Date-stamped : 18 Jun96 - 02:16 17 June 1996 Selectors stand by winning side By Christopher Martin-Jenkins THE England selectors have duly named the 11 players who combined to beat India by eight wickets at Edgbaston for the second Test starting at Lord`s on Thursday. Peter Martin is retained in the XII but John Crawley`s thigh injury ruled him out. Alec Stewart, left out in Birmingham after playing a valuable part in the one-day internationals, will be the reserve for Nick Knight, whose cracked right little finger is expected to have healed sufficiently for him to play. Martin remains just ahead of Darren Gough, whose confidence with both bat and ball has returned with a vengeance. The spinner, Min Patel, is certain to play again but Martin would strengthen the attack if he were to play as fourth seamer in Ronnie Irani`s place. That would mean Jack Russell, MBE, going in at six, Chris Lewis at seven and Dominic Cork at eight. Unless, of course, history were to repeat itself and Stewart were to displace Russell. Stewart, who generally keeps for Surrey only on Sundays, was the centre of a dispute within the selection committee this time last year when he replaced Steve Rhodes as wicketkeeper for the Lord`s Test against the West Indies on Ray Illingworth`s sole initiative. It would be a piquant situation indeed if Illingworth were to choose to use the veto he still theoretically holds by restor- ing Stewart as wicketkeeper on Thursday. Against India at least it would make for a stronger England XI, but Illingworth is an admirer of Russell`s pluck and professionalism, so it will not happen. Last year`s decision had happy consequences when Stewart bril- liantly caught Brian Lara. It is one of the matters freely ex- plained by the chairman in his book One Man Committee which comes under the microscope at a disciplinary hearing at Lord`s tomorrow. Disclosure of `confidential` information - though cricket correspondents are, in fact, usually briefed after a selection - is the contravention of TCCB rules for which Il- lingworth is likely to be reprimanded. His power has been eroded sufficiently anyway by the disappear- ance from the committee first of Brian Bolus, then of Fred Titmus. I understand, for example, that he might have preferred David Byas, the Yorkshire captain, to Stewart as Knight`s reserve, but that he was outvoted by David Lloyd, Mike Ather- ton, David Graveney and Graham Gooch. The other openers who came close were Trevor Ward, of Kent, and Michael Vaughan, of Yorkshire. ENGLAND PARTY: M A Atherton (Lancashire, capt) Age: 28. Tests: 57; N V Knight (Warwickshire) 26, 3; N Hussain (Essex) 28, 8; G P Thorpe (Surrey) 26, 27; G A Hick (Worcestershire) 30, 43; R C Irani (Essex) 24, 1; R C Russell (Gloucestershire) 32, 45; C C Lewis (Surrey) 28, 28; D G Cork (Derbyshire) 24, 11; M M Patel (Kent) 25, 1; A D Mullally (Leicestershire) 26, 1; P J Martin (Lancashire) 27, 6. Stand-by: A J Stewart (Surrey) 33, 53. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http.//www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by Shash (shs2@*.cwru.edu)