Date-stamped : 04 Jun96 - 02:17 3 June 1996 Mullally joins England new boys Selectors go for hungrier fighters and spirited self-believers for first Test against India, reports Christopher Martin-Jenkins TWO uncapped left-arm bowlers, one born in India, the other raised in Australia, join Ronnie Irani, of Essex, in an interest- ing and promising party of 13 for the first Test against India starting at Edgbaston on Thursday. John Crawley and Nick Knight are preferred to Alec Stewart, Nasser Hussain is recalled, at 28, for what should be a more successful second phase as a Test batsman, and Chris Lewis, the athlete who captures the eye, is preferred to Angus Fraser, the yeoman who captures the heart. The pre-match plan is to play six batsmen, with Crawley at three and Hussain at six, plus Jack Russell and four fast bowlers. The pitch is currently "well and evenly grassed". If the warm weather forecast for the middle of the week pushes the tacticians towards a spinner, Irani and Min Patel of Kent would jointly win their first caps, at the expense of Hussain and, presumably, either Lewis or Alan Mullally. Mullally is 26, 6ft 5ins, left-arm over, with a fluid action and, by all accounts, he is an improved and more thoughtful bowler than he was, having made a careful study of the methods of Wasim Akram. He seems to have developed a more consistent inswinger and he has always made the ball bounce awkwardly. He was born in Southend but brought up in Perth, in a Western Australian climate very different from the one which prevails around the banks of the Tay. Indeed, he came close to death in Western Australia last February when, walking bare-footed in his parents` garden, he was bitten by a redback spider. Ironically, some of his Leicestershire team-mates knew him al- ready as `Spider Mullally`, presumably because of the length of his arms and legs. He was preferred to Mark Ilott, though Ray Illingworth was at pains to stress that Ilott "has not let us down". The preference for Mullally was because he has a little more pace. Simon Brown, of Durham, also came close and I am inclined to think he should have come closer. His record is almost identical to Mullally`s, but he has taken five wickets in an innings more than twice as often and he swings it more. Moreover, the performances of Andy Caddick and Martin McCague against Australia do not augur well for England fast bowlers who were raised overseas. The Aussies, ironically for a country created from immigrants, seem to reserve a special scorn for anyone they suspect of being a turncoat. Mullally has played not just for Western Australia but also for Young Australia. On the other hand, Illingworth says that he has long made his com- mitment to England quite clear and he suggests in the 1996 Crick- eters` Who`s Who that the national anthem should be played be- fore each Test match. Good luck to him. Minal Mahesh Patel is 25, like Hussain born in India but schooled in England, which should be what matters most. He came through various English Schools Cricket Association XIs to county cricket for Kent. His performances this season against Lancashire (five for 65 in the second innings) and Essex (10 for 225 in the match) have confirmed his return to form after faltering last year. Mike Atherton and Graham Gooch, two of the five selectors, were clearly impressed. Patel has been vying with Richard Illingworth, Phil Tufnell and Richard Stemp for three years. Illingworth bowled with valu- able control in South Africa and Stemp performed respectably on a second successive A tour, but Patel`s all-round aptitude and healthy competitiveness, allied to his excellence in the field, probably tipped the scales. He looks a natural bowler and he wins games in the fourth innings, often by bowling over the wicket. The right choice here. Not so, I fear, Lewis`s selection over Fraser. The arguments are well enough worn, but it is exactly that precious factor of control which Fraser offers, and Lewis sometimes does not. Although Fraser`s performances for Middlesex this year have been more economical than penetrative, he has, Statham-like, taken wickets at the other end. That said, I recognise Lewis`s immense talent and the temptation it always presents to selectors wanting some genuine speed in short bursts, plus electric fielding and undeniable class with the bat. Stewart and Robin Smith have been discarded for the hungrier fighters The specialist batting was only slightly easier to choose but, happily, the selectors have taken all the right options. Stewart and Robin Smith have been discarded for the hungrier fighters, Crawley and Hussain, though Stewart stands by to replace Nick Knight if there should still be any doubt about his injured finger. Like Stewart, Knight has been trying to find suitable special protection for the vulnerable index finger of the bottom hand. Although they no longer play for the same county, Knight and Irani share the same ambition and self-belief. Indeed, Gra- ham Gooch says of Irani that he has not known such inner conviction since Ian Botham. He has something of the latter`s blacksmith might, but not, I suspect, his abundant natural abil- ity. Time will tell if his character will make up for what he lacks in class. One could argue, as I have, with a place here or there in this important first Test selection of the season, but not, I think, with the philosophy behind it. This is a team of fit, spirit- ed, ambitious cricketers; a team with potential for growth. Leicestershire`s players are obviously particularly delighted by Mullally`s selection, Phil Simmons for example declaring Eng- land would have been "mad" not to pick him. And it was good to hear Patel yesterday giving much of the credit for his recognition to Derek Underwood, the former England spinner. "Derek has been fantastic, checking on my field plac- ings, getting me to put more body in my action, persuading me to bowl a shade faster and give the ball more of a rip," he said. Ronnie Irani also owes much to Graham Gooch and Keith Fletch- er at Essex. "They both worked on my technique without curbing my natural game," he said. "My confidence has increased every month I`ve been at the county." Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http.//www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by Shash (shs2@*.cwru.edu)