One rival candidate will be Brian Bolus, the former opening batsman of Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and England, who is understood to feel that Bennett has not been as effective as he might have been, partly when manager of the England tour of the West Indies last winter.

After Bolus had announced his candidacy, another former fringe England player, Middlesex fast bowler Alan Moss, was advanced as a compromise candidate, more amenable to the powers-that-be than Bolus, who is considered to be too talkative in his dealings with the Press.

IT IS commonly perceived that England must choose between their Oval century-makers, John Crawley and Graeme Hick, for the last batting place in their Ashes party. But with their spinning cupboard so bare, there could be another option.

Instead of taking two spinners to Australia, why not ask Hick and Mark Ramprakash to fill the back-up role with their under-used off-spin?

It could have been the obvious answer had both fulfilled the selectors' desire for them to bowl for their counties more often but, as it is, Hick has bowled 82 first-class overs this season for seven wickets and Ramprakash 47.2 overs for his five successes.

WAYNE Morton, England's physio, played the first competitive game of his life last weekend, and must have wondered what might have been.

The Yorkshireman took a match-winning eight for 33 for Wetherby League Division Two side Thorner as opponents Sherrburn were skittled out for 89.

TEST cricketers should be seen but not heard, appears to be the motto at the Oval.

The long-held understanding is that the outstanding player of the day afterwards attends a Press conference. But when Graeme Hick passed his century on day one, England fell back on the excuse that he was not out and needed to conserve his energy for the next morning. In the event, Hick lasted another eight balls.

Then Sri Lanka put the bar on Muttiah Muralitharan, although he had just taken seven wickets. A career haul of 194 makes him the fourth most prolific off-spinner in Test history - but he is deemed not yet sufficiently mature to deal with the British Press.