Now is the right time for Ward

David Lloyd13 April 2012

Now Ian Ward can thank his lucky stars he's a late developer. Although 27 may sound a trifle old to be contemplating a Test debut, the Surrey opener is joining England's senior set at just about the perfect time.

Captain Nasser Hussain and coach Duncan Fletcher have not only turned their team into winners but also created an atmosphere that should encourage rather than intimidate newcomers.

"This is something every little boy dreams about," said Ward, who will take possession of his first Test cap on Thursday provided England decide to play all seven front-line batsmen against Pakistan at Lord's.

Too often in recent years, though, the debut-maker's dream has turned into a nightmare.

Aftab Habib typifies a long list of players in the 1990s who arrived on the scene full of excitement and left it, within a few weeks, looking disillusioned. Habib's chance - if that is what you can call it - came and went during the dismal summer of 1999.

England had already crashed out of the World Cup at the earliest possible opportunity, they were without a coach following David Lloyd's departure and Habib looked like a lost soul during the first half of the Test series against New Zealand.

The Leicestershire batsman failed in each of his three innings and that was that. Goodbye, cheerio, don't call us, we'll call you.

Goodness knows how many potentially successful international players England have dumped before giving them a decent chance.

But, as Ward will soon discover, the present climate is altogether more hospitable and should provide him with every opportunity to grow and develop if he's good enough.

Chris Adams was a debatable choice for the 1999-2000 tour of South Africa, England's first under the joint leadership of Hussain and Fletcher. They believed he was worth a go, however, and awarded him five consecutive Tests to prove them right.

Adams failed but not because England had panicked at the first hint of trouble.

Michael Vaughan, who made his debut in the same Johannesburg Test as Adams, and Marcus Trescothick, who arrived on the scene last summer, are the standard bearers for the new brigade.

Ward is similar to them in that his county record looks solid rather than spectacular.

At the end of last season, the left-hander had a first-class career average of 33.91. But when picked for England A's winter tour, he reeled off centuries in three consecutive matches against West Indian opposition. That is the sort of response England are looking for when they push players under the spotlight.

Domestic statistics can never be anything more than a rough guide. If they were wholly reliable then Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash would be right up there among the elite of Test cricket. Whereas umpteen players have come and gone in the twinkling of an eye, England gave Hick and Ramprakash something like 20 chances between them.

Now they must think about the future. That is why Ward will be given his chance this summer. It's also the explanation for 23-year-old Ryan Sidebottom's presence, rather than 31-year-old Alan Mullally's, in a squad of 13.

Forward planning is a good reason for Hussain to let Vaughan bat at No 3, the spot he looks destined to fill well beyond the current skipper's term of office, this week. Hussain has hinted that he will step down. Having ended his barren run with a century in Sri Lanka just two Tests ago, whatever the captain does is done from a position of strength.

SQUAD: M Atherton, M Trescothick, N Hussain (capt), G Thorpe, A Stewart (wkt), M Vaughan, I Ward, C White, D Cork, R Croft, A Caddick, D Gough, R Sidebottom.

England's tour of India will be divided into two parts this winter so that players can take a Christmas break. England will have two weeks off, starting on Christmas Eve after the three Tests, before returning for a series of one-day games.

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