Looking further ahead, is Atherton, who could easily lead England for another two or three years in Test cricket if his suspect back and his enthusiasm stand the strain, the right man to be in charge for the next World Cup?

Whatever the final result of England's one-day international series in New Zealand - the fourth match was due to start this morning at Eden Park and the last one takes place at Wellington on Tuesday - it is acknowledged by all that the sides selected from the 16 men on tour here are some way from being the best limited-overs combination England can produce.

Especially now that all 50-over internationals are played with the rule that only two players are allowed outside the 30-yard circle in the first 15 overs (and that two more must be stationary within 15 yards of the batsman) Atherton is not the ideal man to open the innings except on rare occasions when survival against the new ball in tricky conditions is the first objective.

In 48 international innings, Atherton has scored 1,557 runs at an average of just on 34. His 11 fifties and one hundred compare favourably with Alec Stewart's 13 fifties and one century in 80 innings; but he is certainly not one of nature's pinch hitters.

He has neither the weight nor the power of stroke to crash the ball through and over the field in the early overs on good pitches which, as the Sri Lankans so graphically proved in the last World Cup, is the way that it has to be done.

In Napier last Wednesday he made a great start but still managed ony 23 from 41 balls, finding it harder, not surprisingly for a batsman who likes to use the pace of the ball, to milk mediumpacers like Chris Harris and Gavin Larsen.

Both against Pakistan and here in New Zealand, Nick Knight has been much more successful at exploiting the opportunities and so has Stewart. Alastair Brown played the buccaneering role splendidly against India at the start of last season and Trevor Ward of Kent is another who could easily do so.

If Atherton is to play in the one-dayers against Australia, therefore, it should be either at No 3, where he played two good innings against Pakistan, or, perhaps better still, at No 7, where his role would be to work the ball around, simply trying to score at a rate of a run a ball and playing largely to accommodate whichever of the earlier batsman is ``in'' and scoring in boundaries.

For continuity's sake there will be a good case, I think, for Atherton to captain in the one-day internationals by the time that the decision is made in May, but it is certainly worth considering giving the headaches of leading the side in these hectic affairs to someone who takes them in his stride - Adam Hollioake perhaps? - allowing the national captain to keep his powder dry for the Tests.

Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)