Date-stamped : 07 Jun96 - 14:18 7 June 1996 Upside down opinions of men at the top First Test: Nothing changes in attention to detail off the pitch but in the middle newcomers help England thrive, reports Martin Johnson THE Test and County Cricket Board are never slow to recognise when the time has come for swift and decisive action, and it is a longstanding tradition that there is never anything so badly wrong with the English game that a Lord`s working party can- not put right. Very often this leads to epoch-making decisions, such as appoint- ing another working party to consider the recommendations of the original working party. Even better news is the fact that the working party currently under commission could not have their finger more squarely on the pulse. They have just asked journalists to respond to a 54-point questionnaire dated on June 5, handed out on June 6, and inviting replies (in bold type) no later than June 4. Page 2 is actually page 15 printed upside down, and page 15 is page 2 printed upside down. As soon as our cricketers absorb this essential attention to detail, the rest of the world can truly start to tremble. There are also signs that people in high places are starting to kiss and make up, and if anyone had speculated earlier in the week that Ian Botham`s collar would be smudged with Raymond Illingworth`s lipstick, they would have been considered noth- ing less than one ball short of an over. Illingworth has scarcely been stuck for words since he took over as chairman, but "sorry" is not thought to have been one of them. Who said, in May: "Botham`s idea of a motivator is to squirt a water pistol around the dressing room and get pissed" and (on Botham`s attempt to become a selector) "not one of his previous counties voted for him"? Who said, in June: "Botham is a good and serious motivator, which is reflected by the fact that one of his counties, Somerset, voted for him as a selector"? Answer: Illingworth and Illingworth. It sounds like a firm of solicitors, and it just goes to show what effect a firm of soli- citors can have on a sudden change of opinion. What with all this peace and goodwill, little wonder that England had a good day. In recent times England have been ac- cused of taking the field not knowing what time of day it was, though this only applied yesterday because someone had draped a white cover over the pavilion clock. Apparently, this practice was initiated by the Warwickshire captain, Dermot Reeve, who claimed that it was a distraction. County cricketers don`t like distractions (Derek Randall once complained about a game of tennis taking place about half a mile away while he was batting against Leicestershire at Hinckley), which makes yesterday`s achievement of putting behind them the off-the-field shenanigans all the more meritorious. India`s batting, on the other hand, bore all the hallmarks of a team who play hardly anything but one-day internationals, and the pitch was no more well behaved than Dominic Cork when he felt obliged to mark the capture of Anil Kumble`s wicket by pointing out the way back to the pavilion. Cork is, in many respects, ideally suited to modern-day international cricket, all bristling aggression and wholehearted effort. Even the sunblock is a prop, used more as warpaint than a guard against holes in the ozone layer. It is a legitimate weapon, but his theatrical posturing is a bit of a bore. Every time Cork hits the pad, he comes as close to dementia as makes no difference. Cork is the only bowler in the England side in the top 30 in the Coopers and Lybrand world rankings, though given that Heath Streak, of Zimbabwe, is listed at No 5, they perhaps ought not to be taken too seriously. Alan Mullally, one of three England players making his debut yesterday, settled in quickly, which was not particularly surprising as Edgbaston, with barely a crowd to speak of, and a dodgy pitch, must have seemed just like Grace Road. Mullally, raised in Perth, has been so vociferous in his alle- giance to England it was a mild surprise that he did not emerge from the pavilion wearing a bowler hat, and if Michael Atherton said to him afterwards, "Good day, Alan", hopefully Mullally did not blow his cover by replying, "G`day to you too, mate." Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http.//www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by Shash (shs2@*.cwru.edu)