Date-stamped : 26 Oct95 - 10:33 England 'A' in Pakistan, Nov-Dec 1995 - Preview Hussain the ideal man - Simon Hughes WHETHER by accident or design, Ray Illingworth may have struck gold in the choice of Nasser Hussain as captain of the England A team who depart for a tricky two-month tour of Pakistan today. The indigenous population took to him enthusiastically on the A tour four winters ago. However, after only three one-day matches, the Gulf War broke out and the party bolted for a flight to Sri Lanka in a coach with blacked-out windows. So, in a sense, this is a trail-blazing trip. No England side have made an extended visit to the country since Mike Gatting and Shakoor Rana shook it all about in 1987 and it is a chance for Pakistan, blemished by bribery allegations, to show their house is in good order before the 1996 World Cup. Not only is Hussain the ideal cross-cultural figurehead (he was born in Madras), he is bright, personable and would have been an imaginative choice as Essex captain when Graham Gooch stood down. Also, he has an excellent relationship with manager John Emburey. The most thorny problem may well be giving each of the 15 players sufficient opportunity in their preferred positions. There are four specialist opening batsmen (Knight, Gallian, McGrath and Pooley), eight regular bowlers, and two strikingly similar all- rounders in White and Irani. At least Keith Piper will get plenty of cricket as there is no other regular keeper on tour. Overall the squad looks marginally weaker than the one so suc- cessful in India earlier this year. Mark Ramprakash has been up- graded and the careers of Dominic Cork and Glen Chapple, both so potent in India, have gone in opposite directions. While Cork`s golden arm whirred on a grander stage, Chapple struggled with in- jury and rhythm and stays at home. On the other hand, Knight and Gallian have grown in stature, and Hussain is almost the equal of Ramprakash. The progress of the Sussex fast bowler Ed Giddins will be intriguing; batsmen up and down the country have had trouble picking up his skidding deliveries, and he may surprise a few players, lulled by his lop- ing run-up. Apart from Hussain and Salisbury - embarking on his fourth A tour - most of the England players do not know what to expect. Even Emburey, who was on the 1987 trip, is having to make some educat- ed guesses. The accommodation at the three Test venues has im- proved since he was last there, but one of the warm-up matches may be moved to Sahiwal, meaning the teams will have to stay in a converted biscuit factory. Well, its all part of life`s rich ta- pestry. ENGLAND A SQUAD.- N Hussain (Essex, capt), J E R Gallian (Lancs), E S H Giddins (Sussex), D W Headley (Kent), R C Irani (Essex), N V Knight (Warwicks), A McGrath (Yorks), D P Ostler (Warwicks), K J Piper (Warwicks), J C Pooley (Middx), I D K Salisbury (Sussex), A M Smith (Glos), R D Stemp (Yorks), S D Udal (Hants), C White (Yorks). Manager: M D Vockins. Cricket manager: J E Emburey. Phy- sio: D Conway. ITINERARY.- Nov 1: Pakistan Cricket Board XI (1-day, Karachi). 3: Pakistan Cricket Board XI (1-day, Thatta). 5-8: Combined XI (4- day, Karachi). 11-14: Pakistan Cricket Board XI (4-day, Lahore). 17-21: 1st Test (Multan). 24-27: Patron`s XI (4-day, Sialkot). 30-4 Dec: 2nd Test (Rawalpindi). 8-12: 3rd Test (Peshawar). 15: 1st one-day internat`l (Peshawar). 18: 2nd one-day internat`l (Faisalabad). 20: 3rd one-day internat`l (Shiakhupura). Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)