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Video: Ray Illingworth's Tales From The Long Room
ENGLAND legend Ray Illingworth believes Andrew Strauss has the required leadership qualities to follow in his footsteps and win the Ashes.
The former England captain, who captured the famous urn in Australia in the winter of 1970-71 believes the latest man to lead the country's cricketers is well-equipped to walk off with the Ashes at the end of the summer.
England head in to Friday's fourth Test at Headingley Carnegie with a slender 1-0 lead and the outcome of the series on a knife-edge.
But former chairman of selectors Illingworth, who was firmly behind the appointment of Strauss after the Kevin Pietersen debacle at the start of year, believes the Middlesex batsman has lived up to expectations.
"I think he's done all right and he's played well himself, which is important if a captain can play well, " said Illingworth, who led England on 31 occasions and won the County Championship with Yorkshire seven times.
"He's not made too many mistakes. Everybody has different ideas, for instance I'd have started with somebody else to open the bowling, but it's all a matter of hunch, and Strauss has done very well.
"Everything about captaincy is hunch, you have that gut feeling at times and the good captains have that gut feeling more than anybody else. You also have to have that little bit of luck."
No build-up to a Test is complete without the ongoing question of whether Andrew Flintoff is fit to face the Aussies, and although Illingworth believes Strauss has handled his big-game player well, he does feel the England captain has fallen foul of a growing tendency in international cricket – over-using bowlers.
"All captains nowadays in Test cricket bowl the bowlers too long, the spells are too long, " said Illingworth, who alludes as much in Fire and Ashes* a book chronicling the exploits of the 18 living Yorkshire cricketers to have represented the Three Lions in an Ashes series.
"If I'd have tried to use John Snow for 11 overs on the trot he'd have told me where to go.
"And quite rightly so because I wanted John Snow as a quick bowler, and seven overs is the most I'd give him in a spell.
"They go on for 11, 12, 13 overs and its too much and that's when they get injuries, particularly when they're tired.
"Going back to Fred Trueman's day, they didn't bowl long spells, it was once in a lifetime if they had a 10-over spell, but very, very rarely."
Illingworth feels the key to how Strauss handles Flintoff at Headingley could all depend on the state of the pitch, which has taken a battering from the rain in recent days.
"Flintoff needs a hard surface so the ball will bounce, " Illingworth continued. "He didn't get that at Edgbaston (in the drawn third Test) and we don't know what's going to happen here, because there's been that much rain over the last month.
"If they get a good hard wicket then the groundsman will have done damn well. But if there's no bounce, Flintoff won't be quite the same.
"Seamers will be the key here, I wouldn't be surprised if the Aussies brought another seamer in for a spinner, and get Marcus North and Michael Clarke bowling a bit of spin.
"It has at least forecast to get warmer here by Thursday. This ground must be waterlogged with the rain we have had so if we get some warm weather it will bring the moisture up into the air and the atmosphere and the ball will swing. It could be very interesting if that happens."
As England sweat over the fitness of troubled all-rounder Flintoff, Australia face a race against time to get pace bowler Brett Lee fit to make his first delivery of the series.
But Illingworth believes Mitchell Johnson could still be the key for Australia, and feels the pace bowler is at last finding his form after a torrid start to the Ashes, a sentiment echoed by Illingworth's friend and former Yorkshire batsman and Test umpire Dickie Bird.
"Johnson bowled better at Birmingham, " said Bird, "there was one spell where he bowled very well.
"If he can get it together here at Headingley then Australia should do well.
"But the bottom line is Australia have to get 20 wickets, and that's not going to be easy."
The book Fire and Ashes was released at the start of the month and Illingworth said: "A lot of people will have a bit of fun trying to remember the 18 living Yorkshire players, I know I did myself.
"Its a novelty book, but one that should create quite a bit of interest."
Fire and Ashes: How Yorkshire's Finest Took on the Australians, introduction by Geoff Boycott. Published by Great Northern Books, Hardback, 14.99, plus 2.27 p&p. To order, please ring 01748 821122 Mon–Sat 9am-5pm. Or by post, send a cheque/postal order payable to Yorkshire Books Ltd, send to Yorkshire Offers, 1 Castle Hill, Richmond DL10 4QP.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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