England to make last-minute Kerrigan call

England

Cricket365
July 16, 2014

England captain Alastair Cook has hedged his bets about including spinner Simon Kerrigan in the starting XI for the second Test against India at Lord's, saying he'd make a decision before the toss.

Pictures of the Lord's track have shown a rather green surface, indicating a good one for pace, so Kerrigan's immediate inclusion is not remotely guaranteed, but Cook wanted to wait until the grass was cut in the morning.

Cook said ahead of the Lord's encounter: "It looks a good wicket with a covering of grass on it and a green tinge. Wickets at Lord's tend to be good when they have a bit of carry.

"Speaking to (groundsman) Mick (Hunt), he's happy with it. Because it's not an exact science it's very hard to predict exactly how it will go."

He then added of Kerrigan, who had a poor debut against Australia: "It will be a big challenge for him in terms of what he experienced in his first Test match.

"You want to hit the ground running and want to show everyone what a good player you are. You always have to prove that when you get into the side.

"What I've seen in the nets and from talking to him, he certainly feels more comfortable around this squad.

"He knows a lot of the guys, has been on 'A' tours with them, compared to when he was thrust in at The Oval at two days' notice with guys he'd only seen playing on TV.

"We will see (on Kerrigan's selection), we'll have to have a look at the wicket tomorrow, because if the grass gets cut off then it changes things."

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