight of Crawley's scoring this season - despite a lean time recently - has established his right to a first Test cap at the age of 22. It is undeniable, however, how great a part luck plays in selec- tion for England and always has. To be in the right place at the right time and have a decision-maker who believes in you is cru- cial. Just as Crawley has an unswerving supporter in Atherton, so it is arguable that Craig White and Steve Rhodes would not be about to play their fourth Test had not Ray Illingworth become chairman of selectors (Darren Gough was going to make it anyway). The same is true of Udal, 25, the 6ft 2in off-spinner who took five for 63 against the South Africans at Southampton, made a promising start in his first one-day international against New Zealand, and bowled Hampshire to victory at Portsmouth on Satur- day. Udal is the probable 12th man on Thursday unless the Lord's pitch - more than ever an unknown quantity this season - looks likely to take a great deal of spin. It is more likely that he will win his first cap at Headingley in the second Test. White or Angus Fraser are the other possible omissions if it is decided that conditions will make it sensible to try to exploit the one perceived weakness in the South African team, namely discomfort against the kind of spin bowling of which they experience too little in their domestic cricket. It is for this reason that Ian Salisbury is certain to return to the eleven. His inclusion this time was not in doubt once the selectors, already on their way to Manchester by the time that he was running through Middlesex at Arundel, had confirmed he is bowling with control and confidence. Apart from being a dangerous bowler, Salisbury adds all-round qualities to a side who are steadily increasing their supply of the kind of tenacious cricketers Illingworth rightly appreciates. Peter Such is unlucky to be discarded on the grounds that he has done nothing wrong in his two home seasons in the England side, bowling generally on wickets on which only Shane Warne, from the spinning fraternity, has really prospered. Nonetheless, Tim May (21 wickets at 28 versus 16 wickets at 33) outbowled him last year and the two off-spinners on the England committee believe Udal to be the better long-term prospect. The same was true when Udal's blossoming skill was measured against the versatility and know-how of Mike Watkinson, Lancashire's captain. Like Thorpe, however, Watkinson came close to being chosen, again. Smith's reaction to being dropped by England for the second successive home season will determine whether he goes to Australia in Oc- tober. He is only 30 and I shall be surprised if this is the end of his Test career. Disappointed as he is to miss his first chance to play against South Africa, where he was born and brought up, he needs a rest from the West End and a spell of gen- tle repertory. In the end, the committee came to a different con- clusion over Hick, who feels that when he gets in at five or six, the positions in which he generally has batted for England, the shape of the innings has been dictated. This may be a reflection of the lack of spark in his character, but if it was right for him to bat at three against Australia at the Oval last August - he scored 80 and 36 - it was wrong not to allow him to continue in that position in the West Indies. To some extent, his evident insecurity has reflected the ambivalence of those who have selected, captained and managed him. Do we trust him to dominate hostile, quick bowlers with the new ball? Is he really a proposi- tion as an off-spinner at Test level? He has picked up the nega- tive vibes hitherto. Now, or probably never again, he must go out and show them. The South Africans have been preparing for this Test match from the first ball of a tour in which they have confirmed their repu- tation as a tough, no-frills, efficient team. Thousands of their countrymen, from Nelson Mandela down, will be at Lord's celebrat- ing the end of the 29-year hiatus since Colin Bland patrolled the covers like a low-veldt cheetah. Lord's inspires all visiting teams, but this one, perhaps, especially. The worry is that South Africa are a team; England still, because of all the constant changing of players, a collection of individuals. Since the read- mission of South Africa's United Board to the International Cricket Council in 1991, their team have won four and lost three of 14 Test matches and won 24 of their 54 one-day internationals. They have yet to lose a Test series. After coming so close to beating the West Indies, at Bridgetown of all places, in their first match back, South Africa have beaten India in a four-match series, overcome Sri Lanka away and held Australia to 1-1 draws home and away. With four fast bowlers in Allan Donald, Fanie de Villiers, Craig Matthews and Brian McMillan, and two occasional, but serviceable, off-spinners in the Kirsten brothers, the South African approach in the field is predictable, reliable and un- compromising, and they bat solidly down to seven. It was apparent in those tough series last winter that under Kepler Wessels and his first-lieutenant, Hansie Cronje, hard men of Blomfontein both, this is a side whose members will sweat blood in the cause. Without a similar commitment, England will not win. ENGLAND: M A Atherton (Lancashire) Age 26, Tests 37; A J Stewart (Surrey) 31, 40; G A Gooch (Essex) 40, 110; J P Crawley (Lan- cashire) 22, 0; G A Hick (Worcestershire) 28, 26; C White (Yorkshire) 24, 3; S J Rhodes (Worcestershire) 30, 3; P A J DeFreitas (Derbyshire) 28, 36; D Gough (Yorkshire) 23, 1; I D K Salisbury (Sussex) 24, 6; A R C Fraser (Middlesex) 28, 19; S D Udal (Hampshire) 25, 0. (Extracted from The Daily Telegraph) Contributed by Vicky (VIGNESWA@*umass.edu)